Author: Allison Mascioli

G’Day Everyone!

Last week I was on spring break here in Sydney so myself and four friends decided to travel to Thailand for nine days and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. We went through a program called Thaintro and they planned everything for us. We were part of a group of forty and we had two guides who lead us around.

We flew into Bangkok and we spent three days there. Some of the highlights include going to two Buddhist temples and being blessed by a Buddhist monk. We also got to see the largest Buddha in the country which was 240m long

The next day in Bangkok we got to go to a Thai cooking class and make ourselves some Pad Thai and Curry. I’ll admit that I was nervous about screwing up the recipe because this was going to be our lunch for the day but it was actually very easy to do and it was all delicious.

We then left Bangkok that afternoon and traveled on a 12 hour overnight train to Khao Sok where we took a boat ride in their national park to our next accommodations which were floating bungalows. We were legit staying in small cabins that were floating in the middle of the lake. It was so cool. There we spent the day hanging out, swimming and jumping from some cliffs.

Our final destination on the trip was to Koh Phangan where we spent four days living on the beach. We got to go on a boat tour and go island hopping, had a day dedicated to relaxation and getting some Thai massages, and we got to do some exploring on our own. But my favorite day of all was when we got to go visit the elephant park. I had the chance to pet, feed and have a little water fight with the elephants there.

Overall it was an amazing trip and I am so lucky that I got to go and experience another culture while abroad.

I miss you all and I know that you’re training hard at home. I just looked at my countdown and I’ll be back home in 42 days which is crazy. So I guess I will be seeing you all very soon.

Allison

G’Day Everyone!

Another week has gone by and I can’t believe how fast time is flying by and that I’m over half way done with my experience here in Australia.  This past week as been extremely busy.  Starting with last weekend, on Saturday when I took my first surf lesson.  I wouldn’t call myself a surfing expert now, but I was able to stand up and ride a wave or two.  Not gonna lie though, it was pretty hard.  But I did have a lot of fun learning and I plan on renting a board and trying again when we get closer to summer time.  On Sunday though, I ran in a 9k race which started on the other side of Sydney and I got to run over the Sydney Harbor Bridge which was incredible.  I was able to run with two of my friends here in Australia and it was a awesome running atmosphere.  The best part of the race though was the fact that we finished at the Sydney Opera House.

To continue the excitement into the week, I went to go see A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Sydney Opera House on Monday night.  Right before the show we were able to see the sunset over the harbor bridge(see photo below) and we had the chance to explore the inside of the opera house and it is honestly spectacular.  For the play, I’ve never read Shakespeare in high school and I’ll admit that avoided Shakespeare like the plague, but I did enjoy the show because it was a modern interpretation and very funny.

Other than those excursions early in the week, I’ve been mostly living in the library studying and getting work done for midterms.  But good news is that midterms are over and it’s officially spring break here at UNSW.  Wooooohooooooo!!! For spring break I’m traveling to Thailand for 10 days and I’m honestly so excited.  So because I will be in Thailand next week, I won’t be able to post on our blog but I will definitely fill you all in 2 weeks from now.

Hope everyone is doing well with classes and training.  Have fun at family weekend!

Allison

G’Day!

This past weekend was parents weekend in my residential college, but it was a little distant of a trip for my parents to come for the weekend.  So the other exchangers and I did a bunch of weekend day trips together.  On Friday, we traveled two hours by bus to go to the Hunter Valley, which is an area outside of Sydney known for the multitude of vineyards.  We got to experience a wine tour where we learned about the history of the area and different types of grapes and wines that are unique to Australia.

On Saturday, I actually had another field trip for my Marine Environment class where we got to travel on a boat and learn about the sediment in different areas throughout the bay.  Unfortunately, myself and two of my friends struggled with the public transportation system where we missed two trains to get to the starting destination for the trip.  Lol we don’t have the best of luck traveling via public transit.  It’s a work in progress.

Finally Sunday was a day dedicated to eating.  I started off my day by having brunch at the Grounds of Alexandria, which is a big organic market with locally grown foods.  It’s a giant farmers market with a petting zoo attached and it was a great way to start off the morning.  While I was there I got a yummy brekkie box and a delicious apple and kale drink.

After that I went to the Smooth Chocolate Festival and as a chocoholic I can say with confidence that it was definitely one of the best food experiences of my life.  I was able to sample all different types of chocolates, fudges, and candies.  But I ended up buying the holy grail of all milkshakes.  It was a chocolate milkshake with a Belgian waffle with hot fudge, whipped cream and chocolate malt balls on top.  Just thinking about it is bringing back good memories.  I have the picture below but please ignore my chocolate covered hand.  I was like a toddler not knowing how to start eating this milkshake masterpiece.

Aside from my day trips last weekend, I’ve been staying on campus this week and living in the library because I had a couple of exams and other assignments due for mid semester.  I actually have an exam Saturday morning, ughhhhh, but hopefully it goes well.  Fingers crossed.  After the exam tomorrow is done, I’m going to be taking a surf lesson and on Sunday I’m running in a 9k.  I will let you all know how everything goes.

Hope training and classes are going well for everyone!

Allison “I miss bagels” Mascioli