my dorm doesnt have air conditioning. which makes for sweaty, oft times sleepless nights.
but i get to go to the beach everyday and swim so i suppose i dont have it that bad =)
although, as i was telling papa earlier today, yesterday this aussie guy found a blue ringed octopus out swimming in the shallows on MY beach.
he caught it, put it in a water bottle, and gave it to a couple of girls to take it back to the bio dept, cos they're really rare and he thought they probably didnt have one.
turns out he was right, they didnt have one, and were very excited about it.
im excited that there's one less deadly thing swimming out in the ocean trying to kill me
(one bite paralyzes the respiratory tract ... ew)
im pretty pumped that i know freo so well by now. as in i can walk pretty much anywhere and usually end up in the right place. and if i dont, i always know how to get back home. so yeah, thats cool.
ive discovered that while i love to go grocery shopping with mama, im not such a fan of doing it for myself. its not even that i hate spending the money on something as useless as food (when i could be doing much more important things, like surf lessons), its just so complicated!
consequently im pretty much living off of brown rice, whole wheat pasta, cottage cheese and fruit, and toast (with vegemite!).
and ive turned into a water guzzler. diet coke here is all off, it was shocking the first time i got it actually (all of three hours after arriving in freo), almost spat it out.
that cured that addiction.
fortunately my coffee addiction hasnt had to die yet. although we lack a coffee pot in the kitchen, we DO have a french press. so im all good. and the grounds i got are actually not too shabby.
there is no Starbucks here (thankfully for my budget), and i wouldnt be surprised if i when i come back home im completely off it. then its just a matter of when i start to cave again.
probably as soon as i get back to south bend.
there's this really sweet walkway on the harbour, where they have all these anchors that they dredged up from the coast right there. the things are HUGE. its pretty sweet. they have some really old wooden ones. ill take pictures and put them up later, i think the boys would really like them.
theres also a shipwreck museum about spitting distance from my dorm. i havent gone yet, not sure i want to. i love the ocean, its so beautiful, but ive always had a hard time not seeing it as a giant graveyard. its more like that at home, where its all dark and rocky and slightly intimidating. here its all blue and white beaches and reefs and prettiness, but i still kind of have that reaction.
think about it. think about how many bodies are in there. how on ships they always referred to personnel as souls.
so yeah, there's this place in freo where you can buy chandeliers from shipwrecks, and a bunch of girls were getting all excited about how that would be *so* romantic, but i find it all rather macabre.
not as bad, but almost like the whole mummies in museums thing. its a sign of death.
point is, i dont know if i want to go look at a bunch of shipwrecks. but again, i also think the boys would probably find it really cool, so i might just go to take pictures.
im paranoid about my grades here. i was told point blank there was no way i could get a 4, cos no one does, esp americans. and i realize i probably wont, and that ultimately grades dont matter etc, but the sheer impossibility of it is driving me crazy. the fact that a 3 here is pretty much the same as a 4 back home isnt going to show up on my transcript.
its also a little rough because the way they do things here, there is no core program. and you get a 3 year degree. so im in class with students in their last year, of a very very specialized degree. like the kids in my lit class are all lit majors, and completely used to the type of class. but its my first lit class in a university setting, so i feel completely idiotic. plus they kind of assume a general knowledge of australian literature, like things you would read in high school, but obviously i dont have that.
so im irritating the other abroad kids in the class by reading books not on the reading list, in an effort to catch up. its not like im trying to be an overachiever either, i just would like to feel like i have some understanding of whats being talked about, you know?
the same goes for my theatre and cinema class (dont scoff, its going to be really interesting). i general understanding of australian culture and history is going to be assumed (a major one being Aboriginal relations), and so im going to have to do alot of research there too. which is good because thats one of the major things i wanted to accomplish here, and oddly enough i think this might be the class where i get the most of it.
my foreign policy class is going to be fine i think. the prof (lecturer here) is a hoot and a half. while preposterously expensive, the required text is really small and we only have to read a chapter a week. and he's really laid back. so oddly enough (i hate poli sci classes) i think this one might be the most stress free.
i havent had either my history or my british policy classes yet. im a little afraid of them both, the british more than the others. just because it looks as boring as humanly possible. i might look into switching out, if i can find another class that i can get into. we'll see.
i look like a leper. peeling all over. gross.
things i've noticed:
1. americans really are loud and obnoxious.
ive made a concerted effort to have a more respectful voice level, esp in public. its painful being on the train or bus with the other study abroad kids, we're just SO loud.
2. 'rubbish', 'out for a tic', 'pop it in there'
i love that they actually talk the way they're "supposed to."
i havent picked up the phrases, am trying not to. dont want to be that american tool. ive even put effort into not saying no worries, which ive been saying for years. i just feel like a poser.
3. australians really are ridiculously friendly.
its true. like, some of the kids get all overwhelmed by it ("they're SO nice!"), but i was expecting it, and honestly, im used to friendly people. i think its because im from the PNW, and alot of these kids are from the east coast, where they dont have people they have vampires.
4. stephen makes killer mixes.
been listening to "stephen mix ii: the australia ed." alot. its sweeeet. thanks buddy.
what else? i dont know.
my room is completely in shape, even better now then an hour ago cos i cleaned. im really glad classes have started, i need a schedule. am thinking about getting a gym membership (i know i know), but its 140 aud for four months, a bunch of kids have memberships, and they go all the time, so i know i would actually go, and included in the membership is accessibility to classes and such, like aerobics and dance.
the downside is i dont like spending large amounts of money in one go, and its not air conditioned.
thoughts?
ok, i think thats all i got for now. im going to go make pasta and keep an eye out for Crowded House to announce their tour dates.
im not kidding, i need prayers here. if i could see CH in australia ... im not sure what exactly would happen, but i think it would involve something close to ecstasy.
love you all, some one email me already.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
i told you all
AAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
i TOLD you!!!!!!!!!!!!
i missed MUSE
in PERTH
by TWELVE DAYS
and THEN!
they go to the usa
in APRIL
I KNEW IT
i TOLD you!!!!!!!!!!!!
i missed MUSE
in PERTH
by TWELVE DAYS
and THEN!
they go to the usa
in APRIL
I KNEW IT
im here
goooood grief, this blogging thing is going to be hit and miss.
soooo, basically, im here, and life is good. really good. =)
im staying in this adorable little place called Port Lodge, its got this beautiful park in front of it (where DMB, ben harper, john mayer and a ton of other people i dont listen to but are really famous and your average college kid would love *phew* are playing), right off the park is the harbour.
oh man, i think of papa every time i go out there, its stunning. the boats all floating around (kindof like a more chill ventura), these fish and crab shacks (dont let the 'shack' fool you though, very very spendy. although, i have to say, the other day we went out to this fish and chips place on the harbour and i really didnt feel like fried fish without ketchup (yeah, they dont have complimentary ketchup, you have to pay $1.30 [ha]), so i got the prawn pasta, cos id been craving prawns (got so spoiled at work this break, what with my daily prawn ration) and it was AMAZING, i mean from the look of the place, you'd think that everything was reallllly sketch, but i mean, this stuff was amazing. a little cilantro, lemon and lime, tomato&basil sauce, spaghetti and grilled prawns .... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, besides anything from my fish place (loyalties loyalties) is was the best seafood dish of my life mmmmmmmmmmm), and as i discovered today, a mcdonalds with the best view in the world, and this fish market that was fairly decently priced (comparatively at least), or at least i think so, i need to figure out what the kilo-pound conversion is. but it had fresh shark and swordfish steaks, and it was cool.
not gonna lie, i had no idea how obsessed with seafood ive become. its rediculous. i mean, the other day i was craving prawns.
me!
prawns!
ok, sooo, ill put up pictures soon enough so you can see how glorious it all is.
(i mean, good grief! i was slightly homesickish (not really, dont worry about me, just more thinking about how great it would be if everyone lived here so i would have to describe it you could just see it yourselves) so in my looking for something that was close to home, i went for a walk on the peir, just so i could smell the fish in the markets! i LOVE fish!)
ok.
moving on.
ummm, flight out here was unreal. best airline ever. i mean, it was great. fun fun fun.
landing in sydney was utterly surreal. you'll all scoff im sure, but flying over the city, see it all, the harbour and everything, (missed the opera house, grr), it was like coming home. i know, sappy, but its true.
i was able to reign in the tears, just because it would be completely humiliating to be all crying with these ND kids i'd just met, like earning this "complete emotional wreak" label, but anyway, my point is that there was just an overwhelming sense of serenity flying in. i felt bad leaving for perth, like i out to stay a while and say hi to the city, but i know ill end up back there later, so its all good.
getting into perth and taking the bus to fremantle. that was amazing. and yeah, i did start crying, but only a little bit and no one saw and i was overtired anyways.
port lodge is all singles, my room is miniscule, but i like it. ive already got most of my pictures up, and feel completely at home.
the kids with me are great, we all seem to get along really well. besides the ND kids there are peeps from purdue, iona college (you ever heard of it?), sacred heart, and some other place i think. the main groups are the ND, UP, and St.Johns crowds, with 18, 20, and 30 over here respectively.
we have to get our own food, so im starting to appreciate mama's tallying skills in the grocery.
looks like its going to be a pasta filled semester, with a little rice for flava
and ive vowed to develop a taste for vegemite. i must.
we started orientation today, it was fairly predictable. with the fairly predictable "we're back in frosh-o" comments. tomorrow will be boring, but wednesday and thursday should be sweet.
we spend all day wed in perth, getting the lay of the land, and thursday we get to see what all the clubs and service opportunities are. and i get to find out if they really do have a women's rugby team.
=)
oh yeah! i knew there was a reason i had to post.
so the internet here is lame because skype doesnt work very well (hence not calling yet), but we're a couple of days from getting it figured out. anyways, so a few of us were wandering all over fremantle looking for an internet cafe so we could fix our skype problems. we left too late, and the cafe we were headed to was just closed, soo they refered us to this resaurant/brewery that is right on the harbour, like, a minute from port lodge, that apparently has wireless for free. of course we would end up practically going back home after walking all over the place, but it was fun so i didnt really care, the point is, this place is AMAZING. oh man papa, you would love it so much.
first off, its called "little creatures", amazing!
second, its the coolest setup ive ever seen. the chillest vibe, very very NWsty. basically its a giant warehouse, where about half is the restaurant, the other the brewery. but everything is completely open, like you can see the rafters on the ceiling, and all that. and you can watch them brew their beer, cook the food, i mean, you can see everything. plus its got a little book corner thing, catwalks, comfy couches, and what smells like really really good food. and like it goes straight out the back onto the peir, best view. and pretty much everyone who works there wears chucks.
or has dreads.
but thats besides the point, the point is, its phenomenal. and we should have somthing like it in portland, in fact, i want to take pictures and whatnot and take them to the fish place, and be like, dude if we open up a legit restaurant, this is what it needs to be. it soo would work. and they could hire dad to brew beer, and i would cook great fish, and it would be soooooo great.
plus its called little creatures!
ok, i think you get the point.
oh yeah, we were there for like an hour, trying to figure out how the interent worked. but it didnt. we could connect to the wireless, but like something was wrong with our wireless card or whatnot and we were never able to really figure it out. so we're going to the cafe tomorrow afternoon, and then hopefully i can call everyone
but MAN it would be a great fish place inspiration. will take pix.
oh yeah, did sarah tell you al i got impetigo (sp) while at TAC?
yeah.
its mostly cleared up now though, just scabby. it was a better case then the ones ive had in the past, got better way faster, to which i credit me deciding to doulbe my dose of mynocycline to fight it off. im pretty sure thats why it worked so well.
but yeah, typical.
ummmmmmm .... yeah, not much else. ive been really busy, theres alot going on and many stories already, but im bad at this writing articulation thing.
mostly the place is fabulous, i really like the people, i like my class schedule, everyone is wonderful, and ill try to write more often and thus not run the risk of leaving stuff out
kk, love you all. write more soon.
soooo, basically, im here, and life is good. really good. =)
im staying in this adorable little place called Port Lodge, its got this beautiful park in front of it (where DMB, ben harper, john mayer and a ton of other people i dont listen to but are really famous and your average college kid would love *phew* are playing), right off the park is the harbour.
oh man, i think of papa every time i go out there, its stunning. the boats all floating around (kindof like a more chill ventura), these fish and crab shacks (dont let the 'shack' fool you though, very very spendy. although, i have to say, the other day we went out to this fish and chips place on the harbour and i really didnt feel like fried fish without ketchup (yeah, they dont have complimentary ketchup, you have to pay $1.30 [ha]), so i got the prawn pasta, cos id been craving prawns (got so spoiled at work this break, what with my daily prawn ration) and it was AMAZING, i mean from the look of the place, you'd think that everything was reallllly sketch, but i mean, this stuff was amazing. a little cilantro, lemon and lime, tomato&basil sauce, spaghetti and grilled prawns .... mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, besides anything from my fish place (loyalties loyalties) is was the best seafood dish of my life mmmmmmmmmmm), and as i discovered today, a mcdonalds with the best view in the world, and this fish market that was fairly decently priced (comparatively at least), or at least i think so, i need to figure out what the kilo-pound conversion is. but it had fresh shark and swordfish steaks, and it was cool.
not gonna lie, i had no idea how obsessed with seafood ive become. its rediculous. i mean, the other day i was craving prawns.
me!
prawns!
ok, sooo, ill put up pictures soon enough so you can see how glorious it all is.
(i mean, good grief! i was slightly homesickish (not really, dont worry about me, just more thinking about how great it would be if everyone lived here so i would have to describe it you could just see it yourselves) so in my looking for something that was close to home, i went for a walk on the peir, just so i could smell the fish in the markets! i LOVE fish!)
ok.
moving on.
ummm, flight out here was unreal. best airline ever. i mean, it was great. fun fun fun.
landing in sydney was utterly surreal. you'll all scoff im sure, but flying over the city, see it all, the harbour and everything, (missed the opera house, grr), it was like coming home. i know, sappy, but its true.
i was able to reign in the tears, just because it would be completely humiliating to be all crying with these ND kids i'd just met, like earning this "complete emotional wreak" label, but anyway, my point is that there was just an overwhelming sense of serenity flying in. i felt bad leaving for perth, like i out to stay a while and say hi to the city, but i know ill end up back there later, so its all good.
getting into perth and taking the bus to fremantle. that was amazing. and yeah, i did start crying, but only a little bit and no one saw and i was overtired anyways.
port lodge is all singles, my room is miniscule, but i like it. ive already got most of my pictures up, and feel completely at home.
the kids with me are great, we all seem to get along really well. besides the ND kids there are peeps from purdue, iona college (you ever heard of it?), sacred heart, and some other place i think. the main groups are the ND, UP, and St.Johns crowds, with 18, 20, and 30 over here respectively.
we have to get our own food, so im starting to appreciate mama's tallying skills in the grocery.
looks like its going to be a pasta filled semester, with a little rice for flava
and ive vowed to develop a taste for vegemite. i must.
we started orientation today, it was fairly predictable. with the fairly predictable "we're back in frosh-o" comments. tomorrow will be boring, but wednesday and thursday should be sweet.
we spend all day wed in perth, getting the lay of the land, and thursday we get to see what all the clubs and service opportunities are. and i get to find out if they really do have a women's rugby team.
=)
oh yeah! i knew there was a reason i had to post.
so the internet here is lame because skype doesnt work very well (hence not calling yet), but we're a couple of days from getting it figured out. anyways, so a few of us were wandering all over fremantle looking for an internet cafe so we could fix our skype problems. we left too late, and the cafe we were headed to was just closed, soo they refered us to this resaurant/brewery that is right on the harbour, like, a minute from port lodge, that apparently has wireless for free. of course we would end up practically going back home after walking all over the place, but it was fun so i didnt really care, the point is, this place is AMAZING. oh man papa, you would love it so much.
first off, its called "little creatures", amazing!
second, its the coolest setup ive ever seen. the chillest vibe, very very NWsty. basically its a giant warehouse, where about half is the restaurant, the other the brewery. but everything is completely open, like you can see the rafters on the ceiling, and all that. and you can watch them brew their beer, cook the food, i mean, you can see everything. plus its got a little book corner thing, catwalks, comfy couches, and what smells like really really good food. and like it goes straight out the back onto the peir, best view. and pretty much everyone who works there wears chucks.
or has dreads.
but thats besides the point, the point is, its phenomenal. and we should have somthing like it in portland, in fact, i want to take pictures and whatnot and take them to the fish place, and be like, dude if we open up a legit restaurant, this is what it needs to be. it soo would work. and they could hire dad to brew beer, and i would cook great fish, and it would be soooooo great.
plus its called little creatures!
ok, i think you get the point.
oh yeah, we were there for like an hour, trying to figure out how the interent worked. but it didnt. we could connect to the wireless, but like something was wrong with our wireless card or whatnot and we were never able to really figure it out. so we're going to the cafe tomorrow afternoon, and then hopefully i can call everyone
but MAN it would be a great fish place inspiration. will take pix.
oh yeah, did sarah tell you al i got impetigo (sp) while at TAC?
yeah.
its mostly cleared up now though, just scabby. it was a better case then the ones ive had in the past, got better way faster, to which i credit me deciding to doulbe my dose of mynocycline to fight it off. im pretty sure thats why it worked so well.
but yeah, typical.
ummmmmmm .... yeah, not much else. ive been really busy, theres alot going on and many stories already, but im bad at this writing articulation thing.
mostly the place is fabulous, i really like the people, i like my class schedule, everyone is wonderful, and ill try to write more often and thus not run the risk of leaving stuff out
kk, love you all. write more soon.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
bows
*and does this little dance*
cos ... *drum roll* .... i'm going to see PETE YORN!!!
ok fine, so its not that great, but its still great given that i havent been able to see ANY shows this break, and everyone and their dog is coming through AFTER i leave ... for
yeah
australia. [hee hee.]
so yeah, to wrap up, i won a couple of tix for a private session and a concert this friday, it should be fun.
boo to the gre tho, thats all i have to say about that.
other than that, news is that
AHHHHHHH!!!! mel (the CAPTAIN) is on lost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
or at least was for an episode.
i jumped, and did a little dance.
yeah, i'm full of them.
not much else, just been working and waiting to leave the country.
song of this break is: "you are the one" -shiny toy guns. i'm obsessed. totally obsessed.
new arcade fire album soooooon. this is exciting, for those who dont know.
cos ... *drum roll* .... i'm going to see PETE YORN!!!
ok fine, so its not that great, but its still great given that i havent been able to see ANY shows this break, and everyone and their dog is coming through AFTER i leave ... for
yeah
australia. [hee hee.]
so yeah, to wrap up, i won a couple of tix for a private session and a concert this friday, it should be fun.
boo to the gre tho, thats all i have to say about that.
other than that, news is that
AHHHHHHH!!!! mel (the CAPTAIN) is on lost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
or at least was for an episode.
i jumped, and did a little dance.
yeah, i'm full of them.
not much else, just been working and waiting to leave the country.
song of this break is: "you are the one" -shiny toy guns. i'm obsessed. totally obsessed.
new arcade fire album soooooon. this is exciting, for those who dont know.
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