Calm before the storm

Greetings!
It's been a fairly laid back week down under. I've been going to the market to get things from my ever-growing list of necessities, participating in the "International Welcome Festival" (which for me means showing up during the free lunches and getting all the goodies!) and slowing meeting people as they arrive. Tonight is the beginning of O Week, wherein we do nonstop activities apparently, so I'm drinking lots of water now and trying not to do much of anything. Here are some pictures, because that's always better than words.

The bridge over the moat that connects Menzies College (where I live) with the main Uni

St. Kilda Beach, the closest to Melbourne CBD (and therefore the worst :P)

A lovely seashell castle, construction unknown.

Statue of Charles La Trobe, upside down. I do not know the story behind this, but I'm working on it.

Me! And my new favorite thing, ginger beer.

On Coffee

Yesterday I had the privilege of a free tram ride into the main city of Melbourne. One of the first things I spotted off the track was Pellegrini's Bar, a world-famous coffee bar and Italian eatery. I knew I had to visit this gem I had heard so much about, so I escaped the throng of bumbling International students with one other wise girl from Wisconsin, and slipped in.

Despite this treasure, something harrowing has come to my attention....
Apart from coffee bars, Australians only have....
INSTANT COFFEE.

They don't brew Folger's like us. It's either a premium espresso or powder. (I think most just get the premium espresso and pay the ... premium)

Now you know!

The One Where My Blog Comes Full Circle

I actually got to see the previously posted Melbourne street art today. Well, some of it.

 

 The alley I found was JAM PACKED with amazing art and tags. It was a dream come true.

Melburn, Melborn, Melbin

Greetings from Melbourne... er, Bundoora.

I just got in this afternoon and settled into my dorm. It's pretty big, just like the rest of the school. By pretty big I mean humungo. After unpacking, one of the seniors (what Americans call an RA) drove me to the local supermarket to get food. I bought crockery and staples, and ended up spending tons o' money. Luckily most of the items will last me the duration of my trip and shopping will become cheaper.

And now... I'm sort of sitting around. Monday is the beginning of Orientation Week, so I have tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday to pretty much do whatever. Depending on the rain situation (there's currently showers of it) I may journey into Melbourne and do some exploring. I'll definitely be packing a lunch.

Until then, and whenever I do something exciting!

Brisbane – The City That Never Sleeps Stops Raining

Happy Days. This is the expression used by Australian surfer dudes whenever anything is pretty cool. My experience thus far has been pretty happy days.

The first night in Brisbane was dinner at a great hotel restaurant and a tour of the city with some girls I met going to La Trobe (my school). It’s a great city, clean streets, cool architecture, and their crossing indicators sound like little toy guns.

Day Two—Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary

I held a koala. It cuddled me. And I’m pretty sure it pooped on the person who held it after me. But that’s neither here nor there.

I sunbathed with a kangaroo. He was pretty chill about it, thankfully.

I got to see a sheepdog show, wherein an Australian shepherd whistled at some adorable dogs and they corralled a herd (flock? Yes. Flock.) of sheep into a gate, over a bridge, and into a pin. Then they sheared a sheep. The shepherds. Not the dogs.

Next activity of Day Two—Kayaking!

I am bad at kayaking. End of story. The Brisbane River is pretty though.

Night Two—Dinner at The Caxton, adventure to “The Down Under”—a horrible bar that played loud, bad music, had far too many neon lights, and was mocked by locals. Why did we go? It was Courtney’s birthday. Thankfully we got to leave and she got to stay and get drunk enough not to realize how horrible it was (she was closely monitored.)

Day Three—Free Day.

Ah morning. So full of promise. I got to skype with Tyler since I woke up early. And then… it started raining. A lot. The girls in my room had been planning a day trip to Gold Coast, Surfer’s Paradise beach, so we trudged through the rain into town to get necessary items. By eleven we were on a train, and an hour later at the beach. MIRACULOUSLY it stopped raining for an hour’s time and I got to touch, swim in, taste, get pushed around by the ocean for the very first time in my life. It was a tremendous experience, truly.

I got out, it started raining again. We came back to Brisbane and went for sushi and popsicles (my idea, as the meal cost $3 total. I am a genius.)

Australia so far has been a mélange of way too many activities, lots of rain and sweat, confusion, and general dumbfounded goodness. I miss home, I miss Tyler, and I miss cats. But being here is already teaching me so much, and I can’t wait to see what happens when I get to university. In conclusion, happy days.

Let jag

After the initial excitement of flying around the world (excitement= limited to the moment when I said the phrase "flying around the world") wore off, it became clear that my body does not do well under constant travel. It really doesn't sleep well in a window seat, nor does it appreciate the difficulty of bathroom breaks when two people are sleeping in your way to said bathroom. Moving on.

I'm in Australia. I arrived in Sydney as the sun did at 8 AM. The in-flight computer thingy let me track my journey all the way across the Atlantic! Unfortunately, you can't get excited about any special points along the way.... there aren't any. Just blue. Fortunately, said in-flight computer had tons of movies to watch and Australian news to read. I watched a film called "The Tree" set in Queensland. Very good. Also, I can't rightly complain about the food. It was top-notch: fresh salads, spare ribs, tiramisu, a frittata for breakfast... ah. But who really can enjoy such niceties with a stomachache and no clear way to the bathroom in the middle of the night? Or was it night... I'm not really sure what time it is right now to be honest.

Currently, awaiting dinner at my "Culture and Adventure Program," in Brisbane (YES! I took another flight after my 14 hour journey! Because why not!) or as I like to call it "It's hot and humid and you're hungry and no amount of orientation powerpointing will make you excited about this right now LEMME SLEEEEP!"


In other news, I plan to tackle Tyler to the ground and smother him in kisses the second I'm stateside.

Update: complete.

Last glimpse of home... snow.

Tyler buried me in the snow for the full effect. I hope to recreate this picture with sand!

Tyler shoveled my drive way for me while I built a snowman :)

Crazy amounts of snow.

To entertain myself on the flight from KC to LA I watched the light reflect off my ring.

Flying over the Rocky Mountains.