MY SEMESTER IS OVER!!! That's right, took my last exam today. Australia and the World. It was a lot easier than I expected. Thank goodness one of the essay questions was about the relationship between Australia and the U.S, I think I had that one covered pretty well. The other exam I had was for Geographies of Social Difference, and it wasn't too bad either. For my final assignments in Indigenous Cultures and Tourism and Environmental Tourism Management I had group projects and a reflection instead of exams, so we'll see how those grades turn out. I hope I've done ok, the grading scale here is vastly different here and I hope my marks here are converted fairly so I'm able to keep the Presidential Scholarship I've fought so hard to keep at MC.
So, I suppose I should catch up everyone on what's been going on since my last post. On the positive side, my homesickness has vastly decreased. I feel a lot better now. I think the pressure of uni and work was stressing me out a ton, and the lack of people to hang out with was not helping at all. Now there's no uni, I don't have a job, and I've made some great new friends within the past few weeks, as well as reconnected with my old ones a bit. Uni ball was the first event to lift my mood. I went with a group of friends from my tourism courses, and it was a blast. 3 Course dinner on the Sydney Harbour in a glass-sided boat, with free-flowing beer, wine, and spirits for 4 hours, plus a live band! It was a fun night, and after it finished we were all too tired to go out into the city as we had originally planned, so we all went back to our friend's house and crashed. Just a few days later, I had Res ball as well. It was pretty much the same thing, only this time I was on a boat with only people I lived with on campus. We had an awards presentation and a slide show of the year, which can be viewed on my facebook page if anyone wants to see what a year at Penrith Residential College looks like.
The next big event was Halloween. However, Halloween in Australia isn't a very big thing. Most people think it's kind of stupid. Which is sad because it's so much fun! Some of the Americans/Canadians on campus threw a Halloween party, and it was a fun time. They went all out with decorations and their costumes, I was so glad not to miss out on all the Halloween fun while away from the States.
One of the best parts about this time of year in Australia: Beaches! I went to see Sculptures by the Sea on Bondi Beach with a few friends the other weekend. There were 100 unique sculptures all along the shoreline and cliffs at Bondi. Again, pictures can be found on my facebook. I've tried posting them on the blogs but for some reason they always mess up whenever I try to add a caption. I also went to Manly Beach this weekend, and it was hot! Got a bit sunburned. Ok, more than a bit. It's still a little uncomfortable. But the day was perfect besides that. My friends and I took the trains and a ferry to get there. We left at 9:00 a.m. and didn't get there til 12:00 pm. Long journey! We had fish and chips on the beach (which for me is a must whenever I go to the beach. Had it at Bondi too!) After several hours in the sun we headed to the Bavarian Bier Cafe for some quality German beers. I love going there, the atmosphere is awesome and it reminds me of my J Term trip to Germany last January. I recommend Paulaner Munchen if you're ever in Germany or happen to be at a Bavarian Bier Cafe! We got back to res (the campus where we all live) at about 10:00 pm, and everyone was outside hanging out, so we joined them. I really enjoy just hanging out and relaxing with the people who live here, it's a fun and less expensive way of socialising than going out to the city.
Last night I went to Twilight Sounds, an electronic/house music event in North Sydney, at the Greenwood Hotel. The venue was really cool, as it used to be a church and is now converted into a hotel (which means bar/club here in Australia. Most have accomodation as well, but mostly hotels are for having a few drinks or listening to music). There were several dj's throughout the night, one that played the trumpet while he was mixing! We stayed there from about 3:30 pm til around 10:00pm, then decided to catch the train home. However, on weekends trackwork is pretty routine, so buses replace trains. Since we were all starving (the only food at Sounds was a $5 sausage sizzle, and believe me, sausage sizzles are not as good as Taco Bell and should always be very cheap or free), we got off the bus at Strathfield and ate at a Korean Barbeque Restaurant. I had kimchee for the first time, which is kind of like cabbage but a lot better. I also sampled ox tounge, which a friend of mine ordered. Too chewy for me, and I couldn't get the image of what it actually was out of my head. Good thing I only had a bite!
So, now that uni is over, I have exactly one month left in Australia. One month completely free of all obligations. Complete leisure......I don't think I'll have a full month of this again until I retire! I don't even know what to do with all the time. Tonight I went to the movies, and I'm going againt tomorrow night, as well as Thursday, because Harry Potter is coming out! By the way, movies are way expensive here. Like $15 expensive. Also on Thursday I'm going to Centennial Park to go horseback riding on a voucher I purchased months ago at a really discounted price. I haven't ridden since summer, so I'm really excited about it. I get to ride in the park where Nicole Kidman learned to ride for the movie Australia! On Saturday I'm travelling to Coogee Beach on a free bus with all the people on res, so it should be a pretty sweet weekend. I also plan to go to Woolongong with a friend pretty soon (awesome beaches!) and maybe Newcastle (good beaches as well, and camping). A friend and I are planning on going to Melbourne next week as well, which we just decided on today. I'm pretty stoked about that trip, since Melbourne is one of the places I've had my heart set on visiting.
This month is going to be full of fun, exciting activities, so don't expect to hear anymore about uni in Australia! The rest of my posts will only contain reflections on what it's like to experience Australian culture in the summer, and I anticipate I'm going to enjoy what's to come in my remaining time here. Hope yall are enjoying the cold, I'm burning up over here!
So, I suppose I should catch up everyone on what's been going on since my last post. On the positive side, my homesickness has vastly decreased. I feel a lot better now. I think the pressure of uni and work was stressing me out a ton, and the lack of people to hang out with was not helping at all. Now there's no uni, I don't have a job, and I've made some great new friends within the past few weeks, as well as reconnected with my old ones a bit. Uni ball was the first event to lift my mood. I went with a group of friends from my tourism courses, and it was a blast. 3 Course dinner on the Sydney Harbour in a glass-sided boat, with free-flowing beer, wine, and spirits for 4 hours, plus a live band! It was a fun night, and after it finished we were all too tired to go out into the city as we had originally planned, so we all went back to our friend's house and crashed. Just a few days later, I had Res ball as well. It was pretty much the same thing, only this time I was on a boat with only people I lived with on campus. We had an awards presentation and a slide show of the year, which can be viewed on my facebook page if anyone wants to see what a year at Penrith Residential College looks like.
The next big event was Halloween. However, Halloween in Australia isn't a very big thing. Most people think it's kind of stupid. Which is sad because it's so much fun! Some of the Americans/Canadians on campus threw a Halloween party, and it was a fun time. They went all out with decorations and their costumes, I was so glad not to miss out on all the Halloween fun while away from the States.
One of the best parts about this time of year in Australia: Beaches! I went to see Sculptures by the Sea on Bondi Beach with a few friends the other weekend. There were 100 unique sculptures all along the shoreline and cliffs at Bondi. Again, pictures can be found on my facebook. I've tried posting them on the blogs but for some reason they always mess up whenever I try to add a caption. I also went to Manly Beach this weekend, and it was hot! Got a bit sunburned. Ok, more than a bit. It's still a little uncomfortable. But the day was perfect besides that. My friends and I took the trains and a ferry to get there. We left at 9:00 a.m. and didn't get there til 12:00 pm. Long journey! We had fish and chips on the beach (which for me is a must whenever I go to the beach. Had it at Bondi too!) After several hours in the sun we headed to the Bavarian Bier Cafe for some quality German beers. I love going there, the atmosphere is awesome and it reminds me of my J Term trip to Germany last January. I recommend Paulaner Munchen if you're ever in Germany or happen to be at a Bavarian Bier Cafe! We got back to res (the campus where we all live) at about 10:00 pm, and everyone was outside hanging out, so we joined them. I really enjoy just hanging out and relaxing with the people who live here, it's a fun and less expensive way of socialising than going out to the city.
Last night I went to Twilight Sounds, an electronic/house music event in North Sydney, at the Greenwood Hotel. The venue was really cool, as it used to be a church and is now converted into a hotel (which means bar/club here in Australia. Most have accomodation as well, but mostly hotels are for having a few drinks or listening to music). There were several dj's throughout the night, one that played the trumpet while he was mixing! We stayed there from about 3:30 pm til around 10:00pm, then decided to catch the train home. However, on weekends trackwork is pretty routine, so buses replace trains. Since we were all starving (the only food at Sounds was a $5 sausage sizzle, and believe me, sausage sizzles are not as good as Taco Bell and should always be very cheap or free), we got off the bus at Strathfield and ate at a Korean Barbeque Restaurant. I had kimchee for the first time, which is kind of like cabbage but a lot better. I also sampled ox tounge, which a friend of mine ordered. Too chewy for me, and I couldn't get the image of what it actually was out of my head. Good thing I only had a bite!
So, now that uni is over, I have exactly one month left in Australia. One month completely free of all obligations. Complete leisure......I don't think I'll have a full month of this again until I retire! I don't even know what to do with all the time. Tonight I went to the movies, and I'm going againt tomorrow night, as well as Thursday, because Harry Potter is coming out! By the way, movies are way expensive here. Like $15 expensive. Also on Thursday I'm going to Centennial Park to go horseback riding on a voucher I purchased months ago at a really discounted price. I haven't ridden since summer, so I'm really excited about it. I get to ride in the park where Nicole Kidman learned to ride for the movie Australia! On Saturday I'm travelling to Coogee Beach on a free bus with all the people on res, so it should be a pretty sweet weekend. I also plan to go to Woolongong with a friend pretty soon (awesome beaches!) and maybe Newcastle (good beaches as well, and camping). A friend and I are planning on going to Melbourne next week as well, which we just decided on today. I'm pretty stoked about that trip, since Melbourne is one of the places I've had my heart set on visiting.
This month is going to be full of fun, exciting activities, so don't expect to hear anymore about uni in Australia! The rest of my posts will only contain reflections on what it's like to experience Australian culture in the summer, and I anticipate I'm going to enjoy what's to come in my remaining time here. Hope yall are enjoying the cold, I'm burning up over here!