Week One

After about a week in Australia, I finally have an opportunity to spend some time on the internet. Apparently cheap high-speed internet hasn't become too common around here.

The trip over here was as good as it could be, but it was by far the most tiring traveling I have ever done. I left my house in Beaufort at 7:30 am on Tuesday, and got to Newcastle at 4:30 on Thursday. Needless to say, the jet lag was pretty rough.

When I got to Newcastle I stayed at the YHA youth hostel, which had to be one of the best hostels around. The hostel is literally about 100 steps from Newcastle beach, and has great accommodations, not to mention I met a ton of great people living there. The hunt for a place to live was much more difficult than I expected it to be, but I got really lucky and ran into a friend of a friend who I knew was going to be here (Chris Holder) and they were looking for two more people to live in their apartment. We ended up getting a place right around the corner from the hostel that is really nice and right by the beach. We only have 2 bedrooms for 4 people, but with less rent than I pay in Clemson, I think I'll live.

The beaches here are completely different than home. The waves are huge and perfect for surfing and body boarding, and the water is pretty chilly. I'm hoping to learn how to surf while I'm over here, because its a lot harder with the bigger waves. The bar scene here is a lot of fun, but they love to play rave dance music, which isn't quite my favorite. Also, there isn't any cheap liquor or beer around. A handle of Jack is about $125au and a case of beer is about $35au, so I guess I'll have to quit drinking if I want to make it home, haha.