What a fun filled weekend! On Friday was the Nautical Ball hosted by the AMC and it was at a really nice place down by the river. We had dinner and a live band played that we have actually went and listened to quite a bit because they are soo good! It was a nice evening and everyone looked great!
Pavlova
On Saturday we went to a BBQ with some friends and had some dim sims (like egg rolls), chicken wings, kabobs, and burgers on the barbie. For dessert we had pavlova, which was different but good (kind of like a meringue). We just sat around the fire and relaxed.
Dim Sims Mmm!
Then today (Sunday), Paige, Thomas, Shelley and I went to the Tasmania Zoo. We caught a bus and went on a long journey there and it was not what we were expecting, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Along the ride we saw our first wallabies, however they were all roadkill… At the zoo it was small and all of the cages were low so that you could pet the animals. There were heaps of birds and also kangaroos, fish, snakes, monkeys, penguins, koalas, wombats, wallabies, emus, wild dogs, chickens (one decided to follow me a majority of the time), echidnas, ponies, alpacas, crocodiles, and of course the Tasmania devil. We actually got to see the devils being fed. They fought over the hunk of kangaroo and they were very feisty! I also got to pet a baby devil and got a picture with her. There was also a macaw that was quite the character and would say hello, chuckle, and liked scraping its beak across the metal, which made an awful screeching noise. When we got to the kangaroo exhibit one of them hopped over to us and it was very exciting because it was the first kangaroo we had seen since being here! It was a fun day and the weather was absolutely beautiful!
Tomorrow is the first day of my break and I am going to take the bus down to Hobart to meet up with Victoria. She has transformed their “study room” into my bedroom for the week and I am excited to stay with her and her family. It is about two and half hours away and is the capital of Tasmania. Victoria has a list of things planned out for us each day and I am excited to see some new sites. Then on Saturday/Sunday the rest of the Butler gang is taking off for their break. They get a two-week break and it will be soo weird not seeing them for that long!
Random:
- sneakers = runners
- The Tasmanian devil is going extinct and the Tasmania Zoo is doing lots to help save them and to keep them around for longer.
- It is staying lighter out now and doesn’t get dark until 7ish
- I am halfway done with this semester! CRAZY!
a Plover
- I will have friends all over the world soon… One just left France for DC, another one is in Miami, another is going to Rome, and a couple off to Spain!
- At Stew, Paige, and Brenna’s school the children were not allowed to go out to recess because the plovers were swooping and they attack people…
- I really miss Taco Bell
On Sunday, Jess (girl from class) picked Brenna and I up and we went to church with her and her boyfriend Peter. They go to a church in the city and it is a Presbyterian church, which I really knew nothing about but was excited to check it out. It was an older church filled with older people, but it reminded me so much of my church back home! We sang hymns and the preacher reminded me of one of our past preachers, Howard Bell. It was nice to be back in church and it felt like home. Next Sunday, they have a service that is more contemporary in the evening and I am excited to check that out and meet some more people my age. After church, we went down to the gorge because it had rained quite a bit the past few days and the water was probably high up and it sure was! Usually you can see a giant swimming pool, but it was covered and the rapids were intense. We went across the suspension bridge and the roaring rapids were incredible. Wendy, who works on campus, told us that they almost had the White Water Rafting Olympics here because of the great rapids and layout. After that, we went back to UTas and Peter, who goes to the AMC (Australian Maritime College, which is on our campus too) showed us around because they were having an open day for future students. It was interesting seeing the equipment and machines that they use. We learned how to survive in the ocean for a long period of time, what to do during a helicopter rescue, and got to see these demonstrated in a swimming pool.
On Wednesday I have my art class and we have been drawing nude models, which is something I have never done before. I got to talk to our model after class and she is actually running for the Senate so it was cool talking to her and hearing about the Australian government. She had a great sense of humor, which helped with the awkwardness of drawing her.
Next week all of the other Butler students start their student teaching and they are all excited. They are at three different schools and have made a few visits already and seem to be happy with their placements. I plan on visiting them and seeing what it is like and what the children are like.
Random:
-They have this “twisty bread” that is a loaf of bread but it is twisted and it comes in different flavors. I am addicted to the BBQ bacon one!
-It is beginning to warm up and Spring will be here in a few weeks.
-Their election is this Saturday and it is a pretty big one. Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott are running for Prime Minister. *Pictures below
-A cuppa is a cup of coffee or tea
-The boot is the trunk of the car
-Paige’s boyfriend surprised her by coming a week early today. She was in shock
when she saw him, but very happy!
-Everyone is heading back to Butler, which makes me miss it! Especially living in AXO (I miss having roommates!), marching band, Young Life, and everyone!
Sorry I have not posted in awhile, but I have been BUSY! Last Thursday we flew to Sydney for the weekend and came back on Monday. Then, this week I have lots of homework and essays that I have been working on. I also developed a little cold that has made me spend lots of time in bed.
Thursday:
Arrived in Sydney, it took about an hour and a half to get there and we stayed at the Base Hostel. We shared a room with four other people. There were two guys from London, a guy from Scotland, and a guy from Ireland. They were all very nice and it was fun talking with them and hearing all of the different accents. It was really funny when we could not understand each other and we would just laugh about it. Also hearing the different stereotypes that were associated with all of us was funny. Glen, the guy from Ireland had never met an American so we were the first Americans he had met and I hope we left a good impression! There were people from all over the world at our hostel and it was cool meeting new people and hearing their story. We got there later in the evening so we just stayed at the hostel and ate there for dinner.
Bondi Beach
Friday:
We went on a tour with our hostel to Bondi Beach and then had a BBQ. We took the OZ bus there and then walked along the beach and saw the beautiful water filled with surfers and also looked for whales (it is their migrating season), but did not see any. Then we had a BBQ and I also had a Tim Tam milkshake, which was amazing! Later that night we met up with some of Stew’s friends that also go to Butler. They are studying in Sydney for the semester. I also tried calamari and it was alright, it was too chewy for me.
Saturday:
We slept in and then us girls decided to go shopping and sightseeing. Stew and his guy friends went to a footy game (Sydney vs. Hawthorne). Our hostel was in a great location because it was close to everything and we could walk. The Opera House and Harbor Bridge was only 15 minutes away. We finally ended up by Darling Harbor, where we met up with Stew and his friends for dinner. For dinner that night, I decided to try kangaroo. It came with mashed pumpkin and stewed cherry tomatoes and it was very good. It tasted like beef, but a bit chewier. After dinner, we went to Coogee Beach where Stew’s friends live. I also fell that night and my ankle swelled up and is still swollen. I think I just rolled it, because it doesn’t hurt anymore, just swollen a tad.
Sunday:
We went to the Rocks, where there was a large market held outdoors. There were crafts, food, and everything you could image there. For lunch we ate at Pancakes on the Rocks and I ordered Devil’s Delight. It consisted of two chocolate pancakes, covered with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, and strawberries. It is a very popular place and we had to wait a good half hour before we got a table. We also stopped by a McDonald’s later that day, they call it Macker’s and it was a very fancy one! It had two levels and was very nice. That night we packed up and just hung out with our roommates. Glen from Ireland is in Sydney for the year to work. Andy from London is just traveling and is a DJ. The other two guys have been here for a while and are working.
Monday:
Flew back to Launceston, which was bittersweet. Once we were back I went to class and later that night I went out to dinner with some people from class (they were friends with Brett (from band) when he was here last year) to a sushi place and it was very good! They also tried to convince me that drop bears are real. Drop bears are supposedly kind of like koalas that “drop” out of trees and are very vicious. However, I looked them up and they are not real. They also told me to put vegemite (a very bitter spread that they love and I hate) behind my ear to keep the drop bears away. Jess, Eva, and Annie are in my Children’s Lit. class and Angus is in my Aboriginal Studies class and I met a few more people that night too. We are all 2nd or 3rd years and most of them are English or History majors. A couple of the guys go to the Australian Maritime College, which is on our campus too.
Random:
- Prawns = shrimp
- There election is coming up and if you don’t vote you get a fine
- They call a period (.) a full stop.
- I met a guy that believed that the U.S. had 52 states and that the 51st and 52nd states were Hawaii and Michigan
- They don’t have squirrels here and the only people who have seen them are the ones who have been to the US or Canada. It is funny because a lot of people think they are cute and friendly like in the movies.
- Spring begins in September
- Their main flavor of cheese is called “tasty”
- You can climb the Harbor Bridge and I want to go back and do that!
