Halloween Weekend!

Hi everyone-
This weekend was so fun- on a while one of the best since Ive been here. It started off on Thursday night with Jamie's surpise birthday party on the roof. She definitly was surprised and we all had a good time drinking and hanging out together. We have recently started hanging out with the kids from Anthony's program a lot more. They are so fun. Friday night we went on a Halloween- themed boat cruise with them- cruising around Sydney Harbor, all-you-can-drink and eat, and awesome music pumping = a really fun night! The boys were dressed hilariously- a matador, a clown, a preist, a genie (complete with a tiger tattoo) etc. I went as a cowgirl with my cowboy boots- I didnt feel like buying a costume, and Anthony was a skier.

The next day Anthony took me and his two friends to the Sydney Toronga Zoo. He got free passes from his internship at ING which is a sponsor of one of the Zoo's exhibits. It was soooooo amazing- you take a ferry there from downtown Sydney, and it is on its own isolated peninsula! Gorgeous views of the city, and this is all before you evern get to the zoo! I saw hippos, chimps, giraffes, lions, tigers, bears, seals, kangaroos, koalas- you name it. The lions were so cute, they reminded me of Angel. The chimps were also so amazing- anyone who doesnt believe in evolution should watch these guys in action. They are so smart and cute. The funniest part of the day was when an Orangutan hid under a garbage can in his play area. Other people showed up and were like "where is it" and little do they know he is hiding under the garbage can. I couldnt wait for him to pop out and scare everyone. Smart animals. Then last night pretty much everyone went to a bar down the street called SideBar. They had a Halloween party- most of mine and Anthony's program was there, and a girl from my work too! It was really fun dancing with everyone. A downside of the night was when a bartender spilled a drink on me, but hey at least I got a free drink out of it.


In case anyone was interested, my internship has been OK....Im doing a rotation so my first 2 weeks were in banquets and now im going to the restaaurant called Mosaic, then the Lobby Bar, and finishing at Concierge. I like working at the Westin and the people are really nice, but I happy I am moving out of Banquets. I dont think I could have handled another day of that. Ill keep everyone updated- hopefully the weather is going to get nicer here so I can get a tan before I come back! Miss you XOXO~ Jessica

Learning,,,

A lot of people told me that studying abroad would be a learning experience- not only academically and culturally, but personally. They were right. Many of the experiences Ive had here so far have really taught me alot about my capabilities, my relationships with others, my indpenedence, etc. The situations Ive been in have forced me to grow and mature as a person. Its been hard being so far away from home. Ive always gotten homesick and that hasnt changed here. Yet its not so easy to call home when things to wrong from the other side of the world. Everywhere else Ive ever traveled Ive had the opportunity to call my parents if I wanted to, and never thought twice about it. But a few times here Ive desperately wanted to, but looked at the clock and knew theyd be sleeping. I had to make a choice, and I decided to work through whatever the problem was on my own- something Ive never really done before. Ive felt alot more independent in that sense.

I never thought I could have a worse job than the one I had cleaning houses in high school- but my banquets rotation is it. Unpaid slave labor is what I like to call it. And working with dumb, lazy people who see a new girl and decide to boss her around as much as possible really has tightened my nerves. On top of that, my shoulder has been killing me. So the other day, when a dishwasher flipped out on me for putting dishes on the wrong rack, I almost walked out. But I knew I had a choice, and I mustered up all my maturity and kept going. These internships have really taught me how to ignore people and not them effect me.
Its also been a great opportunity to reexamine a lot of my friendships. Being on the other side of the world really shows you cares. With only 3 semesters left in college, I dont have much interest in people who dont take the time to keep in touch, becuase I know the friendship will end as soon as we graduate. Some people have sent emails, messaged me, etc, others havent. Some people have surprised me, some havent. Either way, Im learning who is true and who isnt.

Speaking of relationships, my bond with Anthony has only gotten stronger here. Im starting to realize how nice it is to be best friends with your boyfriend. I really dont know what I would have done here without him. Being on the other side of the world with a person really teaches you about them, and everything Ive learned about Anthony has been amazing. If we can get through the experiences weve gone though in the past 6 months, we can get through anything.

On a more personal note, for the first time in my life Ive been a victim of Anti- Semitism. It is an intersting feeling, not one that I would reccommend, but it has certainly opened my eyes alittle to the world around me. I guess I never realized that there are people out there who still hate Jews. Not sure why, but they do. Anyways, its only made me that more committed to my religion, its culture and people. And has been a reminder to not make judgements, something that is an easy trap to fall into in a foreign country.
Hope everyone is well. Miss you!

I got back from Spring Break last night- I went to Cairns and the Whitsundays. The first day I got there we traveled to Cape tribulation (the one spot on earth where two world heritage sites meet- the rainforest and the great barrier reef). The rainforest was really cool- we went swimming in a gorge, went on a boat cruise and saw some crocodiles, and went to an overlook where we saw the spot Steve Irwin was killed. The next day we went to the reef. After an hour of the roughest boat ride ever (we had to wear wetsuits becuase we were getting so wet) we arrived in the middle of the ocean, jumped off the boat and went snorkeling. It was really amazing being at THE great barrier reef, and the fish and coral were really beautiful. I tried scuba diving, but i was really nervous and couldnt get the breathing right, and had trouble stabilizing my eardrums underwater. The next day we went white water rafting- it was so fun! I felt so adventurous. We went through a ton of rapids. It was kinda like banana boating which most of you know is my favorite activity. That night we took the 12 hour overnight bus ride down to the Whitsundays. I slept the whole way thanks to Mom's Ambien that she smuggled to me in a card. I met Anthony at the Whitsundays, and the next day we got on our boat, the Alexander Stweart Romance of Sail (pictured). It was amazing, complete paradise...definitely the most beautiful spot Ive ever seen and probably on earth. Our boat was this 70 foot wooden sailboat constucted by a plan from the 1800's, so very old fashioned and quaint. Our cabin was better than expected, although not very condusive to romance.
The Whitsundays are the most gorgeous place- imagine lush evergreen mountainous islands surrounded by clear turquoise waters with tons of coral and great snorkeling. I went snorkeling every day- saw amazing fish, giant clams, and even swam with sea turtles. The other couples on our boat were really nice and fun. Anthony and I were the youngest and the only Americans. We made friends with one awesome couple- newlywed lawyers from Ireland who were just hilairous and want us to come visit them! We also went to Whitehaven beach (pictured) the most photographed beach in the world. It is one of the few places that is sooo much nicer in person.
Coming back to Sydney was a bit of a let down since we are now half-way through our stay, but I am starting my internship this week and Mom is coming in under 7 weeks. Check out my pics online also! http://community.webshots.com/user/jessicafischburg
Miss you all.

Fraser Island

On Friday morning, Anthony and I and a 12 of our friends left for Fraser Island. We arrived in Hervey Bay, near Brisbane, spent the afternoon at the beach and had a nice night out in the small beach town. Our hostel was the most disgusting place I have ever seen and I am never staying in one again basically. Anyways, the next day we took the ferry to Fraser and started out tour called CoolDingo (Fraser is famous for dingo's). Our tour buses are these huge 4 wheel drive buses. The island was completely made out of sand, so it was basically offroading the whole time- very bumby but fun. Seatbelts were a must. On saturday we went to 2 beautiful lakes, Basin and McKenzie. They are freshwater lakes with clear, crystal blue water. It was gorgous out too. The only downside was that out tour guide told us right off the bat that the island was snake-infested so I spent most of the weekend in a paranoid fear. Everyone else in our group saw snakes, except for me. If thats not God's work, I dont know what is. Also, Anthony carried me some places so I could close my eyes and not see them just laying in the road- yeah I'm not even joking. So the next day we traveled to the famous 75 mile beach on the East coast of Fraser which is shark breeding gounds so NO SWIMMING! On the way to the beach, we were offered a chance to fly around the island in a small plane and I jumped at the chance. It was really cool to see the arial view of the island. Then we went to some beautiful tidal pools called the champagne pools. We saw humback whales jumping in the distance. Next we hiked up Indian Head, a huge rock overlooking a beautiful bay and the rest of 75 mile beach. From the rock you can see into the bay, and we watched sharks circling around. So cool. On the drive back, we passed a cute little dingo which made me really miss Angel. :( That night, me and Anthony booked a room at an actual hotel to relax and enjoy ourselves a bit and not be scared to shower. Flew back today (Monday) and we have a presentation tomorrow, 2 papers and 2 exams this week! XOXO Jessica