This week has been crazy. I've had so much work to do, I haven't had time to think about much else. In fact, this has been a lower week since I've been here. I think I've just been stressed and small, random things have happened that have just made me want someone here from home. Nothing major, but on top of a few gloomy days, it's been a wee bit slow. Plus I missed going to Bible study last night and I really look forward to that. The girl who drives me lives right behind the dorm so I literally jumped over the fence to meet her last week. After the study last time, we even played the Wii!
I did, however, finish part one of my Aboriginal studies porfolio! Part two is due toward the end of the semester. After I printed everything off today, I counted 55 pages total in the portfolio. I put it in a pretty red folder and made a cover page with Aboriginal art on it! We had to find a few sources for each topic we've gone over so far this semester and then respond to them critically. I've learned a lot and by doing the portfolio, I won't have to take the exam. By the way, European is a hard word to type.
I've also noticed that all the students call the professors by their first names. I like that -- it's more personal.
Tonight, I went to see Wild Hogs with Astrid, Nichole and Pete. I ordered a medium popcorn and it was about the size of our small. I laughed because it said "grand size" on the side and our "grand size" is a bucket big enough for a mop. The tickets were pricey, though. $11.50 for students. On Tuesdays, they're $9.50. The theatre was nice. It only has five movies playing at a time and I saw the preview for a movie called Hot Fuzz or something. It looks hilarious. I don't know if it's playing at home, but it's about a big-time British cop who's sent to a small town because he makes the other cops look bad. The most exciting thing that happens there is that the swan gets loose. Then there are three murders all in one week, so he gets his chance to be a real cop again. Meanwhile, his partner is fascinated with stories of big-city copping and acts as the idiot sidekick. Must go back to see it.
After the movie, we walked down to the only coffee shop open and I stupidly got a frappuccino. It's really cold outside; I don't know what I was thinking. I'm thinking I should have brought a coat and scarf now. It's not as cold as winter back home yet. The first day it went below 65, everyone rocked the Ugg boots and thick scarves. They looked silly. At night, it does get cold and there's no central heat. There are individual heaters in the rooms, but Adele found out today that they can't be turned on until the end of the semester when it's winter. Don't they know I won't be here then? I'm considering buying a cheap heater to plug in.
When I got home a little bit ago, it was 11:45 and I took a pen into the common room and made a change to the Fine Chart. I don't know why it's called that, but it's a chart with all the dormies listed and beside the names are symbols. Most of the symbols stand for things you don't necessarily want to strive for, but some are funny. One symbol means you've burnt something. Well beside my name is the most boring one up there: a clock with the hands at 11, meaning "home before 11." Hey, I've been back after that. Granted, I don't really want my name up there for anything else, but it makes me feel boring, so once I got home, I made an addition: "+ 1 hour." Now I've officially been home after 11.
At our last dorm meeting, one girl brought up this little boy who lives in Canada. She has a friend there who told her about him. His name is Shane and he'll be turning 8 in June, but he's dying of cancer, so this will probably be his last birthday. His wish is to have the most birthday cards ever and be in the Guinness Book of World Records. There's already someone in there for the most cards over 17 years, but there's going to be a different spot for him for most cards in one birthday. She asked us to give her signed birthday cards and she's going to mail them when she goes to the States over the holiday (April break). I picked one up in the mini mart, but there were only about 2 choices for little boys. If anyone is interested, though, I think it's a great way to come together as a family, community, church or class and do something for someone else. We're trying to get the word out there, so if you want to send a card, let me know and I'll post the address. I would do it now but Dale (my dormie) is asleep :-)
Oh yes, and to address the title of this blog: only one week left until I head to New Zealand!!!!!
Friday, March 30, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Flying wombats
This is what makes me roll my eyes: when you make an appointment with someone and get there five minutes early only to have them take FOR-EV-ER to do what they have to do and send you on your way. Yesterday morning, I woke up early just so I could make it to the gym before I met with a student services lady. My essay was due at 5 p.m. and she was going to check my referencing. Well I got there at 10:25 for my 10:30 appointment and was really anxious to get it done so I could be on my way back home and pack for Katoomba. Everything started out fine and then she started explaining everything I don't need to know about APA and answered not one, but TWO phone calls and made this annoying, repetitive "mm" sound to let whoever on the other line know she was listening. I started shuffling in my seat and let her know I was getting impatient. I actually started to leave. She was really nice, but I was thinking, "Don't you know I have somewhere to be?" Of course she didn't and I knew that, but I thought that anyway.
THEN I went to the library to make corrections and print off my essay again and the only computer left would have put a sloth to shame. Not to mention it wouldn't let me print and kept messing up my font. I called Sal to see if she could pick me up from campus because I was running late, and by the time I got back I had about half an hour to get a shower, pack, eat and anything else.
BUT! I finally made it to the train station to catch a bus (yeah, not a train yet) to Lithgow where I sat by this man who told me about all the places his older son has been and it made me want to travel even more. (He didn't mention his younger son that much. He must be the black sheep of the family). He also told me that a bunch of Australian students now want to go overseas to work, so the government or whoever is trying to get them to travel and work in their own country. And THEN he told me about the bad wreck in Melbourne this week. There's a tunnel that goes under the harbor and there was a big five car pile-up there that caused a fire. Of course, since it's a tunnel, they had to evacuate everyone and it's been on the news the past few days. Oh, he also told me that in the Outback (I think Central and Western Australia), there are boat races. There's no water, though, so people cut holes in the bottom of boats to put their legs through and run. It's like an Australian version of the Flintstones.
Next I took the train to Katoomba. Kathryn and her mom met me there and then took me to their house. I cannot describe how wonderful it was to take a shower with water pressure and be able to move sideways without sticking to a shower curtain. These things are taken for granted.
Kathryn also has a younger brother and a grandmother that lives with her and an older sister whose boyfriend has a motorcycle I want to ride. Her family was really nice and her brother has a shrine to Hilary Duff. There are also 3 dogs -- a dalmation, weimaraner and boxer mix named Rufus -- that are absolutely adorable. Oh and Kat bought me a Cadbury Easter bunny! How nice. It was gone in a few hours.
After an hour or so, we met up with one of Kat's friends and headed to Penrith (about an hour away, near Sydney) to see a rugby game! The two teams were the Bulldogs and Panthers, so of course I cheered for the Panthers since that's what NC is and also because Kat's mom told me to cheer for the team who was driving me home. Her mom is funny...She's a midwife and has a uterus notepad. She played "I Get Knocked Down" as loud as possible as we drove into the parking lot (car park). That's her footy theme.
The game was really good and the Panthers ended up winning! After seeing rugby players with no padding, our football just seems silly. We're pansies.
At one point, the ball came RIGHT at us and I could have been on Australian TV for all I know. I just thought my debut would show me doing something other than shrieking and trying to protect my camera. We were on the second row.
The cheerleaders were kind of silly. I've heard from a few different people that our cheerleaders are much better and I don't know what they're basing that on, but the ones at this game had gone tribal. They had feather things on their sleeves and looked like they should be backup dancers for Beyonce or Shakira. But the drums were a nice touch.
I asked Kat if there's any "rugby food" like the way we eat hotdogs at football games and she said everyone eats pies. Not like apple pie, but beef pie. I stuck to my chicken wrap from KFC...Which reminds me. I can't seem to explain the idea of a biscuit. A biscuit here is like a cracker or sometimes a roll, but no one knows what I'm talking about when I say "gravy and biscuits." I couldn't believe KFC doesn't have biscuits. They have fries (or "chips") but no biscuits. I just need to find a huge supermarket one day and make some to educate these folks.
Back to footy, Kat's mom (I really should've gotten her name) told me that when New Zealand plays, the guys always do a dance/chant before the game. It's called the harker. After the game, I saw an Order and Riot Brigade car outside and some policemen on huge horses. I wanted to get a picture, so Kat walked over and said, "Can she have a photo? She's from America." I like that excuse. It's a mix between "I'm a blonde so I can do stupid things" and "Bless her heart."
Once we got back to Katoomba, we stayed up watching Thank God You're Here. It's like Who's Line is it Anyway, but the people are given a costume and then thrown into a scene to play along. I loved it. We didn't get much sleep, though, because Kat and I stayed up til 2 talking about American and Australian differences and random things. I asked the stupid question, "Do wombats fly?" before she explained that they live in burrows, and then told her our conversations should remain confidential. (Obviously, by posting it on this blog, I should look into CIA membership). I think the "bat" part confuses me. It just sounds like they should fly. Then she asked me if Tennessee is in Texas and I told her she can't make fun of me anymore and to never be a geography teacher.
Today, we went to the Featherdale Wildlife Park. I GOT TO PET A KANGAROO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt four again, chasing the animals around and trying to feed them out of ice cream cones. It made my day. It also took pretty much the entire day to catch one hopping on video. For a moment in time, my life was complete. I was slightly irritated when we first got there because right off the bat, we saw a little wallaby (like a smaller kangaroo) with a baby in its pouch. There were no fences for them so I got right up to it to take a picture and this woman beside me scared it off with her flash. I wanted to tackle her, but I refrained. I've decided I can't be a professional photographer, though. Every single time I had what seemed like a perfect opportunity to take a picture, a burly man would walk in front of me or my batteries died. I had a great shot of a parrot walking toward me and as soon as I lifted my camera to aim, it literally turned around and put its back to me.
I did get a picture of a wombat sleeping in a log. Yeah, they definitely don't fly. They should be called something else that doesn't end in -bat. They also had cockatoos, kookaburras, flying foxes (THOSE look like bats), snakes and lizards, peacocks, a crocodile that had outgrown its pool, fairy penguins, dingoes, emus, koalas (one of which was doing yoga) and a Tasmanian devil that ran laps around its little habitat. There were more animals, but I don't remember what they are all called. Everything was very open, so you could get right up to a lot of the animals and the birds walked around. The kangaroos were my favorite of course. The ones in the park were gray (and a couple of white ones!), but there are also brown and red ones. The red ones are really big and live in the Outback.
On the way back, we ate at Chili's and according to Kat, that and Taco Bell are about as Mexican as they get. I've never thought of Chili's as Mexican food. Once we got to their house, we went on a bushwalk (hike). There's a wildlife refuge right by the house with a few waterfalls and a bunch of gum trees. Those are the ones with white, twisty bark. It started raining and we headed back, then watched Erin Brockovich.
THEN I went to the library to make corrections and print off my essay again and the only computer left would have put a sloth to shame. Not to mention it wouldn't let me print and kept messing up my font. I called Sal to see if she could pick me up from campus because I was running late, and by the time I got back I had about half an hour to get a shower, pack, eat and anything else.
BUT! I finally made it to the train station to catch a bus (yeah, not a train yet) to Lithgow where I sat by this man who told me about all the places his older son has been and it made me want to travel even more. (He didn't mention his younger son that much. He must be the black sheep of the family). He also told me that a bunch of Australian students now want to go overseas to work, so the government or whoever is trying to get them to travel and work in their own country. And THEN he told me about the bad wreck in Melbourne this week. There's a tunnel that goes under the harbor and there was a big five car pile-up there that caused a fire. Of course, since it's a tunnel, they had to evacuate everyone and it's been on the news the past few days. Oh, he also told me that in the Outback (I think Central and Western Australia), there are boat races. There's no water, though, so people cut holes in the bottom of boats to put their legs through and run. It's like an Australian version of the Flintstones.
Next I took the train to Katoomba. Kathryn and her mom met me there and then took me to their house. I cannot describe how wonderful it was to take a shower with water pressure and be able to move sideways without sticking to a shower curtain. These things are taken for granted.
Kathryn also has a younger brother and a grandmother that lives with her and an older sister whose boyfriend has a motorcycle I want to ride. Her family was really nice and her brother has a shrine to Hilary Duff. There are also 3 dogs -- a dalmation, weimaraner and boxer mix named Rufus -- that are absolutely adorable. Oh and Kat bought me a Cadbury Easter bunny! How nice. It was gone in a few hours.
After an hour or so, we met up with one of Kat's friends and headed to Penrith (about an hour away, near Sydney) to see a rugby game! The two teams were the Bulldogs and Panthers, so of course I cheered for the Panthers since that's what NC is and also because Kat's mom told me to cheer for the team who was driving me home. Her mom is funny...She's a midwife and has a uterus notepad. She played "I Get Knocked Down" as loud as possible as we drove into the parking lot (car park). That's her footy theme.
The game was really good and the Panthers ended up winning! After seeing rugby players with no padding, our football just seems silly. We're pansies.
At one point, the ball came RIGHT at us and I could have been on Australian TV for all I know. I just thought my debut would show me doing something other than shrieking and trying to protect my camera. We were on the second row.
The cheerleaders were kind of silly. I've heard from a few different people that our cheerleaders are much better and I don't know what they're basing that on, but the ones at this game had gone tribal. They had feather things on their sleeves and looked like they should be backup dancers for Beyonce or Shakira. But the drums were a nice touch.
I asked Kat if there's any "rugby food" like the way we eat hotdogs at football games and she said everyone eats pies. Not like apple pie, but beef pie. I stuck to my chicken wrap from KFC...Which reminds me. I can't seem to explain the idea of a biscuit. A biscuit here is like a cracker or sometimes a roll, but no one knows what I'm talking about when I say "gravy and biscuits." I couldn't believe KFC doesn't have biscuits. They have fries (or "chips") but no biscuits. I just need to find a huge supermarket one day and make some to educate these folks.
Back to footy, Kat's mom (I really should've gotten her name) told me that when New Zealand plays, the guys always do a dance/chant before the game. It's called the harker. After the game, I saw an Order and Riot Brigade car outside and some policemen on huge horses. I wanted to get a picture, so Kat walked over and said, "Can she have a photo? She's from America." I like that excuse. It's a mix between "I'm a blonde so I can do stupid things" and "Bless her heart."
Once we got back to Katoomba, we stayed up watching Thank God You're Here. It's like Who's Line is it Anyway, but the people are given a costume and then thrown into a scene to play along. I loved it. We didn't get much sleep, though, because Kat and I stayed up til 2 talking about American and Australian differences and random things. I asked the stupid question, "Do wombats fly?" before she explained that they live in burrows, and then told her our conversations should remain confidential. (Obviously, by posting it on this blog, I should look into CIA membership). I think the "bat" part confuses me. It just sounds like they should fly. Then she asked me if Tennessee is in Texas and I told her she can't make fun of me anymore and to never be a geography teacher.
Today, we went to the Featherdale Wildlife Park. I GOT TO PET A KANGAROO!!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt four again, chasing the animals around and trying to feed them out of ice cream cones. It made my day. It also took pretty much the entire day to catch one hopping on video. For a moment in time, my life was complete. I was slightly irritated when we first got there because right off the bat, we saw a little wallaby (like a smaller kangaroo) with a baby in its pouch. There were no fences for them so I got right up to it to take a picture and this woman beside me scared it off with her flash. I wanted to tackle her, but I refrained. I've decided I can't be a professional photographer, though. Every single time I had what seemed like a perfect opportunity to take a picture, a burly man would walk in front of me or my batteries died. I had a great shot of a parrot walking toward me and as soon as I lifted my camera to aim, it literally turned around and put its back to me.
I did get a picture of a wombat sleeping in a log. Yeah, they definitely don't fly. They should be called something else that doesn't end in -bat. They also had cockatoos, kookaburras, flying foxes (THOSE look like bats), snakes and lizards, peacocks, a crocodile that had outgrown its pool, fairy penguins, dingoes, emus, koalas (one of which was doing yoga) and a Tasmanian devil that ran laps around its little habitat. There were more animals, but I don't remember what they are all called. Everything was very open, so you could get right up to a lot of the animals and the birds walked around. The kangaroos were my favorite of course. The ones in the park were gray (and a couple of white ones!), but there are also brown and red ones. The red ones are really big and live in the Outback.
On the way back, we ate at Chili's and according to Kat, that and Taco Bell are about as Mexican as they get. I've never thought of Chili's as Mexican food. Once we got to their house, we went on a bushwalk (hike). There's a wildlife refuge right by the house with a few waterfalls and a bunch of gum trees. Those are the ones with white, twisty bark. It started raining and we headed back, then watched Erin Brockovich.
My train left at 7:20 from Katoomba and I JUST made it in time. There had been a sign on the ticket window that said "Back in 10." I'm telling you, Australians are a lazy bunch. (But lovable in every way). Even half of the animals were asleep at the wildlife park.
I got lucky on the way from Lithgow to Bathurst because another girl from my dorm was waiting on the bus as well. Despite the APA woman, my weekend has been pretty good so far!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Kicked to the curb
I just finished my first essay (I get made fun of for calling it a "paper") and words could not describe the relief. It's for my criminal law and process class, and the first time I read over the "assessment," I wanted to cry. There was a lot of research to be done, too many things to remember, I couldn't get a particular Web site to work, I never got through to LexisNexis and our class had only met once. We received the subject outline with the assignments on it two weeks ago, but the essay itself required a LOT of reading ... That's what I was reading for when I mentioned in a previous blog that I had read about 8 criminal justice chapters.
Anyway, I was finally able to start the essay Monday and stayed up til 2 this morning finishing it. Not too shabby. All in all, it took about 11 hours or so to gather research and write the thing after I did all the readings. The readings can be hard to get ahold of because half of them are on reserve, meaning you only have two hours to borrow the book in the library and if someone else from your class has the copy, you have to wait. I'm also cheap and refused to pay for a copy card to make copies. I have hands!
I was also concerned with details such as referencing because they use APA style instead of MLA. So much to think about! Claire brought me tea last night because I was telling her how stressful it was. So nice...
Now for some non-academic chat. I always make lists of what to write about on my blog and looking at it right now, there are a lot of random things, so I shall employ bullet form.
* Ash made me prawn crackers last week. They're these really hard, reddish chip things that come in a box with a lobster on it and sometimes they're served in Chinese restaurants. You can either cook them in oil or heat them in the microwave and they expand to these seashell-shaped rind-ish things. They tasted like fish. I personally found them disgusting and told Ash I was pretty full, which was a lie. I prefer the triangular, greasy chip things when I eat Chinese.
* I also experienced my first drive-thru bottle shop last week. It's like a car garage with refrigerators of liquor on the sides. I made no purchases, but I really wanted to jump out and take a picture.
* A few nights ago, a bunch of the girls in my dorm hauled mattresses into the upstairs common room to have a horror movie night. Even though I couldn't join them, I like the family feel of this dorm. It's not like Moore Hall at UNCC where everyone pretty much stayed in their rooms and hated everyone else on the hall. That's the take from my stay there anyway.
* I've found a new favorite juice: apple and blackcurrant. I don't know what blackcurrant is, but when I'm not burnt out on research anymore, I'll look it up.
* In my Aboriginal studies class, I found out that Bathurst was either THE first or one of the first inland settlements in Australia. There used to be a lot of Aboriginals here as well.
* The funniest thing happened a few nights ago. I was in my room with Sal, another Tiffany and Ryo. Sal was sitting on her bed and I got up to get something out of the closet. All of a sudden, Ryo and Tiffany burst out laughing and I turned around. Apparently, Sal had reached for something in the floor and fell off the bed. She broke her laundry basket in the process when her arm got stuck in it and the side bent backwards. If I only had my camera. It actually wasn't too far away, but I was laughing too hard to grab it.
* It only takes 20 minutes to walk downtown from my dorm. Monday, I got up early to go downtown before my class at noon and got a lot done. It's a nice walk and it was just 9:00 so it wasn't hot yet. I also got my hair cut! I popped into a couple of places to check prices and see if I could make an appointment, but the places I went to don't take appointments and one place doesn't even wash your hair! Everything is charged separately, so I paid $22 for a cut plus $6 for the shampoo and $6 to dry it. $34 is actually not that bad, but I only pay $12 at home for all of that. They weren't lying when they named the place Just Cuts.
* I get to see my first professional rugby game Friday! I'm taking a bus to Lithgow and then a train to Katoomba (in the Blue Mountains) to meet Kathryn, the girl who lived next door before she dropped out of uni. Her mom said I could stay with them til Sunday, but I'm going to come back Saturday since I have a portfolio to work on. I want to finish all the work I'll need to do until May by this coming week so I won't have any to do over break.
* Speaking of, a few of us finally got together Sunday to discuss where to go over break. We have April 6-29 off (which I plan to propose to UNCC) so we only have one full week left. Right now, our plans are to go to New Zealand (north island) for a week, then back over to Australia to the Gold Coast (where the Great Barrier Reef is) and then down to Melbourne. For all of that, plane tickets would only come to about $800 if we can get the rate we're looking at. That's not bad for 3 weeks! Hostels are cheap as well and we can always buy food at the grocery stores...Whatever we do...I'M GOIN TO NEW ZEALAND!!!
P.S. I just proofread the blog and realized the title doesn't make much sense. It refers to the finality of my essay :)
Anyway, I was finally able to start the essay Monday and stayed up til 2 this morning finishing it. Not too shabby. All in all, it took about 11 hours or so to gather research and write the thing after I did all the readings. The readings can be hard to get ahold of because half of them are on reserve, meaning you only have two hours to borrow the book in the library and if someone else from your class has the copy, you have to wait. I'm also cheap and refused to pay for a copy card to make copies. I have hands!
I was also concerned with details such as referencing because they use APA style instead of MLA. So much to think about! Claire brought me tea last night because I was telling her how stressful it was. So nice...
Now for some non-academic chat. I always make lists of what to write about on my blog and looking at it right now, there are a lot of random things, so I shall employ bullet form.
* Ash made me prawn crackers last week. They're these really hard, reddish chip things that come in a box with a lobster on it and sometimes they're served in Chinese restaurants. You can either cook them in oil or heat them in the microwave and they expand to these seashell-shaped rind-ish things. They tasted like fish. I personally found them disgusting and told Ash I was pretty full, which was a lie. I prefer the triangular, greasy chip things when I eat Chinese.
* I also experienced my first drive-thru bottle shop last week. It's like a car garage with refrigerators of liquor on the sides. I made no purchases, but I really wanted to jump out and take a picture.
* A few nights ago, a bunch of the girls in my dorm hauled mattresses into the upstairs common room to have a horror movie night. Even though I couldn't join them, I like the family feel of this dorm. It's not like Moore Hall at UNCC where everyone pretty much stayed in their rooms and hated everyone else on the hall. That's the take from my stay there anyway.
* I've found a new favorite juice: apple and blackcurrant. I don't know what blackcurrant is, but when I'm not burnt out on research anymore, I'll look it up.
* In my Aboriginal studies class, I found out that Bathurst was either THE first or one of the first inland settlements in Australia. There used to be a lot of Aboriginals here as well.
* The funniest thing happened a few nights ago. I was in my room with Sal, another Tiffany and Ryo. Sal was sitting on her bed and I got up to get something out of the closet. All of a sudden, Ryo and Tiffany burst out laughing and I turned around. Apparently, Sal had reached for something in the floor and fell off the bed. She broke her laundry basket in the process when her arm got stuck in it and the side bent backwards. If I only had my camera. It actually wasn't too far away, but I was laughing too hard to grab it.
* It only takes 20 minutes to walk downtown from my dorm. Monday, I got up early to go downtown before my class at noon and got a lot done. It's a nice walk and it was just 9:00 so it wasn't hot yet. I also got my hair cut! I popped into a couple of places to check prices and see if I could make an appointment, but the places I went to don't take appointments and one place doesn't even wash your hair! Everything is charged separately, so I paid $22 for a cut plus $6 for the shampoo and $6 to dry it. $34 is actually not that bad, but I only pay $12 at home for all of that. They weren't lying when they named the place Just Cuts.
* I get to see my first professional rugby game Friday! I'm taking a bus to Lithgow and then a train to Katoomba (in the Blue Mountains) to meet Kathryn, the girl who lived next door before she dropped out of uni. Her mom said I could stay with them til Sunday, but I'm going to come back Saturday since I have a portfolio to work on. I want to finish all the work I'll need to do until May by this coming week so I won't have any to do over break.
* Speaking of, a few of us finally got together Sunday to discuss where to go over break. We have April 6-29 off (which I plan to propose to UNCC) so we only have one full week left. Right now, our plans are to go to New Zealand (north island) for a week, then back over to Australia to the Gold Coast (where the Great Barrier Reef is) and then down to Melbourne. For all of that, plane tickets would only come to about $800 if we can get the rate we're looking at. That's not bad for 3 weeks! Hostels are cheap as well and we can always buy food at the grocery stores...Whatever we do...I'M GOIN TO NEW ZEALAND!!!
P.S. I just proofread the blog and realized the title doesn't make much sense. It refers to the finality of my essay :)
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Saturday, March 17, 2007
7 hours, 28 points and who knows how many songs later
MUS-KET TRUS-KETT! That would be the name of our dorm team today as we doned pirate attire to represent Truskett House and compete in dorm olympics. Each team played netball, football ("footy"), ultimate frisbee, soccer, volleyball, tug-of-war, captain something-or-other (involving water balloons) and iron guts, which speaks for itself. The only ones I sat out for were football and netball because I had never seen it played and everyone was really competitive...Well and iron guts because only four people out of each dorm do that. Plus, I would never intentionally put myself through a race involving questionable, nasty food right after lunch.
Our team did really well. There were about 20 teams altogether and we were only three points behind the winners who had 31. I contribute it to the snazzy spray-painted pirate shirts and eye patches. In the beginning, each dorm had to present a song or skit. We did a song and I was glad people laughed at the appropriate times. Altogether, we were on the fields for seven hours today. It took me back to the field days of fourth grade.
Afterwards, everyone went back to the dorm while a few people set up a tent for the street party outside. Our dorm hosted and about four others were invited. It was more fun than I thought it would be and everyone was gone by 10 to go downtown. I didn't go because I didn't get much sleep last night and I have a lot of work to do tomorrow...So I'm writing this instead! :-)
The DJ here was pretty good, though. Everyone was dancing to 80s songs under the tent like it was their last day on Earth. I learned an Australian dance, too. It's kind of like the electric slide but not. It's called the Nut Bush. When Jules told me the name of it, I couldn't help but laugh. It's from a movie. One girl told me she thought it was an American thing. Definitely not.
At the football game, a few of the girls kept yelling "good hustle" and didn't know what it meant, so I explained it. They asked if that was an American thing, too. I don't think so.
It is kind of difficult to understand people sometimes. Someone will ask me a question and I have to stare at them for a minute, thinking, "What are they saying?" At the street party, I was mingling and a few times all I would have to say is hi and a few words and automatically: "Where are you from?" or "Are you American?" I really need to write down all my information and make copies because it's cool that people are interested, but it is tiring to repeat the same information over and over.
The States...North Carolina on the East Coast...Communications and criminal justice...No, I'm only here for a semester, until July...Actually, I didn't choose this school; I was placed here for exchange...Yeah, I really like it!
One guy I talked to tonight couldn't believe I'm from Charlotte. "The Carolina Panthers! They're my favorite NFL team! Steve Smith, man!" I never thought I'd find such a die-hard fan in Bathurst, Australia. And I'm over here unable to remember the name of the stadium!
That reminds me -- I saw another Michigan shirt a couple days ago. What's up with Michigan over here? It makes me feel like I should have a shirt, too.
P.S. I've been updating the Aussie lingo on the side, so take a look!
P.P.S. I can't fix the spacing for the last few paragraphs to save my life.
Friday, March 16, 2007
Saint Patty's Ball
Last night was Astrid's 24th birthday and the Uni Bar's Saint Patty's Day Ball. We had a barbecue at Astrid's dorm, Hargraves, and then brought out two birthday cakes. Astrid had gone inside when they were brought out, so we had to yell for her to come back. Mary and I had gone to Big W earlier while Astrid and Aalia bought food for the barbecue. I've never seen someone buy so many random gifts in five minutes. Mary wanted to get her truly Aussie gifts, so she went to the check-out counter with Australian-colored shirts, Smarties (like M&M's), Minties, Tim Tams, green lip gloss (well that was for the holiday), Caramello Koalas, Australian undies (just the brand) and a candy necklace to top it off. One girl from Astrid's dorm even made a stitching of Australia and everyone from the dorm signed it and put it in a frame.
(Oh sidenote: When we were checking out at Big W, it was the second time we'd been there and I got the same lady as before. I asked if she checked me out last time and she thought I was asking her if she was "checking me out." It was pretty funny, but I assured her I don't swing that way).
Next stop: Uni Bar. The line was HUGE. We waited outside for at least half an hour, but it was worth it. The band was a U2 cover and they actually looked like the members.
(Oh sidenote: When we were checking out at Big W, it was the second time we'd been there and I got the same lady as before. I asked if she checked me out last time and she thought I was asking her if she was "checking me out." It was pretty funny, but I assured her I don't swing that way).
Next stop: Uni Bar. The line was HUGE. We waited outside for at least half an hour, but it was worth it. The band was a U2 cover and they actually looked like the members.
One guy had a big, floppy four-leaf clover around his neck that Astrid tried on and you could tell another guy only owned one green shirt because it had Tigger on it.
I also got assassinated while I was there. Our dorm is playing "assassins," meaning everyone gets a mask and pulls a name out of a hat to find out who their target is. I got Reece and thankfully had my mask with me on campus Thursday, so I tapped him on the shoulder and told him he was dead. It's pretty silly. But then at the Uni Bar, a girl from my dorm came up to me with her mask and told me she got me. Sadness. Now I'm out. Eventually, there will only be two people left trying to target each other. It's kind of like being in middle school again.
All in all, it was a great night and I got over the fact that it was $8 to get in. That may not sound like a lot, but when a college student hands someone a 10 and gets a tiny two dollar coin back, something inside just sinks.
On the same sad note, I was finally called a Yank. In my Aboriginal studies class, the professor came over to my group and asked me if all the Australian politics was making sense to a Yank. I started to correct him and go on my shpeel (how in the world do you spell that?) about how I'm definitely from the south, but I held my tongue. To the next offender, beware.
By the way, I think I've found another obsession besides the fruit chews. I sat down to watch Dancing With the Stars -- Australia version -- a few nights ago and couldn't get up. I don't think either obsession is particularly healthy.
I also got assassinated while I was there. Our dorm is playing "assassins," meaning everyone gets a mask and pulls a name out of a hat to find out who their target is. I got Reece and thankfully had my mask with me on campus Thursday, so I tapped him on the shoulder and told him he was dead. It's pretty silly. But then at the Uni Bar, a girl from my dorm came up to me with her mask and told me she got me. Sadness. Now I'm out. Eventually, there will only be two people left trying to target each other. It's kind of like being in middle school again.
All in all, it was a great night and I got over the fact that it was $8 to get in. That may not sound like a lot, but when a college student hands someone a 10 and gets a tiny two dollar coin back, something inside just sinks.
On the same sad note, I was finally called a Yank. In my Aboriginal studies class, the professor came over to my group and asked me if all the Australian politics was making sense to a Yank. I started to correct him and go on my shpeel (how in the world do you spell that?) about how I'm definitely from the south, but I held my tongue. To the next offender, beware.
By the way, I think I've found another obsession besides the fruit chews. I sat down to watch Dancing With the Stars -- Australia version -- a few nights ago and couldn't get up. I don't think either obsession is particularly healthy.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Mental picture
It occurred to me today how much I'll miss this place once I leave. That's not to say that I won't want to go home or that I'll cry myself to sleep once I'm back, but I've been here for almost a month and there are some things I'll really miss.
This came to me at the oddest time today. Sal drove me to Stockland (a shopping center) to pick up a few things and all of a sudden I felt like I needed to look around and take a mental picture of everything. I miss some of the conveniences at home, the sweet tea, my car and of course my friends and family, but for a long time before I left that's all I wanted to do -- leave. I wanted out of Charlotte. I wanted to be somewhere new with different places and things to do and different people. I even came across a quote last night that I had written down and in it I was telling a friend how much I want to travel. Now I'm here and I feel this urgency to do everything before the opportunities pass me up.
I want to try all the foods, go to all the little shops and just do everything authentically Aussie. I did buy some Tim Tams the other day and now I'm curious to try everything else. It says on the box that they are the "most irresistible chocolate biscuit." I believe it. I also have some Australian cheese and I bet $20 I won't have the same taste for cheddar when I get back. I'm also officially addicted to fruit chews. I know we have those at home, but maybe it has something to do with the 2 big bags I bought on sale.
Yesterday, I was reading my criminal justice textboook...Actually, let me intervene in my own blog...I read EIGHT criminal justice chapters yesterday and let me tell you, I've never been so bored with a chapter in my life. I'd rather write something down once for memory than read it in eight different forms. I can only take so many cases on assault. Anyway...so I was reading this chapter and there was a court case called Pappajohn v. the Queen. Of course I thought about the pizza, so I asked Sal if there's a Papa John's here.
"A what?" I guess not.
That reminds me. The microwaves here are silly. You know how we have buttons that say "popcorn" or "beverage" to heat up something in particular? Well the one in our dorm kitchen has buttons for "jacket potato," "rice pasta" and "reheat pie." I took a picture, but it turned out kind of blurry.
I did get frustrated earlier this week, though. I had waited to do my laundry for about a week and a half because the dryers had been broken, so when I saw a maintenance man walk past the door, I ran after him. He looked at the dryers and fixed a couple, so I happily threw two loads into the washer. I was especially happy because one of the guys showed me how to rig the washers with Q-tips to get a free wash.
Well first of all, one of my white shirts had to be trashed and 3 more got pink stains on them. (Are you trying to tell me something, God? Is this about the Q-tips?) I have no idea how because I definitely washed all the whites separately. Once I got over that, I put all my clothes into the dryer and inserted my money.
It didn't work. My money got stuck because someone had stuck Q-tips in the money slots even though you can't rig the dryers. I got the money out and put my laundry in a different dryer. It started, I let out a squeal of excitement and then it stopped. To make a long story short, I hung half my clothes on the line and borrowed someone's drying rack for the rest after losing another $1.60 on trying to dry my clothes. It's just minor, but why can't they just work? It was the first time I've yelled since I've been here.
In other news, my Aboriginal studies professor asked me a question about American politics in class a couple days ago. Ohhhh, that is so not my subject. I answered anyway and of course what I could have added came to me later. Of all classes, I never thought American politics would come up in Aboriginal studies.
Oh, random fact: There are no yellow lights here for traffic. There's red, orange and green...That's what helped me determine this font color.
In other news, this is going to be a busy weekend. Tomorrow is Astrid's 24th birthday as well as the St. Patty's ball at the Uni Bar. Friday evening, Nichole and I may be going to a dinner by the church we've visited. The pastor invited the new people to his house for a barbecue. Then, we're all getting together to finally go over plans for break. Saturday is "dorm olympics" followed by a street party in front of my dorm and somewhere in all that I'm going to start working on a paper. I should have more pictures by tomorrow!
This came to me at the oddest time today. Sal drove me to Stockland (a shopping center) to pick up a few things and all of a sudden I felt like I needed to look around and take a mental picture of everything. I miss some of the conveniences at home, the sweet tea, my car and of course my friends and family, but for a long time before I left that's all I wanted to do -- leave. I wanted out of Charlotte. I wanted to be somewhere new with different places and things to do and different people. I even came across a quote last night that I had written down and in it I was telling a friend how much I want to travel. Now I'm here and I feel this urgency to do everything before the opportunities pass me up.
I want to try all the foods, go to all the little shops and just do everything authentically Aussie. I did buy some Tim Tams the other day and now I'm curious to try everything else. It says on the box that they are the "most irresistible chocolate biscuit." I believe it. I also have some Australian cheese and I bet $20 I won't have the same taste for cheddar when I get back. I'm also officially addicted to fruit chews. I know we have those at home, but maybe it has something to do with the 2 big bags I bought on sale.
Yesterday, I was reading my criminal justice textboook...Actually, let me intervene in my own blog...I read EIGHT criminal justice chapters yesterday and let me tell you, I've never been so bored with a chapter in my life. I'd rather write something down once for memory than read it in eight different forms. I can only take so many cases on assault. Anyway...so I was reading this chapter and there was a court case called Pappajohn v. the Queen. Of course I thought about the pizza, so I asked Sal if there's a Papa John's here.
"A what?" I guess not.
That reminds me. The microwaves here are silly. You know how we have buttons that say "popcorn" or "beverage" to heat up something in particular? Well the one in our dorm kitchen has buttons for "jacket potato," "rice pasta" and "reheat pie." I took a picture, but it turned out kind of blurry.
I did get frustrated earlier this week, though. I had waited to do my laundry for about a week and a half because the dryers had been broken, so when I saw a maintenance man walk past the door, I ran after him. He looked at the dryers and fixed a couple, so I happily threw two loads into the washer. I was especially happy because one of the guys showed me how to rig the washers with Q-tips to get a free wash.
Well first of all, one of my white shirts had to be trashed and 3 more got pink stains on them. (Are you trying to tell me something, God? Is this about the Q-tips?) I have no idea how because I definitely washed all the whites separately. Once I got over that, I put all my clothes into the dryer and inserted my money.
It didn't work. My money got stuck because someone had stuck Q-tips in the money slots even though you can't rig the dryers. I got the money out and put my laundry in a different dryer. It started, I let out a squeal of excitement and then it stopped. To make a long story short, I hung half my clothes on the line and borrowed someone's drying rack for the rest after losing another $1.60 on trying to dry my clothes. It's just minor, but why can't they just work? It was the first time I've yelled since I've been here.
In other news, my Aboriginal studies professor asked me a question about American politics in class a couple days ago. Ohhhh, that is so not my subject. I answered anyway and of course what I could have added came to me later. Of all classes, I never thought American politics would come up in Aboriginal studies.
Oh, random fact: There are no yellow lights here for traffic. There's red, orange and green...That's what helped me determine this font color.
In other news, this is going to be a busy weekend. Tomorrow is Astrid's 24th birthday as well as the St. Patty's ball at the Uni Bar. Friday evening, Nichole and I may be going to a dinner by the church we've visited. The pastor invited the new people to his house for a barbecue. Then, we're all getting together to finally go over plans for break. Saturday is "dorm olympics" followed by a street party in front of my dorm and somewhere in all that I'm going to start working on a paper. I should have more pictures by tomorrow!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
And I-I would walk el-ev-en miles...
Today Megan and I went to Mount Panorama. It's a huge racetrack that goes up and back down a mountain (hence, Mount) and we walked the full 11 miles of it this morning. We left her place at 8 and finished it in 2 hours. All the cyclists and cars passed us and we briefly thought our legs were going to fall off, but it's all good. (We passed a horse on the way).
The actual track is one of the silliest things I've ever seen. I've written about it on this blog before, but there are houses around it and other random things like a winery, a wildlife reserve, a place to pan for gold and sheep.
The actual track is one of the silliest things I've ever seen. I've written about it on this blog before, but there are houses around it and other random things like a winery, a wildlife reserve, a place to pan for gold and sheep.
People don't actually sit in bleachers around the track because there's no room. They gather around the finish line. I don't know what the point of going to a race is if you can't watch it, but to each his own. I think the races are somewhere between 120-160 laps or something, but I could be wrong. A couple of famous drivers recently died on the track and we saw tons of farewells along the concrete barriers.
One of them was Peter Brock and there's a section of the barrier named Brock's Skyline. He crashed at the top of the mountain where it becomes incredibly curvy. In fact, Megan and I almost got run over by this crazy guy who was driving way too fast down the hill.
On a lighter note, we got a lot of good pictures! Megan took a video/sound bite of those creepy birds I was talking about. I say they sound like Scuttle; she says they sound like Bart Simpson being choked. She's probably the more accurate one.
When we got back, she made some of the best french toast in the world. (Is french supposed to be capitalized? I don't think the french in french fries is...)
On the way back to my dorm, I stopped to swing. Life doesn't get much sweeter...well ok, I could've used a smoothie.
Right now I'm getting ready to go to church and then I have to do a lot of reading because I've been a bum the past two days. There's zero motivation to read about media ethics and criminal justice when it's 75 degrees outside and there are better things to do.
Friday, I slept in, went to the pool for four hours and then did some doona reading. A doona is a comforter and it's a big Aussie thing to sit on blankets in the grass. People do that at home of course, but not as much as here. I started reading for class, but got distracted by the ice cream truck and the fact that the dirt mound under my elbows wasn't very comfortable. Later, 9 of us walked downtown to get dinner.
Yesterday, Megan and I went downtown and I did a tad bit of shopping. I only spent about $40, though, because everything was on sale! I did rip some dress I tried on after trying to wiggle out of it for 15 minutes, so now I don't want to go back to exchange one of my shirts. Oh well. The lady wasn't mad.
Oh yeah, Megan and I ended up going into the Big W yesterday and I mentioned wanting a hoodie that says Australia. Right then, I looked to the left and saw a hoodie hanging up that said University of Michigan. What? Who in Australia follows Michigan?
When we got back, she made some of the best french toast in the world. (Is french supposed to be capitalized? I don't think the french in french fries is...)
On the way back to my dorm, I stopped to swing. Life doesn't get much sweeter...well ok, I could've used a smoothie.
Right now I'm getting ready to go to church and then I have to do a lot of reading because I've been a bum the past two days. There's zero motivation to read about media ethics and criminal justice when it's 75 degrees outside and there are better things to do.
Friday, I slept in, went to the pool for four hours and then did some doona reading. A doona is a comforter and it's a big Aussie thing to sit on blankets in the grass. People do that at home of course, but not as much as here. I started reading for class, but got distracted by the ice cream truck and the fact that the dirt mound under my elbows wasn't very comfortable. Later, 9 of us walked downtown to get dinner.
Yesterday, Megan and I went downtown and I did a tad bit of shopping. I only spent about $40, though, because everything was on sale! I did rip some dress I tried on after trying to wiggle out of it for 15 minutes, so now I don't want to go back to exchange one of my shirts. Oh well. The lady wasn't mad.
Oh yeah, Megan and I ended up going into the Big W yesterday and I mentioned wanting a hoodie that says Australia. Right then, I looked to the left and saw a hoodie hanging up that said University of Michigan. What? Who in Australia follows Michigan?
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
"It's ALWAYS been Mackers!"
Last night I had McDonald's even though I prefer almost anything else. Here it's called Mackers.
Me: "No, it's Mickey D's!"
Any Australian: "Mickey D's? What is that? It's ALWAYS been Mackers; you can't change it!"
One thing I do like about the MICKEY D'S here is that they also have a McCafe. It's like a mini Starbucks. I've never seen one in the States, but if you ever pass one, get the strawberry frappe...or the tropical one but it's for a limited time only.
Along the same lines but not really, they also call cops "coppers." Must everything have an alternate ending? I guess we're not much better. They do shorten everything, though. Lazy bums. (Said with the utmost love).
Back to food, I told a couple of people that the first meal I want to have when I get back is a pulled pork barbecue sandwich and then a giant burger with real bacon and no beets. The Australian burger has beets. I mean really, beets? Was that a joke that was taken too far? I ordered a burger on our way back to Bathurst this past weekend and the beets had turned a corner of my bun pink. Ew. I asked for bacon and it was really ham. The patty was thin, too. *Sigh* Where's a Texas Roadhouse when you need one?
Oh yes, and I have a confession to make, but you have to promise not to think I'm an idiot...I mean it...So a bunch of us were discussing the Sydney Opera House and someone said they want to see a show. I said I don't understand opera and then felt unworthy to be here because I honestly didn't know there's more than opera performed there. Hey, no one ever told me, ok? It makes perfect sense, but couldn't they have called it a performance hall or something?
Classes are going OK. The outlines are confusing at first, but I'm figuring them out and I have partners for two upcoming presentations, so I won't be on my own. I'm getting my reading done and it's not that boring. There is a lot of reading involved and a good deal of it is only through the library reserve and not the actual textbook. A couple of my classes are review so far because I've already had similar classes back home, but hopefully they'll pick up. In my second class today, criminal law and process, the professor actually asked, "What is crime?" I wanted to gather my things and walk out. I hate questions like that. Everyone knows the answer, but it's so obvious and elementary that no one bothers to raise their hands.
One of my classes, criminology, is the hardest to stay focused in because our professor has one of those voices (you know what I'm talking about) and I'm pretty sure she draws on her eyebrows, so I can't concentrate.
That class is actually a little difficult because it deals with Australian crime patterns in certain areas and the like, which I know nothing about. That's why I'm in it, but I hate feeling lost. It's funny how often American studies and lifestyles come up in all my lectures, though. We just have a lot of problems :)
Well I'm going to try to get an assignment done now. Some guys are playing cricket outside my window, so we'll see how difficult that will be.
P.S. If you read this, Mamaw, I'm craving cracker candy like you wouldn't believe.
Me: "No, it's Mickey D's!"
Any Australian: "Mickey D's? What is that? It's ALWAYS been Mackers; you can't change it!"
One thing I do like about the MICKEY D'S here is that they also have a McCafe. It's like a mini Starbucks. I've never seen one in the States, but if you ever pass one, get the strawberry frappe...or the tropical one but it's for a limited time only.
Along the same lines but not really, they also call cops "coppers." Must everything have an alternate ending? I guess we're not much better. They do shorten everything, though. Lazy bums. (Said with the utmost love).
Back to food, I told a couple of people that the first meal I want to have when I get back is a pulled pork barbecue sandwich and then a giant burger with real bacon and no beets. The Australian burger has beets. I mean really, beets? Was that a joke that was taken too far? I ordered a burger on our way back to Bathurst this past weekend and the beets had turned a corner of my bun pink. Ew. I asked for bacon and it was really ham. The patty was thin, too. *Sigh* Where's a Texas Roadhouse when you need one?
Oh yes, and I have a confession to make, but you have to promise not to think I'm an idiot...I mean it...So a bunch of us were discussing the Sydney Opera House and someone said they want to see a show. I said I don't understand opera and then felt unworthy to be here because I honestly didn't know there's more than opera performed there. Hey, no one ever told me, ok? It makes perfect sense, but couldn't they have called it a performance hall or something?
Classes are going OK. The outlines are confusing at first, but I'm figuring them out and I have partners for two upcoming presentations, so I won't be on my own. I'm getting my reading done and it's not that boring. There is a lot of reading involved and a good deal of it is only through the library reserve and not the actual textbook. A couple of my classes are review so far because I've already had similar classes back home, but hopefully they'll pick up. In my second class today, criminal law and process, the professor actually asked, "What is crime?" I wanted to gather my things and walk out. I hate questions like that. Everyone knows the answer, but it's so obvious and elementary that no one bothers to raise their hands.
One of my classes, criminology, is the hardest to stay focused in because our professor has one of those voices (you know what I'm talking about) and I'm pretty sure she draws on her eyebrows, so I can't concentrate.
That class is actually a little difficult because it deals with Australian crime patterns in certain areas and the like, which I know nothing about. That's why I'm in it, but I hate feeling lost. It's funny how often American studies and lifestyles come up in all my lectures, though. We just have a lot of problems :)
Well I'm going to try to get an assignment done now. Some guys are playing cricket outside my window, so we'll see how difficult that will be.
P.S. If you read this, Mamaw, I'm craving cracker candy like you wouldn't believe.
P.P.S. I'm trying not to kill them! 
Sunday, March 4, 2007
More pictures!
A massive tree by the house we stayed in, The Salvation Army house, before the belittling on the kiddie train, Bronte Beach and dandelions over the water.
It's official
I am officially Sydneyized. Along with the Cadbury egg and kangaroos, seeing the opera house was number one of three musts. I just got back and what a weekend...
First, we were lucky enough to get a ride up to Sydney with Nichole's RA, so forget about paying for a train all the way up. We did take a short train into Redfern, Sydney where one of Charlie's friends picked us up. How completely different from Bathurst! City lights and a million and one cultures everywhere.
We ended up staying in this humongous old house that is owned or was owned by the Salvation Army. There are 24 rooms in this all-girl house and it's now used for students. Most importantly, it was free! Charlie lived there last year when she went to uni, so she knew several of the girls and we found some empty rooms to sleep in.
The first night we were there (Friday), I decided to try Chinese again. Delicious. There's a big difference between Asian restaurants run by non-Asians and those run by Asians.
The next day, we got up early and went to the Metro (a shopping center) for a few things and then Rose drove us to the beach. I think she's the scariest driver I've ever met. Most drivers in the city seem to be pretty bad, but this girl gave me white knuckles from gripping the seat. I don't know which is worse -- to sit up front where you can see how long it takes for someone to slow down or to sit in the back where you can only feel how long it takes for someone to slow down. Even the girl who drove us to Sydney almost gave me a heart attack going around the curves. But obviously I lived.
After the Metro, we took the bus to the harbor. As soon as I saw water, I squealed and then I noticed the edge of the opera house. I almost fell out of my skin. Nichole told me not to scream. It was one of those "I can't believe I'm actually here" moments. It was really hot, but everyone was standing around, taking pictures. You can't actually go into the opera house unless you're seeing a show, but the outside is just as interesting. The Harbor Bridge is right next to it. You can pay to walk on the very top of it, attached to some kind of cable so you don't die.
Across from all that was a botanical garden. It was too hot to be walking around much more, but there was a kiddie train that I hopped on for a picture. Then I got mildly yelled at for trying to sit up front. Of all things...getting disciplined for trying to sit on a kiddie train.
Anyway, I bought a Veronese chocolate gelato and that made it better. There was also some guy standing on a bike at the top of this pole thing doing tricks. He was pretty good, but it took him forever to get past the guilt trip for people who don't pay him and actually stand up on the thing. I bought a $5 sarong instead. Much more versatile.
Finally, we headed to Bronte Beach, which is right by Bondi Beach ("Bond-eye"), a huge tourist attraction. Bronte is smaller, though, and ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. It was like one of those pictures you see in a fancy frame on the wall of a restaurant with a name you can't pronounce. I'd never been to the Pacific before and it was COLD. I got sloshed around a few times, too, because I was standing in the break when I got in the water and every time I stood up, here came another wave. I'm sure I got 10 points for grace from the lifeguards. Ten points and a load of sand in my pants. Hey, exfoliation is key.
Then Nichole and I headed up the side of this cliff that took my breath away. I could have stayed there all day, but the others aren't the biggest beach lovers and we had to head back to pick up something for Charlie. We only got to stay about an hour, but we'll be back. Doesn't it figure that the ones lucky enough to live 10 minutes from the beach rarely go there?
Saturday was also Mardi Gras here and five other girls from the house and myself all went out dancing at The Retro. We took the bus into town, but a couple of us were hungry, so we stopped at McDonald's before heading to the club. I had no idea Micky D's was so far from the place, so as soon as Lucy got her burger and I got my sundae, we RAN about three blocks to get there. We wanted to get there before 9 because it was free and afterwards, it was $20 to get in. (People start early here). We arrived with the wind-blown look and two minutes to spare.
It was SO much fun. For the first half of the night, they played 80s music, and I have to say the best part of the night was the whole building yelling the lyrics to "Livin on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi at the top of their lungs.
Then Lucy's friend called and we again walked three blocks to go pick her up. By this time, the borrowed shoes were absolutely killing my feet, so I walked the whole way barefoot. Pretty disgusting, but I washed them afterwards. :)
This morning, everyone slept in. We had plans to go back to the Sydney Harbor to take the ferry, but we had to catch the train earlier than expected. Another reason I must go back.
First, we were lucky enough to get a ride up to Sydney with Nichole's RA, so forget about paying for a train all the way up. We did take a short train into Redfern, Sydney where one of Charlie's friends picked us up. How completely different from Bathurst! City lights and a million and one cultures everywhere.
We ended up staying in this humongous old house that is owned or was owned by the Salvation Army. There are 24 rooms in this all-girl house and it's now used for students. Most importantly, it was free! Charlie lived there last year when she went to uni, so she knew several of the girls and we found some empty rooms to sleep in.
The first night we were there (Friday), I decided to try Chinese again. Delicious. There's a big difference between Asian restaurants run by non-Asians and those run by Asians.
The next day, we got up early and went to the Metro (a shopping center) for a few things and then Rose drove us to the beach. I think she's the scariest driver I've ever met. Most drivers in the city seem to be pretty bad, but this girl gave me white knuckles from gripping the seat. I don't know which is worse -- to sit up front where you can see how long it takes for someone to slow down or to sit in the back where you can only feel how long it takes for someone to slow down. Even the girl who drove us to Sydney almost gave me a heart attack going around the curves. But obviously I lived.
We were also going to meet up with Charlie's boyfriend, Luke, but didn't get enough time. I met him a week ago when a bunch of us went out to dinner and he laughed at me because I didn't understand the rules of the AFL (Australian Football League). I gave him my take on rugby along with some other here-and-there things and he later told Charlie, "That blonde American is random." Ha ha.
After the Metro, we took the bus to the harbor. As soon as I saw water, I squealed and then I noticed the edge of the opera house. I almost fell out of my skin. Nichole told me not to scream. It was one of those "I can't believe I'm actually here" moments. It was really hot, but everyone was standing around, taking pictures. You can't actually go into the opera house unless you're seeing a show, but the outside is just as interesting. The Harbor Bridge is right next to it. You can pay to walk on the very top of it, attached to some kind of cable so you don't die.
Across from all that was a botanical garden. It was too hot to be walking around much more, but there was a kiddie train that I hopped on for a picture. Then I got mildly yelled at for trying to sit up front. Of all things...getting disciplined for trying to sit on a kiddie train.
Anyway, I bought a Veronese chocolate gelato and that made it better. There was also some guy standing on a bike at the top of this pole thing doing tricks. He was pretty good, but it took him forever to get past the guilt trip for people who don't pay him and actually stand up on the thing. I bought a $5 sarong instead. Much more versatile.
Finally, we headed to Bronte Beach, which is right by Bondi Beach ("Bond-eye"), a huge tourist attraction. Bronte is smaller, though, and ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. It was like one of those pictures you see in a fancy frame on the wall of a restaurant with a name you can't pronounce. I'd never been to the Pacific before and it was COLD. I got sloshed around a few times, too, because I was standing in the break when I got in the water and every time I stood up, here came another wave. I'm sure I got 10 points for grace from the lifeguards. Ten points and a load of sand in my pants. Hey, exfoliation is key.
Then Nichole and I headed up the side of this cliff that took my breath away. I could have stayed there all day, but the others aren't the biggest beach lovers and we had to head back to pick up something for Charlie. We only got to stay about an hour, but we'll be back. Doesn't it figure that the ones lucky enough to live 10 minutes from the beach rarely go there?
Saturday was also Mardi Gras here and five other girls from the house and myself all went out dancing at The Retro. We took the bus into town, but a couple of us were hungry, so we stopped at McDonald's before heading to the club. I had no idea Micky D's was so far from the place, so as soon as Lucy got her burger and I got my sundae, we RAN about three blocks to get there. We wanted to get there before 9 because it was free and afterwards, it was $20 to get in. (People start early here). We arrived with the wind-blown look and two minutes to spare.
It was SO much fun. For the first half of the night, they played 80s music, and I have to say the best part of the night was the whole building yelling the lyrics to "Livin on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi at the top of their lungs.
Then Lucy's friend called and we again walked three blocks to go pick her up. By this time, the borrowed shoes were absolutely killing my feet, so I walked the whole way barefoot. Pretty disgusting, but I washed them afterwards. :)
This morning, everyone slept in. We had plans to go back to the Sydney Harbor to take the ferry, but we had to catch the train earlier than expected. Another reason I must go back.
The ride back to Bathurst took forever, although the whole trip only cost us $12.50 so I can't complain. The actual road time takes about three hours, but first we had to take a train from Sydney to Blacktown, then a bus to Lithgow, wait an hour and another bus to Bathurst for a total of six hours. Thank God for the iPOD. It started hailing while we were on the bus, but before the bad weather, it was beautiful. You could see it raining in the distance, but the clouds closer to us were Hollywood white and pink and blue.
All in all, I'm guessing I only spent about $60 the entire weekend, including food, bus fares, train tickets and a few postcards. Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Beach!
I'm going to Sydney this weekend! WOOO! Finally, a beach! Nichole, Charlie (a girl from England...she says "Cha'lie") and myself are hopping on a train tomorrow and heading to the Big S. They don't call it that; I just thought I would take the initiative.
Train tickets there are actually really cheap. Twenty-one dollars each way with a student I.D. We won't have to worry about a place to stay, either, because Charlie's parents live in Sydney. Nice. I was planning to go to the Bathurst Show, but Sydney will be better! Plus, it's $15 to get into the show. It's basically a county fair type thing.
Before I heard about going to Sydney, I was in a little bit of a rut today. This morning I went to my lecture, but after 15 minutes everyone left because the professor wasn't there. We think it may start the second week. So I headed to the library to print something off and then to the gym BEFORE it closed. It's not air conditioned, by the way.
Afterwards, I was wishing someone from home was here. I'm meeting people and it's fun to hang out with the internationals who want to travel like myself, but like I said earlier, nothing beats inside jokes and finished sentences. I ended up walking to the mini park about five minutes from the dorm and got to swing! It was a beautiful day...shoes off, music on, sun out. Then I read for awhile and acquired my first mosquito bite. Sal called it a musky bite or something.
I met Nichole and another girl at the pool and that's when I heard about Sydney. The conversation went like this:
N: "Charlie and I are going to Sydney this weekend."
Me: "What?! No way! I wanna go! When are you leaving? How are you getting there?" Blah blah blah.
That makes it sound like I 100% invited myself, but it wasn't quite that bad.
I also went to a Bible study earlier and I'm really glad I went. It's Toga Night at the Uni Bar, but I didn't want to spend money and I got home after everyone left. I'd rather save my money for traveling.
Hopefully next time I write, I'll have some "smashing" pictures to add.
Train tickets there are actually really cheap. Twenty-one dollars each way with a student I.D. We won't have to worry about a place to stay, either, because Charlie's parents live in Sydney. Nice. I was planning to go to the Bathurst Show, but Sydney will be better! Plus, it's $15 to get into the show. It's basically a county fair type thing.
Before I heard about going to Sydney, I was in a little bit of a rut today. This morning I went to my lecture, but after 15 minutes everyone left because the professor wasn't there. We think it may start the second week. So I headed to the library to print something off and then to the gym BEFORE it closed. It's not air conditioned, by the way.
Afterwards, I was wishing someone from home was here. I'm meeting people and it's fun to hang out with the internationals who want to travel like myself, but like I said earlier, nothing beats inside jokes and finished sentences. I ended up walking to the mini park about five minutes from the dorm and got to swing! It was a beautiful day...shoes off, music on, sun out. Then I read for awhile and acquired my first mosquito bite. Sal called it a musky bite or something.
I met Nichole and another girl at the pool and that's when I heard about Sydney. The conversation went like this:
N: "Charlie and I are going to Sydney this weekend."
Me: "What?! No way! I wanna go! When are you leaving? How are you getting there?" Blah blah blah.
That makes it sound like I 100% invited myself, but it wasn't quite that bad.
I also went to a Bible study earlier and I'm really glad I went. It's Toga Night at the Uni Bar, but I didn't want to spend money and I got home after everyone left. I'd rather save my money for traveling.
Hopefully next time I write, I'll have some "smashing" pictures to add.
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