The Sward Fam arrived in Sydney on Thursday, May 25, and were in Australia for about a week. Read on to hear about the crazy number of adventures we crammed into that short period!

Most of May was pretty uneventful compared to all of the amazing experiences I had in April, but read on to hear my thoughts about Autumn in Australia, some photos of Newy sunsets, & more.

On Thursday, April 20, I flew back to Newcastle from Byron Bay and had about 24 hours of turnaround time before leaving for the Mountaineering Club’s ‘Mega Trip’ the following afternoon. Read on for the remainder of my April adventures!

Phew! My time here has absolutely flown by. My semester break was over two months ago now – I was away from Newcastle for almost the entire month of April. Read on for a summary of (most of) my adventures during the break!

I spent back-to-back weekends in Sydney for Palm Tree Music Festival on my 27th birthday and the UNESN (University of Newcastle Exchange Student Network) Boat Party!

On February 25, I attended Sydney’s famous ‘Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras’. These year, they combined their annual Mardi Gras event with World Pride, and the result was magical!

In the week before school started, I bought a bike from “Dan the Bike Man” – actually, I borrowed it. He takes in used & discarded bikes from around the city, gets them fixed up enough to ride, and then sells or loans them out.

After my housing application was accepted, a weight was lifted from my shoulders and I was able to just enjoy my last few days at the hostel without worrying about where I was going to be living.

A couple days after my arrival in Australia, I began looking for housing. I had already looked online, but I quickly came to found out that the online listings are not very up to date.

Wow! I knew it would be hard to keep up with the blog while I am here, but it has been even harder than I anticipated. I have been spending every moment of my free time either exploring or resting.. from all the exploring I’ve been doing!

I made it! Read this post for details on how to contact me while I am abroad.

Greetings from Phoenix! This photo of me is a very accurate representation how I’m feeling after the rollercoaster I’ve been on these last couple weeks. Read on for an update about my visa situation, details & photos from my annual ski trip, and more.

My departing flight to Sydney, Australia leaves exactly 4 weeks from today. 28 days. I don’t have my visa. I haven’t even applied for it yet. I haven’t even accepted my offer letter yet. Why?

All because I put my birthday in the wrong damn format.