And the Adventures Continue

I have had quite the amazing year... and I believe that is an understatement!  My passport is getting used so much this year and it is starting to fill up with stamps! That is probably one of my favorite things about getting to travel is that your passport gets more and more stamps in it! The worst thing ever is when your passport expires and you have to start all over getting more stamps.

About two weeks ago I was in Peru, which was quite the experience since it was my fist time to South America!  I love traveling.  It is probably one of my greatest passions in life and I have to say after visiting Peru my list of places to visit have quite expanded.  It is so interesting meeting new people and experiencing a culture completely different from your own.  This why I think Peru was right up my ally because it is so different from America.

The whole reason I went to Lima, Peru was to visit my best friend in the whole world, Brittany, and her family with my other best friend Katie.  Brittany is studying abroad down in Peru for a whole year since her family moved down there for three years.  Katie and I thought why not visit our best friend.

The first day in Lima, Peru we went to the pyramids.  They are called Huaca Pucllana.  The way the ancient people built the pyramids is called a bookshelf style since the pyramids look like a big bookshelf.  It was interesting taking a tour of the complex and learning about the history.  That evening we went to Del Mar for a late lunch.  Del Mar is a fish place that was amazing! Everything we ordered kept getting better and better.  The Bakers really did spoil Katie and me by taking us there.

                         

 

The next day we went to Plaza de Armas, which is the city center of Lima.  Located there is the President's House, the Diocese of Lima Cathedral, and the Catacombs.  They are the three beautiful must see places in Lima.  They are all amazing buildings with a lot of history attached.  The Cataboms had to be the most interesting of all because in there were the tombs of many people but all that is left is a of bones and skulls.  It was very creepy seeing so many bones in one place under a really old church.  

                        

  

The next day Katie, Mrs. Backer and I all went to Museo Larco, which was filled with ancient artifacts of Peru.  It was really interesting learning about the culture of Peru and all about the ancient people who used to live there.  There were beautiful clay pots and amazing gold and silver jewelry that had been collected over the years.

 
Brittany's lives right on the beach front.  Although the beach is all rocks, one day we walked along the beach just to go out and explore the area.  It was a long walk up and down the steep hill that lead up to the Baker's apartment and down to the beach so saying we got out exercise for the day is an understatement.  It was nice to get out of the apartment and walking around for a bit to get some exercise after eating all of the amazingly good food.  We all went to a little town near Miroflores, where Brittany lives.  It is a cute little town that was a funky feel to it.  It it interesting to see how different all the little suburbs of Lima are.

The next day Brittany had to go to the U.S. Embassy to pay some bills and to go to the bank.  Katie and I wanted to go with her to see the embassy, although we never knew we could cause quite the problem.  We brought our passports to get into the embassy but at the front gate they had to call customs to make sure we had enter the country legally.  Turns out we had!! However, that only got us onto the grounds.  We had to pass another checkpoint to get into the banking area.  We did not make it past this point since we were not Brittany's family. Getting denied access to our own embassy........EMBARRASSING!!! Oh well I guess you win and you lose some........

                             

The last day we went paragliding.  It was fun to just sit and enjoy all the city sight from way up high over the city of Miraflores.  Visiting Lima was such an amazing experience and I can't wait to go back and visit Machu Picchu, which I have heard to BEAUTIFUL! Well I guess I have my next trip planned!!!

~MAI~

"Top 5's"

Well this is finally it.  I am back in the United States from my five months in Australia, the land down under.  As I look back at my time during I can’t help but think about all the amazing experiences I had in Australia.  I have done things I could not ever imagine I would have done.  I have always had a love for travelling and being able to spend five months in Australia has truly allowed me to live out my passion.  I loved every moment which is why I want to go back.  Maybe a job or grad school?  As I look back on my experience I will lists my “tops” of everything I did in Australia.  


Top 5 Favorite Things About My Study Abroad Experience:

1. Meeting all the people I met. The people truly made the experience ten times better.  We enjoyed many laughs and fun times and for that I am truly thankful for everyone.
2. University College.  My housing situation was the best.  I was right on campus and felt at home because it was a lot like the sorority house.
3. Travel.  I was able to see many places in Australia.  Thank you to all of friends who went with me on all those amazing trips.    
4. IFSA-Butler.  The program I went on was really great.  I love our program advisor Yogi.  She was really helpful and going on a program was like having instant friends.
5. Australia.  The place I chose was better than I could have imagined.  It is now my second home.  

My Favorite Places I Visited:

1. Sydney Harbor and Opera House
2. Great Barrier Reef and Cairns
3. Great Ocean Road
4. Brisbane 
5. Adelaide 

Top 5 Things I Missed the Most:

1. Family
2. Friends
3. Mexican Food
4. Cheap Prices 
5. OSU

I want to give a special shout out to my mom, dad, and Becky.  Thank you all for coming to visit me in Australia.  I loved being able to show you around.  Not many study abroad kids had people come to visit them so thank you for coming to see me you have no idea what it meant to me.

~MAI~

My Last Weeks In Australia

Well my parents are finally here.  I have been looking forward to them coming since I knew that they both would be spending time with me in Australia.  They had a little bit of a rough trip since their flight was delayed out of Ft. Worth and then their flight from Las Angles was detoured to Sydney because they did not have enough fuel to make it all the way to Melbourne.  But after all of those setbacks and me waiting in the airport three hours for their arrival we finally were all united.  That night we just got settled and went out for dinner along Lygon Street, also known as Little Italy in Melbourne.

The first day they were here I took them all over Melbourne.  We went to Queen Victoria and bought some great foodie items.  After that we walked around the city and then headed out to the grounds where the Australia Open takes places.  We walked all around the grounds seeing the outer courts, looker rooms, and pro-shop.  Then we walked around the botanical gardens on our walk around the Yarra River and ran into a Craft Market.  After enjoying the market, we enjoyed a nice lunch along the river taking in the nice weather.

  

After the first few days of showing my parents around Melbourne I had to send them out on their own because I still had to take two finals so I needed to study.  While I was stuck inside at University College working hard, my parents had rented a car and were out on the Great Ocean Road seeing the Twelve Apostles, London Bridge, and many other iconic views.  The next day they went to the Yarra Valley and went to many different vineyards in the area, enjoying the great taste of Australian wine.

After that the week was over and my parents headed to Sydney.  They did a bunch of things like the Opera House, Sydney Harbor Bridge, and Bondi Beach.  Unfortunately, I could not go with them but I hear they had an amazing time.

After Sydney, my dad went home and I meet up with my mom in Canberra, the capital of Australia.  I flew into Canberra and my mom took a train.  The first day we walked along “the mall.” Although it is not called the mall like in Washington D.C., it was designed to look like the mall.  We took a tour of the New and Old Parliament Buildings.  They were both amazing buildings.

The next day we enjoyed a nice brunch in Canberra before heading back to the Parliament to see the Question and Answer portion of the Parliament session.  I was interesting to see how the Australian government works.  After that we went to the High Court Building and got to see a case being heard by the Supreme Court.  It was interesting comparing the differences in the Australia and American governments and how they operate.

Then it was time to get back to Melbourne to take my last final and head home.  During the days I would study and my mom would go out and about to explore what Melbourne has to offer.

The last night we stayed in Melbourne at the Weston Hotel.  During the day we went to the Docklands and had some lunch and did some shopping.  After that we went to a footy game at the Melbourne Cricket ground.  We packed our day full of adventures since it would be my last for a while.  Then we went out for a really nice dinner along the Yarra River and saw the towers of fire blow fire out of the top of their towers every hour.  It was a nice end to four and a half months in Melbourne and Australia.

My time in Australia has finally come to an end so I will see everyone back in the States!!!

~MAI~