Living on Top of the World

Been missing home, and I found this gorgeous picture of the Salt Lake City Valley.

It's amazing how you can be so desperate to leave home, but once you do you realize what you had and what you take for granted.  

No matter where I am, there is always a spot in my heart for Salt Lake City. It will always be my home.

Well, let's start with the good news that had me calling and waking my mom up early in the morning with tears running down my face and kept me up until at least 3 in the morning.  

I got into the nursing program at the University of Utah and start this fall!!

I was up a bit later than I wanted to be up that night.  It was one of those days where you fall into a slump for no reason, and I had read a few articles that had me a bit emotional for the night. 

Just a few minutes before going to bed I got an e-mail, and it popped up on my phone

"University of Utah College of Nursing" 

Immediately my heart was racing and I started to shake.  I seriously did not know what to expect.  I didn't know if I should call my mom already before evening opening it up to read or if I just read it and call them later.  What if it was bad news? I didn't want to share that news right then and there.  I decided to just read it.

I was still shaking and had my heart racing a million miles per hour.  I had to log into my  application, and of course I had to go back and look up my pin number.  The anticipation of knowing was killing me.

Of course, once I got it to open, I was shaking even more and I'm pretty sure my heart sped up even more, but finally my eyes spotted the 

"Congratulations" 

and at that moment, I felt like all the weight had been lifted off my shoulders and I had nothing else to worry about in this world.  I'm in Australia and my life is perfect.  I have amazing friends and a supportive family.  My hard work and extensively difficult and full semesters have finally paid off.  My C in my elementary chemistry finally didn't matter.  All my other work pulled it off.  My volunteering, my clinicals, my work, and my courses have all come together to get me through to finally see my dreams come true.

I got into nursing school.

After that I finally picked up my phone.  I called my mom with tears rushing down my face. She picked up.

"Mom!!!" 

Immediately I knew she was worried.  I was crying and screaming her name, and it was late in Australia.  But I kept going 

"I got in! I got into nursing school!" 

I could feel the weight lift off her just like it did for me.  She was so happy for me, telling me congratulations and telling me how happy she was for me.  She asked me if I was crying because I was happy.  Of course I was.  I have never cried from so much enjoyment and relief.  It just felt like everything in my life was finally coming together.  

The day after I got accepted.  I was a happy camper!

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Anyways, my week was good after that.  I was actually leaving to Tasmania just a few days after that e-mail came through.  Tasmania is one of the areas that I knew I wanted to go to as soon as I found out I was for sure coming to Australia.  I had read about the Aurora Australis, which is just like the Northern Lights, Aurora Borealis.  However, we are in the southern hemisphere, so they are called the Southern Lights, instead.  It's been one of my dreams to see them, so I was excited to go down South and have a slight possibility to see them.  Plus Tasmania is just beautiful.  Mountainous and just a nature-lovers home.  I had to at least check it out.  Many of the Australians say "Don't go to Tasmania.  There is nothing there."  But I think it is because they have not been there.  They do not know what they are missing.  They do not incorporate Tasmania as part of Australia, so no one really sees it how it really is.


There is actually even a necklace we saw in Australia.  It was an Australian outline, and of course to add Tasmania to the necklace was fifteen dollars extra.  When I say they do not incorporate Tasmania to their country, I mean it.

Either way, my roommate and I headed down to Tasmania.  I was so excited to go.  We were originally going to rent a car there so that we could see more, but as soon as we got there my roommate realized he forgot his license, and I of course am still underage so we had to do tours instead.  Oh well, mistakes happen.

The day we got there we walked around Hobart and got an idea of what tours we wanted to do.  Unfortunately the main tours we wanted to do were already booked, but we managed to get into a couple that seemed a little interesting. 

The first tour we did was one I was pretty excited about.  We started off at a Wildlife Sanctuary that helps animals that have been hurt in the wild and help them grow and go back out into the wild.  They also help Tasmanian Devils that are endangered.  Basically, if the Tasmanian Devils go extinct in the wild, they have some there in their sanctuary and can try to get them to reproduce and regrow a population.  They also have them there to learn more and do research on the face tumors that are killing off the devils in the wild. 

 We also got to go to Mount Field National Park and do some hikes and see some waterfalls.  It was nice to get out in the middle of the jungle, away from everyone and everything.  I definitely miss hiking and just getting out and away from the city, so it was nice to do this for a change.  There wasn't too much to the tour.  We stopped at a couple random places.  We got to see some Hops Fields, which are the flowers they use to flavor beer.  (They smell awful, I will admit!).  We also got to go to some salmon ponds/farms. 

 After we went up to Mount Wellington.  It was amazing and I felt like I was home.  All the mountains and overlooks made me miss home and hiking.  I truly loved Tasmania just because the air was drier, the temperature was cooler, and there were mountains everywhere around me.  The day was just nice and relaxing and a good way to see parts of Tasmania. 

Wombat.  Apparently wombats are very aggressive creatures, but they are not aggressive until about age two.  This wombat is a year and a half years old and the cuddliest thing I have ever seen.  She also still has a bit more growing to do and weighs about 50 pounds!

Kangaroos are my favorite.

Especially when they are little!

Tasmanian Devil

They love their food.  They are pretty blind and deaf.  People think they are dangerous, but they often just go for dead food on the road.  They do not attack, but they will if you get in their way. 

They eat ALL of the animals.  Feathers, skin, bones, everything. 

That being said, they may not attempt to attack humans, but the trainer had to keep her distance and make sure the devil was only going for the food.  If they bite, they can bite all the way through the leg. (They eat bones, remember?)

Cuddley koalas

Weird birds that look like owls in a way and blend in!

Tiny roo

Caught in action

Tassie!

The Hops Farms

Huge tree

Our walk to the water falls

Pano of Tassie

HUGE tree!

Waterfall

Gorgeous area.

Waterfall

Mount Wellington

Overlook

Felt like home

Pano from Mount Wellington

I took a selfie with the Koala!

Early morning start!

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The next day we found a tour that brought us to Tasman Peninsula and the Port Arthur Convict Prison.  I was pretty excited to see Tasman Peninsula.  It was just another area that is a nature-lovers perfect world with lots of site seeing things.  

However, we first started out by going to the MOMA museum.  "Museum of Old and Modern Art."  Apparently it's the reason that Hobart, Tasmania is the #7 top city to visit.  Because of this, we knew we had to go to at least experience it and say we went.  It's was fun to see some of the stuff there, especially some of the more modern art.  However, I sometimes wonder what goes through some artists heads and how they come up with the pieces that they make, but that's a story for a different time.

Port Arthur was pretty fun.  It's always neat to go to an old historic site to see the old buildings and the ways of life.  We actually did a ghost tour and learned about the history and a bunch of the ghost stories that have been spotted throughout the area.  All I can say is I sure am happy we didn't have any ghost experiences while we were there!  

To be honest, the tour wasn't anything spectacular.  We actually had a tour guide who we were not fond of that kind of killed the experience, but we met some super nice people and if it wasn't for the people on the tour, it may not have been worth it!

The shore line at Tasman Peninsula

Port Arthur Convict Prison

Sun was setting at Port Arthur

My outfit for the day.  I was SO happy to bring my scarf back out!  I love colder weather!

Some of the graffiti on the MOMA ferry.

Selfie at Tasman Peninsula

Port Arthur Church

Cliff side at Tasman Peninsula

Tasman Arch

The oldest bridge in Tasmania.

Remarkable Cave

Port Arthur

The cliff side

Tasmanian Devil Crossing Sign!

The oldest church in Tasmania

Remember me mentioning that I wanted to go to Tasmania and maybe have the experience of seeing the Southern Lights?  Well I got my chance and was able to see a glimpse of them while at Port Arthur.  Since we are so south and on a little peninsula island, it is dark with very few lights nearby. (The stars above us were AMAZING!)  I got the chance to look out over the coast and managed to spot some of the Aurora Australis!  Unfortunately I did not have my good camera with me, since it was so late and we were on the ghost tour.  I'm sure I would have stopped to take a photo, but would have had to set up and do a long exposure photo and would have lost my group.

However, here is a photo someone else took that night of the lights.  I'm just happy I was able to experience it first hand!

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Anyways, I'm home.  My friend and I got to pull out my rock climbing shoes and harness and put them to use this week.  I was happy to get back up on the rocks!

Back up on the rocks!

Yay!

My "I'm so excited" face!

Climbing

(:

Also! I went on a morning hike just the other day.  We did not sleep at all and we left at 2 AM and drove for an hour to Mount Warning.  We were on the mountain by 3, and at the top by 5AM.  We got to watch the sunrise, and it was absolutely spectacular!  I felt high on life, as if everything was in place.  I was so happy to experience the sunrise from the mountain top.  I've never climbed a mountain in the pitch black darkness, so it was definitely an experience I will not forget.  

The beginning of the sunrise.

The color and the clouds were amazing!

The sun was finally up!

This is what we had to climb up.  We weren't too happy that we had to go back down it...

We were truly on top of the world!!!

That is all for now.  Life is good, however I do keep getting a little homesick once in a while but I just have to keep reminding myself that I will be home soon enough.  I've learned that I have taken for granted what I have in Utah and this is my once in a lifetime opportunity in Australia.  I can't have my homesickness keep me from having fun and experience everything that I have right in front of me at this moment.

Miss and love everyone!  You shall hear from me again soon enough! <3