Hiya, readers, and adventurers. We have now made it to the halfway point of the program. Can you believe it? Sydney, Australia, has become a home away from home for me, so sadly, we had to say our goodbyes. Reflecting on these past eight weeks, I have gained a remarkable sense of how culture and history have shaped Australia. Yes, it may be evident at first to spend a few days in the country and learn that everyone drives on the left side of the road, tipping is not expected, and “mate” is used a lot in everyday small talk. However, there is so much more than that. I have learned a lot inside and outside the classroom, and it’s exciting to learn about and explore. I shared some favorite dishes this past week below since I have had so many great meals, including with my Mom!

My Spring Break trip started on March 8th when we got up super early on Saturday morning with all our luggage to head to the airport. The flight was around three hours, but getting some shut-eye on the flight was lovely after sleeping less than six hours the night before. Once we arrived in Caines, I used the stairway at the back of the plane to debark, and immediately, the temperature felt about 10 degrees warmer. After collecting our luggage, we went to the accommodation, where we all enjoyed one of the outdoor hotel pools. The hotel was a resort with rooms spread out around a vast property. There were only two floors, and my room was on the second floor. We then got dinner at a local restaurant and got a briefing on the week’s itinerary. We had a lot of stuff preplanned for us, and scuba diving was what I was looking forward to the most, just the next day.

Farewell to Mom

Although I had a busy last week ahead, with three papers due, I made it a priority to see my Mom at least a few times during the week since she would be in Sydney, Australia, until Sunday, which is a day after I left to go on the Caines spring break trip. It was awesome seeing my Mom, especially after her long journey to fly here. Massive kudos to her for enduring through 21 hours of flying and 21 hours of flying to get back, but it was so worth it being able to show her around Sydney and create new memories. We had an excellent dinner Monday night (March 3rd), where we barely got a reservation, but we got to eat at the top floor of the building, where we started the rocks tour. It was a lovely venue, and I ordered the New Zealand Snapper. It was incredible! That was an unforgettable dining experience, and I am so glad we did it! I can’t wait to come home and see the family in May; it should be excellent.

Scuba Diving at the Great Barrier Reef

On Sunday, we all embarked on a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience aboard a vessel with all the necessary equipment and necessities to make the day special. The main journey to the Great Barrier Reef took about an hour and a half from Caines. The boat had three, possibly four decks and a buffet area where we would get lunch after the first dive. In addition, there was a small spiral staircase leading to a changing area and a deck out in front that is perfect for relaxing and enjoying the fresh air. I especially loved that deck when we were moving because the strong wind (due to us traveling pretty fast) felt very nice. We were all very excited to jump into the water. Although I am an experienced swimmer and lifeguard, I was still nervous since it was my first-time scuba diving. There were three opportunities to scuba dive and/or snorkel. I ended up snorkeling twice, both at the second diving spot and right after my third dive at the third diving spot.

I will not chime in on the snorkeling too much, but it was awesome just being able to swim freely and see incredible corals and underwater life. We even saw a shark at one point (including during our first dive), which was really cool. It was nothing to be afraid of, though. Both times, it was a small shark, and they are generally more fearful of us than we are of them. Since I had bought the intro two dive package and not the singular one, I would go on the first and the third dives of the trip. We spent a decent amount of time listening to the crew’s instructions and watching the safety tutorial. We needed to be not only physically sound enough to scuba dive, but we also had to be instructed extensively beforehand on all the safety steps. Some of these included what to do if you take off your regulator (what you breathe out of), what to do if you have excess water in your mask, hand signals, and more. We were also taught this on the dive deck while gearing up for our swim.

We all had to wear wetsuits, goggles (with nose covering), fins, and scuba gear. The scuba tank was hefty when we stood up. It easily could have weighed 50 pounds. Once we entered the water, we hung out at the surface for a bit while our instructor would ensure we were good to go before we slowly made our way down a rope the boat was anchored to. My group included Dylan and Zachary (John switched to our group for the second dive). We then all linked arms where we practiced swimming with the gear on while we saw some incredible marine life and corals. Although the swimming was a bit weird initially, I eventually got used to it and became more comfortable with scuba diving. By the end of the first dive, everyone was happily swimming around and seeing the different underwater sights. We even saw this cool sea cucumber that looked quite awesome.

Round two of the scuba diving adventure was even more involved and fast-paced. Since it was our second dive, I was allowed to bring my camera along and take some epic photos and videos. The protocol is that you cannot bring a camera on your first scuba dive, but after that, you totally can. Luckily, my Mom found an excellent camera we used a few times, which cost less than USD 100 and was similar to a GoPro. As far as underwater cameras go, I am pleased with this camera (Akaso Ek7000); it was a great purchase. (Thanks, Mom!) On my second dive, we went straight into the diving experience. With John joining us, we now had two people with cameras instead of just me so we could share even more fabulous photos. In addition, the crew had a professional photographer, but I only bought one photo, since it was a bit expensive and I already took a decent amount of photos that I liked!

One of the most incredible things I saw was a clownfish resembling Nemo from Finding Nemo. It is unbelievable that this is my second time referencing that movie. First with P. Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney, and now this! Although the fish in the picture might not look quite like Nemo or his Dad, Marlin, it does top the charts as one of my favorite pictures of the day (shoutout to my instructor for taking it). I want to point out, too, how vibrant and specific many of the corals are. There are so many different shapes and styles for the various corals that you can hardly keep track of the other descriptions. From standing on the sand floor 12 meters below the surface to just trying out the regulator for the first time on the boat, I have had an unforgettable experience today that I will never forget! Thanks again to QuickSilver for making this trip possible!

This will be my last blog, which is entirely dedicated to being in the great continent of Australia. After this, I will soon fly to Singapore, one of the world’s cleanest cities (well known for its strict laws). Thanks again for tuning in, and peace!

-Colin