We've had a very non-eventful few weeks since returning from Melbourne. Basically it's consisted of going to class, going to the beach, going to the doctor and repeat. Okay, maybe not quite like that but close enough. It's getting to the point in the semester where assignments really pick up and most of my classes only have 2 or 3 grades total, so it's important to do well on them. The grading scale here is much different than at home and I've noticed the teachers are much more strict in their grading than I'm used to. Because of that, it has taken some extra study time to get my act together. In the last few weeks I also finished my antibiotics that I had been given at the hospital so of course what happens three days later? I am sick again. The swelling in my tonsils never really went down so as soon as I was done with the medicine, they just picked up the next strep that passed through. So I went back to the doctor, got prescribed more meds, had problems with those, went back to the doctor again, and got prescribed different meds. I am now on a more longterm plan that should last until a few weeks before I leave for home so hopefully this will stop me from continuing to get sick.
Aside from all that, really the most exciting thing I've done is go to the Quicksilver and Roxy Pro surf competition! It's held at Snapper Rocks which is a beach in Gold Coast that's about an hour bus ride from Bond. Saturday we headed down there, unsure of what to expect and it was awesome! Saturday was the Roxy Pro so it was round 1 of the girls competition. There were a ton of people there and we got a spot on the beach where we could tan and the surfers would walk right in front of us to get to their starting place! You could walk out into the ocean quite a ways and be super close to the surfers as they caught their big waves. Seeing this made me wish even more that I was a surfer chick. It's seriously the coolest. After a long day in the sun, we headed back, but then went back out to the competition on Sunday because we loved it that much! Sunday was a Quicksilver Pro day, meaning it was the boys' turns to catch some waves. It was incredibly more crowded and we got to see 11 time world champion surfer Kelly Slater walk right in front of us as he got swarmed by fans and we got to watch him surf. It was insane. They did all the cool tricks you see on TV, going through the wave as it makes a tunnel, doing crazy tricks off the tops of the waves, all of it. It was definitely a highlight of my trip here so far. It is so intrinsic in the Australian culture that I feel like you can't witness anything like it elsewhere.
I hate to disappoint but this weekend will probably be as low key as the one before it. But after that, our trip takes a whirlwind turn and we go to Sydney, my parents visit (and skydiving round 2!), Cairns, the outback, and New Zealand! And then I'll be home! It's so crazy, I'm so beyond not ready to leave! Can I just stay here forever? Kay awesome!
A picture from the Quicksilver Pro -- you can see how far out into the water you can really go. It was crazy.
Another shot of the Quicksilver Pro!
And now for the long awaited surf camp pictures (if you haven't already seen them on facebook that is...)!
Here's a complete progression, and thought process, of the best wave I caught - notice it is very very small - from start to epic wipe out ending.
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| "oh yeah, look at me paddling like a pro surfer, this is gonna be a good one!" |
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| "okay, smooth and balanced. one foot in front of the other, you can do this" |
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| "now slowly stand up. no sudden movements." |
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| "you haven't fallen off yet, this might actually work this time!" |
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| "wait, i'm actually standing up! how did this happen?! i might as well be bethany hamilton or something right now!" |
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| "this is great! all the other times i wiped out were clearly a fluke, i was born to surf! wait, why am i tipping over and how do i fix it?" |
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| "maybe i'm not as good at surfing as i thought... i guess i should get ready to fall..." |
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| "yeah, definitely not good at surfing. and this water is a lot more shallow than i thought so that kind of hurt. how are people actually good at this?" |
Our group with Juicy J, the best surf instructor there is! She's the only reason I was able to catch any waves at all!
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