Day 14 in the airport still.....

After breakfast in Chicago airport, Aimee, Trayla and Amanda made it safely this morning. Aimee is suffering from allergies after sleeping on goose feathers at the Hilton in LA. We all enjoyed a nice breakfast. Shelby and Gretchen will be here soon and Jenna is in the air to Charlotte airport. Hopefully in the next few hours we will all be home safely. 

Finally after 48 hours of traveling, all the students made it back to their homes exhausted. 

Day 13 departing for the states.

It's 7am and we are departing for the states. This is our last breakfast and all our luggage. Looking exceptionally good for so early. 

We all made it through check-in, customs and security just fine. When we arrived at our gate we got the news that our flight is delayed for 2 1/2 hours due to weather. We cant even see past the runway it so foggy!!  Australia is really upset we are leaving. We now have some extra time to hang out in the Sydney airport. 

Still hanging out at the airport. We were able to get $20 food vouchers since our flight is so delayed. During the delay most slept, caught up on journals, watched movies or got beat playing Jaclyn in the card game speed. Our new view is below. 

After a long wait, we should be boarding shortly and arriving in LA between 9 and 10 there time.  

Well we ended up departing four hours late which made for a very interesting 2nd Tuesday the 28th aka Shelby's birthday. We arrived in LA at 10:25 their time which caused many problems. After getting through customs and baggage, only Todd and Chyrsten were able to make their actual flight. Kelsie was a able to get on a different flight to get to Pittsburgh at around 11. Jaclyn was able to get out on a flight mid afternoon to Chicago but had to land in Madison, Wisconsin because of weather and then made it to Chicago only to miss her next flight. She will spend 6 hours in Chicago waiting for her early morning flight. Trayla, Aimee, Jenna, Amanda, Gretchen and the birthday girl Shelby spent the afternoon in LA in a hotel with free meals from Qantas. Hopefully we will all make it to Ohio by noon tomorrow the 29th. This really ended up being the longest May 28th in history!!

Chicago airport at midnight. 

Day 12 at Sydney Uni.

Our last day has snuck up on us. Today we started with our breakfast at 8 and left shortly after for Sydney Uni. The bus ride there was a little stop and go and everyone was happy to get off. Upon getting to Sydney Uni, the students were able to take some photos of the welcome signs. We traveled with the Xavier group so we had a fairly large group. 

The first place we went was to one of the ovals for a Kanga.  They play most of their club sports such as rugby, soccer, and AFL on this grass. We then toured one of their smaller sports centers. We learned that Sydney Uni has about 50,000 students during the school year. Unlike in the states, the gym, pool, personal training, and fitness classes cost extra from the tuition. They have bronze, silver, and gold memberships that can range anywhere from $490-950 a year. Each tier has more perks than the others. A few of us were able to buy some gear here too. We then toured a bigger facility that has the fitness classes and the 50m pool. This sports center was a lot nicer than the other one but was higher on the tier grade. 

After our tours, we were all able to enjoy a nice lunch in the union, otherwise known as the dining hall. Here most tried a kabab which is different than a kebab. This entrée was either beef or chicken on a bed of rice with some greens or rolled up in a flour tortilla. Everyone enjoyed the kababs. 

After a nice lunch we walked through some of the older parts of the campus. We were able to get a kanga in front of the castle like building.

Some also got photos of the graffiti tunnel. To finish up our time at Sydney Uni, we got a lesson on AFL, Australian Rules Football.  Will, the strength coach from England, was able to teach us the basics of the game. As stated by one of the students, "it seems like they just made up a sport by putting volleyball, soccer and football together."  It is a very different sport. After the lesson, Will put us through some drills on the oval. Marietta had one ball and we were pretty decent. At the end, Shelby was elected to make a try but was unsuccessful. Todd had to try and of course came out 1-1. 

We then tracked back to the hostel area for everyone to do their last minute sightseeing and souvenir shopping. Collectively we have purchased 27 scarves!!  So cheap here!

Next up was our farewell dinner which a lot of us were dreading!!  We went to the Orient and had a variety of meals from fish and chips to a kangaroo burrito to oysters to a lamb burger and more. Last but not least was a caramel dessert which was delicious. We had an award ceremony which everyone received awards from Shanna and Regina. Trayla and Chyrsten did the honors of presenting both of them awards and gifts for all the hard work they have done. They have been really awesome and have helped out in so many ways.  They will definitely be missed. 

To round out the night, most went for some last minute pictures and packing. Departure is at 7 am in the morning!!  Live for the last time from the YHA.......until next time

Day 11 in Sydney

Today was another early morning. We rolled out of bed around 6 to head down and fuel up before the big race. After breakfast we caught a train over to Bondi beach where we surfed just a few days ago. Once there we collected our racing singlets for the Bondi barefoot 4k race. 

We headed down to the water for a little warm up jog. Upon the start of the race we were in for a big surprise. It turns out soft sand is pretty hard to run in. Before we knew it we were getting passed by grandpas in speedos (may need therapy to get rid of that image in the future). We kept chugging along though and most of us ended pretty well. However, we might be in dire need of some icy hot in the morning. 

Todd got first out of the sports med group but he's a boy so I don't think it really counts. 

After the race we got to run some more (to catch our bus).  On said bus we ended up in an interesting Chat with a local about how easy it is to distinguish Americans. He also quizzed Jaclyn on her nutrition knowledge. 

 We all headed over the the Olympic Park to check out the Sydney Swifts professional netball game. It was pretty cool to see how the pros do it. Although, we're basically netball experts ourselves at this point (thanks to Goldie). The swifts ended up winning the game by over 15 points. I think our cheering might have been a contributing factor!

The next stop after the game was Paddy's market for some last minute souvenirs. Aimee and Lusky managed to talk a guy down to $20 on some sweet headphones and Jaclyn managed to find herself a replacement neck pillow. Aimee, Trayla, Lusky and Jaclyn headed out to watch the Adams Family musical show and the rest of us lounged around for a bit then went to grab a quick bite to eat down at the rocks. We all met later in the evening to hang out on the town for a bit. Tomorrow it's off to Sydney Uni!

Day 10 in Sydney

After breakfast, we started off taking a ferry over to the Wildlife Park Sanctuary.  We got to see Wallabies, Eastern Grey Kangaroos, adorable Koala's, a Tasmanian Devil, a HUGE Crocodile, a Wombat, and a variety of snakes and insects.

This is a picture of a Wallaby eating.  If you looked close enough, you could see her 6-7 month old Joey in her pouch!

Here is an adorable Koala just chilling out in the tree :)

And here is an amazing picture of the Tasmanian Devil (the photo credit goes to Todd) 

Afterwards, we grabbed subway and headed to the North Sydney Oval to watch Rugby League: Bears vs. Jets.  We got there a little bit early and ended up watching some guys play "Lawn Bowling".  They were nice enough to let us borrow some of their equipment and told us how to play.  

The goal of Lawn Bowling is to throw your ball as close to the white ball as possible.  It's pretty similar to our Bocce.  Here is a picture close to Lawn Bowling, which over looks the Sydney Harbour.

When it was time, we walked back over to the North Sydney Oval to see the Bears pre-match treatment and to watch them play.  The pre-match treatment consisted mainly of tapings.  A lot of the players got their ankles taped and some also got their knees, shoulders, and wrists taped.  After all of the players were taped and ready to warm up, the Bears physiotherapist showed us some of the tapings that Dr. McConnell told us about, one of which is a fat pad taping.  Afterwards he let us practice some of the tapings on each other.  Here is a picture of Chyrsten practicing a fat pad taping on Amiee's knee and practicing the physiotherapists way of an ankle taping with Leukotape.

Leukotape gives way in all directions, while the tape that we are used to, Coach tape, gives way in only two directions.  The Bears physiotherapist then showed us their changing rooms and their warm and cold whirlpools.  By then, it was time for the game to start.  It was very intense and exciting match between the two teams.  At half time, we all got pictures with the Bears Mascot.  Here is a picture of Chyrsten, Amiee, and Shelby...and a Newscaster who photo bombed the picture. 

Unfortunately the Bears lost to the Jets, 38-24.  It was a fun game to be at nonetheless!  For the rest of the night, we chilled at our hostel and watched Vivid Sydney.  This is Jenna reporting from the YHA in Sydney.  Until next time...

Day 9 time trials at the Sydney Olympic Pool

After an awesome night out on the town, we got up had breakfast at 8 and headed to the ferry. 

Also eight of us registered for the Bondi Barefoot race on Sunday. Watch out Australia, Marietta College is coming barefoot and ready!

Upon arriving at The Sydney Olympic Aquatic Center, we were able to wonder around for a bit and then head out to Urban Jungle. This is a high ropes course and our guides name was Mark. There was a lot of instructing and practicing going on before we hit the high ropes. We were able to all complete the ropes course in under to hours which left us time to go back through one of the levels.

For the majority of the time, we were all competing and trying to no use our hands. Mike told us that one obstacle hasn't been completed with no hands and if you can do it they will name it after you. We all tried but Trayla was the one who really put a spin on things and tried to run across the obstacle and ended up wiping out. Six of us wanted to try a new challenge in the last round so we did everything backwards. It was quite challenging and Mike was impressed we were able to stick with it. In the end, the ropes course was AWESOME!

Blurry pics taken from a camera. Mike was only able to document on one camera so sorry for the blurriness. 

After the ropes course we were able to go swim where the Olympians swam in the 2000 Olympics. It was awesome. We did water aerobics, handstand contest, and tried to see who could hold their breath the longest which was Kelsie at 57 seconds!  We also all swam 100 meters in the actual Olympic pool which was sweet. Most hung out at the pool while others went to explore.

Our version of MC!

We had Oportos after for lunch and were able to catch a train back. Chyrsten and Jaclyn went to Manley after to purchase some souvenirs. They also experienced some huge waves and felt the boat rock a lot. 

At 6pm, Vivid Sydney started. This is a time that the city lights up the opera house, the buildings, bridges and many other things. It is quite pretty and amazing. This event happens once a year and we will be lucky enough to see it for 4 nights!!  The lights remain on for six hours every night!  

A giant cruise boat is obstructing the view here!!  Just a little glimpse of the Sydney Opera House during Vivid Sydney. 

The students went off to dinner and exploring at Darling Harbour tonight. The rain kind of mixed up some plans. Not many nights left but trying to enjoy them all. Live from the YHA.....until next time  

Day 8 in the YHA

Just going to throw it out there that today is my birthday... no big deal. :)

Trayla summed up our morning in one quote: "Dr. McConnell is the shizz!" We were lucky enough to have the opportunity to have Dr. McConnell come and speak to us about knee pain. She taught us a  lot about her speciality and even expanded on information we already knew. She went through an evaluation on a person with knee pain. It was Interesting to see how she goes about her evaluations and her ideas of treatment. We learned that her motto is "tape, tape, tape, tape, tape!" and she actually showed us a knee taping first hand. Something that everyone can take away from her talk is how much of an influence fear, anxiety, and negativity have on pain. So for all of you out there experiencing pain keep a positive attitude and don't be afraid to use the body part in pain! 

Here Todd is examining a knee's fat pad, which is the layer of fat underneath the knee cap, or patella.

Your very own Marietta College Athletic Trainers and Dr. Jenny McConnell

After our lecture with dr. McConnell we made lunch together as a group. Some honest hard work and skills in the kitchen left us with 3 pounds of pasta, homemade garlic bread (courtesy of Chyrsten), crackers and brie, as well as chips and dip.

With full stomaches, we went into another lecture with Dr.Courtney. She is an osteopathic medicine doctor. She spoke to us about breathing dysfunctions. Everything from hyperventilation to asthma and vocal chord disorders. A few of us, myself included, learned that we may actually be suffering from breathing dysfunctions, based upon a questionnaire she had us fill out. The main point to take away is that mouth breathing is bad! ... Even though I am definitely guilty of it... 

For the evening, we went on a show boat to help celebrate my birthday. It was a lot of fun and good food! The dancers put on a great show themed to different places around the world, including Las Vegas, and the singer was very talented as well. Afterwards, we spent some time in Darling Harbor before calling it a night. 

That's all for now folks! Thanks for sharing my birthday we with me!

-Amanda 

Day 7 at Bondi Beach

This morning we decided to split paths and do our own thing for the morning. Half of us traveled out to  Paddy's market to spend a little more money and the other half stayed to make free pancakes and head to Bondi Beach early. It was some of the students first time ever making pancakes and for the most part it was a success (despite Jenna's scrambled pancakes). At Paddy's market the group found great deals, including matching sunglasses.

We all met up in "Let's Go Surfing" at Bondi beach to sign our waivers and attempt to put our wetsuits on. The struggle was real. After everyone was situated we went with our surf guides, Marty and Will, to learn a little background history of the beach and surfing. Aimee became surf rescue certified in about 30 seconds and gave a great demonstration on how to save a life (rescue gear and all). After our lesson we finally hit the beach! There are four steps to getting up on the surf board: sliding onto the board aka the beached whale (copy right Amanda Lusky), the downward dog, your first step with your back foot, and your step with the opposite foot. At this point you should be standing on your board low and balanced. I am proud to report that everyone got up on their boards... At least for a split second. The waves decided to be our enemy today, filling our ears and mouths with plenty of salt water. We were the BEST group they had ever had though! After our session was up, we couldn't wait to change into warm clothes and get under the heaters. As we were leaving, we received certificates for being so totally amazing at surfing.

All that surfing really worked up an appetite, so we took a bus over to Watson's Bay and ate at Doyle's. Most people ordered the fish and chips and some ordered the salmon. We were so proud of Chyrsten for trying fish for the first time! Bellies full and tuckered out, we made our way back to the hostel for some downtime.

From the bottom bunk of 328, this is Gretchen reporting.

Hang ten America.

Day 6 in Sydney

Day 6 We started our morning out rather early by catching a 5:30am ferry back to manly beach to watch the sunrise. Although dragging everyone quickly perked up once we seen the view.

 We didnt have trouble occuping ourselves we took way too many pictures and some of us even went for a morning run!

 

                                        Next we toured the Sydney Olympic Park

We were able to see all the facilities the olympians competed in and the many changes that had to be made to prepare for such an important event and at the end was given the privilege of standing on the same podium as The 2000 Olympians! 

We concluded the day by playing other netball teams where we surprisingly recieved several compliments on our skills for first timers and did manage to pullout a win out of the three games.

 

Day 5 in Sydney

Today we toured the Rugby League Central Museum of Heroes and Legends and learned all about the history and players of rugby. It is similar to our American football but they wear no padding at all so they believe our football game is weak and we can't take a hit! In the museum we saw many of the trophies that teams have won at the Grand Finals and we even posed for our very own trophy shot! The rugby teams also wear pink uniforms for a game every season to support the awareness of breast cancer and to raise money for the breast cancer foundation in Sydney. 

After the rugby tour we visited the Allianz Stadium and Cricket grounds. Here they play anything from cricket, rugby union, rugby league, and the Sydney FC soccer team also plays here. Half of the grounds are as old as the 1800's and today they are building on to make the grounds even bigger for their members and fans. 

We were also taught a stance that the cricket players use when they believe the player is out! We were able to tour behind the scenes and see things that were more familiar to us. We were all excited to see the hot and cold baths and the blood bin or the suture room where the players get stitched up if injured during the games. 

After we toured the two grounds we had the rest of the day to do some shopping and travel on the ferry to Manly. Most of us enjoyed the classic fish and chips for lunch and then did some shopping along the streets in Manly. We visited the beach and spent some time walking in the sand and running through the water! 

Once we all got back to Sydney for the night we went to the Glenmore Hotel and enjoyed a nice steak dinner on their roof top. It was a million dollar view of the city at night and a perfect ending to a great day! 

Live from Shelby at the YHA in Sydney! Until next time....