Sydney! 11/21/09

On Friday it was the hottest day so far since I’ve been in Australia. The temperature reached a high of 106 degrees! I had gone to the beach that morning at 8:30 a.m. and it was already 90 degrees then. I didn’t stay at the beach long since it was so hot and I was just melting.

On Saturday I went to Sydney for the day to do some more shopping and just spend some time there. I bought more stuff for me, but also gifts for other people back home. I found a store on George St. that sold opal necklaces so I went there and bought myself one! The lady who owned the place was very nice and she knew I was from the States. She asked me if I would be home for Christmas and told her I would but I would miss out on Thanksgiving though. We talked about holidays and Christmas coming up and it is strange to be talking about Christmas when I was melting because it was so warm. The owner had never heard of Black Friday shopping in the States, so I explained it to her that after every Thanksgiving all the huge Christmas sales start and everyone goes out shopping and it’s absolute chaos! I also went down to the Rocks area where they have the weekend markets and did some shopping there. I spent some time around Circular Quay and a huge cruise ship was docked in the Harbour. I also saw a guy who was standing on a ladder blindfolded and he was juggling 3 wands, but one of the wands was on fire. He juggled them and didn’t burn himself, so it was pretty cool. The coolest thing though was outside the Opera House, a stage setup for Australian Idol! The finale is this weekend and it’s being held outside, so it was cool to see. Lots of people were sitting on the steps watching as some people were rehearsing on stage. The security was really crazy in the area too and lots of cars were coming and going, so it’s going to be a big event. It was a really fun day though!

I’m hoping this upcoming week I can go up to Nelson Bay, which is about an hour north of Newcastle. It’s a place I’ve wanted to go to and my Aussie friends recommend it as a good place to spend a day.

School is Officially Done & Good-bye Dinner 11/18/09

On Wednesday morning I had my international marketing final and I’m so glad it’s over with and don’t have to worry about any more school stuff! The way they do finals here is totally different, so it was an interesting experience. The professor wasn’t even there to give the final. The test was supervised by two people who monitored us and gave us instructions. I had to have my student ID card with me to prove I was really the person I say I am and I had to fill out a small yellow slip of paper basically as an attendance record. When I finished the test I had to raise my hand and one of the two people came over and they dismissed me. The entire time I was in the room taking the exam I felt like I was being watched like a hawk. The two people were constantly looking around the room and walking in between the rows. I know it’s to make sure no one is cheating, but when I take finals back at UW-P it has never been that tight. It was different, but now “schools out for summer!”

When I arrived home after my final, I heard some rustling in the bushes near the steps before walking inside the building. I looked down into the garden and a reptile, which I think was a snake, was there! It scared me so much when I first saw it.

That evening our group had a good-bye get together with our coordinator, Catherine, at Exchange Hotel in the suburb of Hamilton. Before that, Cindy, Jeanie, and I went to Hamilton early to window shop and get some ice cream. The get together was fun and now people start leaving soon, but I still have 2 weeks left! Our coordinator gave us all a small jar of vegemite to take back home, so everyone in the States better be prepared because I’m making everyone try vegemite! Catherine has been totally awesome to our group and is the best coordinator ever! So when I’m back at UW-P giving campus tours, I will drop hints about how cool study abroad was in Australia and hopefully that will interest some people.

My one roommate leaves Thursday morning to fly back home to the States, so it will be weird that she is gone. I think reality will soon set in that I leave Australia in just a couple of weeks. The time has gone by really fast, I feel like it should be September still. I think I may shed a few tears when I leave Australia because I don’t exactly want to leave.

Crunch Time 11/15/09

On Friday morning I was able to register for my classes next semester at UW-P and I got all the classes I needed. It will be an adjustment again because I will have to go to school 5 days a week, unlike the 3 days a week here in Australia. I will not be looking forward to that part.

All weekend, I’ve been studying for my international marketing final and going to the beach. It’s been such nice weather that I take breaks from studying to go outside for a couple of hours to relax. On Sunday morning I went down to Bar and Merewether beach real early in the morning. I like going to the beach in the morning because it’s less crowded and the ocean at that time of day is just glistening from the sun. There was a huge group of kids who were doing lifeguard training, so that was interesting to watch. That afternoon Cindy and I went to Stockton for a couple of hours since she had never been there yet. The beach was a complete mess with junk that had washed up from the ocean so we avoided that area. We walked out on the breakwater pathway that stretches out to the edge of the ocean and when we reached the end we had a photo shoot. Cindy wanted me to get a photo of her mid-air as she jumped up. The problem was tiny Cindy couldn’t jump very high and it was hard for me to get a shot at the right time. But when Cindy took a picture of me she got it right away and I was much higher off the ground than her! It was all fun and games though. Since Cindy and I both love ice cream, we had to treat ourselves to some once we got back.

On Wednesday this week our group is having a final get together with our coordinator before people start leaving to go back home to the States. I’m glad I will have 2 weeks left after my final to try to fit in as much as possible before I leave.

Oakvale Farm 11/12/09

On Wednesday, Cindy and I went out to eat lunch at Frog In A Sock bistro and then to go shopping. Cindy is the worst shopping influence ever because I always end up buying something and even if I told myself before I wasn’t going to, she just pulls me in! We stopped in a store called Jeanswest, and they had some really cute clothes. I ended up buying a black top that has a silver and gold pattern across part of it. Cindy helped convince me to buy it of course, haha! I may have to stop at the store again just in case I missed anything I want to buy before I leave.

On Thursday our coordinator took Zak and I to Oakvale Farm to see koalas, kangaroos, and lots of other animals. I got to pet a koala again and feed the goats, wallabies, miniature horses, and kangaroos. We got to feed baby goats a bottle of milk and one little goat downed that milk really quick. The kangaroos were fun to feed, but it was really weird too. The kangaroos take their paws and hold onto your wrist while they eat and sometimes they grip tightly. They had decently long claws so I did get scratched a few times by them. If they wanted more food or if they knew I had more, they would come up to me trying to get some. There were also lots of peacocks on the farm and they were running around like chickens with their heads cut off! The farm also had camels, a Texas long horn, and some miniature horses. The mini horses were so cute, especially the baby that was born 3 days ago. The little one would take off running as fast as it could, going around in big circles. The last thing we saw before leaving the farm was a diamond python snake shedding its skin. I really don’t like snakes and thought it was really gross, yet slightly interesting at the same time. Overall, I thought it was a lot of fun and I had a good time.

Early Friday morning, Australian time, I get to wake up so I can register for classes for the spring 2010 semester back at UW-P. I’m hoping I will get into all the classes I’m planning to take. But I need to get back to studying so I can try to ace my international marketing final!

Beaches, Beaches, Beaches 11/10/09

The past couple of days I have been spending lots of time at the beach, especially since the weather has been perfect outside! Bar Beach is closest to where I live, plus I like that beach the best, so I go there most of the time. Bar Beach is a fairly long beach and it actually turns into Merewether Beach the further along it goes. In addition to going to the beach, I have been starting to prep for my major international marketing final, which is coming up on the 18^th. Once that final is done, I won’t have any more schoolwork left to do! Also, I sign up for spring semester classes at UW-P at the end of this week, so I’m trying to get that figured out and hoping I get the classes I need.

On Tuesday when I went to the beach, I walked down further to Burwood beach since they have lots of seashells there. I grabbed a few more seashells while I was there, but I had noticed lots of dead crabs and dead crows along the beach. I’m not sure why all of the sudden there is an abundance of them lying around, but it’s really gross! I have to be careful where I walk so I don’t step in anything I shouldn’t. Other than the dead critters, it’s nice to go to the beach to relax and walk around. I wish I had a beach at my doorstep back home, but I don’t so when I leave Australia I really will miss being able to go to the beach whenever I want.

On Thursday this week, some of us are going to Oakvale Farm with our coordinator to see more koalas and kangaroos! I’m looking forward to that, especially since koalas are so cute!

Wednesday Get Together 11/4/09

I have to start this blog with a funny story that happened Monday morning as Jeanie and I were going to catch a ride to uni. We stopped by the library first to return a dvd and as we left, a mom and her son walked in too. I looked down at the little boy, who came up to my knees, and his head and eyes slowly moved up until he reached my eyes. He looked at me with a look of, oh my gosh you are extremely tall please, don’t run me over! It was the funniest thing ever and I got a good laugh out of it.

On Wednesday we had a get together with most of our group. We started at Glenrock National Park, which is located in Newcastle, and we went on a trail walk that eventually led us down to Burwood beach. The trail walk had spots where it opened up to see the beach and ocean. After the walk, we went to our coordinators house because the UW-P study abroad director is here visiting, so we had a little get together. The view from Catherine’s house was totally amazing because it looked down towards the beach and ocean. We actually saw a whale out in the ocean too! I saw its tail go into the water and huge splashes from it, but the whale never came back out of the water after that. Also, I had a first and tried vegemite! It’s quite nasty, but I’m glad I tried it just to say that I have had it at least once in my lifetime. I was told it would be very salty and it was, it some what reminded me of swallowing salty ocean water, in a weird way. Overall, it was a really good time and there was lots of yummy food to eat.

Everyday I seem to find something else more spectacular about Australia that makes me want to move here! I really like it here and I don’t want to leave in December, but I do miss everyone back home. But this upcoming Saturday, weather permitting, a few of us are going to Sydney for the day, so I’m really excited to go back there because I love that city!

Pic from 11/1/09