The end of a journey #HogsAbroad in Bali

Hi all,

I am so sad to see this summer end, but ecstatic to be back home! My last day in Australia I booked a tour through my accommodation, and went all over the place. I got to play with kangaroos and wallabies, cuddle with a koala for a bit and view the “penguin parade” at night. Side note- kangaroos like to be petted and wallabies DO NOT.

Tried to take a selfie WITH this cutie..
failed, but love it :)

On the bus in between stops I got to see a lot of amazing scenery. Australia is gorgeous! (I already can’t wait to go back.) It was probably the best day of the whole trip- and a great way to end on a high note. I still have a hard time comprehending all of the places I went and the experiences I had this summer. I went to four continents, to six countries in twelve weeks.

I got to see all kinds of animals for the first time, hiked some amazing trails and (accidentally?) made a few of my own. I got to research business and economy, things I want to  do in the future, and learnt so much about the environment, environmental issues. The biggest bonus were the amazing people I visited with and met along the way. From old friends to new ones, I hope that we can stay in touch for many years to come.




But all good things have to come to an end- or maybe a pause, at least. The trip home was definitely that! It took 32 hours (including the time change) to get home. I flew American Airlines, and all three flights were delayed for varying amounts of time; they were overbooked, mechanical issues, etcetera etcetera. They even forgot to stock the plane with food for one of the flights!

But it’s great being home. I spent a couple of days in Tulsa, before heading to Fayetteville. I started an intersession course on Monday, and am in the process of getting back into the swing of things. This semester is going to be pretty tough class wise- but I’m so close to the end! Finally a senior! (Where did the time go??)

more scenery… because, why not

I have a lot of goals ahead of me this year: working on both my theses, continuing my research from this summer, classes, work and of course planning for next summer. Who knows what it could hold?
Until my next adventure,
Ta :)
--
Claire Beach will be traveling to several countries during her International Service Learning Program this summer. Her ultimate destination will be a seven-week stay in Indonesia where she will be observing and conducting research for her project, Community Nature and Conservation, through the Honors College.
Beach is studying economics and international business in Walton College. She is observing and conducting research on the profitability of ecotourism business and environmental preservation in other parts of the globe, particularly developing countries. She will be attending the School of International Training. You can read more from Claire at hogtrailsandtales.wordpress.com.
Find out more about the SIT Indonesia: Community Nature Conservation in Bali (Summer) program at http://studyabroad.sit.edu/programs/summer/summer-2016/abe/