Skydiving in Byron Bay

Up Up and Awayyyy...

During my visit to Byron Bay, I went skydiving.  Now don't be fooled, I was terrified before I took the plunge.  In the shuttle on the way to the skydiving place, I suddenly became very nervous.  Surprisingly, it wasn't until then that I became scared, but a rush of nerves came over me, and I couldn't believe in a short while, I'd be jumping out of a plane!  Images came racing through my mind of instances seen on TV when people went skydiving and almost, or did, plummet to their death.  I had to give myself a reality check and tell myself, "Kelsey, don't be a baby, you're going to be fine!"  So, after a bit of instruction and getting harnessed in to my skydiving gear, away I went.  I boarded the plane, and there was no turning back!

In the plane getting ready to jump...

About to go...

And we are off!!

Notice the plane we jumped out of, right above!

Nice View!

I have a video of my skydiving experience, and if I can figure out a way to post it on here later, I definitely will!!  For now, all I have to show is the photos taken during my fall.  The scariest thing, was seeing other people go before me.  It was as if they disappeared instantly.  I was the last one to jump, and no sooner did I stick my feet out of the plane, I was suddenly pushed out and free falling from 14,000 feet in the sky.  The free fall was about one minute long, and was amazing!  The only time that I felt that feeling you get in your stomach that you are falling, was right when I jumped out of the plane.  For the rest of the free fall, it felt calm, quiet, windy, and amazing!  I fell 3 kilometers in 1 minute.  For the American metric system, that means I fell about 2 miles in 1 minute...CRAZY I know.  

This is when the parachute came up.

About to land...

And finally, the landing!

Then the parachute came up, and after that it was quite slow and calm.  The view was amazing, and when I was up above, what felt like all of Australia, I just felt nostalgic and wonderful.  It is a feeling that I can't explain, but I think everyone has when they go skydiving.  Skydiving gives you a bit of a high.  All in all, from the time I jumped out of the plane to the time I landed, it was about 7 minutes.  Those are 7 minutes of my life that I will never forget, and I am lucky enough to have it all on video!  

Right after the big landing.

An instructor, Jodi, Lisa, and Me.

Jodi and I glad we are still alive!

After I landed, I was released from the person behind me.  My friends Jodi and Lisa were waiting for me on the ground, and greeted me straight away.  We were all so happy that we did skydiving, and especially that we did it in such a gorgeous location!  Skydiving was more or less something to cross off my bucket list.  It was something I wanted to do before I die, and I thought I would never do it again once I checked it off my list.  Well, now it is checked off my list, and I definitely do not feel the need to go skydiving any time in the near future, but I think perhaps I'd do it again, if a nice opportunity came along!  It was great fun, and I recommend anyone thinking of taking the big leap and jumping out of a plane, to definitely do it.  I wise man once said, "In life, you will regret more what you didn't do, than what you did do."

The plane I jumped out of, in the background :)

Back From Holiday and Finally Blogging! -- Byron Bay --

Hello to all my family and friends!!  I recently just went on holiday, because my school had a mid semester break...pretty much spring break.  Me and 6 other gals decided to take advantage of this break, and head to the East coast of Australia, to soak up some sun, and enjoy some Aussie adventures.  Our first stop was Byron Bay.  It is about one hour from the Gold Coast.  We flew into the small and charming Gold Coast airport, and took a shuttle into the lovely town of Byron Bay.

Byron is a very small town with a hippie/surfers feel to it.  Lots of people walk around town barefoot, and everyone is nice, carefree, and enjoying the beauty around them.  The beach was beautiful, the sand was so soft it made a funny noise when we walked on it.  It was GORGEOUS weather everyday, and we enjoyed laying by the beach every day.  The hostel we stayed at was extremely nice.  It was called the Backpackers Inn Byron Bay.  If anyone ever visits Byron, I'd recommend this hostel!  The beach was right in the backyard of the hostel, and the walk into town was about 2 minutes.  It was perfect! 

My friend Laura and I went jogging every morning to run off all the great food we ate.  One day, we decided to venture to the light house.  It is a main focal point in Byron Bay, and was more gorgeous than I imagined it would be, when we got to the top.  Not to mention, it was a great workout!  We stood up there, took in the calm and quiet beauty looking over all of Byron.   

Finally, I spent my 22nd birthday in Byron.  It was lovely and in the morning, me and two of the other gals on the trip, Jodi and Lisa, went skydiving.  I will blog about my skydiving adventures next time (hopefully tomorrow!).  Then, we soaked up some sun on the beach, showered, and went out for a lovely dinner!  My birthday was a very nice time, and I was just so lucky to spend it in GORGEOUS Australia! I literally would look around me, take in all the beauty, and ask myself...is this really happening? Is this really my life?  And think, I'm the luckiest girl in the world!!

Bon Voyage -- Until Next Time :)

How I Love Waking Up to a Nice Glass of Vino!

Well, the weather may not have been so great...but at least the wine was!  My latest adventure here in OZ, was a school trip, to go wine tasting in the Yarra Valley.  Yep, Deakin University is the BEST university.  Not only do we have a bar in the middle of campus, they also take you on extremely discounted wine tours.  Only in Australia, it really is the best!

Me and a few other gals signed up for this wine tour, and had a wonderful day.  Unfortunately, we have been experiencing a very weird cold front in Melbourne.  It has been absolutely gorgeous for the past few weeks, but the last couple of days have been unusually cold and rainy.  Nothing could bring down our spirits though, and the wine kept up warm!  We visited three different winery's, all of which were very nice, but I enjoyed the last one the best.  It was the Yering Station winery, which had a very artsy feel.  There was a modern restaurant on site, and the view was amazing.  The other winery's were nice as well, and they taught us a lot about how wine is made, and the correct way to taste it.

We tasted, and drank, a wide variety of wines.  I enjoyed all of them, except for one, which left a buttery aftertaste...weird I know.  There were a lot of sparkling wines, which were delish.  Fun fact, the bubbles in champagne and sparkling wine are created after the wine is created, and thus, it takes much longer for sparkling wines to be put on shelves for sale.  They were all superb and well worth the wait.  Also, it is best to pick the grapes, used to make wine, in Autumn during the nighttime.  During the nighttime, the skins on the grapes become tougher, making it harder for moisture to escape, and the grape's sugar is at a normal level. This trip was so educational...I can't wait to take more like it!

One of the most important things I learned, I can best describe by comparing fine wine to good Italian food.  I've learned from my mother, to make delicious Italian grub, you must go back to how it was originally done.  Taking shortcuts doesn't do you any good, because the end result is never as tastey as it would have been if you were to do it right the first time.  Fine wine is the same way, you must go back to the basics in order to achieve a superior result.  

I hope to go to Napa Valley as soon as I can, when I get back to the States!  Until then, happy drinking everyone!

My First Australian Football Game

Aussie Football... All I can say is it is extremely interesting, yet for the average American or any person from outside of Australia, it can be a bit confusing!  I would say it is a mix between soccer, football, basketball, and volleyball (hard to imagine, but the only way I can even come close to explaining it).  I suppose it is similar to rugby, but there are still differences.  There is really no protection, such as helmets or any sort of padding, which I found surprising, because it is a rather rough game!  The field that Aussie Football takes place on is HUGE, much like an American soccer field, but a bit larger and round in shape.  Since I am no good at explaining, I thought I'd post a website that explains a bit better, and feel free to YouTube some videos, to see the game in action!  http://www.upfromaustralia.com/ausrulfoot.html

I was fortunate enough to experience a Footie game, and went with my roommate Erika.  We met up with some other friends while at the game, and it was an all-around fun time.  It is the end of the footie season, and we went to the last game before the playoffs began.  There are many teams in the south of Australia, and especially in the Melbourne area.  It is a predominantly South Australian sport, located in the state of Victoria (the state where I reside), with only a few teams in the eastern, western, and northern Australian states.  One of the highest ranked teams is Collingwood, and they just might win it all.  However, most Aussie's I've spoken to, do not much care for Collingwood.  I think it is just because they always win, but I can't be sure.  

I am lucky enough to experience a number of things here for free, because I have a culture card.  I received the culture card, because I am here on exchange.  It is extremely nice, because they always have some fun activities either for free, or for a substantially discounted price.  We picked up our tickets for the game, by the extremely large beans cans.  It was a great experience, and even greater, because of the fact it was FREE!  Can you tell I love anything free?!  We saw Port Adelaide versus Essendon.  It was a pretty good game, because Essendon was trying to get into the playoffs.  Neither team was very good, so it was kind of fun, because both teams were on the same playing level, which made the game a pretty exciting one!  Most people have their team preferences here in Melbourne, and that is always fun to see, because being a huge Chicago sports fan, I can relate with supporting your home team! 

That's all for now, but for all you Chicago sports fans out there... BEAR DOWN!!  

And I Finally Have Internet!! -Day in Da Big Citayyy-

Blogging would definitely be easier if I had better internet.  Unfortunately, Australia is a light year behind the U.S. in internet services, which leaves my house with very slow, or not working internet.  We got it worked out today though, and have a new router, so I should be able to blog more, so that everyone can keep up with what I'm up to here in OZ, more frequently.  

The weather is getting absolutely GORGEOUS in Melbourne, and everyone is out and about, and soaking it all up!  It's sunny pretty much everyday, and the temperature is perfect.  Some of my lovely girlfriends and I decided to take advantage of the weather by getting out and exploring some of the beauty Melbourne has to offer.  We went to the Royal Botanic Gardens which are indeed beautiful, but will be even more gorgeous as the weather gets nicer and nicer.  We are in the middle of spring, and heading into summer shortly.  Spring to summer has always been one of my favorite times of the year.  Getting to enjoy it in Australia is amazing!  There were some beautiful things to see, and the company was wonderful. 

The Botanic Gardens were not far away from the city, so after we were done playing around there, we walked to the city.  In Federation Square, there is a lot to do.  It is right on the river, and features unique and modern buildings, in the heart of Melbourne.  There was a big screen telly on the side of a building, which featured a Footie game...pretty awesome!  We decided to explore ACMI (Australian Center for the Moving Image).  There was lots to see, involving the evolution of film.  ACMI included interactive activities, and I even have a splice of myself in a capsule that makes it seem like you are in 'The Matrix'.  It puts your movement into slow motion.  It is so interesting to see how far film has come, and just what they can do these days.  The possibilities are truly endless!

Finally, the gals and I went out to lunch before calling it a day and heading home.  Erika and I are roommates, she is the blond in the first photo. Amy is the brunette next to Erika, and lives down the road.  Malin and I met on our orientation trip, she is the girl next to me in the photo below Erika and Amy.  Malin, Erika, and I will be traveling together after school is out, which is sure to bring a lot of great memories and, of course, blogs!  Melbourne is gorgeous, and I can't wait to see the beauty around the rest of Australia.  Life continues to be amazing, and I am enjoying every minute of my time here in OZ!

XOXO