just another day in paradise..

Found on the beach in Yamba which is a 10 hour drive north of Sydney. I took a mini trip with a fellow student from Vermont up the coast. We spent the week at the beach with some of her friends. This is one of my favorite photos :-)

This picture is from Byron Bay where we had a bonfire on the beach. Absolutely beautiful. It was towards the end of winter when we went so it was a little chilly, here we are having an 'anti raindance'...it didn't work and we had to run for 30 minutes in pouring rain to escape, wouldn't have minded it so much if i didn't have my camera!!!!!

The First Sunday of every month we (including most of my Newtown friends and about 5 out of my 9 roommates) venture across the street to Sydney Park for some Dubbed reggae music where we dance footloose and fancy free among the locals of all ages shapes and sizes.  My favorite Sunday activity considering it’s a free afternoon solely consisting of basking in the sun, hanging out with hoolahooping hippies, chippering children, and dancing into the sunset.

OT friends; Jen from San Fran and Kylie, local Aussie :-)

Main campus...this is not where I have class but I am here pretty much 4 times a week given I study at the library directly across the street. !

local birds

My first Kangaroos! It only took 6 months to see
them!!!  But it was well worth the wait!

Winter In July....Every year Bondi Beach which is the local and largest beach in Sydney holds a week long festival celebrating winter. This year they had a ice skating rink on the beach. It was beautiful and the water was actually warm! ( at least i thought so!)  I'm actually looking into moving out to this beach for next semester. The only issue is it is extremely expensive, so my chances of finding the perfect place for a cheap price are slim. But that certainly doesn't mean I'm going to stop looking!

Bondi Beach

In the 'moment' of OT school

Becky my British buddy &  fellow OT student

8 months… So I’ve realized after I have been in Sydney for over half a year, there was a lot I wanted to share a about my life and what I am up to. The longer I am here, the more I realize how dependent I am on Facebook/ E-mails/phone calls/Skype to keep in contact with friends and family. Given the time difference and my busy schedule with work and UNI assignments, it has become increasingly difficult to keep up with it all and have been feeling guilt about not keeping in touch. SOoOooOoo...I realized if anyone was interested in mi vida, this was a better and more personal approach to keep everyone informed, and if you have the time can write back as well.

 But just to start, a Masters degree abroad is everything I guess I thought it would be and more. Everyone is always asking me why I chose to get a degree abroad if the United States has everything there is to offer in terms of the health field and the curriculum.  However if there is anything that I have learned in life thus far it is this…. though education through school books is informative, nothing beats experience, especially cultural experience.  

House # 1

Traveling has opened my eyes to all the different ways of life that are available and out there.  Especially in relation to the health field, where one is thrust upon working among a diverse demographic. What’s a better way to truly  understand a culture and a way of life then to be fully immersed in one different then your own?  8 months in the grand scheme of life is really not that long, and just looking back in the 2 houses that I have lived in thus far, I have lived among 14 different ethnicitys. That’s 8 months, 2 houses……  Just for an idea, we are talking: Irish, Chinese, Indian, Malaysian, Turkish, German, Vietnamese, Sri Lankan, Norwegian, Danish, British, Ethiopian, New Zealander and of course Australian. What is more fascinating is that I have learned something unique about each and every individual through everyday life interaction. Everyone speaks a different first language, has a different religion or set of beliefs, different way of preparing and eating their version of delicious food, different ways of spending their free time on the week nights and week ends, different definitions of the word, "clean"... It has been absolutely intriguing to be thrown into such unique environments and to get to know each individual on a very personal level.

House # 2

Just some favorites to share; making and drinking nightly Masala tea with Indian brothers, preparing and Cooking Vietnamese spring rolls, learning to make different kinds of typical Sri Lankan lentil and rice curries, and from the majority of all 23 of them learning the Universal worldwide views of American lifestyle/culture including but most definitely not limited to that  of gun control, health care, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, President Bush/Obama, college life, and where I was during 9/11.....Dare I mention why sometimes I say that I'm Canadian?......
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As a future Occupational Therapist, whose core values are to be client centered, one of the main tasks entails creating a therapeutic rehabilitation plan around an individual’s preferred way of living.  In exposing myself in a environment with so many different backgrounds, I personally feel  I could not have chosen a better way to learn the morals and values that exists in so many different cultures.  We all have our own way, and well simply put, this is my way. Some people learn from books, some people learn visually or through audio. But I am a “doer” I learn through experience, I learn by interacting with others and truly understanding where and how a person is coming from. The beauty of it all, this type of living experience, this type of degree, is not only helping me to better understand others, it is helping me to better understand myself. It amazes me with how each experience we have in life comes reflection, growth, and helps builds character.

 Though living abroad is not always easy or a walk in the park, and will probably give me earlier wrinkle lines than the average person (hopefully mostly from laughing!), it has helped me personally to stay in present times and to focus on life as it is now in the current moment. Reflecting on my life, there have been many occasions where I have spent the majority of my time focusing on what has been or what will become.  It is extremely difficult for us as human beings to truly live harmoniously in present times. This is one of  my favorite parts of living abroad, given that change is such a relevant part of your daily regular life, it almost forces you to mindfully center your energy on the NOW.

Byron Bay

 
What is so fabulous about Australia and so very different then American culture in many ways is how the country was founded.  For anyone who doesn’t know, the roots of the society and the civilization came into existence from the mere imprisonment of British Citizens. During the 18^th and 19^th century over 170,000 convicts were transported to Australia to rid them of Europe.  This odd way of creating a society has generated one distinct way of life consisting mostly of people who live for the day and don’t really care what people think about it or them.  (Definitely one of my favorite quirky qualities about the culture here) A zest for life that is contagious to be around, it is awakening to be among individuals who aren’t afraid to live out of the box and earn to be unique in their own way.

All in all, life so far is so extraordinary it is unbelievable. It’s as if my dreams instantly became a reality the moment I stepped off the plane, and have only gotten better with each waking day.  I honestly don’t know how else to put it into words and almost feel guilty for writing about how happy I am.  It is just amazing how when you honestly are so blissfully in tune with what feels like perfection,  that you want to share your joy and positive experiences  with others and to encourage those who are struggling to keep steady on the right path.  This process of enjoying self discovery  reminds me exactly why I am going into the helping field.  When you are high on life, and embody genuine positive energy it helps enhance your practice to be the best professional you can be.  As a second semester occupational therapy student in a masters program, I have learned the core theories in which the curriculum of the practice is based around, which is mostly about enhancing the quality of life of the client. As a firm believer in practicing what you preach, I think it is only natural that Occupational Therapists are willing to go the extra mile to support and encourage their clients to fully become the best person they can be. 
 I am happy to admit that considering I will be nearly $100,000 in debt in 2 years that as I continue on in my program and develop into a working professional, I am learning the effects of positive thinking, living in the now and learning the benefits of being opened minded and becoming a global citizen. I can only hope that I am embodying the characteristics of a good therapist and hopefully becoming the best person I can be on both a personal and professional level. 
Miss and love you guys
Cheers xo