I do more than just travel. I buy earrings that have marijianna leaves on them.

Spending all of last weekend in Sydney, it was nice to spend this past weekend here on the Gold Coast. Nevertheless, on Saturday a group of us drove to Nimbin and Byron Bay for the day. Nimbin is similar to Byron Bay, but a lot more hippier. As in just walking through the town I thought I was going to get high. We went through all of the shops, and I was quite pleased with my purchase of some earrings until Abbey pointed out that they were styled after marijianna leaves. Such is life.

We then attempted to find some waterfalls in the surrounding area, but that was a complete failure. We were extremely low on gas, driving up and down mountains... we gave up. Either way, we saw some breathtaking views, and we eventually wound up back in Byron. Although I have already been there twice before, any place that provides me with a beach and gelato is good enough.

I've realised that all of my posts have solely been about traveling, and I've failed to mention where I live besides hostels and tents and what I spend the majority of my time doing. First thing first, housing. I live off campus in what I suppose you would call townhouses (see picture below). I have my own room, though two other girls (one American, one Aussie/American) share the house/apartment/whatever with me.

I absolutely love the place where I am staying, though I have hard wood floors and a bed with wheels, which isn't a good combination. My favourite part, though, is our pool (see picture below) which is a great place to do some reading and studying.

Besides school work, which you all know I do excessively, I've really enjoyed not being spread so thin with all of the activities I usually get myself involved in. I do attend weekly BCC (Bond Christian Connection), where I have met some really great people. When I'm not traveling, I'll go to Hope Church on Sundays, which has a contemporary worship service.

But here comes my latest obsessions. The gym offers excercise classes, which are "free" if you paid your student membership fee. The first week of Bond I tried out as many classes as I could to see which ones I liked the best. I clearly remember a step aerboics class in which I couldn't stop laughing because I was in the middle of all of these older women, stepping and clapping, listening to "Yeah" by Usher. Not for me.

And then I met the spinning and boxing room (cue for dramatic music). The first time I went to spinning, I was with a group of friends and I recall all of us rather confused walking into a dark room with disco lights flashing... what is happening? Greatness that is. I honestly haven't worked at this intensity since track and cross-country. Our instructor, Joel, kindly (and by kindly, I mean not kindly) reminds us that we are not on holiday and before each class to make sure we have everything we need, including water and Jesus.

Besides spinning twice a week, I also do boxing 1-2/week, which is rather difficult too, especially taking into account the heat of the room (same with the spinning room; I think they purposely pump in hot, humid air). "Suck it up," is a constant yell in our ears from the instructor, Richard, though I'm surprised I can even hear it considering that I am underwater in my own sweat.

As always, though, these classes are just in conjunction with my running, which my passion for has only increased since arriving. A large part of that has to do with the hot weather (I know, I'm strange, but something about dehydration just makes you feel like you are working harder) and beach runs.. and knowing that I will have the opposite of that when I return back to the States. Boo.

Now off to go stand in front of the air conditioner because it was bloody hot today.