Sooo, it's been quite some time since I posted last. Mostly because the memory card reader and the USB ports on my laptop decided to stop working so I was without my own computer for about four days. Thank goodness for three year warranties. But that's not important right now.
A week ago Wednesday this group called Bombs Away was performing at the Ranch. The party was pirate themed. I was sooo excited for this because when I first got to Australia I kept hearing this song at all the clubs and it became my jam. Turns out it is by Bombs Away, and then I found out they were coming! So that was great.
Last Saturday, we finally made it to Bondi Beach! I loved it. It was gorgeous, had a lot of cool shops and stands, and it was a really nice day over all. I bought myself some souvenirs and got my tan on.
The following Monday, we went to the Hunger Games. (Monday night is $8 movies for students...so that's our movie night.) Here's the thing: I didn't read the book, and in the beginning of the movie my friend Abby and I--we made commentary throughout the ENTIRE movie--were talking about how messed up the premise of the movie was. Anyway, about 20 minutes into the movie we finally got reeeeally into it. We were also confused about the whole Katniss thing...I thought her name was Candace for a while and people just sucked at talking. And then I just wanted to call her "Cat-ness" or "Catnip." Also...Peeta? Definitely thought it was "Peter" the whole time. I don't know why I'm going into so much detail about this...sorry.
Tuesday I laid by the pool and got my tan on again. I feel like I had been losing my tan for a while so I really wanted to do something about it. Haha.
Wednesday we went to the Ranch. Obviously. We do that every Wednesday.
Thursday we went to Ubar. Not much going on...Abby and I were among about six people on the dance floor for a while. Awk.
This Friday was our friend Alexis's 21st birthday partaaay! It was pretty fantastic. I didn't feel quite as fantastic about it the next day...but luckily Alexis, Abby, and I discovered the hangover cure of champions: bushwalking.
Yesterday (Saturday) we went to Lane Cove National Park (hangovers and all) and hiked for three hours. We saw countless lizards, and when we had finished our hike we ended up all the way at the other side of the park. We definitely had to take a bus back. We had also planned on camping at Lane Cove, so we had bought a bunch of hot dogs and decided we should eat those and pretend we were camping when we got back. Because we are cool. In the evening we went to Luna Park! If you have seen Our Lips Are Sealed, (the Mary Kate & Ashley classic) Luna Park is the amusement park that the girls go to with their surfer men. Oddly enough, the girls in that movie are named Abby and Maddie, so Abby and I decided we really need to find dates to take us there so we can reenact the movie. Luna Park was so much fun! We rode a bunch of rides...the unlimited ride bracelet is normally $40 but last night it was buy one get one free! There were three in our group, but another girl who was in a group of five asked if we wanted to pair up to get the cheaper price. Obviously we did. When we got back from Luna Park, we made s'mores (also with the supplies he had bought for camping). Australia doesn't have graham crackers, apparently...so we had to buy these plain cookie things...and their marshmallows come in bags like candy comes in, and they were pink and white. They also tasted strawberry-ish...it was bizarre.
Today...I work on homework. My last assignment due before TWO WEEKS OFF is due on Tuesday, so I need to get that done. Friday I leave for the Gold Coast! Yeeeeesssssss.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Shit ay!
I have been doing some thinking lately (mostly, during lectures when I'm spacing out). And this blog is the result, so here we go...
Things I miss from home:
1. Friends & family, of course
2. Pets
3. Hair straightener (the one I bought here doesn't work...at all)
4. Being able to afford alcohol
5. Ben & Jerry's (for less than $10 a carton)
6. The...inappropriate dancing that is the norm at home.
Things I will miss when I go home:
1. Friends
2. The people--even the ones that aren't my friends. Everyone is so much friendlier here.
3. The accent
4. The weather
5. The beach
6. How everything I eat is delicious, no matter what it is
7. The gym
8. The entire campus, actually
9. Having my own bathroom
10. Being able to/being forced to walk everywhere
11. The Australian sayings/words
12. Constantly taking pictures (without feeling annoying)
13. The level of independence
14. Not having class on Fridays
15. Visiting tourist attractions all the time
16. Goon
17. Having a bar on campus
18. All the themed parties
19. The birds
20. Kangaroos and koalas, of course...but I don't see those on a regular basis.
21. All the random uni events with free food...
Things I haven't mentioned:
Time goes by soooo quickly here. I seriously can't believe March is already more than half over.
I put ketchup on everything. Well, not everything. But I'm REALLY into it here.
I'm also pretty into chili sauce here. Most of my meals contain either ketchup or chili sauce.
I also eat a lot of peanut butter.
You may have noticed I didn't mention missing my iPhone, car, or TV (there are like 5 fuzzy channels on our TV here). And that's because I don't. I missed my iPhone for about the first week or two, but I just don't mind anymore.
Annnd I think I'm forgetting some things.
Things I miss from home:
1. Friends & family, of course
2. Pets
3. Hair straightener (the one I bought here doesn't work...at all)
4. Being able to afford alcohol
5. Ben & Jerry's (for less than $10 a carton)
6. The...inappropriate dancing that is the norm at home.
Things I will miss when I go home:
1. Friends
2. The people--even the ones that aren't my friends. Everyone is so much friendlier here.
3. The accent
4. The weather
5. The beach
6. How everything I eat is delicious, no matter what it is
7. The gym
8. The entire campus, actually
9. Having my own bathroom
10. Being able to/being forced to walk everywhere
11. The Australian sayings/words
12. Constantly taking pictures (without feeling annoying)
13. The level of independence
14. Not having class on Fridays
15. Visiting tourist attractions all the time
16. Goon
17. Having a bar on campus
18. All the themed parties
19. The birds
20. Kangaroos and koalas, of course...but I don't see those on a regular basis.
21. All the random uni events with free food...
Things I haven't mentioned:
Time goes by soooo quickly here. I seriously can't believe March is already more than half over.
I put ketchup on everything. Well, not everything. But I'm REALLY into it here.
I'm also pretty into chili sauce here. Most of my meals contain either ketchup or chili sauce.
I also eat a lot of peanut butter.
You may have noticed I didn't mention missing my iPhone, car, or TV (there are like 5 fuzzy channels on our TV here). And that's because I don't. I missed my iPhone for about the first week or two, but I just don't mind anymore.
Annnd I think I'm forgetting some things.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Time flies when you're serving salad...
I have had quite a splendid week. On Monday I finally got myself a gym membership to the Macquarie Uni gym (yes you have to pay for it, but it isn't too expensive and it blows the UPS 'gym' out of the water). I went to step aerobics on Monday night, then ab blast followed by Zumba on Tuesday! I felt very productive. Tuesday I also bought some postcards and postage...so...a few of you may have made it into the first round of postcards that I sent out on Wednesday morning. Be excited for that. Wednesday & Thursday night were reserved for going out. No theme nights this week, so my outfits were a little bit less ridiculous, as Facebook pictures will show.
Thursday and Friday afternoon were spent by the pool. I had planned on spending much more time at the pool on Friday, but on Thursday night I got a text that I got the position at Sumo Salad and my first shift was Friday 11-2. It was reeeeally busy...I had the lunch rush shift. It went by very quickly, though! And I need the money. Friday night was a girls' night in...we watched Bridget Jones's Diary and Wimbledon, and ate far too much.
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and we were fortunate enough to get four free tickets to a rugby game when we were at the gym on Friday. We had already reserved an Opera House tour at noon, so we started our day there. I don't think I've mentioned that there is a play on at the Opera House this month called This is Our Youth starring MICHAEL CERA and Kieran Culkin... Well, my friends and I were dying to see it, but by the time we tried to buy tickets, it was sold out. On our tour, the guide kept talking about how it was on and I was deeply depressed. We also got to go backstage (which apparently isn't the norm for the tour we were on) and our guide told us we may run into one of them, and that if we did we had to leave them alone because the show was going on. I was reeeeally hoping to see one of them, but it didn't happen.
After the tour, we went to this market in the city and tried to find stuff to deck ourselves out for St. Patrick's Day. We ended up getting matching green tank tops, but they weren't related to the holiday at all. We took the bus to the park where the rugby stadium was, and we were there about an hour and a half before the doors opened, so we took shelter at a bus stop and played games. So...rugby was fun! My friends and I were all in agreement that we would much rather be at a rugby match than clubbing... Clubbing (in big clubs in the city) is not really our thing. There was the little issue that we know NOTHING about rugby. Actually, that's a lie. I know that you can't throw the ball forward. And no, I didn't learn that yesterday. I don't think I learned anything about rugby yesterday... The match was between the HSBC Waratahs and the Western Force. We decided we should cheer for the Waratahs, since they were the home team. They ended up losing 20-21, but that's fine. Oh yeah, I did learn a Waratah is a flower... Really? They are essentially the Flowers. Anyway...it's Sunday now and I haven't decided what I am going to do today. I'm not ready for the weekend to be over! Time goes by so quickly here.
Thursday and Friday afternoon were spent by the pool. I had planned on spending much more time at the pool on Friday, but on Thursday night I got a text that I got the position at Sumo Salad and my first shift was Friday 11-2. It was reeeeally busy...I had the lunch rush shift. It went by very quickly, though! And I need the money. Friday night was a girls' night in...we watched Bridget Jones's Diary and Wimbledon, and ate far too much.
Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, and we were fortunate enough to get four free tickets to a rugby game when we were at the gym on Friday. We had already reserved an Opera House tour at noon, so we started our day there. I don't think I've mentioned that there is a play on at the Opera House this month called This is Our Youth starring MICHAEL CERA and Kieran Culkin... Well, my friends and I were dying to see it, but by the time we tried to buy tickets, it was sold out. On our tour, the guide kept talking about how it was on and I was deeply depressed. We also got to go backstage (which apparently isn't the norm for the tour we were on) and our guide told us we may run into one of them, and that if we did we had to leave them alone because the show was going on. I was reeeeally hoping to see one of them, but it didn't happen.
After the tour, we went to this market in the city and tried to find stuff to deck ourselves out for St. Patrick's Day. We ended up getting matching green tank tops, but they weren't related to the holiday at all. We took the bus to the park where the rugby stadium was, and we were there about an hour and a half before the doors opened, so we took shelter at a bus stop and played games. So...rugby was fun! My friends and I were all in agreement that we would much rather be at a rugby match than clubbing... Clubbing (in big clubs in the city) is not really our thing. There was the little issue that we know NOTHING about rugby. Actually, that's a lie. I know that you can't throw the ball forward. And no, I didn't learn that yesterday. I don't think I learned anything about rugby yesterday... The match was between the HSBC Waratahs and the Western Force. We decided we should cheer for the Waratahs, since they were the home team. They ended up losing 20-21, but that's fine. Oh yeah, I did learn a Waratah is a flower... Really? They are essentially the Flowers. Anyway...it's Sunday now and I haven't decided what I am going to do today. I'm not ready for the weekend to be over! Time goes by so quickly here.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Alpaca Pregnancy Test
As I mentioned on Friday, I spent the weekend in the country. I had absolutely no idea where I would be going in the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, just that I was paired with my friend Sara. We arrived at the train station, and there was a representative from each farm to pick up their students. It seemed like everyone had already found their ride, and finally Sara and I were approached. The man was named Ian, and the ride was about 30 minutes. I don't think he told us exactly what their farm entailed right away. It turns out, he and his wife, Fiona, are Alpaca farmers! We pulled up to their house and I was shocked. It was HUGE, and very modern. It was amazing inside as well. (I took pictures throughout the house...they'll be on Facebook.) We put our stuff down, met Fiona, and then went out to feed some Alpacas. They were adorable, and some would eat out of your hand. They're pretty skittish, especially around people they don't know. The farm is 100 acres, and we did a lot of walking over the course of the weekend. It had also been raining consistently there for about 2 weeks, so the ground was waterlogged, and their ponds were all flooded. The good news is they had extra rubber boots (gum boots, as they are called here) for Sara and I to wear. Luckily, the few days that we were there were beautiful.
After feeding the Alpacas, we sat on the deck and talked for a while. And then...the first meal. Dinner was amazing. Fiona made honey and lemon chicken, potatoes, and peas and carrots, and Ian made some sort of non-alcoholic mixed drink with bitters and apple juice and various other ingredients. Dessert was an apple tart. Some of you may know that I'm not a big fan of 'cooked fruit.' Especially apples. I may be one of the minority of Americans who don't like apple pie. But I thought it would be rude not to eat it, and I figured I should try it anyway. Best move ever. It was AMAZING. After dinner, Ian and Fiona took us for a drive to see if we could find any kangaroos! Yes, over the weekend I saw my first (and second, and third, and fortieth...) kangaroo in the wild! We saw a lot of them that night.
Sara and I are early risers, so we were up at about 7:45 on Saturday, to Ian and Fiona's surprise/delight. We had told them the night before that we usually get up early, but they told us there was no pressure. Since we were up early enough, we got to go around for the morning feedings (after our morning feeding, of course). We also got to watch Ian and Fiona cut the nails of some Alpacas, and then, most interestingly, the Alpaca pregnancy test. So, one male escaped from his paddock and managed to get out and all the way across the road into a paddock with some females. There were three that he may have mated, and they were all past their prime...aka it would've been a pain if they were pregnant. Anyway, a female Alpaca knows she's pregnant about two weeks after mating. So to find out, you put a female with a male (any male, not just the one that mated her) in a closed space, and if she spits at him and fights with him, she's pregnant. It's as if she's telling him to stay away because it's no use trying to mate with her. If she isn't pregnant, she will lay down, giving him permission. It turns out that the three older females were not pregnant, but we also got to witness a positive pregnancy test of a female who they were trying to get pregnant. After all of that, we had a cuppa. (Cup of tea/coffee...Australians have the best words/sayings.)
After our cuppa, we got to do some halter training. One young female, Beba, is very well-trained already, so Sara led her and Fiona switched between two that she was training for the first time. They were very stubborn and would just lie down and not move. Beba is VERY talkative. It was adorable. The Alpaca sound is very low, it kind of sounds like saying, "Hmmm," from your throat. Anyway, she would "Hmmm" at us and Sara and I would have conversations with her. She was a funny one. After halter training, we had lunch. There was homemade bread, brie cheese, cheddar cheese, various meats, Indian wedding chutney, peach relish, and extra delicious cherry tomatoes. I believe we did a little more halter training after that, maybe... And at 4:30 there was a farm tour, with people from our program who were staying at farms without animals. Dinner that night was a barbecue at another 'farm' there. We brought salad and lamb, and when I was dishing myself up, Ian says, "Would you like to try the Alpaca meat?" I said there's no way, but then he had almost convinced me, and says, "It tastes a lot like lamb." Fiona laughed and said, "That's because it is." Oh yeah, I also don't normally like lamb... Once again, I figured I would try it. I actually enjoyed it! My family is going to be so proud of me. On the way home from the barbecue, we saw more kangaroos.
Sunday morning, Sara and I were up around 8 again, ate breakfast, and fed the Alpacas. We did more halter training, and this time I lead Beba and she lead Russlana, another who was already halter trained. We would lead them ahead of whichever stubborn one Fiona was working with, but it still didn't encourage them much. We had another cuppa, and then went on a hiking/slight rock-climbing expedition on the steep hills/cliffs of their property. We found some caves that animals live in, but didn't see any animals. We had the same lunch, then put some Alpacas back in their paddock. And then it was time to go... We were SO sad to leave. We are hoping to plan a weekend later in the semester to go back. Fiona and Ian were like our parents for the weekend, and they were great. Working with the Alpacas was also really fun, and being away from my computer (and also having no cell phone service...they're in a valley) was nice. They also have an adorable, sweet, and crazy intelligent Border Collie named Trema. I MISS DOGS. It was great to have one around.
Other things:
Their locality (sort of like a town...) is called Canyonleigh. There isn't a hospital there, and ambulances can't access the area easily. The solution to this problem: there are four trained and certified couples, and one emergency vehicle that rotates between them. Each week, starting on Friday, one of the couples has the vehicle and all the equipment, including a pager and a phone. It was their week, so it was possible that Fiona and Ian would get a page and have to leave us at any time, but no calls came in.
We got to see kangaroos, as I said... We didn't see any wombats, koalas, goannas, or (thankfully) snakes, though all of them are present in the area. We saw some lizards (skinks), and another lizard...I forget the name, but it's the type that runs on its back legs...and terrapins (like turtles). We saw lots of birds, and got to hear the kookaburras, which sort of sound like crazy laughter and/or monkey noises.
I probably forgot a lot of things...but I'm exhausted so that's that. And now I will be uploading the pictures from the weekend to Facebook. Good night!
After feeding the Alpacas, we sat on the deck and talked for a while. And then...the first meal. Dinner was amazing. Fiona made honey and lemon chicken, potatoes, and peas and carrots, and Ian made some sort of non-alcoholic mixed drink with bitters and apple juice and various other ingredients. Dessert was an apple tart. Some of you may know that I'm not a big fan of 'cooked fruit.' Especially apples. I may be one of the minority of Americans who don't like apple pie. But I thought it would be rude not to eat it, and I figured I should try it anyway. Best move ever. It was AMAZING. After dinner, Ian and Fiona took us for a drive to see if we could find any kangaroos! Yes, over the weekend I saw my first (and second, and third, and fortieth...) kangaroo in the wild! We saw a lot of them that night.
Sara and I are early risers, so we were up at about 7:45 on Saturday, to Ian and Fiona's surprise/delight. We had told them the night before that we usually get up early, but they told us there was no pressure. Since we were up early enough, we got to go around for the morning feedings (after our morning feeding, of course). We also got to watch Ian and Fiona cut the nails of some Alpacas, and then, most interestingly, the Alpaca pregnancy test. So, one male escaped from his paddock and managed to get out and all the way across the road into a paddock with some females. There were three that he may have mated, and they were all past their prime...aka it would've been a pain if they were pregnant. Anyway, a female Alpaca knows she's pregnant about two weeks after mating. So to find out, you put a female with a male (any male, not just the one that mated her) in a closed space, and if she spits at him and fights with him, she's pregnant. It's as if she's telling him to stay away because it's no use trying to mate with her. If she isn't pregnant, she will lay down, giving him permission. It turns out that the three older females were not pregnant, but we also got to witness a positive pregnancy test of a female who they were trying to get pregnant. After all of that, we had a cuppa. (Cup of tea/coffee...Australians have the best words/sayings.)
After our cuppa, we got to do some halter training. One young female, Beba, is very well-trained already, so Sara led her and Fiona switched between two that she was training for the first time. They were very stubborn and would just lie down and not move. Beba is VERY talkative. It was adorable. The Alpaca sound is very low, it kind of sounds like saying, "Hmmm," from your throat. Anyway, she would "Hmmm" at us and Sara and I would have conversations with her. She was a funny one. After halter training, we had lunch. There was homemade bread, brie cheese, cheddar cheese, various meats, Indian wedding chutney, peach relish, and extra delicious cherry tomatoes. I believe we did a little more halter training after that, maybe... And at 4:30 there was a farm tour, with people from our program who were staying at farms without animals. Dinner that night was a barbecue at another 'farm' there. We brought salad and lamb, and when I was dishing myself up, Ian says, "Would you like to try the Alpaca meat?" I said there's no way, but then he had almost convinced me, and says, "It tastes a lot like lamb." Fiona laughed and said, "That's because it is." Oh yeah, I also don't normally like lamb... Once again, I figured I would try it. I actually enjoyed it! My family is going to be so proud of me. On the way home from the barbecue, we saw more kangaroos.
Sunday morning, Sara and I were up around 8 again, ate breakfast, and fed the Alpacas. We did more halter training, and this time I lead Beba and she lead Russlana, another who was already halter trained. We would lead them ahead of whichever stubborn one Fiona was working with, but it still didn't encourage them much. We had another cuppa, and then went on a hiking/slight rock-climbing expedition on the steep hills/cliffs of their property. We found some caves that animals live in, but didn't see any animals. We had the same lunch, then put some Alpacas back in their paddock. And then it was time to go... We were SO sad to leave. We are hoping to plan a weekend later in the semester to go back. Fiona and Ian were like our parents for the weekend, and they were great. Working with the Alpacas was also really fun, and being away from my computer (and also having no cell phone service...they're in a valley) was nice. They also have an adorable, sweet, and crazy intelligent Border Collie named Trema. I MISS DOGS. It was great to have one around.
Other things:
Their locality (sort of like a town...) is called Canyonleigh. There isn't a hospital there, and ambulances can't access the area easily. The solution to this problem: there are four trained and certified couples, and one emergency vehicle that rotates between them. Each week, starting on Friday, one of the couples has the vehicle and all the equipment, including a pager and a phone. It was their week, so it was possible that Fiona and Ian would get a page and have to leave us at any time, but no calls came in.
We got to see kangaroos, as I said... We didn't see any wombats, koalas, goannas, or (thankfully) snakes, though all of them are present in the area. We saw some lizards (skinks), and another lizard...I forget the name, but it's the type that runs on its back legs...and terrapins (like turtles). We saw lots of birds, and got to hear the kookaburras, which sort of sound like crazy laughter and/or monkey noises.
I probably forgot a lot of things...but I'm exhausted so that's that. And now I will be uploading the pictures from the weekend to Facebook. Good night!
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Just some stuff...
So, not much worth telling has happened lately. I mentioned in an earlier post that I would be going to Fiji for spring break. Well, it was a little spendy, so my friends and I decided to go to the Gold Coast (in Australia, for those of you who don't know) instead. We plan on seeing the Great Barrier Reef and possibly diving with sharks. We already booked our flight and hostel.
This weekend I will be living on a farm... Apparently we do chores and help out in exchange for a place to stay and, best of all, free home-cooked meals! That's worth it to us poor, unemployed college students in this expensive country. (Seriously...their minimum wage is $15.15 or so. I NEED a job.)
Speaking of jobs, I handed out my resume to a bunch of places in the mall the other day, and one of them interviewed my friend and I on the spot. It's just a salad place in the food court, but today I go in for a two-hour trial shift and I should know if I actually have a job in a week or so.
Oh yeah, and my friend was nice enough to post this on my wall:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/thousands-spiders-blanket-australian-farm-escaping-flood-165958059.html
Things you need to know: 1. I HATE spiders. 2. This happened on a farm in New South Wales. I live in New South Wales, and I'm going to be living on a farm this weekend... 3. It has rained a lot in the past week.
Yesterday I walked to class in boots (first time I've worn those in a while) that I wear all the time at home, including in the rain. They were absolutely SOAKED by the time I got there. That doesn't even happen at home. And of course I was dressed for cold and rain and the uphill walk back was really sunny and hot. Bipolar weather just like at home!
Annnd, this is my life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhMucFYi4Hw
1. Coffee (and everything...even ketchup) is actually better here. I don't know what it is.
2. We get lost constantly.
3. They know we're American because: we're loud, our accents, and we don't know what we're doing. Among other things.
4. They do call 'fries' 'chips.'
5. Yes, we can drink the water.
6. Yes, this has changed my life.
7. We do not have to tip.
8. The kids ARE adorable. On the flight here there was a baby across the aisle from me that wouldn't stop staring at me, so I'd make ridiculous faces at him. His mom said he was flirting with me. Flattered.
I'll stop there...but my friends and I have said/thought so many of the things in that video, or variations of them. Sorry this is long and probably terribly boring to read. I'm just bored at 8:30 am. Anyway, anything worthy of sharing (or maybe not) from the past week has been documented via my Facebook pictures.
This weekend I will be living on a farm... Apparently we do chores and help out in exchange for a place to stay and, best of all, free home-cooked meals! That's worth it to us poor, unemployed college students in this expensive country. (Seriously...their minimum wage is $15.15 or so. I NEED a job.)
Speaking of jobs, I handed out my resume to a bunch of places in the mall the other day, and one of them interviewed my friend and I on the spot. It's just a salad place in the food court, but today I go in for a two-hour trial shift and I should know if I actually have a job in a week or so.
Oh yeah, and my friend was nice enough to post this on my wall:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/thousands-spiders-blanket-australian-farm-escaping-flood-165958059.html
Things you need to know: 1. I HATE spiders. 2. This happened on a farm in New South Wales. I live in New South Wales, and I'm going to be living on a farm this weekend... 3. It has rained a lot in the past week.
Yesterday I walked to class in boots (first time I've worn those in a while) that I wear all the time at home, including in the rain. They were absolutely SOAKED by the time I got there. That doesn't even happen at home. And of course I was dressed for cold and rain and the uphill walk back was really sunny and hot. Bipolar weather just like at home!
Annnd, this is my life:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhMucFYi4Hw
1. Coffee (and everything...even ketchup) is actually better here. I don't know what it is.
2. We get lost constantly.
3. They know we're American because: we're loud, our accents, and we don't know what we're doing. Among other things.
4. They do call 'fries' 'chips.'
5. Yes, we can drink the water.
6. Yes, this has changed my life.
7. We do not have to tip.
8. The kids ARE adorable. On the flight here there was a baby across the aisle from me that wouldn't stop staring at me, so I'd make ridiculous faces at him. His mom said he was flirting with me. Flattered.
I'll stop there...but my friends and I have said/thought so many of the things in that video, or variations of them. Sorry this is long and probably terribly boring to read. I'm just bored at 8:30 am. Anyway, anything worthy of sharing (or maybe not) from the past week has been documented via my Facebook pictures.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Small World
Thursday night was my first experience at UBar (yeah, they have bars on campus here). It was a pretty fun night, and since UBar is the place to be for students on Thursday, you run into a lot of people you know. It was also free entry until 10 pm, but we left before 10 and went back...but my friends and I had the hook-up, sooo that was pretty exciting.
Last night there was a free party bus to King's Cross with free entry to The Club. After eating a delicious dinner made by our housemate (it is Abby & I's turn to make dinner tomorrow), we headed for the East Village. We met up with Abby's friend from home who is studying abroad at Wollongong and was visiting for the weekend. The weirdest thing though was running into a girl who knows where Rainier, Oregon is! For those of you who don't realize, I'm from Rainier. It has a population of about 2000...smaller than the number of students at UPS. Actually, here is what Rainier, Oregon is all about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier,_Oregon
P.S. We don't even have a grocery store.
Anyway, the girl's grandparents live there, and she's been there multiple times. She has even been to Rainier Days, which is a carnival thing we have every summer. Basically, my mind was blown.
So after all that, we were the first ones to get on the party bus. It was actually just a bus. But anyway, we got to the club, waited in line, and then got inside only to stay a little while. We just weren't that into it. So we took a cab back.
Tonight are the Mardi Gras festivities in the city, so that's where we'll be later. Oh and to clear things up, it is Saturday here. My blog posts are on US time still, and I don't know how to change it.
Last night there was a free party bus to King's Cross with free entry to The Club. After eating a delicious dinner made by our housemate (it is Abby & I's turn to make dinner tomorrow), we headed for the East Village. We met up with Abby's friend from home who is studying abroad at Wollongong and was visiting for the weekend. The weirdest thing though was running into a girl who knows where Rainier, Oregon is! For those of you who don't realize, I'm from Rainier. It has a population of about 2000...smaller than the number of students at UPS. Actually, here is what Rainier, Oregon is all about:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainier,_Oregon
P.S. We don't even have a grocery store.
Anyway, the girl's grandparents live there, and she's been there multiple times. She has even been to Rainier Days, which is a carnival thing we have every summer. Basically, my mind was blown.
So after all that, we were the first ones to get on the party bus. It was actually just a bus. But anyway, we got to the club, waited in line, and then got inside only to stay a little while. We just weren't that into it. So we took a cab back.
Tonight are the Mardi Gras festivities in the city, so that's where we'll be later. Oh and to clear things up, it is Saturday here. My blog posts are on US time still, and I don't know how to change it.
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