I'm a senior!!!

Tuesday was our debrief day, it was emotional and long but really good as well.  We did talent shows, skits, reflections, slideshows, memories and story telling from 9-5.  That night 8 of us went bowling (BIG BALL BOWLING!) it was really fun!  My first time!  I’m used to the New England Candlepin bowling… just a little different.  But I bonded with my hot pink big ball. The first ball I threw though got stuck in my thumb, almost took me with it… I let go too late and the ball flew in the air and practically cracked the floor haha!  The whole place looked at me, it was awkward… I did manage to get the hang of it and got a few strikes by the end of the night.

Yesterday was my last day at work, which went well. It was kind of hard to say goodbye! They were so nice and all gave me hugs. They didn’t want me to leave and said that if and when I come back I need to let them know :) they also want a postcard.  I feel like I’m leaving my Italian familia… I enjoyed my last piece of almond bread and butter pudding (so good!) and said goodbye to the Drummoyne Bakehouse. 

Last night, all of us ASCer’s planned a celebration dinner out to The Outback Steakhouse.  We each got all dolled up and made a great night of it!  All 37 of us came and had a really good time together. And the food was great :)

Today I finished my last presentation as a junior and am now officially a senior!!!  Crazy!  I don’t think I’ve ever done school into the month of June though. It’s good to be finally done.  Now for packing… three days to go and we’re off to New Zealand!

The Great Barrier Reef

This weekend a group of us had booked an excursion to the Great Barrier Reef for a long weekend.  It was the trip of a lifetime!  Leaving early Saturday morning, we arrived at Cairns, Queensland around 10am.  For the rest of the day we explored the little beach town.  It was beautiful!  Mountain rainforests surround the coast of Northern Queensland and the beaches are incredibly beautiful.  Though it was raining that day we had fun exploring the area, shops and our sketchy little motel, Aspect Central (where we weren’t sure if the pool was a frog pond for decoration or something for us to enjoy… we enjoyed it in the rain anyway:) ).  There also happened to be the Iron Man competition in Cairns this weekend so there were a whole heap of festivities to entertain us!  The nearby lagoon was the central hub for the excitement.  Then the night markets opened up later, which we took advantage of as well.  This laid back, beach town is WAY more my style than the city buzz of Sydney so it was fun to escape here for a while.

Sunday was the big day.  There were 17 of us who had traveled to the Reef this weekend from ASC (though we all stayed in separate hotels in smaller groups), we all had booked the same boat to go out to the outer reef for a day of snorkeling and scuba diving.  It was an all day adventure!  The boat ride was a 90 minute trip to an outer reef where we spent about 2 hours in the water exploring millions of neon fish, the brightest coral you could imagine and the bluest water!!!  The staff was raving because this was the “best day out in the reef all season!” The water was crystal clear and calm, the sun was shining strong (yep, we got burned) and we got to be there!!!!  The water was FILLED with amazing sights, my eyes couldn’t take it all in!  All the fish from Nemo were there, we saw a small shark, a sea turtle and eels as well. The shells, sea urchins and coral looked prehistoric or right out of the Discovery channel!  I couldn’t stop saying, “God, You are absolutely incredible!!” all day! My Father made that!!!

After a while we laid out on the front of the boat deck to dry out in the sun with our lunches.  They provided a great fresh lunch buffet while we traveled to our second dive spot where we spent the rest of the afternoon.  It was here where I touched Nemo! I stuck my hand down and played with the little guy and his friends then realized I stuck my hand in his toxic home as well… oh well, so my wrist burned a bit for the rest of the night, a small price to pay :) The coral and sea life was highly dangerous so we weren’t supposed to touch anything if we could help it.  I couldn’t help it! 

The ride back was fun because we were all so filled with excitement and stories about our experiences Down Under (literally) that we talked and laughed non-stop.

We arrived back to the Lagoon where we hung around for the rest of the afternoon/night to enjoy the festivities.  We were pulled into Havana Music Bar where we ordered a few refreshments while the live band sang to Megan and her "three friends" (Sarah, Carly and I).  It was a pretty funny night and the owner brought us out free freshly fried plantain chips!  Crossing the streets was treacherous though because the Iron Man was that day…  We returned to our tiny little five-man motel room where we crashed, feeling like life is surreal and thanking God for His amazing blessings.  We woke up early Monday morning to tight sunburnt skin and tired muscles, sadly heading back to Sydney. None of us were ready to leave but we were just so thankful we were able to go! 

One more week in Sydney, finishing up work, finals and the rest of the life we’ve established here then on to New Zealand!  This is all so bittersweet; I don’t think reality has fully set in yet for what the next two weeks will hold.  

Vivid

Sydney Vivid Festival of Lights has been going on for the past two weeks and it’s been a pretty amazing show!  Light shows and sculptures have been filling the streets and projected onto all the buildings, showing different scenes and artsy things.  The city is packed with people and the colorful lights light up the city so much it almost seems like the day time.

The other night we wandered around the city exploring the different displays and watching street performers then we had the chance to go on the top of one of the city’s hotel roofs to see a spectacular view!  (One of the host families’ sons manages the place).  The roof also had an outdoor hot tub which we took great advantage of :) Though it was more like a warm tub and quite hard to get the nerve to jump out of since it was pretty chilly up there.  Sarah convinced Ronnie to jump in the pool too (which she told him was about the same temperature).  Needless to say he was out of there pretty quick and we all had a good laugh over that.  Our time here is coming to a close!  But before it ends, some of us are traveling to the Great Barrier Reef in less than 24 hours!!!!!  I’m so excited to go snorkeling with the fishies :) Hopefully we don’t get too lost haha.  I don’t have the best track record with directions and transportation… 

Sydney Entertainment

Mutemath (an American alternative rock band) comes to Sydney for the first time!  An Aussie friend of mine had an extra ticket so we went.  It was a packed house in Hi-Fi- arena in the Fox Entertainment district.  When I say packed house, I mean mosh pit.  Somehow we found our way to the center front row!!! At times the crowd got so intense I literally thought to myself… “this is it, ‘American Student Dies in Sydney Mosh Pit’”…  Haha, but it was a pretty cool experience as a whole.  The band was the most interactive I’ve been seen in concert.  The main singer was in and out of the crowd, and interacting with the front row the whole time and the drummer (who duct-taped headphones onto his head and bright red afro once he got on stage) threw his drums on top of the crowd at one point then started playing on top of them…  there was a bunch of crowd-surfing and confetti flying as well.  I won’t forget that night haha! 

A few days later I experienced the opposite extreme in regards to Sydney entertainment.  Last night Megan and I decided last minute to get all dolled up and go to the Sydney Opera House to see if we could buy student rush tickets for the night performance of the Sydney Symphonic Orchestra.  We were able to buy them and they were great seats!  The coolest show!  It was whole concert of Gershwin’s compositions: Jazz, Rhythm and Blues.  Some of my favorite Jazz songs were done in such amazing arrangements!!  Tracy Dahl (an American Soprano) was flown in to sing with the band and a jazz drummer from Melbourne, David Jones, was INCREDIBLE!!!!!!  Their version of “Fascinating Rhythm” was so much fun!  The Opera House was BEAUTIFUL inside!  The décor was kind of sea-themed, the chandeliers reminded me of jellyfish.  Overall, it was a great night…  I much preferred it over the rock concert. Although I have to say that was pretty fun too  :)

This weekend I spent a bunch of time working at the BakeHouse which was fun.  I’m loving the people there and the Italian family is just to die for!  Some of them keep saying to me, can’t you just stay in Sydney???!!! :)  The regulars all know me now too and like to hear about my ventures in their homeland.  The espresso is addicting, the pastries are amazing and the fresh bread and sandwiches are way too good!  It’s been a really fun addition to my abroad experience! 

Friday some of us took a tour of the Quarantine Station at Manly Beach across the harbor.  This was a place, during the Spanish Influence Epidemic, where the sick were quarantined after they arrived by ship.  The buildings were old and very interesting, our tour guide was creepily hilarious for our “ghostlike tour,” and the location/view on the hilltop area was stunning!  In fact, during our tour there was a wedding taking place on the beach of the property and we got to sneak a peak at the reception area while the ceremony was still going on and it was so ornate and beautiful! 

Saturday five of us girls went with some of our Aussie friends two hours north to NewCastle where we went sailing on MacQuarie Lake, a salt water lake.  Despite the lack of wind… we had a really fun time together and met new Aussies.  The day was gorgeous too!  That night we came back into the city for Church by the Bridge and then to China Town for dinner.  In China Town, it literally felt like I had entered a whole new country!  And the Chinese waiters and hostesses were so aggressive to have you eat at THEIR restaurant they would practically pull you into a chair and tell you what to order! 

Just some more adventures in the Land Down Under for you ;)  who knows what’s next! 

Sunrise on the Beach

Thursday class canceled??? Score!  Sarah and I slept over Megan’s house Wednesday night and we all dared to get up at 4.25am and brave public transportation to Bondi Beach, where we would see the sunrise!!!  It was quite the adventure because the train/bus connections were very close together and Sarah (not a morning person…) was moving at snail’s pace.  We got on the first train and most of the seats were taken up by full-grown men, sprawled out on the seats, asleep…  But after an hour or so we arrived just before the sun started to rise and we saw a beautiful sunrise over the Pacific ocean.  Although the day was supposed to reach about 80 degrees, the morning was very cold. We put on many layers and cuddled close for warmth.  Surprisingly there were quite a few surfers and joggers on the beach at such an early hour!  AND the deadly sand raker that almost ran us over… multiple times.  Did we make a move? Nope, too cold to move. But we’re still alive so all is good :) 

After the sunrise we made our way to Macas (what Aussies call McDonald’s) for coffee and breakfast.  The sun was warming up the beach by this point and we shed a few layers before talking the coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach.  The cliffs, rock pools and beach trails weave in and out of many different beaches on this trek, so cool!  OH and before the walk began, I made a fun discovery… There was a large pink and rainbowed horse (with wings!) stuffed animal and a little stuffed, talking gerbil on the side of the trail, with no owner!!!  So I became the new owner.  Strapping them into my backpack, Seamore (the horse-thing) and Cuddles (in honor of Megan’s first pet) joined our pack.  However, Seamore didn’t make it.  He was voted off the island because he was too big and kept falling out of my backpack.  Not to mention the looks we were getting was driving Sarah crazy though I couldn’t care less haha. Cuddles remained though, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to make him talk!  It was more of an evil laugh but nevertheless, the thing only talked when the other girls got it to work…

We stopped many times along the way to take pictures and watch some old Italians in an intense lawn bowling tournament.  Finally arriving to Coogee, a more secluded beach, we spent the rest of the day soaking up the sun :) Another really fun adventure in Australia! 

Sunrise on the beach? Check that one off the bucket list too!

AFL

Friday after two museum visits (Sydney Historical and the Art Gallery of NSW), we were successfully able to surprise Rachel (it was her birthday) with a afternoon of Mexican food at The Beach Burrito!  Finally some great Mexican food!!!!  She was so surprised and crying happily at the sight :) that was fun!

Sydney Swans vs. Adelaide Crows = epic challenge… Saturday night I experienced my first Professional AFL game  at the Sydney Cricket Stadium!  As an ASC group of students, we saw one of the most confusing games of sport imaginable… but the players were probably the most fit athletes imaginable too.  The game was back and forth the whole night, ending with a 5 point (one scoring point) defeat by the Crows… we weren’t routing for them but it was still super exciting!  

Birthday Weekend!!!!

SARAH’S BIRTHDAY!!!!!!  Megan and I have been doing a little planning… we tried to combine all the things that Sarah has been wanting to do and wanted to surprise her. We showed up at her house around noon to wake her up and make banana chocolate chip pancakes (which they don’t have here in Australia… long story but she’s been a little bitter about it).  Then we met up with about 17 of us and went to the Sydney Olympic Park (on her bucket list).  Of course we got very lost getting there thanks to me and Megan’s directional skills.  ALL PART OF THE ADVENTURE RIGHT?!!?!?!  Eventually we made it to the park, which was beautiful and HUGE! We played mini golf (one of her favorite pass times) at the Golf Centre. But here it’s called Putt Putt.  It was an epic Putt Putt game… oh and by the way, I killed everybody with a total of 44 and 2 hole-in-ones… no big deal ;P It must run in the family since Momma Bear is a national champ (not to brag or anything..)

We missed church thanks to Sydney’s wonderful public transportation.  But we chilled at Flo (the student housing place) for dinner and movie… The Lion King.

Sunday, I spent my day serving pastries and lattes at the BakeHouse.  Once again, customers LOVE to make fun of my accent and ask, “Canada?”… close enough eh?

After work we went to this HUGE indoor rock climbing gym right outside of Sydney.  I’ve never seen anything like it!  It was so much fun.  We spent about 2 hours there,  interspersed with Foosball comps so that our forearms could take a break from shaking…  and then… MEXICAN FOOD!  Which is almost unheard of here in Australia.  There’s heaps of Thai, Asian and Greek food here but try to find a Mexican place to eat… so hard. But Mad Mex called our names and we said…mmm yes please.  And to add to the Australian Adventure, of course we had to get lost on the way home.  Good times, once you embrace it :P

.... only 6 weeks left here... where has the time gone???!!!!!