Toga Party and BBQ

Hey everybody, it’s been a while since I wrote last. Finally got my schedule finalized, and finished up orientation meetings at the school. The university had Market Day, a day where all the student organizations on campus set up booths and tents for students to see. It was really busy and packed on campus and it was fun to look at all the clubs the school has. Thursday night there was a toga party at a bar close by, so we decided it would be fun to check out. We bought some cheap tablecloths and tried to fashion them into togas, which a lot of time, effort, and safety pins but eventually we got them work. We headed to the bar, and as soon as we got there, I realized I had forgotten my ID. Just my luck! My roommate Jen decided to walk back with me so I could get it. I definitely regretted wearing my nice heels that night since I walked so much. Finally, I got my ID and we were able to catch a bus back to the bar instead of having to walk one more time. The bar was packed! They opened up the parking lot in the back and the upstairs floor just to fit everyone in. Somehow, me and Jen were able to find the rest of our group. It was fun to go out with all the other roommates and our other friends. To show off their good luck, Mike somehow managed to win the raffle prize of an iPod shuffle while Julian found fifty dollars on the floor. So, I forget my ID and they find money and win prizes. Go figure. We had a lot of fun at the party and stayed until they closed. We all walked back home, and Jen and I met an Australian who had been at the toga party and was walking with us. He said he hated American accents, so Jen tried to talk in a British/Australian accent for the rest of the time. I tried for a minute but gave up because I sounded ridiculous. When we finally got back to our building, everyone had already gone up to the roof to hang out. But by the time we got there, they were all sleeping! At least the togas came in handy as makeshift blankets! We decided not to disturb them and headed down to bed. All in all, it was a great night.

The next afternoon we decided to have a BBQ for dinner at the park that’s about a five minute walk away. We headed to the shopping centre and picked up some groceries for the BBQ so we would be ready. Then Brittney and I headed to Mike and Julian’s for the rest of the afternoon. We had an art day, painting some canvases to make their apartment a little more colorful. It was very relaxing, listening to instrumental music and painting. Everyone but Mike indulged in a little afternoon nap as well. Then it was BBQ time! We had potato chips, chips and guacamole (HUGE thanks to my best friend Steph for the recipe!), burgers, hot dogs, pineapple, watermelon, asparagus, and cookies for dessert. It was a really nice night out and everyone had a lot of fun. I definitely ate way too much! After that, we all lounged around the apartment for a little bit before Brittney, Jen, and I met up with the guys to go out. We took the ferry, and there happened to be an Inspector on board, checking to make sure everyone had bought a ticket. I used my discount go card, a small card that you out money on and then simply scan when you get on the bus. I had decided not to bring my purse and just had my ID and go card in my pocket with me. Just my luck again, I had to buy a new full price ticket because I had forgotten my student ID and without it I couldn’t prove that the discount go card I was using was mine (even though it was). So I had to buy a full price ticket, and what’s worse, I still had to pay on my discount card too because I had already scanned it when I got on the ferry. My luck in this country seems to be slowly getting worse and worse. Other than that the night out was fun and relaxing, and we were able to catch a night bus back to our apartment so I guess I got some use out of that full price ticket. Now it’s the last few days before school starts so I better enjoy it before classes start!

The Beach

Just got back from Surfer's Paradise, a beautiful city on the coast. Me and Brittney spent one night and two days soaking up some sun and taking in the ocean. The beach was beautiful: white sand, blue ocean, big waves, and plenty of sun. It took about an hour and a half by train and bus to get there. We headed straight for the beach. It was a windy day, and sand blew everywhere, but it was still a lot of fun. We ventured in the water and met a nice Australian guy that we chatted with for a while. The waves were not as calm as I thought they would be, but it was a lot of fun to jump into them. The water was really salty, but I got used to it after a while. After a few hours, we headed back to our hostel then went out to dinner. The weather was great: not too hot, not too cold, and the ocean breeze felt really good. After dinner, we walked around and wandered in and out of all the little shops and stores lining the streets. It rained a little at night, but it didn't bother us at all. Ice cream was a must, so we stopped and got some gelato before heading back. I decided to be different and got green apple, and it was delicious. By the time we got back to the hostel, we could feel where the sun hit us hard. Sure enough, we were pretty badly sunburned. My face, thighs, and back were bright red and really starting to hurt. Thank god I brought aloe vera in my bag! The next morning we went back to the beach but stayed mostly in the shade this time. I loaded on sunscreen and went in the water again, I couldn't resist feeling the rush of the waves and the sand one more time, although some of the waves somersaulted me around a bit. Swallowing salt water is the worst feeling in the world. The ocean was beautiful; I spent a lot of time just reading in the shade and watching the waves crash on the beach. It was so relaxing I didn't want to leave. But we eventually got hungry, so we grabbed some lunch. One nice thing about Australia is that you don't have to tip, but I've noticed that it makes the waitresses a lot less attentive to you. You generally have to ask for refills or the check. After lunch, we headed back to the bus and headed back home. It was definitely a great trip. No sharks, no jellyfish, just surf, sand, and a little sunburn.

My new apartment!

All moved in! Yesterday was move in day, and just my luck it poured rain all day. Brittney and I got absolutely soaked walking from the bus stop back to the hostel after signing our leases in the morning. The news said it was the biggest rainfall since 1972! After getting to our apartment and drying off, it was time to unpack and take it easy. It was so relaxing to sit and watch TV for the first time I’ve been here; Grey’s Anatomy was definitely a good choice. Today I went to an orientation session at the school, which was long and to be honest pretty boring. Then I finally got my student ID and finished unpacking. It’s so comforting to have a place to call home! Tomorrow we’re headed to the coast to take in the beach before school starts.

Last Day in the City

Today was my last day in the city before moving into my apartment tomorrow! I'm going to miss the city, it's so fun to walk downtown every day. Today was definitely hot. Probably should have gone to the beach, but instead went shopping for sheets and explored the malls and shops downtown. Brittney and I took a ferris wheel ride over the river, and the city looked great in the sunshine.

Valentine's Day: The Koala Sanctuary!

Today was definitely a Valentine's Day well spent! Me and Brittney headed off to Lone Pine, the world's oldest and largest Koala Sanctuary. There was dozens of koalas everywhere and the best part was I got to hold one! They're actually pretty heavy, and I didn't get to hold it for very long but it was still the highlight of my day. We also got to see wombats, tasmanian devils, kookaburras, and crocodiles. They also had a kangaroo reserve where we got to feed the kangaroos! The kangaroos were not afraid of people at all and very relaxed, most of them were laying down in the shade during the hot afternoon. They look so strange when they run, it was really cool to watch. I made sure to take lots of pictures to remember the day.

Feb. 13th: First Rugby Game!

Hey everybody! Today was pretty exciting. Didn’t really do much this afternoon, had to move all my stuff to a new room since I extended my stay at the hostel. I have a lot of luggage! Today was a really hot day so I tried to avoid the sun in the afternoon. Me and Brittney (the other girl from Madison who is studying here) went downtown and walked around the mall a little bit. We noticed there was an event going on at the stadium close by the hostel so we decided to investigate. We found out it was a rugby game and since we’ve been planning on going to one we decided to get tickets. The game was the Queensland Reds vs. the New South Wales Waratahs (and no, I don’t know what a waratah is). (Queensland and New South Wales are two states in Australia, Queensland is where I’m staying and New South Wales is farther south, where Sydney is). Rugby is a pretty intense sport, to say the least. The basics of the game are: you can only throw backwards or laterally, you have to touch the ball down in the end zone, there’s fifteen players on the field per team (pretty sure), and other than that it’s kind of like football except with no plays, no helmets or padding, and no downs. When the ball goes out of bounds, the two teams line up and players are lifted in the air to catch the ball. Scoring is five points per touchdown, two points for a field goal after the touchdown, and three points for a regular field goal (you can kick the ball anytime on the field). There’s two forty minute halves in the game. So it sort looks like all out war on the field, which is pretty fun to watch. Rugby players are literally insane considering they run full speed at each other with no padding. There was a “curtain raiser” game with two less popular teams, which was good to watch so I got used to how the game works. The stadium filled up for the main game (Reds vs. Waratahs) with over 22,000 people showing up! The game was really exciting, the Reds ran onto the field with fireworks shooting up, and fireworks were lit every time the Reds scored a touchdown. The teams went back and forth until the last minute of the game when the Waratahs scored a touchdown to tie the score and kicked a field goal to win the game just as the timer went off. Definitely a good first rugby game, too bad we lost though. After the game we stopped for some mint chocolate chip ice cream (my favorite). It’s hard to believe it was the first time I’ve had ice cream in this country. When we got back, we decided to do laundry, which was way overdue. Tomorrow we’re going to the Koala Sanctuary, so I’m excited for that. Keep in touch!