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???!!!!!

True Aussies

Michael, my host Dad had knee surgery the other afternoon so I offered to cook dinner.  You’d think that I had made a 5 star meal… they were so cute!  They loved it and it was really fun to cook again finally!  But what really blessed me was the fact that the whole night was full of friends, church members and family visiting and calling the family asking about how he is doing and offering prayers.  They are so loved! 

Yesterday was Anzac Day (kind of like our Veteran’s Day) and we had the day off of school.  I slept over some friends’ house and then we got up early for a trek to the Blue Mountains!!!!  There were about 10 of us Americans and we met up with my friend, James, from one of my classes.  He lives up there and he and two of his friends wanted to be our tour guides :)  

We had a truly authentic Aussie experience!  We hiked through the rainforests, rocks and landslides in the mountains from about 10am to 5am… probably about 12 miles or so.  We went out to a “Ruined Castle” (rock cliffs on the top of a mountain where we rock climbed at the top and almost got blown off by the incredibly strong gusts that were constant!  It was an absolutely beautiful day with clear skies and crisp fall air (the leaves were changing too… I didn’t even know that happened out here!).  The Aussies made us a makeshift fire in a cave at the top and we cooked toast over it!  It was pretty hilarious actually.  After the long hike, which we all completely successfully… Thank God… they had us over to James’ house for a Barbie!  They even got us apple pie for us Americans! 

Pretty much none of us had experienced such hospitality that was so generous by new Aussie friends.  We laughed all day so hard and had an amazing and long day.  After hours on the train too, we got home exhausted and so satisfied with our day off :P 

This day will not be forgotten by any of us… so much fun!  

Outback Trip!

This week our ASC group left for our long awaited Outback Trip!!!  The 37 of us students, 3 leaders and Ian (our Aussie bus driver) left for Mount Verathumble (at least that’s what it sounded like…).  We took off on a 12 hour bus trip to the middle of nowhere, it was so much fun!  The Outback was dry, red and so amazing.  I’ve never seen anything close to that before.  The farm we went to for our retreat was owned by a brother of one of the home stay families.  They owned 45,000 acres of land where they harvested crops, farmed sheep, cattle and horses.  We were housed in the old sheep shearers’ courters across from the “haunted” sheep shearers shack. However, a few of us never even stayed in the bunk rooms, instead we “slept” under the stars in the back of the yard.  The stars were absolutely incredible.  Never have I seen (nor will I probably ever again see) so many stars shining so brightly!  So many shooting stars, a clear view of the Milky Way and the Southern Cross bid me goodnight each night :)  Although the last night at around 3 am, Bandit and Mo (two of the farm dogs) decided to riverdance on my head for about ten minutes.  Since I couldn’t stop laughing they couldn’t get enough of it…  It was too funny yet so awkward and annoying at the same time.

Highlights of the weekend:  Kangaroo safaris on the back of Utes (Jeeps with back beds that we all stood on), Kangaroo night safaris, swimming in the freezing and nasty creek by our camp (we were going for a no-shower-week), watching Joe try to chase a bunny at night and Ronnie running after a herd of sheep, laughing so hard at stupid board games and star tripping, life stories by the campfire and jamming to acoustic worship music in front of an amazing Outback sunset. 

There really is no explanation that can do this trip justice.  It was incredible.  The red dirt was caked on each of us so thick by the end (or even the first day) I think I’ll be finding it on my for a week!  Oh, another fun aspect was that the host couple that brought us are both chefs so the food was SO GOOD! 

The coolest part, I think, was how much our group really bonded and grew together as a family.  We had the best time and even our leaders were saying that is has been such a blessing to have this group (it’s unusual for it to be going so smoothly and fun!).  We all are really great friends and love spending time with each other.  

It’s good to be back and showered and in a real bed but I will NEVER forget that experience and I would love to go back some day.  We all had a hard time leaving and thought about just turning around and driving the 12 hours right back to Mt. Verathumble but unfortunately… exams and midterm papers are due this week.  dun dun dun….

New Start

This has been quite a whirlwind of a week!  So long story short (because I don’t want to give details publically), I had to switch home stays this week.  It all happened really quickly but it was for the better.  I wasn’t being treated very well in the other home but now I’m in a wonderful Greek family’s house in Burwood Heights!  When I say Greek, picture My Big Fat Greek Wedding… literally, it’s hilarious.  The couple is in their upper 70’s and they are complete opposites from the other family I was staying with.  They are so sweet and loving!  Michael, the father, is a Baptist pastor at the nearby Greek church (services are only in Greek).  He also used to teach Greek school!  Marina is the most adorable little Greek lady who feeds all people like it’s her job.  She has three sons who are all grown and four grandchildren.  I made instant buddies with Anna, the three year old, only grand-daughter, who is so spoiled but adorable!  I brought them some Hot Cross Buns from the Bake House when I arrived yesterday and they were happy :)  They also are acting like they’re saving me from the family from hell… haha.

I’m really thankful for this switch.  It’s been a rough 6 weeks at the other home.  Thankfully, I am surrounded by an amazing community of friends at Wesley that this has still been an amazing experience so far and I love it here!  I am a little tired and stressed from all the drama but it can only get better from here on. 

Thinking about it, I am in Australia but surrounded by Greeks at home, Italians at work and a loving Egyptian “grandmother” who has adopted me as her daughter at my service placement.  And they call America the “Melting Pot.”  It’s been so fun to meet and love all these different people! Not to mention the incredible Aussies that are here and know how to have a good time :) 

Easter weekend is here and we’re out of school for a week and a half!!!!


Last night I was invited to a Passover meal by one of the Wesley students.  His family and their friends from church have a traditional service/dinner together every Passover.  There was a Jewish “rabbi” from South Africa who spoke along with my friend’s parents.  We sung Jewish songs, had traditional Passover food and danced around before the feast.  They were in no hurry so dinner started around 9 pm.  After that my friend, Daniel, his sister and I went over to their brother’s birthday party at his house.  This party was incredible!  They had hired all kinds of lighting, a smoke machine, bouncers and 3 or 4 DJ’s!  It was so much fun and I met some really fun people from their group of friends, most of whom were from Hillsong Church.  It was such a fun time!  One thing people in Sydney know how to do is have fun :)

Chocolate Fix

Thursday was quite the adventure. My friend Sarah had been feeling a bit down for a while so Megan and I decided to cheer her up.  We went to the park and attempted (being the key word) to throw a few boomerangs.  We soon found out it’s a LOT harder than it seems and unless you want to pay a good amount for a legit one, the pretty ones you buy at tourist gift shops don’t come back… The afternoon also involved climbing trees and statues, playing soccer and then going to Sarah’s home stay to go swimming and then jam out with Sarah on her guitar.  We had a blast!  That night I “ushered” for a play that was going on at Wesley so I got to watch it for free!  It was a strange play…

After the play a group of us all met up and went into the city to the famous chocolate bar, Max Brenners.  This place had been talked up quite a bit so I had pretty high expectations…  it was AMAZING!  Everything chocolate you can imagine!  Chocolate pipes ran through the restaurant where the chocolate flowed through to the kitchen.  We all got different desserts and tried each others.  I got the cookieshake (white chocolate, cookies and praline milkshake), which made me think I died and went to Heaven.  Seriously, this place was amazing!  We all talked and joked and laughed so hard all night, I think we all had a chocolate high J 

Friday after our noon class we went to Watson’s Bay, a beach walk / lighthouse coastal area that we’ve been hearing a lot about.  It was so beautiful.  Besides the fact that we had to walk past a nude beach (which was known to be home to a lot of old men who should be ashamed of their bodies but their not…) to get there, it was so much fun! 

A Saturday night tradition that we are creating consists of going to Church by the Bridge (a small church that’s right at the foot of the Harbor Bridge) then have a picnic dinner down by the bay when the starts are out. Definitely a highlight each week. 

Palm Sunday some of us woke up early and took a 2 hour bus ride to Palm Beach (we thought it’d be fitting).  It was a really gorgeous and remote beach north of Sydney.  It was nice to get away from the really touristy beaches near the city.  There were a ton of rocky coasts to explore and the beach sand was so soft and almost red.  The undertow was extremely strong so our time in the water never lasted long.  We did play a round of baseball in the shallow water, using a big stick of bamboo for a bat and a tennis ball.  Not sure who won but it got more exciting the smaller the chunk of bamboo broke into.  We all got burnt and had an amazing time J

Not Again!

Nike Run in Sydney is a club of people who meet each week and run around the city, starting from the Nike store.  It’s free and you get a really cool t-shirt!  A few girl friends and I went on Monday night and joined the hundred or so people who do this ritual.  They were out of shirts unfortunately, but are getting them in next week.  So we went with the 5k group, just for fun, right?  Well, I got mixed up and ended up in the fast-paced 10k group, very lost.  A guy ran up next to me and asked what I was training for.. I told him nothing, I was just running with some friends the 5k.  He laughed and said, “You’ve gone a lot farther than that! You’re in the 10k track!”  I thought it was too long…  Well, he pointed me back to the end and I left him for the shortcut to meet back up with the girls… I got lost of course and was running around Sydney trying to find the Nike store. When I got back to the store an hour later than I started, the girls had left, thinking I had left before them. I tried to find my way home and again… got lost. When I finally made it to a train station the train was stuck.  I arrived home around 8:30, so hungry!  Dinner was waiting for me… which included mashed cauliflower…  It was quite a night. 

Woke up Tuesday to my phone account shutting off.  Don’t know why yet but I’m still trying to work that one out.  Well, on the bus I lost my wallet AGAIN!!!!!!!!!   I never lose things like that and this is the second time in 8 days!!!  I was freaking out again but thank GOD that the same bus depot found it just a few hours later and my friends Percy and Niko drove me there after class to get it.  God is so patient with me to give me my wallet back twice!  Ugh, I’ve got to be better about that… But I got to spend the afternoon with my Australian Grandma, Georgette so the day improved.  We sat and talked while she fed me Tim Tams (chocolate covered chocolate cookies) and coffee :)  She is such a blessing to me!  She is an Egyptian 84-year-old who is a resident at my service placement, The Sisters of St. Joseph’s Hostel.  We have a good time together every time I go, even if I hear the same stories over and over again.

The Dreaded Week 4...

We’ve been warned about week 4.  Time and again our program directors and study abroad advisors have all told us that week 4 is break down week.  Everyone begins to get really homesick and work starts getting intense.  Well, it was quite a week.  At the start of the week both my roommate and I lost our wallets on the bus.  Same day, different bus.  I was freaking out when I found out, I never loose things like that!  She wasn’t as frazzled because that’s not too out of the norm for her…  Well, Thank GOD after I called the bus depot around the area all morning the next day, they found it and I was able to pick it up that day!!!!!  EVERYTHING was in there: ID’s, credit card, bus pass, everything!  God is good.  My roommate still hasn’t found hers…

This week was really busy with homework and projects.  We had a group project that was specifically intense on Friday.  After that, me and a few friends went to the beach to celebrate!  Then Megan and I, not wanting to be home for dinner for many reasons (it’s complicated), got Thai food at a local restaurant.  Thai food is everywhere here! It’s like they invaded Australia.  It was delicious though J Then we packed for the weekend.

South Coast Trip!!!!!  We drove about 3 hours south of Sydney to Jarvis Bay in the South Coast for an overnight stay at an Aboriginal National Park.  We camped there and were given a tour/show/class of Aboriginal people, their customs and their history.  It was definitely unique, but pretty cool.  We were right on the beach (these beaches are known for having the whitest sand in the world!) and wallabies would hop around the whole site throughout the days… so cool!  We went on a few hikes, to some botanical gardens, cooked BBQ, watched some Aboriginal traditional song and dances (which we participated in… yes we did), and had Australian s’mores (definitely not the same as American…).  Megan, Sarah and I (we’ve gotten really close), shared a tent which was a blast! We didn’t get much sleep but that wasn’t our goal J  We might have kept some other tents up for a bit… oops.  We also went star gazing on the beach which was incredible!  And I only had to pull two leaches off me all weekend…

Sunday morning we went to Shelley Beach where we saw a school of dolphins (at least 12-24) feeding in the bay.  They were jumping up and out of the water, having a good old time!  On the long bus ride home we stopped at a place called the “blow hole”.  It’s a rock/cove bay in a town called, Kiama, where the waves crash into a cove that looks like a whale’s blow hole and it spurts straight up really far!  It was pretty cool. We picnicked there for a late lunch then continued back to Sydney. 

Weekend’s over, another week to come.  I’m excited for whatever will happen; it’s always an adventure here J 

Another Weekend in "the Land of Opportunity"

Friday was a half-day!!!!  A group of us went out to Bondi Beach and did a 6k coastal walk in and out of a bunch of beaches and rock pools.  It was beautiful!  We ended at Coogee Beach where three of us stayed for a while and swam in the rock pools.  Harder than it looked; we all laughed through the pain as we “swam” along the rocks to get to the ones above the surface.  Another Australian adventure!  It was a good time :)

Saturday, Tam, Monika and I found this adorable little café a short walk from my home where the sitting area was past the secret bookshelf entrance!  Free wifi, heck yes!  Later that day…  I actually began my first day at the Bakehouse!  That’s right, I found a part time job right across the street from Wesley Institute.  It’s so much fun so far!  It’s a small (but really popular) bakery/café owned by an Italian woman and her family.  The grandparents work, barely ever do they hint at a smile but they are so cute and very Italian, speaking very little English.  I sometimes get picked on from the customers about my American accent (for instance, caramel is Care-a-mel, not Carmul and apricot is Ape-pra-cot not app-pri-cot).  I think they enjoy teasing Americans…  Anyway, the staff loves me and it’s a fun little gig and will help me pay for a weekend trip to the Great Barrier Reef in June!

NEXT weekend is our south coast trip, we’re camping on the beach!!!  Where we’ll be has the world’s whitest sand.  I’m excited…

What the Roo???

This weekend was such a great adventure!  Saturday morning we all met at a train station and headed down to Featherdale Zoo.  This was a petting zoo with Australian animals!!!!!  We fed, petted and hung around with kangaroos and wallabies, petted wombats and koala bears… koala bears!!!!!!  They were adorable.  So many different animals that are so unique to Australia.  I just kept thinking, God is so clever!  The Koalas were my favorite J 

Later that day some of us girls went and visited Church by the Bridge, a small church right next to the Harbor Bridge.  It was really great church, we met some really cool people and they had a coffee and cookie break half way through the service… I liked it. 

After the service, around 8ish, we got a few take-away pizzas from a wood-fired grill in town and walked down to the harbor.  We picnicked on a beautiful lawn looking over the harbor, bridge and opera house.  We ate, swapped hilarious stories and just got to know each other better for a few hours.

Sunday was blue mountains day!!! I organized a trip for those of us who were interested to head early down to the mountains where we spent the day hiking in the rainforests.  It was gorgeous!  It wasn’t really mountains though.  It was actually a canyon that we hiked down and into, with tons of waterfalls, caves, bridges and rainforest bushes.  SO beautiful! We saw a huge (4 foot long and FAT) lizard on the path down deep in the canyon which Tamera went running away from and I ran towards…  I got some great pictures!!!  Everyone else decided they’d just look at my pictures later.  I also was designated the group leach taker-offer since everyone else freaked out about it.  what’s the big deal?  We saw some amazing peacock-like birds which we had no idea what they were.  The rock formations were incredible, so amazing and the waterfalls were breathtaking!

On the train ride home we saw some wild kangaroos!!!!  And a fox J 

One of the greatest parts of this weekend was really developing the friendships with the others here.  I’ve been blessed with a great group, some of whom I’m especially connecting well with and we often end up in extreme fits of laughter J  

Dun Dun Dun...

I forgot to mention a minor little detail about our Adventure here Down Under…  During orientation there was a middle-aged man who was hanging around with us, he said he was a first year master’s student.  We all were talking to him and kind of humoring him.  We all were planning to go to the beach with people from Wesley and he wanted to join so we said sure!  Anyway, he came to the beach with us, hung around with us all day and even “taught” us how to surf(you might remember the name Carl from an earlier blog, yeah him).  He went out to pizza with a group of girls the other night.  A few days later, after he’d been around campus and talking with and exchanging numbers with everyone he could, we get an emergency email and text saying that he is NOT a Wesley student and he’s been posing as members of certain churches too trying to get women’s numbers.  He’s banned from campus and if he approaches or talks to any of us then we need to contact staff immediately.  CREEPYY!!!   I knew that guy gave me the creeps…

P.s.  I won bingo today at the elderly home!!!  

A Foggy Day in Sydney Town

Good Day Mate!

This week has been a bit rainy but good nonetheless.  Classes are not as demanding as they are at Gordon but that’s a good thing J that way I can have some extra time to explore.  Yesterday a few of us went into the city and visited the Botanical Gardens, which were beautiful!.  Along with the gardens came huge spiders in their massive webs and at one point there was a section of trees with tons of bats!!  I walked a little more quickly under those trees…  After that we explored some shops around the city for a while before we took the train back to our home stays.  And I am proud to say that yesterday was the first day I did not get lost on public transportation!!!!! HURRAH!!!!  That is a huge feat.  I’m not promising to keep a perfect record though; I know better than that. 

This weekend is a big celebration of Mardi Gras in Sydney.  Mardi Gras here is not the same as it is in the states, however.  Here it is a big gay/lesbian celebration.  This should be interesting.  Not sure exactly what to expect. 

Ok, so far there are a few words that I always get stuck on… Manky means gross, whinging means whining, lolly means candy (even it doesn’t have a stick!). I shouldn’t say bloody, fanny or root (they have other meanings…).

I know I’ll pull so many stupid American moves but I try to avoid that as much as possible!  We’ll see how it goes. 

I needed two extra credits here because my schedule got a little messed up so now I’m enrolled in Pilates.  Basically we do organized stretching for two hours.  Mind you, I’m in a dance school here so everyone is highly trained in ballet, hip hop, latin and other dances.  We Americans feel just a little inadequate in that department but they just like to laugh at us.  Did I mention Aussies are extremely sarcastic?  They don’t waste a moment to pick out a flaw or mistake in anyone, whether you’re new or familiar.  At least they’re not scared of us!  In fact, most people first ask if we are Canadian because they know that Canadians are offended if they are asked to be Americans, but Americans don’t care if they are asked to be Canadians. J  I’m trying to pick up all these little things, but I know I have a long way to go.

Australian Adventure Continues

Today I began like any other day… getting lost in Sydney.  Public Transportation and I do not get along well.  But as Kimberly has been telling us, “It’s part of the Australian Adventure!”  well, I left extra early for school so I was ok, just had to walk a bit after the bus driver said, “I don’t go that way,” as he looked at me with eyebrows raised.  Stupid Americans…  I don’t know if I’ll ever get the hang of this thing but I’m making lots of friends with the bus drivers, who always seem to sound friendlier with their Aussie accents.  No where near as intimidating as New Yorkers or Bostonians… Thank goodness! 

Eventually me and a few girls ended up at our service placement which is at The Sisters of St. Joseph’s, an elderly home nearby Wesley.  I wasn’t too sure I was going to be comfortable or enjoying my time here (I’ve never had good experiences with nursing homes) but I actually loved it!  I met such adorable old people, had morning tea with them, watched them do their daily exercises and played bingo with them!  I especially made a good friend in Georgetta, an Sicilian old woman who must have told me a dozen times that she wants to take me to her “home” to meet her family.  She is determined to marry me off to her grandkids.  I’m not sure that’s gonna happen, but she was precious and I loved my time with her.