Well it's a start...

What is 16,328 miles down under, you ask?

That would be the google maps distance (driving) from Richmond, VA (where I go to school at VCU) to Perth, Western Australia. I figured it's a good blog title to begin with, as well as being easy enough to remember. All the usual "gone down under" "down under" blog names are taken, so I took what I could have.

I will be leaving in the evening on the 31st of May from DC to arrive in Perth, WA just about 2 days later. 26 hours total flying time, + 2 days due to going over the international date line. Boy I am excited about the jet lag to come, with Perth being approximately 12 hours ahead of the time here on the east coast of the United States. Just kidding.

Today I received an awesome Australia guidebook today as a gift from my girlfriend; It's turning out to be a great read thus far and I hope to learn a lot from it. I am finishing up last minute details as to what to pack, etc. Still hoping the whole Aussie Winter season isn't really too bad, but we will see right? Either way, I am definitely excited as anything to get going. The plane ride on American and Qantas (on the biggest commercial plane in the world, the airbus A380) is going to be awesome, and hopefully I will be able to catch some zzzz's and relax.

So, I figured I would clue everyone in to a little of what is to come on my trip. Study Abroad at VCU will be using my blog to attract other students (hopefully) and I hope many who view this will follow me! I plan on taking as many pictures as humanly possible and posting my daily journals (required with my program) as often as possible. Apparently the internet is pretty expensive in our hotel down there but there are various internet cafe's and even a free wi-fi Mcd's that I can use. I am definitely not a great writer and don't have the wit to make a good joke through writing, but hopefully at least this blog will help me remember my travels.

'Til the 31st?