Week 2: Mike vs. Gnarly Swells

So we’re actually going to school here. Crazy. Week 2 was the start of classes and even the classes make me happy in Australia. Actually, I don’t think there’s anything in this country that can make me unhappy. Except missing the bus. And the army of poisonous things wanting to kill you. And the metric system. You know, there are two types of countries in the world: Countries who use the metric system. And Countries who have landed on the moon. ‘Murica. The classes I am taking here are:

Dreamtime to Dust: A kind of Australian history class covering the formation of the continent up until the arrival of the first humans.

Design Communications: A sick graphic design class using Photoshop and Illustrator.

Creativity in Advertising: Studying creativity… in advertising.

Adventure Tourism: Learning about the adventure tourism market and going on field trips to various adventurous activities, including sailing, ziplining, and a ropes course.

The beginning of the week was dedicated to classes and planning our excursions. Using the travel office on campus, we booked two trips with a tentative few more. From October 1^st-October 5^th, the Goon Squad will be heading to the outback to sleep under the stars, cliff jump off waterfalls, and hike around some of the most beautiful landscapes on earth. On December 5^th, we’ve decided to fly out to New Zealand where we will rent a couple of cars and explore glaciers, reefs, and most importantly: the sets of the Lord of the Rings. As a scuba diver, it is a lifelong dream of mine to dive the Great Barrier Reef, so we are in the process of planning a trip to Cairns, where we can dive around the southern edge of the reef. Melbourne and Sydney are also on the list of places to see.

            After surviving the grueling coursework of syllabus week, it was time to go surfing. On Friday night we were picked up by Soul Surf School for our first trip to Byron Bay. About 45 of us from Bond went and we stayed in a rather nice hostel right in the center of town. The town itself is awesome. It’s the most stereotypical surf town possible and I love it. Everyone there has long hair, a surfboard, and a laid back lifestyle. On Friday night there was a paint party at a bar/club called Cheeky Monkeys. Naturally we got splattered with copious amounts of paint, danced like idiots, then whined in the showers at 1am when we couldn’t get the paint off. 

Painted.

The next day had us surfing in the afternoon which left us the morning to explore a little bit. We rented some bikes from the surf shop and biked along the coast up to a light house overlooking the bay. From there we were able to see the easternmost tip of Australia as well as some incredible views of the shoreline. After our little excursion we were loaded up into a van for our surf lesson. I must say, our surf instructors are some of the most entertaining people I have ever met. They were also hugely helpful and professional when it came to teaching us Americans how to properly stand up on a board. By the end of the day, most of us were able to get up on our own and catch some small waves. After our lesson they took us to a lake surrounded by tea trees which drop their leaves and make the entire body of water into a giant pool of cold tea. Apparently it’s great for your skin. We hung out and ate dinner with our surf instructors afterwards and they even showed us around the town and got us into some locals-only bars, one with live music. The entire atmosphere of Byron Bay was so chill and everyone was ridiculously friendly. It's one of those places you never want to leave. 

The easternmost point of Australia

Sunday morning was our final surf lesson where they let us catch (or rather try to catch) some bigger waves. I had one really good ride that even the instructors were pumped about. We got tossed around quite a bit but it was a blast. For the afternoon we booked a kayaking trip around the bay. Liam was my Goose in the tandem kayak. In order to get out into the bay, we had to paddle straight through 4-6 foot swells to calmer waters. Approximately 25 seconds after setting out from shore, I managed to snap my paddle in half due to my godlike strength. Despite the rain,  hulking waves, and broken paddle, we were able to conquer the waves and join the rest of the group. We paddled around for a few hours and saw tons of dolphins and a few large sea turtles. By the time we got back onto the bus to go back to Bond, we were all exhausted. There would be no Waxy’s this Sunday, but Byron Bay was a great impulsive decision. Another very successful week. 

And we didn't tip once