Tomorrow's Friday?!

So this week has flown by.  Exams have come and gone.  One more on Saturday.  Monday we finished our exam and then spent the sunny day at the beach.  Despite being here for 3 months we continue to underestimate the sun.  We put on sunscreen yet all of us came back a bit burnt. Still a great December day at the beach.  Tuesday was a study day for our 8am exam on Wednesday.  We got studying done and the exam went pretty well.  We'll see when the grades come back in January.  Wednesday we tested our luck again with the beach after our exam.  The weather had different ideas and we got rained on.  That night was apparently worth celebrating being halfway done with exams.  We met out with some friends and went down to the bars.  Weird that no place was hopping on  Wednesday night.  We decided to just head back to a friends apartment and chill there for the night.  We sat around talking with friends, reminiscing about our time Down Under.  It has certainly been a great experience.  We all threw around memories that we were going to remember.  There have been plenty.

The highlight of the night came when it was time to go home.  We got into a taxi to take us back to Bond.  A few moments into the ride the driver asked if we wanted music.  We said sure, and he turned on the radio.  Queen "Bohemian Rhapsody" came on which we all were very excited about.  The driver got the notion that we really liked the song and cranked up the volume.  The 10 minute cab ride was full of six friends singing Bohemian Rhapsody and "I Would Walk 500 Miles..."  The cab driver was even into it.  Imagine six rather inebriated Americans, and an Australian taxi driver singing our guts out at 1am in the morning.  To top it off, the driver was turning the cab lights on and off.  Great music and strobe lights?  Who needs clubs?  We're just driving a cab around on Wednesday nights from now on.  Oh wait, we don't have any more Wednesdays in Australia.  Yikes!  Regardless, the taxi made our night and I hope we made his as well.

Another brilliant idea we had that night was to play golf before we left Australia.  Putting the number of the golf course into my phone at approximately 2:30 am, I called the course when I woke up to see if they had any openings.  We made a booking for 1:30 and were excited to play again.  To be honest, I was quite nervous playing with Adam, Jeff and Fink because I was carrying the reputation of Bond Uni golf team.  Regardless, I was excited to get out and play with my American mates before we had to leave paradise.  Mother nature must have been offended at how much we were trying to fit into our last week here.  The radar looked like a rainbow as we were preparing to leave.  As we were walking across campus with our clubs, Andrew (from the golf team) was running towards the car park to move his car because there was a hail warning coming.  Great.  This should be interesting with a bag full of 14 metal rods.  Even our taxi driver laughed as us as we walked towards the cab.  Despite the warnings, we only had a brief delay in the clubhouse as we waited out the rain.  Once we teed off we were only rained on for 2 holes.  The rest of the day was great fun.  We even managed to find some leftover cigars from the Sydney trip and had them on the course.  What a great way to go out.

Tonight we fought off the temptation to go out since most of us still have an exam on Saturday.  Studying eluded me again as I got together with Jeff and Adam and continued to reminisce about our time here.  We all share the same sentiment about having a bittersweet return home.  All of us can hardly wait to see our families and celebrate Christmas, but it will be really hard to leave this paradise.  As we laid around, watched the "tele", and reflected on our experiences, I remembered why I chose to study here.  I remember complaining to Ashley about being bored on occasion in Australia.  She responded simply with: "Enjoy it.  That's why you chose to go."  The truth is, I have learned to embrace the boredom and free time.  Despite being broke, having this great time in Australia with no job, a rather easy class schedule, and new friends to share the experience with is something I will always remember.  December sunburns, roos on the golf course, watching cricket over dinner; it is these things that will be unforgettable.  Do I miss home?  Absolutely.  Will I miss Australia?  Always.  I'm already planning my trip back here at some time in my life...

"We have begun our decent back into... reality."

Weird to think that we are already toasting to our "Last..." here in Australia.  This week, we have no classes.  It is called Study Week.  All of my Australian mates are hitting the books really hard, while us exchange students are confident we can study for our Australian Pop Culture finals in less time.  That means we have a week to get out and do all of the last things we want to accomplish while we're here.

In one day, the forecast turned from rain all week to sun all week.  Not sure how it happened, but none of us were complaining.  We got to spend a great day at the beach, working on our tans to show off for Christmas pictures back home.  The next day a few of us went to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.  We got to hold koalas, feed kangaroos, see some other native animals, and partake in a really cool ropes course.  This was the second adventure in Australia that I have done that was titled "Extreme".  Apparently in Australia, they're not kidding.  XTreme Whitewater Rafting was certainly extreme.  The Extreme Ropes Challenge at Currumin was no different.  I'm writing this more than 24 hours later and my arms have never been so sore.  Still, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.  The whole day was full of great memories.  The ropes course provided a unique opportunity to be at tree height in this gorgeous forest amongst the sounds of animals.  Serene does not even begin to describe how peaceful it was so high up.  There was even breaks in the serenity for catching your breath and speeding down zip lines.  Great day.

Today I played golf for the final time with James and Andrew, my two closest Australian mates.  We decided to go out with a bang and played at one of the nicest courses in the Gold Coast: The Glades designed by Greg Norman.  The views were immaculate.  The course was pristine.  It was such a great way to conclude a great golfing experience down under.  We just hung around the clubhouse for about an hour after the round just enjoying the evening in Australia overlooking the great course.  Despite all the crazy days/nights I have had down here, it is moments like that which will stick with me for the rest of my life.  Moments when the chaos stills, and the realization that I'm in Australia having the time of my life sets in.  I've been seeming to have a lot of those moments recently.  Suddenly the time is winding down.  I have no doubt that these 21 days of December will be the quickest 3 weeks of my life.

I got home from golf convincing myself it was time to start studying.  I don't know if anyone else has this problem, but I have a weird tendency to do everything else but study before I finally get down to studying.  In the few hours I had tonight to study, I cleaned and packed up my golf clubs, did some laundry, cleaned and organized my room, and (deep breath) even began packing for home.  While this only meant organizing a few miscellaneous things and folding some unworn clothes, it was just another reminder of how quickly this experience is coming to an end.  Like I've mentioned before, I have tried to not take one moment in Australia for granted.  I've spend countless moments just getting lost in the scenery here.  Yes there have been crazy nights, yes I do go to class, write papers, and do homework.  But at no other time in my life will I be able to just put everything aside and live in the moment like this.  I'm hoping more of the moments will come in abundance this next week, and I can't wait to relive all of them with you really soon.

Thanksgiving and... December?

Time flies when you're having fun is for sure an understatement.  Realizing that I have two weeks left, it is December, and I will be home in less than 20 days is astonishing.  Sorry for not posting much recently.  I'll try and update you of life since Cairns.


The week after we returned was Thanksgiving week.  It was definitely the most homesick I've been throughout the entire trip.  Friday morning was the long awaited Australia vs. U.S.A. Cricket match.  We gathered some beers, put on some makeshift uniforms with sharpie tattoos which ranged from an American flag to "Liberty" and took the field against our Aussie mates.  The turnout was not quite what we were expecting, but the beers were cold and the sun was out, so it was a great day.  When we only lost by a little bit, we were quite proud of our Yank team since we were expecting quite the humiliation on the cricket grounds.  As the game dispersed, we all headed back to our rooms to get ready for the night.  Most of the Americans in our group were getting together for a nice Thanksgiving feast.  While it was hard for me to miss this, I had other plans.


My friend James invited me to his 21st birthday dinner on Friday night.  I felt very honored because it was a very big dinner that he was treating 20 of his closest friends to.  Some of them there had known him for 18 years.  I met him less than 18 weeks ago.   James, the Vice President of the Golf Club, had actually just gotten into golf a few months ago.  For those of you that looked up the results from Perth, his was the score that you had to do a double-take of.  Regardless, we love him anyway.  Andrew organized for a few of us to go in together and we got him a nice 3wood.  He was very surprised and thankful.  Dinner was fantastic, the company was great, and the after party was very entertaining.  All in all, Thanksgiving was very memorable.  Replace football with cricket, turkey with sashimi, and the Schwendeman family with my new mates in Australia, and you've got yourself a Holiday.  As great as the night was, I'm still certainly looking forward to my first family meal back home.


The rest of the weekend was pretty laid back.  Everyone was kind of in a funk from not being home for Thanksgiving.  Not to mention that we had our last week of school coming up before Study Week and eventually Finals.  I managed to be very productive, get some papers and assignments done, and have a rather unstressful week.  By Thursday, we were all ready to go out and celebrate our last "Uni Night" in Gold Coast.  We went down to Surfers Paradise (the more touristy part of Gold Coast) to hit up some new bars and clubs.  We arrived smack in the middle of "Schoolies".  Schoolies is the month long celebration that the high school graduates have.  Words cannot describe the chaos of Schoolies in the Gold Coast.  Parents rent hotel rooms, bars have specials, there are volunteers lining the streets with vans and "Sober Up Stations".  It is insane.  I have never felt so old in a bar (not that I have been to many bars, Mother).  The club we ended up at had Schoolie specials and all the staff was dressed up in school uniforms.  While it was not quite the night we were expecting, I think we all had a good time.  


By the weekend, we had all suddenly grasped the fact that we were done with classes in Australia.  We were ready to relax on the beach, but the wettest spring in Australia continued.  It rained all day Friday and all day Saturday.  When we woke up for lunch on Sunday morning, the campus was flooded.  The lake that runs through the center of campus was flooded close to five feet and it was covering some of the walkways of campus.  It was quite the spectacle.  It got us all to talking about how great our trip has been DESPITE the in-climate weather and harsh exchange rates.  It has gotten to be about that time of our trip where we all start recollecting memories.  There have been plenty made.  None of us will have shortage of conversations at the dinner table over the holidays.  I think we are all looking forward to being the center of attention as we share about the greatest semester of our lives.  More than that, I think, we are looking forward to seeing the smiling faces of family and friends that we have missed so much.


I do want to give a sincere thank you for all of you who have been following the blog.  I was looking up statistics the other day and was amazed at how many reads this blog has gotten.  It serves as a constant reminder of just how blessed I am.  Not only was I able so spend a semester of college in Paradise, but I was missed and loved by many friends and family along the way.  You all mean so much to me.  This time apart from the States has put a lot of things into perspective.  At the forefront of this new perspective is the great life I have to return to in 15 days.  Can't wait to see you all soon.  Australia, get ready for a great 15 days as I start my concluding chapter in the Land Down Under.

GREAT Barrier Reef

You know that a trip is good when the place has the worst weather it has seen in months, yet you still come out of it thinking it was the best trip ever.  So was our experience in Cairns.  Cairns is in Northern Queensland (about a 2 hour flight north from where we are in Gold Coast) and is known for its sunny, tropical climate.  The 3 days we were there, we witnessed the tropical side of the climate with an absence of the sunny side.

We arrived late Thursday night and got to bed since we had a shuttle picking us up at 6:40 am to go White Water Rafting.  We made the shuttle and eventually got onto the river about 9:00.  The day was filled with Class 3, 4 and 5 rapids, cliff jumping, natural water slides and swimming down rapids outside of the raft.  Our tour guide Marty was the perfect fit for our raft of five young guys.  He was all about the thrill and gave us a great tour.  Perhaps the best part of the trip was the incredible scenery.  Literally we were rafting through the Australian rainforest with breath taking views of tree lined mountains, waterfalls, and incredible rock arrangements.  What a trip.  That night we went out and had a good time around town, despite knowing we had another early bell.

We got up the next morning and walked to the marina to catch our cruise to the Great Barrier Reef.  Throughout the day, we went snorkeling and scuba diving while seeing some of the most colorful fish and marine life around.  I cannot put into words how awesome it was to be right next to the cast of Finding Nemo.  The colors and majesty of the Reef was an experience I will never forget.  Despite the occasional sea sickness (clearly aided by the amount of drinks we had the night before), we were all thrilled to know that we had yet another experience in Australia we will never forget.

The next day in Cairns we simply walked around enjoying the touristy feel to the city.  We hit up a few more pubs that night, but took it easy and simply enjoyed each others' company satisfied that our expensive trip was well worth the money and stress.  We all talked about just how lucky we are to be able to have these experiences before we really have to "grow up."  It's a thought I've been having a lot lately.  I am slowly realizing that I am getting to the point where I need to start looking for jobs that will lead me to a career with graduation on the horizon.   It is a nice refresher to know that I still have a few weeks left in Australia to have some last fun, enjoying the company and good times with my mates.

Moreton Island and BrisVegas

Staying behind from Byron Bay to get ahead on school work: fail.  I had a rather unproductive weekend, but it was still nice to relax around campus knowing the hustle and bustle of the next few weeks.  Regardless, I got my paper finished and we headed off for a great trip.


Moreton Island is the 3rd largest island made up of completely sand in the world.  We took a ferry across the sea and were loaded up onto a 4 wheel drive.  The "road" on the island was a sand path.  At some points it was a two way path about 8 feet wide.  The whole island was a natural reserve, so there was incredible views of nature for the whole trip up the hill.  Once we arrived at the top of the island, we unloaded some thin, waxed strips of wood which we were to ride down the 100ft sand dune.  We got off the truck to some spectacular views of the Desert.  Our guide told us that the record for sand boarding was 10 times.  After 4 times of climbing up the dune I thought I was going to go into cardiac arrest.  It was such a thrill regardless.  We got up to speeds of about 35mph and had a full meal's worth of sand.


After sand boarding we took the trail back down to the beach where we had a session of snorkeling old ship wrecks.  After a nice lunch and some time to relax on the beach, we geared up with snorkels, masks, wetsuits and fins.  We spent about an hour swimming around the wrecks (mostly floating in our buoyant wetsuits which we all decided would be a purchase.  Great for lounging around the pool in the backyard right?)  We saw sharks, rays, ducks, and to steal Jeff's line: the entire cast of Finding Nemo.  We could have stayed there all day.  After snorkeling we boarded back up on the ferry and headed back to Brisbane to celebrate Adam's 21st birthday.


We had a nice Thai dinner (I had a really good Duck stir fry solidifying how duck might be one of my favorite meats) and then took to the town.  My mate Andrew was nice enough to come down and show us some of the best bars/clubs in the area.  The area, Fortitude Valley, is completely lined with bars and needless to say, we had a good time.  Between making friends with the Jagermeister girls, finding Budweiser specials, and making our way in and out of a few places, we stumbled back home for a nice, long, deep sleep.  Quite the jam packed day, but heaps of fun for sure.


Just a few hours ago I got back from this weekend's trip to the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns.  I'll update you soon on the fun we had there.  Other than the weekend trips, I'm still loving life at Bond Uni.  It's been a great semester where I have really learned a lot about myself.  I think being away from St. Louis for the first time in my life has really helped me develop an appreciation for the life I've been blessed with so far.  It's great to meet new mates from literally all over the globe.  Having this front row seat to this interaction of cultures has really helped me form a no worries lifestyle that will stay with me for the rest of my life.  No Mom, the heavy drinking is not the cornerstone of that lifestyle.  Instead, it is the conversations, lessons, and fun times I've had with these people Down Under.  There has certainly been little to worry about so far...

Welcome to Sydney!

Just when I thought my experience down here could not get any better, Australia steps up its game.  We had been planning on being in Sydney for Halloween for a few weeks.  When I mentioned my trip to a few Aussie friends, they talked about meeting us down there.  That decision made our trip.


We were greeted at the Gold Coast airport by a fire alarm.  Great.  This sets a good tone for the trip...  Turns out it was just a false alarm.  The flight went smoothly.  For those of you who have never flown Virgin Airlines (particularly the young men out there) I'd recommend it.  Something about it just makes the flight seem more comfortable.


Anyway, we arrived at our hostel on Thursday and were immediately told that there were free drinks on the roof.  Roof party?  Cool.  We dropped off our stuff and headed upstairs.  The free drinks ended up being boxed wine, but the views were incredible.  From our roof, we had a perfect view of the Sydney Skyline and the Harbour Bridge.  Welcome to Sydney!  We hung around the roof for a while and eventually walked about the town, soon to realize that we were in the Red Light District of Sydney.  Welcome to Sydney!  We kept our eyes down and mouths shut and ended up having a great time that night.


A few of our friends were coming in later on Friday.  I got up early, actually was woken up early by a friend saying "C'mon Man!  We're in Sydney!"  Thanks Pat, it's 8:30am.  Regardless, I got up, took a quick shower (very quick considering there was no hot water and the shower head was at the height of my neck), and joined the guys on a walkabout of downtown Sydney.  Opera house picture, Harbour Bridge picture, Opera House and Harbour Bridge picture, walking across the bridge, all done.  I told my mom I got a great picture for the Christmas card only to hear that it was already completed.  For those of you that are not aware, the making of the Schwendeman Christmas Card is like the construction of the Taj Mahal.  Many of you know that the day after Thanksgiving you are greeted with a poem about the lives of the Schwendeman family and wishing you a Merry Christmas season.  It's kind of a big deal to Jane.  So despite my efforts to make the Christmas card with a stereotypical Australia picture, I'm sure I'll still make Mom happy with all my pictures.


When it came time for our friends to arrive in Sydney, we got a call from them saying their flight was cancelled.  They chose to fly a cheap, less reliable airline and arrived at the airport to hear that there were no more flights on the airline going to Sydney that day, they would be refunded in 4 to 6 weeks, and if they wanted to get to Sydney that day they would have to pay full price for a ticket on another airline.  The Gold Coast airport is just not very hospitable.  Fire alarm and cancelled flights...


They paid for a new flight and met us at happy hour where we had the pleasure of watching the World Series.  That night we just took it easy knowing that we were getting up early tomorrow to go sailing.  We got up (some quicker than others) around 7am to catch a taxi to the Marina.  We got there on time, and got out onto the Harbour around 10am.  We spent the entire day sailing around the harbour on a 70ft sailboat.  One of the coolest experiences ever.  Check out Facebook for pictures and I'll try to post some on the blog.  We sailed right past the Opera House, under the Harbour Bridge, stopped in a cove for a swim, unreal.  Somehow Sydney trumped the flight from last weekend.  

Andrew told me that me and a few of my mates could spend the night on the boat.  We had a great time anchored in a quiet cove, enjoying music, conversation, a great dinner, cigars on the boat deck, and initiation into the crew of the boat.  Andrew and Mike (boat captain) had been talking about initiation all day.  It was something everyone who spent the night on the boat went through.  All of us were convinced we would be climbing the mast or something crazy.  Initiation began by all of us putting on goofy hats.  I was in a Santa hat, there was a Scottish wig, a ninja headband, and many more.  Andrew and Mike walked around the cabin gathering things for initiation.  In order, they went: Fire extinguisher and bowl, flashlight, a giant knife, a tomato for every person at the table, a power drill, a bottle of rum, and a box of Tim Tams (Australian cookies).  Oh Lord, what on earth are we going to do?  After an elaborate speech by Mike, he demonstrated the initiation.  Cutting off the corners of the Tim Tam, he proceeded to fill up the bowl with rum, and suck the rum through the Tim Tam.  The technique was to just suck until you feel the rum on your lips, and then you consume the cookie.  Somehow this came as a relief to all of us who were thinking of how we would be sprayed with a fire extinguisher while eating a whole tomato covered in rum with a power drill against our chests.  It was all in good fun and we spent the next few hours having some great conversation and hearing stories about Mike's adventures in Eurasia.  Throughout the entire day, my friends and I were talking about how we were going to remember this day/night for the rest of our lives.  It did not disappoint.


We got back into dock around midday Sunday.  The 4 of us that were left just went down to Bondi beach, a popular beach in Sydney.  It started raining as soon as we got off the bus, but we were unphased, still on a high from the day before.  We sat down to a nice dinner and made it back to the hostel to enjoy our last night on the roof.  It was truly a great weekend that we will never forget...


As for this week, we are booking our trip to Cairns (pronounced Cans) to snorkel and scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef and do some "Xtreme Whitewater Rafting."  Yea, we're Xtremely Excited for that trip.  That will be the third weekend in November.  The previous weekend we are going up to Brisbane to celebrate my friend Adam's birthday.  Midterm grades are coming back relatively well.  No real complaints so far.  Tonight is the Student vs. Staff golf challenge.  The first inaugural tournament.  Winner gets a trophy, so you know it's legit.  This weekend a lot of my friends are going to Byron Bay to sky dive.  They got rained out their last attempt so they all have vouchers they are redeeming.  I decided to skip out, save some money, and attempt to get ahead on some work.  We'll see how productive I actually am.  I registered for classes in the Spring which was the first reality check that this semester abroad is not forever.  I'm trying to enjoy each day, and so far Australia is making that pretty easy...

Whitehouse, Golf, Flying and Blues Awards

Hello friends and family.  Sorry it's been a few weeks.  I've had some great experiences that I can share with you.  We finally had a few days without rain, which allowed the Gold Coast to dry up.  Ironically it is pouring down rain outside as I write this, but we've had some beautiful days the past two weeks.


School is in the midst of Midterms week.  Last week I had a big assignment for Database Management and a test in Australia: Dreamtime to Dust.  The test went relatively well.  I got an 85 percent which is equivalent to the lowest A here.  If anyone wants to know any facts about the geological history of Australia, I'm your man.  It is actually fascinating stuff.  I have grown up my entire life in Catholic school systems so learning about evolution is quite interesting.  I haven't heard back from Database Management yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
This week I have a few papers due, and a test in Database Management on Wednesday.  Another week of studying.


Since my last post, I have spent a lot of time hanging out with the guys from the golf team.  We played golf last Friday (the first day of no rain in weeks).  The course was almost completely underwater.  We were a bit too eager to get out and play.  Following the round we were completely muddy and the course was full of cart tracks.  O well.  At least we got out.  The following day, the guys convinced me to buy a ticket for an event called WHITEHOUSE.  This is consistently one of the most popular events at Bond.  Everyone dresses up in all white, and we are bussed to a pretty classy location for appetizers and an open bar.  The venue was incredible.  We were in a nice, multi leveled banquet room of a hotel right on the riverfront.  Of course, it was raining which made things very interesting with everyone in all white.  Regardless, we had a great night.


The week was mostly consumed with studying and trying to keep up with school work.  Mondays we play on a social sand volleyball team.  Big win last week.  Wednesdays are Res Wars in which all the residence halls on campus compete in different sports.  Last week was Netball which is like basketball mixed with Ultimate Frisbee.  The hoops do not have backboards on them.  I still don't really understand the rules.  It was very fun and we get free pizza, so even the losers are winners.


The golf club started social golf on Fridays.  This week we played at a new course close to campus.  It was hilly and tree lined, much more similar to the courses I play back home.  The previous courses were more flat and long.  I got to meet some new people and had a great time.  I also finally broke 80 for the first time in Australia, conveniently weeks after when it actually matters.  Where were those 78s in Perth?!  That night we all got together for some drinks.  One of the res fellows (the people in charge of keeping order in the dorms) invited us back to his apartment for beer pong.  This may sound odd and illegal, but remember that 18 is the drinking age and students are allowed to consume alcohol in the buildings.  Therefore, the 24 year old res fellow was just being hospitable.  Haha, anyway, we had a great time.  I had some high expectations from the Aussies as I am an American.  They have the belief that Americans play beer pong far too often (probably true) and every American is quite good at it (probably not so true).  Either way, it was fun to socialize with the Australians over some American drinking games.  (U.S.A. was undefeated that night).


Saturday was the highlight of my days here in Australia.  The captain of the golf team, Andrew, invited me up to go flying with him.  He has his pilot's license and is in the final parts of training for his commercial license (so he can get paid to fly people around).  Myself and another member of the golf team joined Andrew for a flight around the Gold Coast from about 3000 feet.  It was a clear day and we had some incredible views.  Truly one of the coolest experiences of my entire life.  There are some pictures on Facebook, but they really do not do the experience justice.  After we landed, we had to contain our excitement a little bit, because we had a formal awards ceremony to go to for Bond University Sport.  The Blues Awards, as they are called, recognize the top athletes and teams for the year in Bond Sport.  The golf club actually received honorable mention for the best club on campus.  Andrew won three different awards due to his fine performances in both the Northern Uni Games and Australia Uni Games.  We all went out that night to celebrate and ended up going to a bar where the local Rugby team was also present.  I had drinks across from some legends of Gold Coast rugby.  It's funny how completely oblivious I would have been had it not been for the numerous people that kept coming up and taking pictures with them.


Again, this week is hard to put into words how much fun I really had.  The fun will only continue next week as our group has a trip to Sydney planned.  I mentioned this to the guys on the team, and they will be joining us and showing us around Sydney.  James is from Sydney and Andrew actually has a family friend that owns a 70ft sail boat that docks in Sydney Harbor.  Friday night, James is showing us the night life of Sydney, and Saturday Andrew is taking us all out with his friend on the boat around the harbor.  Barbeque on a boat deck under the Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House.  Are you serious!?  It should be an unforgettable weekend.  A true testament to how well the Aussies have been taking care of me since I've been here.  I really cannot thank them enough for being so good to the ol' Yank.


I've kind of developed my group of SLU friends and of course have had some great times with the golf team.  This has given me a great balance of hanging out with Americans and Australians (and really all kinds of international students).  A really unique experience, and friendships I will never forget.


But don't get too jealous.  I certainly have my days of missing home and missing all of you.  I love to hear updates on all of your lives.  And believe it or not, I do love getting Facebook chatted about the epic Blues games that I'm missing.  It is really hard not getting to follow sports here.  Today was probably the hardest day: Blues overtime win, thrilling NLCS final, and MIZZOU upsetting Oklahoma and then rushing the field?  Wow.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade being here for the world, but fall sports in America are always fun to be a part of.


Hopefully you all are enjoying the finals days of warmth.  We're all ready for summer to come.  I'm far behind on my Australian tan, so I have some work to do before I get home.  So far the golf tan is dominating the beach tan.  I'm sure that will change soon.  Please let me know how your lives are going.  My Skype name is jon.schwendeman if any of you are looking to Skype.  Other that that, I love getting emails at jschwen2@slu.edu.  And of course, Facebook is always another option.  Can't wait to hear about everyone's lives in the States!  Talk to you all soon.




Jon