Two months...two weeks...two days!!

Two more days left! On Monday, I will be traveling nearly 10,000 miles to reach Townsville, Australia, where my studying abroad experience will begin. I will be spending three and a half weeks traveling throughout Queensland, Australia with sixteen other Clemson students as we study and learn about Australia’s ecosystems, tourism, human societies, and the natural environment. Fortunately, a majority of our time abroad will be spent outdoors rather than in the classroom. Our group, along with a group from East Carolina University, will be visiting the Great Barrier Reef, the outback, the Tablelands, and the Daintree Rainforest (aka: vacation). Needless to say, we will be doing A LOT of traveling, and we will be staying at hostels, camping, and even sleeping for two nights on a small ship we will be taking to the Great Barrier. I have been certified in scuba diving since I was ten years old and cannot wait to scuba dive on the reef. I’m hoping the reef will be so breathtaking that I will forget about the abundance of sharks on that side of the worldJ! This time in Queensland will account for six hours of college credit. Who knew school could be this easy?! After I have finished this course, I will spend a weekend in Sydney and eight days in Fiji for an additional three hour course. These hours will count towards my major, health science, as three hours of health and six hours of guided requirements. While in Fiji, we will visit the coral reefs of the Mamanuca Islands, stay along with one other student with a homestay family in Votua Village, and also spend a few nights on Bounty Island, which by the way is the picture at the top of the blog (yep, be jealous)! So…I can hardly wait to set foot on Aussie ground on Wednesday morning and make the most of my time there, I’m sure it will fly by! This blog will be a way to journal everything I have seen and experienced, what I have enjoyed, and perhaps reasons why I’m glad I live in the USA! I will update it with entries and pictures as often as possible, but no promises as to how easy it will be to find internet service. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers and enjoy reading about my summer!

~Lindsay~