Hey everyone! Sorry I haven’t been blogging…I’ve had a few posts prepared but the software I use to blog (Windows Live Writer) isn’t working. 
I think it has to do with the new Internet I’ve been using, I pay by bandwidth usage and therefore have to log in every time I open a browser. I don’t know how to configure the software so that it works. Also, since I have to pay for how much bandwidth I use, I imagine uploading photos and blogging takes quite a bit of that. Therefore I don’t know how much picture-heavy blogging that I’ll be able to do. Maybe if I can find free wireless somewhere and if I can get my software to work!
But I’d still like to let you know what I’m up to. Just imagine all the pretty photos. 
Like I said in my previous post, I spent my first week in Australia in Cairns, which is up in Queensland and is near the Great Barrier Reef. I already told you about the snorkeling, but we also got to plant trees at the Kuranda Conservation Community Nursery, which is devoted in part to the protection of cassowaries (big emu-like birds that are in danger of going extinct in Australia).
We also visited Rainforestation, a big nature park. We learned about Aboriginal culture, got to hold a koala (not as soft as you’d think), and saw many animals, including but not limited to spiders, kangaroos, dingoes, and crocodiles. It was a really fun day. That night we went on a tour of the Cairns nightlife, also fun. Then I spent our last day in Cairns horseback riding and whitewater rafting, both of which far surpassed my expectations. Rafting was amazing, we even got to get out of the boat and go through some rapids on our backs!
We finally arrived in Sydney on Saturday, pretty darn sick of traveling and planes and lugging around our heavy bags by that point. I moved into my little dorm room/apartment–we live in an apartment complex that’s basically a dorm, and right on the edge of campus. I have my own bathroom (including a big shower with gloriously hot water), a big bed, a large desk and shelves, a big dresser/open closet, and a fridge + microwave.
What kind of sucks about it though is that it’s super expensive, yet nothing is included. No meals, no Internet, no phone, and no cable. Oh, and there’s no heat or A/C. And it’s quite cold here! It’s in the 40′s at night, which means my sleeping outfit is quite comical: pants, shirt, jacket, socks, and scarf. Plus my sheets and two blankets.
And I finally got Internet in my apartment, which is exciting. I have to pay for how much I use, though, so I’m super careful of what sites I visit and such. Because of course, it’s expensive. They don’t say Sydney is the most expensive city in the world for nothing!
Since this is pretty long, I’ll stop here and follow up next time with my adventures getting settled and my first foray into downtown Sydney!
