Adventures Aren't Just "Out There"

Most of us have heard the phrase Adventure is Out There.

It's popularly used in a great Pixar movie called Up.  I'm all about cheesy quotes, but this one I have to disagree with a little bit...  While I do believe that adventure is out there, and there are so many amazing things you can only see when you travel, I also think that adventure is not just out there. It's right in front of us every day.

Yesterday, I went to a pub crawl through UQ, and it was awesome!  However, it was also a long and tiring day, and I couldn't stop thinking about something more exciting and inspiring about to happen back home... Dance Marathon.

Dance Marathon is a nationwide movement run by students to raise money for their local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, keeping funds in the community and putting 100% of the money straight towards the happiness and well-being of the Miracle Children and their families.  At our main event for USCDM, the miracle children, who are former hospital patients, come share their life-changing stories with hundreds of students who are standing, dancing, and raising money for 14 hours straight.

Last night when I got back to my room, I clicked over to YouTube to watch the live stream of my school's main event for USCDM.  1am on Sunday in Australia is 10am on Saturday in South Carolina.  I can't describe how excited I was to watch the day kicking off.  Even though it's not even close to the feeling of actually being there, I'm glad I can be connected to what's happening.  Every time I refresh my Facebook or Instagram, I see more inspiring posts of my friends at the event who are asking for donations from friends and family and are sharing the stories of our miracle children.  There are few things that make me happier than knowing we are changing lives and having a hell of a lot of fun in the process.

Watched the sunrise this morning at 5am as USCDM was heading into hour 4.

Watching part of the morale men auction on Facetime.

Thanks to everybody keeping me updated!

We all know it's fun to go out with our friends!  I'm glad I went to the bars, and I'm looking forward to having plenty more of those nights.  We have so many chances to go out with our friends, but we have few opportunities to witness miracles. To make a positive impact on other people's lives. To make other people feel so loved and appreciated. To be part of a movement so much bigger than any one of us.

This is the opportunity I've been given with USCDM.  If you have a chance to do something like this, to be a part of an event or group like this, I hope you take it.  Just try it.  In my experience, taking that step will be well worth it.

So here I am in Australia.  I moved into a house with 2 girls who I barely knew before I got here (but they're amazing so it's all good), and we joined 19 other people with very different accents, nationalities, and interests.  From person to person, each of our adventures will be different, but the adventures don't have to only come from traveling to a different country.  Some will, but some will simply be the result of noticing the little things and making the most of it.  Not every situation is as adventurous as living in a new country or jumping off a waterfall, but there's sure to be an adventure if I'm open to finding one :)

This semester, I have friends studying in Australia, Brazil, Chile and all over Europe.  Our adventures have been and will continue to be absolutely incredible.  Traveling is so exciting and I'm so fortunate to be able to do it.  But something even better than experiencing these places and discovering new things is knowing that hundreds of kids will get to do the same some day.  Because of you and me, and because of programs like USCDM, I know that kids who deal with more in a few weeks than I might in a lifetime will get through it.  They will have their chance to see the world, too. To do whatever is that they've always wanted to do. And to have their families see them be healthy and happy while accomplishing these things.  Now that's worth a LOT more than $600,119.

If you're still wondering about what Dance Marathon actually is or just want to know more about what we do, check out USCDM.org and our Facebook page USC Dance Marathon.

Be Excellent.

xoxo Jo Jo

Week 1: Animals, Accents & Aussies

Update from Abroad

If you've been keeping up with my blog at this point, you've probably noticed that I happily moved into my new home.  Here are some photos of my room, which is in an apartment or "share house" with 21 other people.

You'll hear lots more about my Westella housemates as the semester goes on.  I'm happy to say that they've all been very friendly, welcoming, and just fun people in general.  It's so much fun to be in a place where almost everybody has a different accent.  I love talking to everyone, getting to know their personalities, and hearing about the major differences and similarities between our countries and lifestyles.  Sometimes it makes me feel like I'm with my camp friends again, but I get the interesting experience of being the foreigner this time.

Week 1

I've been in Brisbane for almost a week now, and every day has been pretty eventful so far.

Saturday

My first day we had a barbeque at a gorgeous park a few bus stops away.  I got acquainted with the Ibis birds who LOVE to steal food, but luckily they did not steal mine.  My contribution to this party was potato salad... guess I was feeling extra American.

Apparently I'll have to watch out for these around campus while eating my lunch!

We also rode the ferris wheel and just walked around the city, exploring and trying to figure out the buses, which are incredibly helpful.  After 9 rides, we even get the rest of the week FREE!

Sunday

We relaxed at South Bank which was where I took the hammock pic in my previous blog post.  We call it the "fake beach," and sure, it's not the ocean, but I love the fact that I can walk here in less than 15 minutes and feel like I'm on a real beach.

Aerial of South Bank Parklands.

How Americans call Sunday Funday is what Australians (& many other countries) call "Sunday Sesh."  It wasn't a big thing this first weekend, but I'm looking forward to having some Sundays where I get to relax and have a drink with friends or just chill out instead of doing the amount of homework I'm used to.

(Disclaimer: I have not started classes yet, so I might regret this comment if my classes are actually really difficult.  Fingers crossed that they're very worthwhile & interesting but not TOO tough :) )

Monday-Wednesday

We had our orientation events where we went to a huge student expo and checked out all the clubs and travel agency tables!  A lot like USC's Student Organization Fair, but definitely some more adventurous options.  I'm looking forward to actually climbing some real rocks, maybe playing some tennis on our campus's beautiful courts, and hopefully kayaking the Brisbane River and doing a little surfing.  Who needs to work out when I can just play and go to the beach?

(Also, shout out to Strom for free gym memberships... the membership at UQ is a bit pricey.)

Full moon over the river at South Bank as I sipped on a nice peach tea.

(I do really miss sweet tea, though!!!)

Tuesday we also went out to a UQ party put on by QUEST, a great club for international students and current students who organize the events.  It was a lot of fun, but the weirdest part was that a school group actually advertised an event at a bar.  That they rented out.  And wanted students to come and meet each other and drink.  It's quite a nice change to go out and just have fun with friends, never worrying about getting in trouble or being told that we aren't allowed to drink.  Definitely takes the pressure off and just makes the experience different.

UQ: A Great Choice

It was so nice to get acquainted to campus and finally see the place I've been looking up online and dreaming about for months now.  I'm definitely still getting lost every once in awhile and trying to get my bearings on where things are, such as my classrooms, the best cafes, and the good spots to sit out by the lake or put up my hammock, of course.  The UQ Nav app has been so helpful, and all the staff and current students have been giving us good advice.

I absolutely love USC and will tell people for the rest of my life how amazing it is and how lucky I've been to go to school there and be part of the Gamecock community. However, that doesn't mean I can't also be proud of being involved in another school's community! UQ is ranked in the world's top 50 universities, which I find pretty remarkable, and I'm very grateful to be a part of their campus life for a semester.

Me on my first day of orientation, in the Great Court

(bigger than the Horseshoe at USC and just as beautiful!)

My friends at USC and around America know how much I miss them, but I'm INCREDIBLY grateful to have met such wonderful new people here so far, and I know it's just the beginning.

This was another day of exploring campus and watching the freshers (freshmen) do their induction dances on the Great Court.  There are hardly any dorms here compared to USC, and all the new students living there do some kind of initiation where they have to perform a funny dance in front of everyone!  A highlight was hearing a lot of group do the AUSSIE AUSSIE AUSSIE, OY OY OY chant.  People used to say it all the time at camp, so I was excited to hear it actually be used here!

(SO Australian, am I right?)

Breaking out the selfie stick on the Great Court.

Another disclaimer: People on campus here dress WAY nicer than on American campuses.

Only 2 fraternity pocket tees were spotted all day, and no Comfort Colors shirts.

Siobhan & I got some juice at a market on our

walk back from the CBD (downtown) to West End.

Being touristy and fabulous as always.

A restaurant called Jo-Jo's at Queen Street Mall.

Today, I slept in late for the first time all week.  As wonderful as Australia is, I've still had a few days where I've felt sick, getting adjusted to the food and the heat.  And I've woken up at 6am every day except today. Don't get to thinking everything is that perfect all the time.  ;)

Then we went to campus and I met a wombat, one of the cutest and cuddliest animals found in Australia... and it will NOT kill me.

And you're like, what the heck is a wombat? Wikipedia will tell you.

I cannot WAIT to hold a koala, but this was pretty cool.

My friends and I all keep saying we still feel like our lives are a never-ending vacation, but that will change a little bit once classes start on Monday.  Beach days and traveling will still be a common occurrence, but yes, I AM actually going to go school.  They don't call it study abroad for nothin'.

If you know me well, you know I actually enjoy school and generally look forward to the start of each semester, so I'm kind of excited to go to my first week of classes!

Goodbye for now, friends & family!

Next week I'll tell you about sailing, pub crawl, and watching Dance Marathon online from across the ocean (so many emotions).

Be Excellent,
Jo Jo

NZ: Chasing Waterfalls & Dodging Raindrops

N e w  Z e a l a n d   is   an   incredible  c o u n t r y .

"Shells sink,

Dreams float.

Life's good on our boat."

☽

I'd like to thank my past self from 3 months ago for having the forethought to plan a trip to the North Island before my semester in Brisbane started, and thank you New Zealand for being one of the most gorgeous and fascinating places I could ever imagine.

But the biggest thank you to Paige (Penut) & Jordan (Cash) for being wonderful hosts and showing me a lot of the North Island in a little amount of time, and giving me a local's view Hamilton, Taupo, Auckland, and the beautiful views around them.

Fun Facts:

New Zealand is the birthplace of bungee jumping, making it the bungee jumping capital of the world. What better & safer place to do that?!

• New Zealand is the birthplace of bungee jumping, making it the bungee jumping capital of the world. What better & safer place to do that?!
• NZ was one of the first countries to legalize same-sex marriage. YAY for progression.
• They were the first country to legalize women's suffrage. Also interesting.
• 45% of tourists in NZ are from Australia.
• The McDonald's in Taupo was once voted the coolest McDonald's in the world... but a SMALL McFlurry cost me $4.80 NZD which is NOT cool.
• Hobbiton is apparently super cool but costs $80... I did not visit there.

Things New Zealanders Say Better Than Americans:

The NZ Way                                         American Version
"Sweet as"                                             "Sweet / good / cool AF"
"Have a spa"                                          "Go in a hottub"
"Give way"                                            "Yield"
"Chilly bin"                                           "Cooler" for food
& my very favorite...
"That really rips my nightie"                 "That really makes me mad"

And now, for those wondering, this is what I did all last week.
(As you read the list, I hope you enjoy the super cool/confusing Maori names)
     [Maori: (sometimes pronounced like "Moldy")
              noun 1. a member of the aboriginal people of New Zealand.
                      2. the Polynesian language of the Maoris, with about 100,000 speakers.
             adjective 1.  relating to the Maoris or their language.]



What I Did All Week in New Zealand

PART 1: HAMILTON

• Karangahake
• We swam at a swimming hole with a waterfall (MY FIRST WATERFALL) & I got brave enough to jump off part of it.  The water was perfect.  & there was a wedding party getting photos there! (orange & purple color scheme though... BLEH)

• We also checked out the Gorge walked across some old bridges (they were safe though) & explored the old factories from the mining days. The views were incredible. If you've ever played on DK's Jungle Parkway on Mario Kart, that's what I thought the gorge looked like.

                

• Hamilton bars
• Paige's friends Meagan & Lewis took me out to the bars which were a lot of fun!
• Big differences from Cola bars
• People dress nicer
• J-walking is not an issue. People just run across the street. In front of cars. & cops.
• A black X on your hand does not mean "underage" (remember- the drinking age is 18 there) it means you are essentially banned from the bars that night. This did not happen to me. Just an observation.
• Live bands play at almost all the bars every weekend. Super cool. I especially loved the Maori ones!
• Drunk food is mince pies, not pizza & calzones.  Eh, not my favorite.

• Omanawa Falls
• AKA the most epic hike of our lives.
• Paige saw stunning pics of this magical place called Omanawa Falls on Instagram, and we figured Sunday would be a great day to check it out.
• On the way, we had to stop & ask for directions twice (once from a motorcyclist & once we knocked on a stranger's door- They were both pretty helpful! Can you imagine doing that in the US?) and we finally found it down a gravel path in the bush (forest).
• We got there and could see down into swimming hole & waterfall. Definitely one of the coolest things I've EVER seen.

The catch is (there's always a catch isn't there?) we had to hike UP the mountain and then back down to get there.  It took over 40 minutes & was quite treacherous.  Not to mention, we had our backpacks & a cooler with us.

We would not have survived the walk & made it to the gorgeous waterfall without the help of a couple we met who helped us carry our bags, & we were all able to watch out for each other in the trickier parts of the hike.  People in New Zealand have been incredibly nice & friendly!

Even though it sucked carrying the cooler & we were all sweaty & muddy by the time we reached the falls, it was worth it.  Having a beer & some snacks while sitting on the rocks & gazing out into the piercing blue water was PERFECT.

• We finally jumped in & popped right back up.  It was FREEZING.  But so worth it.

    

• Aaaand on the long drive back, I could see so many stars, reminding me of summers at camp & being so grateful that I'm spending time in a place that's not so crowded with lights that hinder the views.

(No picture would fully depict the stars out there in the countryside of NZ)

• Hamilton Gardens: just adding a little culture to the mix

The Indian garden at Hamilton Gardens.  The most colorful & my favorite!

• Raglan Beach
• We went to a cool local beach and got some sun! We really needed it after the exhausting hike the day before.  The water was awesome & it was wonderful to swim around in salt water again, probably the first time since September.

• Bridal Veil Falls
• Another incredible waterfall that we viewed from the top.  The walk there was beautiful & full of greenery.  I was nervous to take a picture of the falls because I thought I would drop my phone the 50 meters down!

The falls would be just behind the rail to my right in this picture.

THANK YOU PAIGE FOR SUCH A GREAT TIME!!!

_________________________________________________________________________________


PART 2: TAUPO

& Fun Facts about NZ

Sights

• Huka Falls: on the way to Taupo, we stopped at the famous Huka Falls.  I was kind of dizzy from the altitude all of a sudden, but the view was great!  The water was a lot more powerful than I expected.

• Downtown Taupo: according to my pal Jordan, it is a 1 by 4 grid. So basically their entire downtown is the size of or smaller than Five Points.  I thought it was really cute, and even though there wasn't a lot to do in the rain, I had a great time.

Taupo from Jordan's backyard!

Downtown, the lake, and the mountains are all there,

you just can't see in this picture.

• Watching Bungee Jumpers: We went to "Taupo Bungy" to watch some of the jumpers... No, I didn't do it yet.  But I'm definitely going to at some point.  Sorry in advance, Mom.

• Aratiatia Dam: Also a cool waterfall-esque place.  They open the floodgates of the dam 4 times a day in the summer, and there were a ton of tourists there.  I got a cool video, and the view looked like this.

Before it filled up.                                                       AFTER.

New Zealand is considering changing the nation's flag. Quite a hot topic.

The one on the left is the current flag & the one on the right is the potential new one!

Jordan reppin the STL Cardinals in Auckland.

View of Auckland CBD from Mt Eden. One of my favorite views of the week.

Skytower looking snazzy on this sunny day.

I would go here in another life. Probably not actually, but it's really fancy.

View of Auckland & the Harbor from the Skytower.

Auckland Skytower! Fun fact: it's taller than the Arch,

standing tall at 1076 ft!!! (or 328, for the rest of the world!)

Selfie under the Skytower with Jordan & his lovely sister, Tegan!

THANKS SIEVWRIGHT FAM FOR LETTING ME STAY!!!

And the next morning, I finally moved in to my new home in Brisbane.
But before I was able to do so, I was stranded on the front porch, locked out with all my bags, and you know there were a lot.

But don't worry, it was only for about 5 minutes.  I banged on the door and received no answer because many housemates were out enjoying the sun or hiding away hungover in their beds.
Then, I awkwardly asked a passerby to borrow her phone... turns out this girl was actually one of my new house mates, and she let me in!

A Melting Pot

I'm having a great time in my new apartment or "share house" so far, and the people are really awesome.  We have housemates from America (obviously) Australia, Denmark, France, Austria, Ecuador, Mexico, Norway, France, the Netherlands, & England!

Before I unpacked

Unpacked everything on the first day, shockingly enough!

I have the world's weirdest closet and it's actually fantastic.

Attempt at a girls' group selfie.

THE AMERICANS!

Check back in a few days to see how much I'm LOVING Brisbane so far.

South Bank, my new favorite place.

Brisbane Skyline at night, view from South Bank.

I WAS IN HEAVEN TODAY.

I hung out in my Eno.

In between the "fake beach" and the Brisbane River,

looking out at the skyline.

Pre-Departure #3: Leaving the States

(Written in Chicago before first flight. Posted during my layover before flight to Auckland.)

TIME TO LEAVE 'MERICA.

Thanks mom & dad:

I was lucky to spend yesterday in Chicago with my dad and celebrate Ash Wednesday. It was great to be on Northwestern's campus and visit the city I hope to live in after graduation! (If the cold doesn't scare me away). I was hit in the face with a lot of wind... but also a lot of diversity, which was refreshing. Even at the Catholic church on campus, there were people of many different ethnicities.

That last day to hang out in America ended, & now I'm sitting comfortably at my gate ready to board the plane.

Thank you mom & dad for getting me to this point, for helping me with

all the paperwork & research I did, & for not crying too much :)

...and of course to Linds, Luke & Paul for listening to my babbling about Australia.

Update: All my bags made it on the plane & my luggage weighed under 50 lb! Woo hoo!

Thoughts while going through security:

• Do I have everything?
• How much time do I have to get to my gate?
• Did I remember to bring a toothbrush? And underwear? AND MY WATER BOTTLE?!
• Why didn't I bring less stuff? I need it, it's fine.
• If my carry-on tote bag breaks, I'm screwed.  Sidenote: I brought an extra backpack, knowing my tote would probably break.  Thank God for carabiners which are always extremely helpful in travel situations.
• I hope my frozen neck pillow (we left it in the car last night) thaws out by the time I get on my next flight
• Do I have my passport? What about my boarding pass? Oh, it's in my pocket.
• (As I'm waiting to go through the metal detector) That's the cutest TSA guy I've ever seen. He's probably the only one.
• Why did the lady at the other end of the metal detector pat down my left arm & right leg specifically? This is stupid and pointless.
• Oh no... is the other TSA guy going to search my bag now?...

         ...which brings us to this VERY weird thing that happened.

The TSA man at the end of security picked up my rolly suitcase, the one I do NOT want to unzip because it's packed so tight.

TSA man: Whose is this?

Me: That's mine, sir, is there a problem?

TSA man: No, we just need to look in it real quick.

Me: Ok. Sorry, do I have liquids or something?

TSA man: I think it's candy.

Me: I might have M&Ms in there (Paige these are for you btw!! 🙈) but I swore I put them in my checked bag. (Also, why would it matter if they were in there?)

TSA man: (opening every zipper and digging around) This is it. *pulls out my jar of 250 gummy vitamins*

So, do you like the taste of these?

Me: Well yeah, they're great, but I just take 2 every day.

TSA man: Then why do you have so many?

Me: I'm going abroad to Australia for 4 months. So about 150 days...

(Apparently I don't have a stamp on my forehead that says Study Abroad Student)

TSA man: Oh, ok. You're good to go.

*attempts to zip the bag & I have to help him*

In conclusion: I find it super weird that he didn't care about the 3 bottles of Advil I have in there. (they're not all for me.  It's way cheaper in America so I'm bringing some over for my friends.)

STILL you'd think he would've cared about all those pills, not my delicious gummy vitamins.

At least he was nice, & thank God he got my bag zipped. AND let me keep my vitamins.

Leave, Get Out:

(Props to you if you get the reference)

Now it's becoming real. All that's left to do is sleep, eat, read & watch movies.
Yup. I can enjoy some forced relaxation time.

Thank you mom for the passport case & new journal, 

& thank you Tasha for the glorious rendition of the Aussie flag ;)

Prayers & love to everybody else traveling, & especially for my friends & family at home/USC who I'll miss so much!

The last thing I want to do is share one of my favorite quotes (what's new?) with all of you back home reading this.  Surprisingly enough, it's not a worldly quote about traveling or seeing the world or any sappy stuff like that (although I totally buy into that.)

This quote is from the cheaply-made hilarious 80s movie,

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure.  It's on Netflix; go watch it. 

This motto solves all problems in life.

There you have it.

Be excellent, my friends.

Peace out, America

xoxo Jo Jo