Scuba Diving the GBR; Next stop: Middle Earth and the Shire

G’Day Mates,

Let me start by saying that this is has probably been one of the best weeks of my life. Last time I posted we had just left Carnarvon Gorge and were waiting on our flight to Lady Elliot Island for some Great Barrier Reef action. For me, the opportunity to scuba dive in the GBR was the number one reason why I chose this location for my study abroad; it has been at the top of my bucket less for quite sometime…. I can now officially say that it has been crossed off the list, so on to the next one—skydiving and bungee jumping in 8 days.

First order of business; for those of you reading, you have probably caught on to the fact that I use a lot of references to movie quotes, TV, shows, books, etc. If any of you have spent five minutes around any of us in Athens you know how often quotes from Step Brothers, Wedding Crashers, Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison, etc. are used to relate to any situation we come across. Honestly, our girls hate it but we love it; I’m pretty sure Austin Long has quoted a line from the movie “Seven” before – Quite possibly the most un-quotable movie of all time. So bear with me if you don’t understand my sarcasm  (or lack there of) during the blog.

Back to Lady Elliot Island, or quite possibly the “coolest place on Earth,” it’s and eco resort located about 45 minutes off the coast of Australia that can only be reached by plane. We ended up taking a single engine from Hervey Bay Airport. As soon as we boarded, the pilot asked if anyone wanted to ride wingman… this was a no-brainer for me. Never having a had flying lesson before this, I felt that I was perfect for the role—really my only training was when I dressed up as Maverick from “Top Gun” for Halloween this year. The island itself is made of dead coral and has vegetation on it from thousands of years of bird poo and seeds. Yes, that’s right. I guess s*** really does happen…. “A real geographical oddity.” (Name that movie quote,  Austin.) When we arrived we were given a tour of the island and let me say that anyone who has ever watched “Lost” and seen the “Other’s Camp” it was eerily scary how much the camps resembled each other. So after 4 days of scuba diving and snorkeling I cannot begin to describe what it was like to see Dory, Nemo, Crush and Squirt and the rest of the gang. Oh yea, a few seven foot manta rays and a 13 foot tiger shark also decided to show up and say hey to us while we were down there. Don’t worry, I have a ton of GoPro footage that I’ll upload as soon as I get Internet connection that’s better than dial-up. I must say that being 3 feet from a black tip shark and a barracuda is quite a rush… time to step up to the plate and try the Hammerheads and Great Whites in South Africa in the near future. One of the biggest attractions of the island is the Green Turtles that will actually let you scratch its shell and swim with you; needless to say I gave Squirt and Crush some serious “fin” over the past week, “dude.” No whales unfortunately. The humpbacks were spotted about five miles off the coast of Lady Elliot but never graced us with their presence. I could have died a happy man right there.

So right now I’m on the bus to Brisbane where we will fly out to New Zealand in the morning; but first we are going to have a reunion at Irish Murphy’s and see what the city has to offer tonight.  On a side note, I’m looking out my bus window and aside from the fact that we are driving on the other side of the road, I cant help but notice that God spent a little extra time on this part of the world.

Everyone I’ve talked to who has went on this trip told me that New Zealand is by far the better part of the trip. Honestly, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this. My mind is still blown from everything that we have done in the past 12 days. I’ve done things that most Australians don’t have the chance to do. The fact that I still have New Zealand, Fiji and Europe to conquer in the next two months makes me believe that I may be the luckiest person in the world.... in the words of Watts Dantzler: #blessed.

By the way, if any of you want to text me or call me, download the Viber App and add me. My number is 7064980945. Earlier in the week I got to talk to some of the boys on the phone and I realized the withdrawals I’m having from the lack of “Bro Time.” I’m sure y’all have become soft since I’m not there to constantly give you a hard time about everything. Don’t worry; I’ll make up for it when I’m home for a few weeks. But by far the happiest I’ve been was getting to talk to my sister for the first time the whole trip. Miss you Brooke! Love you too mom and dad! Don’t freak out when my debit card statement comes through from the scuba diving….  I’m not sure when the next time I’ll be able to post will be; I’m guessing the internet connection in Middle Earth is subpar but I’ve heard great things about the women and extreme sports. Apparently the next week and a half involves riding the trails filmed from Lord of the Rings, fly-fishing in NZ, skydiving, and bungee jumping with an 8 second free-fall. So I’ll be hanging out the in shire with Frodo and the gang over the next two weeks if you need me.

I set out on the trip with a few goals in mind. The first: to meet new people, gain a cultural experience and take a leap of faith. I’ve never really been overly comfortable in water (I generally sink to the bottom), however I’ve done multiple dives over the past week and snorkeled open water with some pretty dangerous critters that could have easily eaten me as a nice entrée, so I guess that required me taking a leap of faith. The next step is to jump out a perfectly good airplane and off a perfectly stable bridge. I’ve met some damn good people that I’ll be friends with the rest of my life and I’ve seen a part of the world that I never thought I’d be lucky enough to see if I hadn’t made this trip happen. So I’d say right now I’m on track to meet these goals. I guess all of those who wander aren’t lost. Stay Classy San Diego.

Dawgs On Top,

-Dustin

P.S. Owen Wilson was right; the toilets do flush backwards in the Southern Hemisphere. It really does freak you out.

Week One. "Livin' in the Land Down Under"

G’day Mates! (in some cases dingoes),

I guess the saying “when in Australia, do as the Aussies” applies to this situation. I hope everyone in the states has been doing well over the past week; I apologize for the delay in my blog posts, however the past few days have been quite chaotic to say the least. First of all, we had a safe trip from the states to the “land down under;” however it was one of the longest days of my life. I flew out of Atlanta last Sunday at 3:30 pm and landed in Dallas/Fort Worth 4:30 (central time). After almost missing my flight, due to poor communication between American Airlines and Air New Zealand, we flew into LAX at 6:00.  So I literally chased the sun the entire day. However the weirdest thing to me was the fact that I never saw the day May 13, 2013; we literally left the states on the 12^th and landed in Brisbane on the 14^th.  But after a 14-hour flight from LAX to Auckland, New Zealand we then connected on another 5-hour flight to Brisbane, finally arriving at 1:00 pm, Brisbane time. Needless to say after watching the show "Lost" I was playing the scenarios in my head 30,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean.

Once we arrived, we hit the ground the running and went to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. Honestly, I was pretty skeptical about this whole part of the trip at first. I feel like once you’ve been to one zoo or aquarium you’ve seen them all. However I couldn’t have been more wrong. Yes, the refuge is mainly for the Koalas, but the Kangaroo’s or “Roo’s” took the show. We were able to enter into the field full of rescued and domesticated Roo’s and actually “bro down” with them. It was safe to say I was in my element at this point. Its hard to describe these guys, it was almost like they were similar to deer (very over populated and always causing car accidents in Australia) but there really is nothing that I can compare them to in America.

After the sanctuary, we headed to our hotel that was located in downtown Brisbane where I proceeded to take what I believe to be the greatest shower of all time. Between four different plane rides and the Koalas and Roos, it was safe to say a shower was much needed. From there my two roommates, Sam and Kevin, some sophomore Sigma Chi’s that I’ve grown close to, and I rounded up whoever wanted to explore Brisbane for the night. Needless to say we ended up finding a place called Irish Murphy’s Pub, one of the coolest pubs I’ve ever been to in my life. However let me tell all of you back in Athens who complain about a four dollar beer, imagine paying ten dollars for one. The two nights we spent in here featured two of the best cover bands I’ve ever seen, heavy 90’s rock and classic rock that all of us “yanks” could sing along to. But of course it was limited to "strictly to 80's Joel" and Freebird is frowned upon down here. And yes, when 65 UGA students go abroad someone will find a place to eat after a night downtown. Nevertheless, the one and only Liz Wright sniffed out a Mickey D’s… one of her finest moments in life.

After three days in Brisbane, none of us were too happy to leave and we are already looking forward to our one night there in a few days. From there we headed to Carnarvon Gorge that is located ten hours inland in Queensland (Northeastern Territory of Australia).  We’ve been here for three days and participated in day hikes throughout the gorge, one of which was 10 miles of up and down climbs and hikes; the second was an ascend up Ballomba Bluff for a view that was nothing short of breath taking. Although I did question my sanity as I climbed up a path that was comparable to the path taken into Mordor by Frodo and Sam in that Lord of the Rings movie. Literally. I’m not joking, carrying 240 lbs. up that mountain made Coach T’s stadium runs at Sanford look like a joke--that’s hitting every step Sanford has to offer. At night, it was pretty much the same story. We stayed in a “community” that was similar to the one in “Wanderlust,” minus the nudists and Jennifer Anniston. We slept in what they called “tents” that had beds… bunk beds. Needless to say I wasn’t as happy to sleep in these bunk beds as Dale and Brendan were in “Step Brothers.” I would have rather roughed it outside in a hammock or in an actual tent; I had the mindset that we were doing the real thing.

Overall, the past six days have been some of the best days of my life. We have roughly 36 in our group since we split up in Brisbane and I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting and getting to know each and every one of these people. Everyone has their own story and different background and this trip has allowed some of the brightest students at UGA to travel halfway around the world and gain a cultural point of view that most people will never experience. I truly regret not having already studied abroad during my early years of college and recommend that if anyone is ever given the opportunity to take a trip like this to not think twice. However I will say that I am glad to call America my home, I enjoy driving on the right side of the road, sweet tea, and a nice rib-eye… although I will say that Kangaroo meat does look like a fillet but tastes like a gamey type of duck; nothing a little Dale’s and Worschershire sauce couldn't fix.

To everyone back home I wish y’all could be here with me, especially you Houston… I’ve needed my wingman, although I’m pretty sure you would have held up the white towel halfway up the mountain today, the same applies to Gazaway and Long.  Talk to you guys soon.

Dawgs On Top,

-Dustin

-P.S. Trying to upload photos on Australian wi-fi is comparable the age of AOL Dial-Up, I'll do my best to upload some on facebook and twitter asap.

Less Than One Week From Departure

Hey Everyone!

First of all, thank you for at least venturing to my so called "blog" to see if what I write is worthy for a future read. Hopefully I won't disappoint! However I must admit that I am an English teacher's worst nightmare when it comes to comma splices. Also, this is my first attempt at a blog.... so here goes nothing.

In four days, I will be departing on a journey for the summer that will take me halfway around the world....twice. Pretty intense, right? Especially since I recently ventured out of the country for the first time for spring break a month ago. Over the next three months, I will be taking 16 hours of courses, ten hours in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji and six in Innsbruck, Austria to finish my degree in International Affairs. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention I graduate in four days with a degree in Political Science; needless to say life has been hectic and filled with uncertainty over the last few months.

Having been blessed to play football for four years at the University of Georgia, I decided, like every man lucky enough to play this great game must decide at some point in his life, that it was time for me to hang up my cleats for the last time. This decision was not an easy one for me; especially given the fact that I still had one more year of eligibility and all of my best friends would still be playing. The camaraderie with my teammates and sharing a common purpose with 125 guys that is greater than yourself is something that few people have the opportunity to experience. Nor is there anything like running out of locker room and onto the field in front of 92,000+ in Athens, Georgia. However, I decided upon a different direction for my life; one that I hope would open many opportunities for me and open my eyes to things I would never see if hadn't taken this leap of faith. 

So why study abroad? Why not venture across the states or take a road trip to a random spot on a map? Or better yet, why not get a job like my parents keep hinting towards? Well, so many of my close friends are entering into the work force or moving back home next week after graduation; and to be honest I was almost in that same position. However, my uncle, who is kicking lung cancer's ass right now, told me that his greatest regret in life was not seeing the world while he had the chance to after college. So with his support (verbally and financially... thanks Uncle Steve) and with the money I have had saved up over the years, I decided I would venture to the places I have dreamed about traveling to my entire life and stepping outside of my comfort zone.

As of now, the plan is to finish out my last hours of school, along with a few other activities such as survival adventures in the Outback, scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef, skydive and bungee jump in New Zealand, live with the locals in Fiji, and not to mention run with the bulls in Spain.... Don't worry, I plan on documenting all of my experiences as much as possible with blog posts, photos, and video via a GoPro camera. I encourage each and every one one of you to follow in my footsteps and do something extraordinary this summer, no matter how small of an act it may be. Step out of your comfort zone and take leap of faith. So if you could, remember to keep me and the rest of my group in your prayers over the next few months, we will definitely need it.


Stay Classy San Diego,

-Dustin