Lifetime Memories

Nathaniel Greenwald

Marine Science major
James Cook University, Australia

Hello my name is Nathaniel Greenwald and this past semester I have been studying at JCU in Townsville Australia. My major back at UH Hilo is Marine Science and the reason why I had chosen to go to JCU was for the marine science program. Studying abroad has been the time of my life and have made so many memories that will live with me for the rest of my life. One of my favorite memories that I have had studying abroad in Australia was seeing a wild koala for the first time. I had gone to an island called Magnetic Island and took a hike called the forts. I was told if you do the fort hike you would surely see a koala so I had decided to the hike with some friends. I remember being a half hour or so into my hike and there had been no sight of a koala, I had thought for sure I wasn't go to see one. But after continuing on for another 10 minutes I had seen a group of people looking up into a tree. I went up to get a closer look and right in front of me was a sleeping koala with her baby on her back. I was so happy to finally see one and decided to take a picture of her. This had been one of my favorable memories of Australia.

My second most memorable time in Australia was diving the Great Barrier Reef. Diving the Great Barrier Reef had been my main reason coming to Australia in the first place. It had been a dream of mine my whole life to dive the Great Barrier Reef and marine biologists dream. I remember me and a few of my friends scheduling our dives and calling the dive shop together. The dive shop had been on the same island where we had seen the koala. We had booked our dive for the weekend and booked a hostel to stay overnight on the island since our dive was in the morning. When the morning of the dive had came around me and my friends walked over to the dive shop but when we got there they had told us our dive was cancelled due to strong seas. We had to reschedule for the following weekend. I was mad and disappointed but I knew that I was going to dive the Great Barrier Reef. The following weekend snuck up and it was time to try again, and with luck we were good to go diving on the reef. I remember the boat ride being long but I was so excited. Finally we had arrived at the reef and when first going down I thought it was the most beautiful sight. I got to see so many different fish and coral. The water was so clear and blue that it seemed like glass. I remember taking it all in and thinking to myself that I had accomplished a lifetime goal of mine. This was on of the most memorable times I have had in Australia.

This is a picture I took of the Great Barrier Reef when I first went diving on the reefs. This moment had to be one of my favorite moments while in Australia since diving the Great Barrier Reef had been a dream of mine since I could remember. I was filled with joy and happiness being able to cross this off on my bucket list.