Welcome to Oz

 After 2 days of air travel (Sunday was completely lost in the air...left on a Saturday and got to Brisbane on Monday) I finally made it to Australia! I don't know if the fact that I'm halfway around the world has completely hit me yet...but there are some things that keep reminding me that I am.

1. People drive on the other side of the road. Its a lot harder to cross the street than you think it would be. The rule is: Look Right, Then Left. It's a mantra, really.
2. The language. I love the Australian accent, it just kind of fits so well with the laid-back vibe that every local seems to give off.
3. It's expensive. To compare, an 18 pack of Diet Coke costs 14 dollars. Even better, at the grocery store we saw a 6-pack of Miller Chill for 45 dollars. A SIX PACK.

Anyways, I'm going to be in Darwin for about 10 days, in which I will be going camping in Kakadu National Park. We're going on a crocodile cruise, hiking to a waterfall where you can swim at the top, and going to see ancient Aboriginal rock art. I'll probably have a pretty long post after that trip.

In the meantime, I've just been hanging out at the hostel with the other kids in the program, getting to know everyone, etc. Fun story: The other day some of us girls decided to go on a walk down to a local park. It was a national holiday (Queen's Birthday Weekend), and we walked by a huge group of guys celebrating. As we passed them they started chanting USA and Go Bears (as in the Chicago Bears...yeah, I don't get it either). Turns out they weren't even Australian...they were Canadian and Irish, so go figure.

I"ll leave you with one more interesting fact about Darwin...and possibly Australia. They have very creative bar names. There's Hog's Breath, Ducks Nuts, Lizards, Pokies...I'm sure I'll find some more good ones. I think I should keep a running list. Perhaps I could open up a Ducks Nuts in West Lafayette? Anyone want in?

-Haley

P.S. I tried Vegemite. It's not good. At all.