Four days accommodation in Byron: $0, Scuba Class: $395, Surfboard $200, Food: too much, Getting totally dominated by a monster wave: Priceless!

Well it has been a little longer than I expected in between posts. I have been really busy lately so I just did not have time to get a new post out there. So for all the people who keep asking me “When are you going to blog again?” here it is…

Byron Bay:
Byron Bay is this sweet little town right on the beach. It is about 40 minutes from the town my campus is in. The town of Byron is always busy. They have a ton of shops, bars, hostels, and vacation homes. Byron itself is kind of going through an identity crisis. It has always been known as a backpacker’s town full of young people, hostels and clubs. As time goes on big developers are moving in and putting in high end vacation homes and apartments. The town has a “no chain restaurant or shops” rule which makes all the prices of everything really high. One of my roommate’s brothers lives in Byron, so when I go there I have a free place to stay. He said I was welcome anytime I want to stay. He lives in a small brick house and shares rent, $500 a week, with four other housemates. The small house he lives in is valued at $1.8 million, it’s all about location. His house is in the process of changing ownership. The new owners plan to buy up all the houses on the block to tear them down and build upper class apartments. While I was in Byron last weekend I got the chance to go see an underground Aussie band. They are called The Hungry Kids of Hungary—youtube them, they are amazing. Byron is also the home of New South Wale's (the state I am in) number one sushi restaurant. I have never really had sushi before so I thought I would give it a try and it is amazing! I am always craving sushi now.

Scuba and surfing:
I have spent the last two weekends in Byron. While there I have been doing my scuba class and going to the beach to surf. Last weekend with my scuba class we finally got to get out of the pool and into the ocean. We did four different dives at Julian Rock; it is rated to be one of Australia’s top 10 dive spots. Scuba diving is one of the coolest things I have ever done. We got to dive down to about 50 feet below the surface. While under water I got to see so many new things. Besides all of the coral and rock formations I was able to see many fish such as: Eastern Blue Groper, Snappers, Blue Spotted Eagle Rays, Wobbegong Sharks, Surgeon fish, and Butterfly fish. Now that I am done with the class I am an internationally certified scuba diver. I cannot wait for the chance to go diving at the Great Barrier Reef. After the scuba class every day I would go to the beach to surf. I am still not any good at surfing but every time I go I feel like I am getting a little better. I found a spot where the waves are smaller so I will be able to learn better. Unfortunately I did not find this spot until after I had already been dominated by monster waves. One of my favorite parts of surfing is that when you fall is do not really hurt, it may feel like you are going to die from drowning but the board always pulls you back to the surface. Well at least I thought you never really got hurt until this monster wave sent me flying in the air and then I landed face first on my board. (Don’t worry Mom, I know, and I am being safe.) Now that I found that spot where the waves are smaller I should be able to get better faster and then maybe be able to shred the big waves instead of getting beat down by them.

Food:
The food in Australia is not that much different than the food available in the US. There really is not a true Australian dish. If I were to go out to eat I would have to decide between Chinese, Italian, or sea food just as in the US. In the grocery stores they have basically the same stuff only different brands. They do have some of the same brands such as Kellogg’s but the product will be called something different. For example, Rice Krispys are called Rice Bubbles, they still have Snap, Crackle, and Pop don’t worry. I am finally starting to get used to the brands that are offered here and I don’t feel so lost when I walk into the grocery store. Although, the other day I almost made a, “Hey I am American and I don’t understand the metric system,” mistake when I went to the deli. I was waiting in line, I wanted to get a pound of ham, it wasn’t until the girl in front of my order that I realized I cannot get a pound because they don’t have pounds. So I just asked for a half of kilo hoping for the best. Luckily a half of kilo was not too much ham. The only foods I can think of that I have eaten here that you cannot really get in the US are Vegemite and kangaroo steaks. Vegemite is concentrated yeast extract; it’s a dark brown color and smells kind of funny. Most Australians eat it on bread or toast and they all make fun of the American because we don’t like it. I unlike the majority of American do like it; I eat it all the time and I like it more every time I have it. The kangaroo steaks were amazing! The whole time I was cooking them I did not know what to expect at all. When I took my first bite I was surprised at how amazing it was. The best part is roo steaks are really cheap; I got two steaks for only $4.50.

I cannot really think of anything else for right now. Classes are going about as good as classes can I guess. I have a couple assignments due this week and I should have probably been working on them instead of working on this blog post but whatever I will still get them done in time. I suppose that is all until next time. I miss everyone.