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.