Introductions: Life between Byron Bay, Graduate School, and Train Schedules

Byron Bay is a beach city about 2 hours drive from Brisbane, its an epic place. 

The Arts Factory is a kick ass place, they've got a bar at the hostel. 

Well done Byron, well done.

Consistent with all my Australian beach trips, I had a hard time getting there: 

There was a bus one time, once in Australia, that left at 11 on a Friday. Then another bus also, that left at 2, then another bus at 4. I had class on that Friday from 9 to 5 and missed all of those buses.
I ended up hooking up with a 2 hour ride from an airport shuttle down to Byron, for about 5 bucks more than the 4 hour rides I missed on Friday. So, I guess I got a deal.

There was another time I had a bit of trouble getting to a beach: Sunshine coast.

I had read the train schedule as any logical person would - as a train schedule. However, said train schedule did not suggest that it may also double as a bus schedule. So my 9:03 train from Nabour was actually a bus that was leaving from the same depot. I thought I was reading a train schedule, and the 9:03 mark, would mean it was a train - I didn't see the * at the bottom of the page, ugh.

Good times. 

Other than the beach v. me, life is good.

One day I will figure the best, cheapest, and (ergo) easiest way out to a beach. One day.

Sunshine, and Byron were awesome despite the b.s. School is good; it keeps me interested, passionate, busy, and focused. The pig, cigarettes, and trips to the beach take away from that focus, and also put me in situations that don't agree with my journey for an advanced degree.

Those beach trips or nights out in Brizzy are fun though. I've met a bunch of really good people. (which is a big part of traveling).

I'm pretty sure UQ took over Byron for those days: 

 

 and i got to sleep in a jungle... 

Monday comes tomorrow, and I've got a week ahead of me. Likely four 18 hour days, but, that's life. A presentation, a quiz, and a video due that shows my counseling skills as of now. (read): exactly what I was doing at the hospital. A video of me and a client that I choose.

I like to be challenged as I am at Uni now (uni: college in Australian). I like, to be told I don't know what I'm talking about, and, have to defend my position. It reminds me of why I am in this whole thing. It's good to be introduced to two characters: one who says I will move to Australia, and one who says I won't. Its good to be forced to be successful.

Work hard, play hard.

Live high, ya'll.

Comsamneda: is 'thank you' in Kangarooian

Kangaroo Point: 

Brisbane. 

So, its 12:38 AM on a glorious Thursday night in Australia. My beer is cold, my bare feet rest on my beach chair, my computer is charged, and...my life is on fire. 

I'm a student again. Graduate School, quitting smoking, and...living in a foreign country. Bring it on.

Class this week good. I go Tuesday, Wednesdays, and Fridays. My class on Friday is 9-5, unlike my other three-classes which are 3 hours each from 5 to 8.


School is going to a grind. 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, me thinks. Its just like the hospital - minus the fecal filled bathtubs, the code browns, or the urine samples. The codes, the ER trips, the charts, the stress, or the insanity (literally).


Personal life will be fun too, I've met a bunch of great people. Mostly American-undergrads from Syracuse which is weird, but, whatever. 

The other night I was talking to some friends and we were kicking around the idea of why we came to Australia. Some for travel, some for school, some for both. We were at South Bank when we were talking about this

...downtown, at the river, on a beach.

 

I started thinking about why I took this risk. I thought about why I left Korea ages ago, left the hospital weeks ago, and why I chose to move to Australia. I really got into it and realised that I’m not here for the Sunshine Coast, or South Bank. I'm not here to buy a motorcycle and ride it cross country. I'm not here for skydiving New Zealand, or going to the opera house in Sydney. I'm not here to travel, I'm here to go to school - South Bank is a glorious place to study though.

I'm not ruling out the idea of skydiving and motorcycles - I'm just ruling out the cigarette after the fact.


I went home after southbank to this:

I started thinking about Austin, the time i was downtown with Friends of Lizzy. I thought about the experience at the hospital. How bat-shit crazy it was. How much I learned and how many amazing people I met. I realized that everyone I worked with praised my efforts to get into UQ, and didn’t question my goals.  I remember what we went through, the codes, the craziness, the fecal filled bathtubs or the urine...the damn urine. 


I raise my beer to those amazing people…

Katie, Kent, Joesph, Kari, Rachel, Alex, Lou, Connie, Ann, Joan, Alfredo, Liz, Carol, Mallori, Chris D, Bobby, Blake, Stephanie, Sandy, Kimberly, Michelle, Rey, Catie, Tony, Sue, Kim, Leo, Cecilia, Deb, Jim, Roberta, Sherry, Bethany, Lindsay, Troy,  Meya, Cris Bukalew, Gloria, Flor, Security John, Ashley, Amy in Admissions, Glen, Elizabeth, Nola…

I raised my beer to…Mike Moore.

Over these beers I’m having tonight with this glorious Australian night and BB King, I thought about all those names above and how I was able to pull it off...how all of you helped me get through it all.

I couldn’t have done it without Jodi Reeseman at AustraLearn. I couldn’t have done it with Texas State (et., al) sending an acceptance letter about 2 years ago. I couldn't have done it without Korea (et., al). I couldn't have done it without Roberta, she gave me a job...

...the 'baby-blues-crew-from-two' pushed me to be more than I thought I was capable of being able to do. Here's to you guys.

My family reminded me why I work so hard, my friends got me through it, and SSC pushed me to become better than i was before. All of those people; from patients, to staff, to family, to the friends got me here. All of you taught me something along the way, challenged me every chance they had, and put me in uncomfortable situations where I had to choose to be tested. You guys are a big part of why I am here. 

I worked a bit harder on school today because of what the 2nd floor taught me. I worked a bit harder today on school today because of what you guys told me I could do - and what Texas State (et., al) said I couldn't do.

Cheers to you guys…I thank all of you.

Live high, ya’ll.