It's funny that four months later I find myself sitting in my room in Hanover, MA surrounded by clothes and in the midst of a panic attack as once again I try to cram as much stuff as possible into a mammoth-sized suitcase. This time I'm going to Europe, not Australia, but I thought it would be appropriate to write about my final thoughts about my second home before taking off on another adventure.
My biggest problem with Bond University was the large American population. The school had a population where 50% of the students were American. And not only that, but really dumb Americans. Maybe that's harsh, but I found that most of the Americans I met only chose Bond because the drinking age was 18. That's probably the lamest thing I've ever heard, thus describing their personalities. Had I known that Bond was going to have such a large American population, I probably would've chosen to go somewhere else in Australia. I met maybe a handful of Australians and I couldn't say that I made any truly close Aussie friends, which was a goal of mine during the semester.
Also, the Australians who go to Bond are sick of the ever changing crowds of drunk Americans who show up at their university, so I got the vibe that they didn't really want to make the effort to become friends with people who were leaving in a few months. It's sad, but I don't blame them.
Also, I really didn't like the Gold Coast. It would've been cool for a vacation, but living there for four months was a drag. It's like the Vegas or Miami Beach of Australia. Real Australians don't go there often, and if they do, it's for a week. I felt like most of the people I met in Surfers Paradise were very fake or were only there for a short amount of time. I sometimes wonder how different my experience would've been if I had gone to Sydney or Brisbane.
The positive aspects about living in Australia are innumerable. However, for example, I returned to Boston yesterday for the first time since I've been back, and when I was walking around, I felt a new sense of confidence that I had never felt before. I can't really explain it, but I just felt like Boston was so small, now that I'm armed with the knowledge about a whole continent called Australia floating around on the other side of the world. Another way to say it is that any problems I have here in Massachusetts are not that serious. There are so many people in this world, and so many brilliant things, that people and problems in my life that cause me grief here in Boston seem so insignificant now.
Also of course, I met amazing people, did amazing things, and I now have a feeling of worldliness that I didn't think I could possess. Now I'm going to Europe, into a country that does not speak English, and I think it will do the same things for me but in a different way. I encourage anyone who is thinking about studying abroad to do so because it has been such a positive experience for me, and I can't imagine not having done it.
That's it for this journal, wish me luck in Italia.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
New Zealand
We left Australia at 7:30 to catch a cab. I was basically packed, but I had to make a last minute run to the library to drop off The Other Boelyn Girl. I never finished it, but the half I read was quite good. We had spent our last night down under drinking as usual with some of our Australian guys. Also as usual there was drama, so I had vacated the potentially terrifying situation and went to bed with three Australian men still on my porch smoking my entire pack of cigarettes. It's all for the better I suppose, I can't smoke anymore. My mum would disown me on sight.
Our final farewells to Australia weren't sentimental in the least. We dragged our absurdly heavy luggage down our hallway which was completely covered in trash, vomit, and food. I won't miss the 17 year old Americans who lived down the hallway, the bastards who would wake us up in the middle of the night screaming and who got our common room taken away from us for the entire semester. The ones who told us that they had come to Australia to drink, and that was it. I contemplated banging on their doors to wake them up at the early hour, but I decided I'm better than that. I guess.
Our flight to NZ was pretty boring, thank god. I got really nervous that my luggage would be over the weight and I'd have to pay, because I literally have 20 bucks in my bank account. Luckily I made it through, which unfortunately some of my friends did not. Eleanor had to pay $75 for paper tickets because she had lost hers, and countless others had to pay for weight restrictions. I am PRAYING I don't have to pay in LA, but I'll be cutting it close.
Ilana and I separated from the group at Auckland airport. That also wasn't as sentimental as I figured it would be, but we were rushed and everyone was trying to get their plans finalized. Also, I'll see these girls within the next month, so it really wasn't a final goodbye.
Ashley gave me a really nice card. She talked about how I've influenced her with my knowledge of movies and politics and how I've taught her to look at things differently. She said I was going to be a great journalist because I know how to understand people, and she said I could always make her laugh. It feels really good that I made a positive impact on someone, especially someone who I absolutely had negative feelings for in the beginning of the semester. Being friends with Ashley, someone who is completely different than me, has taught me not to judge a book by their cover. I judge people quickly and way too harshly sometimes, and I need to check myself. I could be losing out on great friendships, like the one I now have with Ashley.
Ilana and I got to our hotel at around 7:30. Compared to some of the hostels we've stayed in (especially Fiji and Melbourne) this place is a palace. It's small, and the shower is on top of the toilet, but we have our own TV and stove and fridge, and we only share the bathroom with each other, and that is priceless.
We've been here in Auckland for 2 and a half days, and I've fallen in love with the city. Everyone is so nice, the city has a chill, laid-back feel and it's a beautiful country. The beach is within 10 km of wherever you end up, and we're surrounded by active volcanoes. I've also become fascinated with the Maori culture, and I bought a necklace today that has a symbol that supposedly protects you when traveling over water, which is just what I need.
The only thing that has put a damper on this trip is that we are broke ass broke. It's getting serious. We have been living off of Wendys and McDonalds happy meals because that's all we can afford. I got a yeast infection and was contemplating not getting medicine because I couldn't afford it. At this moment, I have 20 dollars put aside for the cab to the airport tomorrow and 15 dollars for food. That's it. Once I get to the airport, I have a McDonalds card and a $50 AMEX card from my uncle. I hate this feeling of uncertainty, and god forbid I get charged for my luggage in LA.
We've made the best of our unfortunate situation though. We went to the Sky Tower which is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere and took pictures of the view. We went to the Auckland Museum and watched a Maori performance by traditional women and warriors and we saw a lot of their art. We also went out to eat in Parnell, which is a really rich sector of Auckland and had a lovely Italian lunch. It was great until we got charged 10 bucks for a bottle of water. Terrible.
That's about all we could afford to do. We've been walking around exploring the city, which is beautiful. We've been watching a lot of TV, unfortunately, and my stomach is crying from all the Wendys we've been eating, but what can you do?
We leave for LA tomorrow at 7 pm. I'm not too scared of the flight to LA, but I'm dreading the flight from LA to Boston. At least on Air New Zealand they give you your own personal TV and you can watch movies to pass the time, AND they give you food. On American Airlines they give you a seat and that's it. I'm going to be delirious from the Air New Zealand flight and then have to twiddle my thumbs for 6 hours to Boston. I'm going to go mad.
I'm so ready to go home. I can't wait to see my family. I had the time of my life in Australia, but now that chapter of my life is over, and it's time to go home.
Our final farewells to Australia weren't sentimental in the least. We dragged our absurdly heavy luggage down our hallway which was completely covered in trash, vomit, and food. I won't miss the 17 year old Americans who lived down the hallway, the bastards who would wake us up in the middle of the night screaming and who got our common room taken away from us for the entire semester. The ones who told us that they had come to Australia to drink, and that was it. I contemplated banging on their doors to wake them up at the early hour, but I decided I'm better than that. I guess.
Our flight to NZ was pretty boring, thank god. I got really nervous that my luggage would be over the weight and I'd have to pay, because I literally have 20 bucks in my bank account. Luckily I made it through, which unfortunately some of my friends did not. Eleanor had to pay $75 for paper tickets because she had lost hers, and countless others had to pay for weight restrictions. I am PRAYING I don't have to pay in LA, but I'll be cutting it close.
Ilana and I separated from the group at Auckland airport. That also wasn't as sentimental as I figured it would be, but we were rushed and everyone was trying to get their plans finalized. Also, I'll see these girls within the next month, so it really wasn't a final goodbye.
Ashley gave me a really nice card. She talked about how I've influenced her with my knowledge of movies and politics and how I've taught her to look at things differently. She said I was going to be a great journalist because I know how to understand people, and she said I could always make her laugh. It feels really good that I made a positive impact on someone, especially someone who I absolutely had negative feelings for in the beginning of the semester. Being friends with Ashley, someone who is completely different than me, has taught me not to judge a book by their cover. I judge people quickly and way too harshly sometimes, and I need to check myself. I could be losing out on great friendships, like the one I now have with Ashley.
Ilana and I got to our hotel at around 7:30. Compared to some of the hostels we've stayed in (especially Fiji and Melbourne) this place is a palace. It's small, and the shower is on top of the toilet, but we have our own TV and stove and fridge, and we only share the bathroom with each other, and that is priceless.
We've been here in Auckland for 2 and a half days, and I've fallen in love with the city. Everyone is so nice, the city has a chill, laid-back feel and it's a beautiful country. The beach is within 10 km of wherever you end up, and we're surrounded by active volcanoes. I've also become fascinated with the Maori culture, and I bought a necklace today that has a symbol that supposedly protects you when traveling over water, which is just what I need.
The only thing that has put a damper on this trip is that we are broke ass broke. It's getting serious. We have been living off of Wendys and McDonalds happy meals because that's all we can afford. I got a yeast infection and was contemplating not getting medicine because I couldn't afford it. At this moment, I have 20 dollars put aside for the cab to the airport tomorrow and 15 dollars for food. That's it. Once I get to the airport, I have a McDonalds card and a $50 AMEX card from my uncle. I hate this feeling of uncertainty, and god forbid I get charged for my luggage in LA.
We've made the best of our unfortunate situation though. We went to the Sky Tower which is the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere and took pictures of the view. We went to the Auckland Museum and watched a Maori performance by traditional women and warriors and we saw a lot of their art. We also went out to eat in Parnell, which is a really rich sector of Auckland and had a lovely Italian lunch. It was great until we got charged 10 bucks for a bottle of water. Terrible.
That's about all we could afford to do. We've been walking around exploring the city, which is beautiful. We've been watching a lot of TV, unfortunately, and my stomach is crying from all the Wendys we've been eating, but what can you do?
We leave for LA tomorrow at 7 pm. I'm not too scared of the flight to LA, but I'm dreading the flight from LA to Boston. At least on Air New Zealand they give you your own personal TV and you can watch movies to pass the time, AND they give you food. On American Airlines they give you a seat and that's it. I'm going to be delirious from the Air New Zealand flight and then have to twiddle my thumbs for 6 hours to Boston. I'm going to go mad.
I'm so ready to go home. I can't wait to see my family. I had the time of my life in Australia, but now that chapter of my life is over, and it's time to go home.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Perfection.
And then something happened,
something that is hard to describe.
Sitting there, alone in a foreign country,
far from my job and all the people I knew,
a feeling came over me.
As if I recalled something,
something that I had never known
and for which I had been waiting.
But I didn't know what it was.
Maybe it was something I had forgotten.
Or something I had missed my whole life.
I can only tell you that at the same time I felt joy and sadness.
But not a great sadness.
Because I felt alive.
Yes.
Alive.
This is a quote from Paris, Je T'aime, and yes it might be describing the city of lights, but I think it summarizes my feelings about Australia perfectly.
Also, I haven't even been home for 24 hours and I already want to go back.
something that is hard to describe.
Sitting there, alone in a foreign country,
far from my job and all the people I knew,
a feeling came over me.
As if I recalled something,
something that I had never known
and for which I had been waiting.
But I didn't know what it was.
Maybe it was something I had forgotten.
Or something I had missed my whole life.
I can only tell you that at the same time I felt joy and sadness.
But not a great sadness.
Because I felt alive.
Yes.
Alive.
This is a quote from Paris, Je T'aime, and yes it might be describing the city of lights, but I think it summarizes my feelings about Australia perfectly.
Also, I haven't even been home for 24 hours and I already want to go back.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Last week in Oz
I never know what time it is in this country, but I think it's somewhere near 8 pm. I'm sitting in the office with my three lovely roommates; Ilana, Ashley, and Abby. We've just had our last pizza night at the cafe. I had pineapple, mushroom, and parmesan cheese on mine. It was delightful.
The countdown is set at 4 days left in Australia. I can't believe four months have just flown by. My best friend Eleanor just gave us a slideshow of pictures from all the great places we've traveled to and the crazy nights we've survived. It's made me think of all the ways that I've changed, not including my new love of pineapple on my pizza.
There are the obvious things. I took a surfing class. I failed miserably, but I still got the guts to get out there. I got published in the Gold Coast Sun. I got a new tattoo. I dyed my hair. I swam in a cave in Fiji. I snorkeled next to a stingray. I wore a green wig and danced on the streets during Mardi Gras in Sydney. I made friends with the English, the Irish, the French and all those in between. I've made mistakes and had successes.
But then there are the other things, the things that aren't on the surface. The group of friends I've made here aren't going anywhere once we get home, and that's priceless. We've all made plans for the summer when we get back to Boston. Never in a million years did I think I'd form bonds like the ones I've created here. Eleanor and Abby and I have already planned to take a road trip across the United States next summer after Abby graduates.
I've also learned a lot about myself. I am loyal, funny, motivated, adventurous, and I like to have a good time. I also learned I close myself down easily. I don't let a lot of people in. I'm horrifyingly awkward (this is not new). I give bitchy looks when I don't want to. I can become a morning person if I try. I am confrontational. I am influential in movies and books and music. I've discovered my love of film here, all from Professor Scott King. All these new things about myself, it's good that I know them and that I can work on them or appreciate them.
I'm so excited to get to Italy, and before that to get home and see my family and friends. I've got a lot of plans already in motion. But I'll never forget Australia and all it's given me.
The countdown is set at 4 days left in Australia. I can't believe four months have just flown by. My best friend Eleanor just gave us a slideshow of pictures from all the great places we've traveled to and the crazy nights we've survived. It's made me think of all the ways that I've changed, not including my new love of pineapple on my pizza.
There are the obvious things. I took a surfing class. I failed miserably, but I still got the guts to get out there. I got published in the Gold Coast Sun. I got a new tattoo. I dyed my hair. I swam in a cave in Fiji. I snorkeled next to a stingray. I wore a green wig and danced on the streets during Mardi Gras in Sydney. I made friends with the English, the Irish, the French and all those in between. I've made mistakes and had successes.
But then there are the other things, the things that aren't on the surface. The group of friends I've made here aren't going anywhere once we get home, and that's priceless. We've all made plans for the summer when we get back to Boston. Never in a million years did I think I'd form bonds like the ones I've created here. Eleanor and Abby and I have already planned to take a road trip across the United States next summer after Abby graduates.
I've also learned a lot about myself. I am loyal, funny, motivated, adventurous, and I like to have a good time. I also learned I close myself down easily. I don't let a lot of people in. I'm horrifyingly awkward (this is not new). I give bitchy looks when I don't want to. I can become a morning person if I try. I am confrontational. I am influential in movies and books and music. I've discovered my love of film here, all from Professor Scott King. All these new things about myself, it's good that I know them and that I can work on them or appreciate them.
I'm so excited to get to Italy, and before that to get home and see my family and friends. I've got a lot of plans already in motion. But I'll never forget Australia and all it's given me.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Whitsundays: Get Amongst It
This weekend we went to the Whitsunday islands, about an hour and a half flight north of the Gold Coast. It was the best trip we've taken so far in Australia.
DAY ONE
We left Bond at 9:30 AM. I had to miss my last class of Journalism Research Methods. Earlier last week, I got published in the Gold Coast Sun because of my professor in the class, Mark Pearson, so I am very grateful to him.
We took the always lovely train to Brisbane, which wasn't too bad. My fear of flying hasn't really disappeared, but I'm better at controlling it. To be honest, I was seated next to a skinny blond girl who looked like she was about to punch herself in the face. She was gripping the handles with white-knuckles, kept staring out the window and fidgeting around. She started freaking ME out, and that's usually my job. To give her credit, our pilot got majorly confused, and started pulling out some twists and turns that stunt pilots usually do. The air pressure got really bad at one point, and I had a headache after we landed for an hour. We're still alive though. That's all that matters.
The Whitsunday's airport is like a farm posing as a airport. The waiting area is outside, and it is so tiny that there's only one flight every couple of hours. We took a cab to the Airlie Beaches Hostel. The landscape reminded me of Fiji, only better. There were big rolling hills and fields of sugarcane. Very country, very isolated. I thought we'd be able to see the beach immediately, but it wasn't like that.
Airlie Beach is an amazing little beach town. Quirky little bars and restaurants line the street, and there's a really nice energy to the place. There's a lot of young travelers like us, and everyone sounds really happy to be there.
We put out stuff down and went to a Mexican restaurant down the street. We started drinking at 5, got some nachos, met some great bartenders and waiters, and had a grand ol time. Then we bar hopped around and ended up at a great karaoke bar. Jackie got up and sang some Cher, she was quite the professional. There were a lot of people from England there and it was interesting to see what kind of music they listen to.
DAY TWO
The next day we got on a huge power boat and sailed to a pontoon in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef. We got to snorkel, sunbathe, look at an underwater observatory, go on a glass-bottom boat, and ride a water slide that shoots you into the middle of the ocean. I saw sting rays, squids, huge fish, Dorys, Nemos, everything. It was wonderful.
That night we took it easy and got some sushi. I tried kangaroo for the first time. I felt bad eating it, but it was actually very good, tasted like beef. Then we went to the bar next door. One of our hostel-mates was a guy from Ireland who I talked to for awhile. He was telling me that his parents had gone to Boston for holiday when he was little and told him it was one of the best places in the world.
DAY THREE
The next day we went sailing on a big purple boat. It was the highlight of the trip. Everyone on the boat was so fun and nice to talk to, and it was a gorgeous day. We got to lay on top of trampolines and feel the ocean running right below us.
We traveled to Whitehaven Beach which has beautifully soft white sand. I got to go snorkeling for the fourth time in my life. There were a group of Dauri fish that followed me around, it was cute. We got a gourmet lunch. I met an English boy that I might marry later in life. He thought it was weird that I hadn't traveled outside of the US until now. I've found that people from Europe travel a lot more in their younger days, while Americans don't really do that.
I ended up having a little too much to drink. I wiped out in front of the whole boat (not cuz I was drunk but because there was water everywhere and my flip flops are not exactly great). Then somehow I took a shower and wound up passing out on my bed just in a towel. I woke up naked. Embarrassing, but a good story.
That night, around 3 AM, a crazy drunk guy started pounding on our door, demanding that "the bloody Scotsman" come out and fight. Apparently his girlfriend had gotten pushed and he was looking for revenge, incidentally in our room. It was pretty scary, I didn't know quite what to do. He was very angry and very drunk. The pounding went on and on and then his gf started crying and he started yelling that he loved her and blah blah blah. Some people are nuts.
DAY FOUR
The next day we spent exploring the town and laying by the lagoon. The whole weekend felt like we were on Spring Break. It was so nice to just relax and not worry about school. All last weekend I wrote three papers and studied for two exams, so this was a nice reward.
Well, I have less than two weeks left in Australia, I'll keep this updated as best I can.
DAY ONE
We left Bond at 9:30 AM. I had to miss my last class of Journalism Research Methods. Earlier last week, I got published in the Gold Coast Sun because of my professor in the class, Mark Pearson, so I am very grateful to him.
We took the always lovely train to Brisbane, which wasn't too bad. My fear of flying hasn't really disappeared, but I'm better at controlling it. To be honest, I was seated next to a skinny blond girl who looked like she was about to punch herself in the face. She was gripping the handles with white-knuckles, kept staring out the window and fidgeting around. She started freaking ME out, and that's usually my job. To give her credit, our pilot got majorly confused, and started pulling out some twists and turns that stunt pilots usually do. The air pressure got really bad at one point, and I had a headache after we landed for an hour. We're still alive though. That's all that matters.
The Whitsunday's airport is like a farm posing as a airport. The waiting area is outside, and it is so tiny that there's only one flight every couple of hours. We took a cab to the Airlie Beaches Hostel. The landscape reminded me of Fiji, only better. There were big rolling hills and fields of sugarcane. Very country, very isolated. I thought we'd be able to see the beach immediately, but it wasn't like that.
Airlie Beach is an amazing little beach town. Quirky little bars and restaurants line the street, and there's a really nice energy to the place. There's a lot of young travelers like us, and everyone sounds really happy to be there.
We put out stuff down and went to a Mexican restaurant down the street. We started drinking at 5, got some nachos, met some great bartenders and waiters, and had a grand ol time. Then we bar hopped around and ended up at a great karaoke bar. Jackie got up and sang some Cher, she was quite the professional. There were a lot of people from England there and it was interesting to see what kind of music they listen to.
DAY TWO
The next day we got on a huge power boat and sailed to a pontoon in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef. We got to snorkel, sunbathe, look at an underwater observatory, go on a glass-bottom boat, and ride a water slide that shoots you into the middle of the ocean. I saw sting rays, squids, huge fish, Dorys, Nemos, everything. It was wonderful.
That night we took it easy and got some sushi. I tried kangaroo for the first time. I felt bad eating it, but it was actually very good, tasted like beef. Then we went to the bar next door. One of our hostel-mates was a guy from Ireland who I talked to for awhile. He was telling me that his parents had gone to Boston for holiday when he was little and told him it was one of the best places in the world.
DAY THREE
The next day we went sailing on a big purple boat. It was the highlight of the trip. Everyone on the boat was so fun and nice to talk to, and it was a gorgeous day. We got to lay on top of trampolines and feel the ocean running right below us.
We traveled to Whitehaven Beach which has beautifully soft white sand. I got to go snorkeling for the fourth time in my life. There were a group of Dauri fish that followed me around, it was cute. We got a gourmet lunch. I met an English boy that I might marry later in life. He thought it was weird that I hadn't traveled outside of the US until now. I've found that people from Europe travel a lot more in their younger days, while Americans don't really do that.
I ended up having a little too much to drink. I wiped out in front of the whole boat (not cuz I was drunk but because there was water everywhere and my flip flops are not exactly great). Then somehow I took a shower and wound up passing out on my bed just in a towel. I woke up naked. Embarrassing, but a good story.
That night, around 3 AM, a crazy drunk guy started pounding on our door, demanding that "the bloody Scotsman" come out and fight. Apparently his girlfriend had gotten pushed and he was looking for revenge, incidentally in our room. It was pretty scary, I didn't know quite what to do. He was very angry and very drunk. The pounding went on and on and then his gf started crying and he started yelling that he loved her and blah blah blah. Some people are nuts.
DAY FOUR
The next day we spent exploring the town and laying by the lagoon. The whole weekend felt like we were on Spring Break. It was so nice to just relax and not worry about school. All last weekend I wrote three papers and studied for two exams, so this was a nice reward.
Well, I have less than two weeks left in Australia, I'll keep this updated as best I can.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
That's not an Easter bunny, that's a kangaroo.
It was Easter weekend last weekend, so we decided to hop on a plane to Melbourne! It's a major city on the southern tip of Australia, so close to Antarctica that you can see penguins on Phillip Island.
I think I've flown on more planes in the last 3 months than I have in my entire life. I still don't enjoy flying, and I still hold my breath and grip the seat until my knuckles are white everytime the plane takes off, but it's getting better.
We landed and the city was nowhere to be found. We hopped on a packed bus and zoomed to the city with a really friendly bus driver who kept us in good spirits. It's fall there so it was really chilly. We stayed in a hostel in the city for two nights, and it was the WORST hostel I have ever experienced. Angela and I stayed in a room with 4 European girls who were fine, but everyone else in the hostel was insane. I slept for maybe an hour the first night because people were screaming and yelling and breaking bottles and turning on the light etc.
Friday night we had really nice dinner along the waterfront. I had pasta with amazing white wine sauce and me and Abby downed a bottle of red. After that we walked to the casino, which is like Conrad Jupiter's here but ten times bigger. We had a few drinks and ended up watching a Celtics game on the big screen. There weren't as many people there as I thought there would be, but we had a good time.
The next day we went to the Queen Victoria markets and I bought souvenirs for my entire family. I got my brother a boomerang, I got my Mom a wine holder with Aborigine designs, and I got Tim an Outback hat. I got Joe a didgereedoo as requested. We walked around all day checking out the day, it was a lot of fun.
That night we went to an Australian Rules Football game, Melbourne vs. Sydney. AFL is like American football mashed together with rugby and every other sport you can think of. The Aussies go mad for it. I wish I understood the game a bit better because I found myself zoning out during some of the plays. It was a close game towards the end but Melbourne ended up winning. They don't play any music during the game and have no announcers, which I found weird. Maybe Americans are just used to being stimulated constantly.
Then we found a bar down a random alleyway that led up to the roof of the building. We had a drink but we were exhausted so we went back. Angela shadily left the hostel to go hang out with some guy by herself, and we all got a little upset that she would put herself in that situation, but thankfully she returned at 5 AM in one piece.
Sunday was Easter. We rented two cars and drove down The Great Ocean Road. It was the most amazing experience. I drove, which was huge because I hate driving in the USA, let alone on the other side of the road in Australia around huge cliffs. We zoomed along by beautiful beaches and through the rainforest. Six hours later we arrived at the hostel, and got caught in a violent hailstorm. It was really scary, we had to pull over and sit there for 20 minutes before we made the dash to the hostel, and then we had to sit there in our wet clothes because none of us could go to get our luggage. I had a seafood pizza for dinner, which was...interesting.
It ended up raining for the entire night so we watched a hilarious Australian movie called "Kenny" and tried to call it a night. This new hostel seemed like it was going to be much better than the previous one, but it was 9,000 degrees and mosquitoes were everywhere, feasting on our skin. Lovely.
I hadn't slept a wink when at 1 AM Angela jumped out of bed and ran out of the room. I was confused. She continued running in and out of the room, making a lot of noise and I started getting really annoyed. Out of nowhere she woke up Ilana and asked her if she had anti-itch cream. Ilana gave her attitude and said no. Then she woke up Abby and said, "I'm going to the Emergency Room."
Now we were all confused. Apparently she had been bit by something and now was breaking out in hives all over her body. Her tongue was swollen and she was freaking out. Abby, the saint she is, jumped out of bed and drove her to the hospital. We were in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night. She is too good.
They got back at 5 AM, we had breakfast at 6 and drove the The Twelve Apostles at 7. The Twelve Apostles are these humongous rock formations that just out of the ocean. It's a sacred site to the Aborigines. It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The sunrise was gorgeous, and I'm so happy I got to be there.
We had to drop the cars off at 11:30 and we flew back home to the Gold Coast. I liked Melbourne because it was a city that was a lot more similar to Boston, so I felt kind of at home with the cold weather and the T.
Exams start next week, eek!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
We gotta go, hide your forehead.
I can't believe we only have two more weeks of classes. Time flies.
My money seems to be disappearing at an alarming rate, so this weekend I decided to take it easy with the spending. Thursday night all the girls went out but I chose to stay in and get some R&R. Fell asleep watching The Sopranos, it was great.
Friday night, Abby and I went to a Bond University sponsored event called Grapes, Hops and Jazz. I love jazz and it sounded like something different to do. We got all dressed up and a bus came and took us to the Watermark Hotel in Surfers. There was an open bar and a 5-piece jazz band. After that we went to Surfer's a bar hopped for awhile, and met a really interesting guy from New Zealand in Subway.
Saturday me and the roommates rented a car and drove to Byron Bay and Nimbin. Being in a car again felt so nice. We all took turns driving (mine was limited to the parking lot because my driving isn't for the faint of heart). Byron was lovely as ever and the drive to Nimbin was gorgeous since we were out in the country. Nimbin itself was a lot smaller and creepy then I thought it would be. One of the hippies there sexually harrassed me and Ilana and I don't know, the whole vibe of the town didn't sit well with me.
We drove home and only got slightly lost, and then ate some Nimbin products and went to bed. Sunday we returned the car and just bummed around. We ate some more Nimbin producs which did not fare well for me later that night and the next day, but it was definitely an experience.
I'm starting to feel like I've gotten as much out of the Gold Coast as I'm going to get. I really wish I knew that Bond would be 50% Americans. I really haven't met any cool Aussies. I'm just ready to go to Melbourne, Whitsundays and New Zealand, and then home.
I'm also going to Italy in May, which I'm beyond excited. Don't get me wrong, I'm still very grateful to be here in Australia, but I'm sick as hell of the Gold Coast.
My money seems to be disappearing at an alarming rate, so this weekend I decided to take it easy with the spending. Thursday night all the girls went out but I chose to stay in and get some R&R. Fell asleep watching The Sopranos, it was great.
Friday night, Abby and I went to a Bond University sponsored event called Grapes, Hops and Jazz. I love jazz and it sounded like something different to do. We got all dressed up and a bus came and took us to the Watermark Hotel in Surfers. There was an open bar and a 5-piece jazz band. After that we went to Surfer's a bar hopped for awhile, and met a really interesting guy from New Zealand in Subway.
Saturday me and the roommates rented a car and drove to Byron Bay and Nimbin. Being in a car again felt so nice. We all took turns driving (mine was limited to the parking lot because my driving isn't for the faint of heart). Byron was lovely as ever and the drive to Nimbin was gorgeous since we were out in the country. Nimbin itself was a lot smaller and creepy then I thought it would be. One of the hippies there sexually harrassed me and Ilana and I don't know, the whole vibe of the town didn't sit well with me.
We drove home and only got slightly lost, and then ate some Nimbin products and went to bed. Sunday we returned the car and just bummed around. We ate some more Nimbin producs which did not fare well for me later that night and the next day, but it was definitely an experience.
I'm starting to feel like I've gotten as much out of the Gold Coast as I'm going to get. I really wish I knew that Bond would be 50% Americans. I really haven't met any cool Aussies. I'm just ready to go to Melbourne, Whitsundays and New Zealand, and then home.
I'm also going to Italy in May, which I'm beyond excited. Don't get me wrong, I'm still very grateful to be here in Australia, but I'm sick as hell of the Gold Coast.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Ra-ra-random!
So I'm sitting here waiting for "Loose Change" to load. It's a documentary about how 9/11 was an inside job. We started watching it in Magazine Writing and it intrigued me. So here I am at midnight waiting for this silly thing to load. YouTube is no fun in Australia.
We went to Coolangatta on Friday and stayed over for the Quicksilver Pro Surf Competition, which was the next day. Let me preface this story by saying that I am deeply amazed at the friendships I have made on this trip. I've never been one to make friends easily or quickly, and usually it takes me a long time to open up to people and really form a strong connection. It's only on the rare occasion that I find someone that I immediately feel comfortable with. Here in Australia I have found about ten girls who get me in such a way that I feel like I've known them for 2 years instead of 2 months. I am extremely grateful everyday that this happened.
Having said that, sometimes, we get sick of each other, like any group of friends or sisters. Well, I think our trip to Coolangatta was a breaking point for that tension. It wasn't too damaging but there were definitely some tense moments. Some people take things too seriously, while some people don't take thing seriously enough. I won't elaborate because everything is fine now, but I just found it interesting that it took so long for us to want to choke each other.
Anyways. We got to Coolangatta and half of us went to the beach, and the other half walked around the town. After getting severely burnt after surfing and after finding out that Queensland has the highest rate of skin cancer in the WORLD, I have been very reluctant in going out in the sun, since I want to live past the age of 50. So Eleanor, Ashley and I got some great Greek food and explored the town, and then took a much needed nap.
We all got ready and went out that night. I found THE BEST sushi place in all of Australia and got Eleanor to actually eat some, though she despises fish. Most places in Oz are BYOB so we bought some beers to have with the food and ended up feeling pretty great. We went to the Hotel Coolangatta for a DVD release party of some kind and danced and had some laughs. Then we left pretty early because we were tired, but not before frolicking on the beautiful Coolangatta beach.
I woke up the next morning in a bed full of sand and learned that I had pushed Eleanor off the bed in my sleep. Then Ashley went unknowingly went outside and got absolutely reamed out by an approximately 1,000 year old German lady who said we made too much noise when we came in the night before. This is completely false. We came in and went to sleep. Ok, we watched Flashdance for 20 minutes. But I'm almost positive this lady never had grandkids to yell at, so she chose us to get her rocks off.
We left after that (we shut the door behind us as loudly as possible) and went to the beach to watch the competition. I felt pretty nasty. No sooner did we get there and learn that the competition had been moved to a another beach due to the wave conditions. A few of us played in the ocean on these wonderful rocks for awhile and then went home, so I missed out on seeing Kelly Slater and the other surfing world champions, but when it's 95 degrees out and you feel like you're about to die, you just want to get home.
Today was my day off, but I went to Robina to interview a youth pastor on abstinence until marriage for my Journalism Research article, bought a new bra, had volleyball, went to Don's for some fish, then say here with the girls and studied/giggled at Love, Sex and Relationships, which I guess they have a test in tomorrow.
I really am so grateful for these girls. I had a terrible falling out with some of my best friends at Northeastern last semester, and these girls have made those wounds heal up so much faster than they would have if I stayed at school.
Life is pretty good right now.
We went to Coolangatta on Friday and stayed over for the Quicksilver Pro Surf Competition, which was the next day. Let me preface this story by saying that I am deeply amazed at the friendships I have made on this trip. I've never been one to make friends easily or quickly, and usually it takes me a long time to open up to people and really form a strong connection. It's only on the rare occasion that I find someone that I immediately feel comfortable with. Here in Australia I have found about ten girls who get me in such a way that I feel like I've known them for 2 years instead of 2 months. I am extremely grateful everyday that this happened.
Having said that, sometimes, we get sick of each other, like any group of friends or sisters. Well, I think our trip to Coolangatta was a breaking point for that tension. It wasn't too damaging but there were definitely some tense moments. Some people take things too seriously, while some people don't take thing seriously enough. I won't elaborate because everything is fine now, but I just found it interesting that it took so long for us to want to choke each other.
Anyways. We got to Coolangatta and half of us went to the beach, and the other half walked around the town. After getting severely burnt after surfing and after finding out that Queensland has the highest rate of skin cancer in the WORLD, I have been very reluctant in going out in the sun, since I want to live past the age of 50. So Eleanor, Ashley and I got some great Greek food and explored the town, and then took a much needed nap.
We all got ready and went out that night. I found THE BEST sushi place in all of Australia and got Eleanor to actually eat some, though she despises fish. Most places in Oz are BYOB so we bought some beers to have with the food and ended up feeling pretty great. We went to the Hotel Coolangatta for a DVD release party of some kind and danced and had some laughs. Then we left pretty early because we were tired, but not before frolicking on the beautiful Coolangatta beach.
I woke up the next morning in a bed full of sand and learned that I had pushed Eleanor off the bed in my sleep. Then Ashley went unknowingly went outside and got absolutely reamed out by an approximately 1,000 year old German lady who said we made too much noise when we came in the night before. This is completely false. We came in and went to sleep. Ok, we watched Flashdance for 20 minutes. But I'm almost positive this lady never had grandkids to yell at, so she chose us to get her rocks off.
We left after that (we shut the door behind us as loudly as possible) and went to the beach to watch the competition. I felt pretty nasty. No sooner did we get there and learn that the competition had been moved to a another beach due to the wave conditions. A few of us played in the ocean on these wonderful rocks for awhile and then went home, so I missed out on seeing Kelly Slater and the other surfing world champions, but when it's 95 degrees out and you feel like you're about to die, you just want to get home.
Today was my day off, but I went to Robina to interview a youth pastor on abstinence until marriage for my Journalism Research article, bought a new bra, had volleyball, went to Don's for some fish, then say here with the girls and studied/giggled at Love, Sex and Relationships, which I guess they have a test in tomorrow.
I really am so grateful for these girls. I had a terrible falling out with some of my best friends at Northeastern last semester, and these girls have made those wounds heal up so much faster than they would have if I stayed at school.
Life is pretty good right now.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Weekend Wrap-Up
Easy like Sunday mornin'
Thursday we went to Don's for a Valentine's Day party. It was all right, they handed out playing cards to everybody and you had to go around and find your match. We met up with a bunch of Aussies we know and after Don's went to the Tavern. Friday we went to CBD, had an awful time, have given up on men totally. Last night we chilled and ate pizza and watched movies, then we were going to go to Surfers at night but I ended up getting really sick. Today I think me and Ilana are going to a Volleyball championship at Surfers, pretty much my dream come true.
I think next Friday we're going to Surfer's for a surf competition, then we're going to stay over in a hotel room. Can't wait for Sydney in 2 weeks. Kbye!
Thursday we went to Don's for a Valentine's Day party. It was all right, they handed out playing cards to everybody and you had to go around and find your match. We met up with a bunch of Aussies we know and after Don's went to the Tavern. Friday we went to CBD, had an awful time, have given up on men totally. Last night we chilled and ate pizza and watched movies, then we were going to go to Surfers at night but I ended up getting really sick. Today I think me and Ilana are going to a Volleyball championship at Surfers, pretty much my dream come true.
I think next Friday we're going to Surfer's for a surf competition, then we're going to stay over in a hotel room. Can't wait for Sydney in 2 weeks. Kbye!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
BULA BULA FIJI
Back from The Feej, also known as Fiji.
It was....interesting.
The whole trip started off incredibly bad. Our flight was at midnight, but we had to leave campus at 4 o'clock in the afternoon because the last train to the airport left so early. The minute we got to the bus stop, with all of our luggage, it began to monsoon. I'm not exaggerating. It was the most violent rainstorm I have ever had the misfortune to be stuck in. Cars started almost crashing into each other, we couldn't even see a foot in front of us. Soon, all the buses had been canceled and we had to call a cab. The cab came, and he wouldn't take all five of us. Kicks two of us out. By now, we're completely soaked, along with all of our luggage. We would've canceled had we not spent a grand on the trip, so we soldiered on.
We sat soaking wet on the air conditioned train until we got to the airport in Brisbane, and then we got to change, so everybody got a little happier. And also we got to saran wrap our luggage so druggies couldn't get into them, which was super cool.
I didn't sleep on the flight, and because of the two hour time difference, we landed in Fiji at 6 AM. After we got to the main island and to the city of Nadi, we had to get into an AWFUL bus that had no air conditioning and drove on roads with giant potholes. AND AFTER THAT, we had to get on a boat for five hours. I faded in and out of consciousness on the boat and then had to concentrate on not puking for the last hour.
Finally, we got to the island of Tavewa, part of the Yasawa Islands. Fiji is made up of 300 islands, and we picked the furthest island out of all of them.
We were staying at a place called "Coral View" and all the staff members came out to greet us as we stepped off the boat. They all yelled "BULA!" which is a greeting in Fijian. They hugged each and every one of us. I retract my statement about Australians being the most friendly people in the world, because Fijians definitely win that round.
So, I know I'm spoiled. This comes as no shock to me. I like my bed without bugs, as well as my bathroom and shower. I like to primp and make an attempt to be attractive. However, at Coral View, I was not allowed these small pleasures. We were crammed into a room with 12 dirty beds. They never washed the sheets. There were mosquito nets with odd pink ribbons on them that trapped in all the heat at night so you couldn't breath. Also I found multiple species of bugs in my bed, which was beyond terrifying.
The bathroom and showers were a mess. Not only were bugs always crawling around in there, but they got backed up constantly, and smelled disgusting. Also, they were not sound proof. I was going to bathroom once and the guy in the stall next to me was puking his guts out. Lovely.
This trip proved to me how much I despise being outside and "roughing" it. I am incapable of doing this. I'm not ashamed to admit it. That's just the way I am, and now I know my lesson.
There were some good points about Coral View. We went cave diving, which was fantastic. At one point, we had to propel ourselves through a small underwater hole in order to get from one cave to another and it scared the bejesus out of me. But I did it! I was so proud of myself, and the result was well worth it. The cave was beautifully scary and dark and creepy but who can say they've done that?
There's a 70's movie with Brooke Shields called "The Blue Lagoon" and we went to the actual lagoon where the movie was shot. I went snorkeling for the first time and I saw a sea snake and almost peed my pants. But I'm just really proud of myself for doing all of these things that scare me. Sidenote: The lagoon was one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I got horribly sunburn, but that's nothing new.
Things I learned from Coral View:
1.) Canadians are lame.
2.) Hammocks are not.
3.) How to say "Vanaka" and "Ise Lei" (means Thank You and Goodbye)
4.) Having a mirror and soap is KEY
5.) They don't neuter their dogs
We stayed at Coral View for three days and three nights. It was a good experience, but I can't tell you how glad I was to get back on that godforsaken boat. I actually felt homesick for Australia, not Boston.
*One thing I thought was really interesting was how the staff members at Coral View knew only island life. They have never left Fiji in their lives. One of them didn't know how to work Eleanor's camera. They took out of the trash our Australian magazines. It's just crazy to think that their world is so small.
Back on the main island, we went to our new hostel called the Aquarius. I never realized that Fiji is a third world country. There were stray dogs who were eating grass because they were so hungry. People drive around in ancient cars and the school kids run around with no shoes on. It was just a shock to be in a country like that.
THE AQUARIUS WAS AMAZING. Big screen TV, couches, restaurant, pool. My middle-class American heart jumped for joy. Sad, yet true.
We spent the night there on beds that didn't have their own ant colonies and left the next day at 6 o'clock. We got back to Bond at 1:30 AM on Tuesday morning. I immediately washed all my stuff. Can't be too careful.
I wish I could say that the trip was totally worth that kind of money, but I'm not 100 % sure I'd be telling the truth. We all got really sick too. Abby got a skin rash all over her body, causing her to have whitehead looking things all over her body. Ilana and Eleanor got massive bug bites, Ashleys had a stomach ache, and I was just dirty and miserable while we were there. I would tell people to only go if they like the outdoors, which I honestly don't.
Oh well. Something to tell my kids about.
Now we're back in Australia, huzzah! It's Valentine's Day tomorrow, wah wah. We're all going to rebel and have a girls night out tomorrow, I can't wait. I still haven't found a decent man around here, hopefully that will change.
I haven't been too good about the whole "going to class" thing, I have to work on that. Until I have something exciting to write about, ise lei!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
So I thought I would catch everyone up on everything I've been doing over the last few weeks.
Two weeks ago I took a surfing lesson in Byron Bay:
Easily one of the scariest and best experiences of my life. I was petrified out there in the ocean, and I was god-awful at it, but I'm just proud of myself for getting out there and trying something completely new and different.
After we went surfing, we explored Byron Bay, which is the most beautiful place I have been to. Right up there with Fenway Park and a 24-hour bagel shop.
After spending the whole day at Byron Bay, I ended up getting a second degree burn on my face. I looked like Sloth from The Goonies. But I was a trooper, and the next day we went to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, about an hour away from school. I got to hold a koala! And feed a kangaroo! And now I know what a dingo is! It was an incredible day.
That's a video of the Aboriginal dance troupe we saw and their didgereedoo player, who was AMAZING. It's slowly becoming one of my favorite sounds in the world.
Last Saturday was Australia Day, which is just like the Fourth of July, minus the hot dogs. We spent the night over in Brisbane, a major city about an hour away from the Gold Coast. We watched dancing, and fireworks, got temporary tattoos, and drank some beers. The night did not go as well for me as it should've, but these things happen. Then the next day a bunch of us stayed in the city and went to the Andy Warhol museum and visited the botanical gardens. Aside from the night, I had a great first experience with Australia Day.
Then this weekend was fun as well. On Thursday, Bond hosted this night at Don's called "Palaver Grease," meaning what, I don't know. My loan finally came through and gave me enough money to actually start doing fun things, so I decided to spend 30 bucks on a ticket. I thought we all would get to dress up and dance to Grease so I could fulfill my dream of being Olivia Newton-John (and also free drinks from 7:30 to 11 were promised). However it kind of sucked. Again, Australians can't hold their liquor.
On Saturday we went on a wine tasting tour! It was fantastic. We went up to Mt. Tambourine and visited five different wineries, each of whom gave us 5 different wines to sample. I learned how to smell the wine, how to taste it, what to eat with it, and I even liked some of the reds which is short of unbelievable. I bought a bottle called Jacarranda White because knocked my socks off when I drank it. Overall it was a great experience and I'm glad we did something smaller that wasn't touristy and something that not all Bond students do.
THIS WEEK WE'RE GOING TO FIJI!!!!!!!!! We leave on Wednesday night and come back on Monday. I'm beyond excited. I fully recognize that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm so ready for it. And I dropped a grand on this trip, so it better be life-changing. :)
Superbowl tomorrow, GO PATS!
Two weeks ago I took a surfing lesson in Byron Bay:
Easily one of the scariest and best experiences of my life. I was petrified out there in the ocean, and I was god-awful at it, but I'm just proud of myself for getting out there and trying something completely new and different.
After we went surfing, we explored Byron Bay, which is the most beautiful place I have been to. Right up there with Fenway Park and a 24-hour bagel shop.
After spending the whole day at Byron Bay, I ended up getting a second degree burn on my face. I looked like Sloth from The Goonies. But I was a trooper, and the next day we went to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, about an hour away from school. I got to hold a koala! And feed a kangaroo! And now I know what a dingo is! It was an incredible day.
That's a video of the Aboriginal dance troupe we saw and their didgereedoo player, who was AMAZING. It's slowly becoming one of my favorite sounds in the world.
Last Saturday was Australia Day, which is just like the Fourth of July, minus the hot dogs. We spent the night over in Brisbane, a major city about an hour away from the Gold Coast. We watched dancing, and fireworks, got temporary tattoos, and drank some beers. The night did not go as well for me as it should've, but these things happen. Then the next day a bunch of us stayed in the city and went to the Andy Warhol museum and visited the botanical gardens. Aside from the night, I had a great first experience with Australia Day.
Then this weekend was fun as well. On Thursday, Bond hosted this night at Don's called "Palaver Grease," meaning what, I don't know. My loan finally came through and gave me enough money to actually start doing fun things, so I decided to spend 30 bucks on a ticket. I thought we all would get to dress up and dance to Grease so I could fulfill my dream of being Olivia Newton-John (and also free drinks from 7:30 to 11 were promised). However it kind of sucked. Again, Australians can't hold their liquor.
On Saturday we went on a wine tasting tour! It was fantastic. We went up to Mt. Tambourine and visited five different wineries, each of whom gave us 5 different wines to sample. I learned how to smell the wine, how to taste it, what to eat with it, and I even liked some of the reds which is short of unbelievable. I bought a bottle called Jacarranda White because knocked my socks off when I drank it. Overall it was a great experience and I'm glad we did something smaller that wasn't touristy and something that not all Bond students do.
THIS WEEK WE'RE GOING TO FIJI!!!!!!!!! We leave on Wednesday night and come back on Monday. I'm beyond excited. I fully recognize that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and I'm so ready for it. And I dropped a grand on this trip, so it better be life-changing. :)
Superbowl tomorrow, GO PATS!
Friday, January 18, 2008
You're a top bird.
"I don't know! It's a secret entrance!"
I think that sentence pretty much sums up last night. It was like I fell down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. I had absolutely NO control over anything for the entire duration of the night, and as it was one of the first nights of it's kind during my stay in Australia, I feel it must be recorded.
Me and the girls decided to check out Broad Beach because we heard from numerous sources that it had a lot of really chill bars instead of clubs, which is more like the scene at Surfer's Paradise. After a 45 minute vomit inducing bus ride, we get there to find out it's more like a strip of restaurants, or non-bars. All the restaurants are beautiful, yes, but not bars. So we go in this one place that had a Latino band playing with a bongo player and everything, and it had a lot of good vibes going on. However, there was a 50 year old British guy who could've been my father who felt the need to grope all of us. He even went as far as to slap Abby on the bum several times. He was so aggressive and creepy that we all had to leave within 15 minutes. I don't understand how pieces of shit (excuse my language) like that still think it's okay to touch girls like that, but I digress.
So we take a cab back to Bond and head over to Varsity Tavern. There's lots of drinks and dancing and we all have a good time. We meet some guys, have some laughs, no big story there. I met one guy and talked to him for some time and as we parted ways he suddenly screamed at me "THANKS CLANCY YOU'RE A TOP BIRD." Maybe it's because we all had a few drinks, but all of us girls started dying laughing because that's the most awkward compliment I've ever received (at least I'm 99% sure it was a compliment).
Then we decide to go to a hotel bar called 360 and we arrive to find a mob trying to squeeze themselves onto the elevator. Just putting this out there, but I'm deathly scared of elevators, so there was no chance in hell of me getting on that thing with 30 other drunk Australians. As Caitlin, Jackie and I start to leave, I spy a very Gumby looking Aussie disappear behind a camouflaged door on the side of the building. I yell, "Hey! Where does that go?" And he pops his head out with the biggest grin I've ever seen and giggles "hehehe I don't know! IT'S A SECRET ENTRANCE!"
Who wouldn't follow a guy like that? So we follow him and get into the bar with no chance of dying on an overloaded elevator. The bar wasn't worth all the effort and me and Caitlin bounce after a few minutes. We walk by a fight that's going on near the lake but we can't make out any of the guy's faces in the dark.
We get back on campus and decide to sit in the chairs outside of Don's Tavern, which has been closed for a few hours now. We've not been sitting for more than 5 minutes when a bunch of severely intoxicated Aussies walk by us and yell "Look! GIRLS!"
So a pack of drunk dudes decide to pull up a chair and chat with us. All started out innocently enough. They asked us about America, said they loved our accents, asked us what we were studying. It was actually a really good conversation. I got to "plait" or braid one of their rat tails, it was just a good time had by all.
All of a sudden, they start to chant. Now, Australians have a chant for pretty much any situation, and do so at any opportunity. So they start to chant about something and me and Caitlin are laughing and all of a sudden one of them jumps up on one of the teeny tiny tables and starts to rock back and forth. He's a big dude. It was a tiny table. At this, all of his mates jump up and start absolutely destroying the place. There knocking over the tables, throwing chairs, smashing their beer bottles and screaming. It was like watching a pack of monkeys. Then, the guy on the table decides to jump from one table to another, and in doing so kicked me in the head. So I jump up and I start screaming "YOU GUYS NEED TO CHILL THE F*CK OUT. WHAT THE F*CK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU" and so on and so forth.
They start laughing at me and going "Clancy's freakin out! Clancy's freakin out!" And I'm sorry, but when you have two girls and 10 or so very drunk guys, you get kind of scared, because they could've easily done anything they wanted to us. One of the kids starts yelling that security is coming, so me and Caitlin take the opportunity to run. Just as we get to our dorm door, we heard one of them yell "CLANCY WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" I've never locked a door faster. I always heard that Australians can't hold their liquor, but damn.
And that's how it is here every night! Australians don't just get drunk, they get TRASHED every. single. night. I think they might rival the Irish. I've never seen people drink this way and get so rowdy while drunk. It's kind of a turn off. As I said before, I'm not really diggin the Australian male, and the way they act when they're drunk just adds to that feeling.
Then today I found out that those same guys had tried to rob somebody's friend earlier in the night, and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a good idea to hang out with them. Oh well, lesson learned: Don't let a bunch of drunk Australian guys join you for a chat at 2 AM.
We're going to Byron Bay for the day tomorrow. We're going surfing and hiking and apparently it's a really cool hippie town. I'm nervous about the surfing because I'm pretty sure I'm going to be terrifyingly awful, but I'm trying to be positive.
Also, I most definitely felt more than a twinge of homesickness today :( I'm having the time of my life here, but I just wish my friends and family back home were here to experience it with me.
I think that sentence pretty much sums up last night. It was like I fell down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland. I had absolutely NO control over anything for the entire duration of the night, and as it was one of the first nights of it's kind during my stay in Australia, I feel it must be recorded.
Me and the girls decided to check out Broad Beach because we heard from numerous sources that it had a lot of really chill bars instead of clubs, which is more like the scene at Surfer's Paradise. After a 45 minute vomit inducing bus ride, we get there to find out it's more like a strip of restaurants, or non-bars. All the restaurants are beautiful, yes, but not bars. So we go in this one place that had a Latino band playing with a bongo player and everything, and it had a lot of good vibes going on. However, there was a 50 year old British guy who could've been my father who felt the need to grope all of us. He even went as far as to slap Abby on the bum several times. He was so aggressive and creepy that we all had to leave within 15 minutes. I don't understand how pieces of shit (excuse my language) like that still think it's okay to touch girls like that, but I digress.
So we take a cab back to Bond and head over to Varsity Tavern. There's lots of drinks and dancing and we all have a good time. We meet some guys, have some laughs, no big story there. I met one guy and talked to him for some time and as we parted ways he suddenly screamed at me "THANKS CLANCY YOU'RE A TOP BIRD." Maybe it's because we all had a few drinks, but all of us girls started dying laughing because that's the most awkward compliment I've ever received (at least I'm 99% sure it was a compliment).
Then we decide to go to a hotel bar called 360 and we arrive to find a mob trying to squeeze themselves onto the elevator. Just putting this out there, but I'm deathly scared of elevators, so there was no chance in hell of me getting on that thing with 30 other drunk Australians. As Caitlin, Jackie and I start to leave, I spy a very Gumby looking Aussie disappear behind a camouflaged door on the side of the building. I yell, "Hey! Where does that go?" And he pops his head out with the biggest grin I've ever seen and giggles "hehehe I don't know! IT'S A SECRET ENTRANCE!"
Who wouldn't follow a guy like that? So we follow him and get into the bar with no chance of dying on an overloaded elevator. The bar wasn't worth all the effort and me and Caitlin bounce after a few minutes. We walk by a fight that's going on near the lake but we can't make out any of the guy's faces in the dark.
We get back on campus and decide to sit in the chairs outside of Don's Tavern, which has been closed for a few hours now. We've not been sitting for more than 5 minutes when a bunch of severely intoxicated Aussies walk by us and yell "Look! GIRLS!"
So a pack of drunk dudes decide to pull up a chair and chat with us. All started out innocently enough. They asked us about America, said they loved our accents, asked us what we were studying. It was actually a really good conversation. I got to "plait" or braid one of their rat tails, it was just a good time had by all.
All of a sudden, they start to chant. Now, Australians have a chant for pretty much any situation, and do so at any opportunity. So they start to chant about something and me and Caitlin are laughing and all of a sudden one of them jumps up on one of the teeny tiny tables and starts to rock back and forth. He's a big dude. It was a tiny table. At this, all of his mates jump up and start absolutely destroying the place. There knocking over the tables, throwing chairs, smashing their beer bottles and screaming. It was like watching a pack of monkeys. Then, the guy on the table decides to jump from one table to another, and in doing so kicked me in the head. So I jump up and I start screaming "YOU GUYS NEED TO CHILL THE F*CK OUT. WHAT THE F*CK IS THE MATTER WITH YOU" and so on and so forth.
They start laughing at me and going "Clancy's freakin out! Clancy's freakin out!" And I'm sorry, but when you have two girls and 10 or so very drunk guys, you get kind of scared, because they could've easily done anything they wanted to us. One of the kids starts yelling that security is coming, so me and Caitlin take the opportunity to run. Just as we get to our dorm door, we heard one of them yell "CLANCY WHERE ARE YOU GOING?!" I've never locked a door faster. I always heard that Australians can't hold their liquor, but damn.
And that's how it is here every night! Australians don't just get drunk, they get TRASHED every. single. night. I think they might rival the Irish. I've never seen people drink this way and get so rowdy while drunk. It's kind of a turn off. As I said before, I'm not really diggin the Australian male, and the way they act when they're drunk just adds to that feeling.
Then today I found out that those same guys had tried to rob somebody's friend earlier in the night, and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't a good idea to hang out with them. Oh well, lesson learned: Don't let a bunch of drunk Australian guys join you for a chat at 2 AM.
We're going to Byron Bay for the day tomorrow. We're going surfing and hiking and apparently it's a really cool hippie town. I'm nervous about the surfing because I'm pretty sure I'm going to be terrifyingly awful, but I'm trying to be positive.
Also, I most definitely felt more than a twinge of homesickness today :( I'm having the time of my life here, but I just wish my friends and family back home were here to experience it with me.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
I have school?
Today was my first day of school here at Bond Uni. I had a class called "Dreamtime to Dust" which is part geology, part Australian history focusing mostly on the Aboriginees. I think my professor is the sweetest old Australian man I have ever seen. He wears his socks up to his knees with loafers and short shorts, I'm in love. We talked extensively about rocks and plates and dinosaurs and all that fun stuff. Surprisingly I found myself pretty riveted throughout the 2 hour lecture, which cannot be said for the rest of my friends in my class. There's something about the Australian accent (like the English accent) which makes everything sound really important and intellectual, it's aiding me in my learning capabilities.
Then I had a break because my tutorials (or "toots" as they call them) got cancelled, so I went to the gym and then got some food at Lakeside. I recruited a new member for my soon to be award winning beach volleyball team I'm assembling, so that was exciting.
I had Sex, Society and Movies next. We had a two hour lecture, then a dinner break, and then we had a screening of the movie Kinsey. My professor is the coolest man ever, he's skinny and very "Bret from Flight of the Conchords" looking. He wears nice slacks with sneakers, if that paints any type of picture for you. I adored Kinsey, it was a really interesting movie.
I just got out of the movie at 9, and then Meghan and I went to get Chinese food at this place in Market Square that didn't know what a crab rangoon was. My heart broke into a thousand pieces. I'm really trying to be healthy here but sometimes you just gotta have something greasy.
I have Magazine Writing tomorrow for 3 hours and I really hope the teacher isn't a Nazi like I've heard. I've been in classes for one day and I'm already waiting for Friday to get here.
PS. Got to talk to my Mum and Tim on Skype yesterday and felt my first twinge of homesickness. Hoping that was just a freak accident since it's only been just over a week :)
Then I had a break because my tutorials (or "toots" as they call them) got cancelled, so I went to the gym and then got some food at Lakeside. I recruited a new member for my soon to be award winning beach volleyball team I'm assembling, so that was exciting.
I had Sex, Society and Movies next. We had a two hour lecture, then a dinner break, and then we had a screening of the movie Kinsey. My professor is the coolest man ever, he's skinny and very "Bret from Flight of the Conchords" looking. He wears nice slacks with sneakers, if that paints any type of picture for you. I adored Kinsey, it was a really interesting movie.
I just got out of the movie at 9, and then Meghan and I went to get Chinese food at this place in Market Square that didn't know what a crab rangoon was. My heart broke into a thousand pieces. I'm really trying to be healthy here but sometimes you just gotta have something greasy.
I have Magazine Writing tomorrow for 3 hours and I really hope the teacher isn't a Nazi like I've heard. I've been in classes for one day and I'm already waiting for Friday to get here.
PS. Got to talk to my Mum and Tim on Skype yesterday and felt my first twinge of homesickness. Hoping that was just a freak accident since it's only been just over a week :)
Saturday, January 12, 2008
first day on an australian beach
Burleigh Beach was fantastic! It started downpouring after about an hour but it passed pretty quickly. The waves here are OUT OF CONTROL. They made the ones in Ft. Lauderdale look puny. I tried to go in up to my hips and ended up getting my legs taken out from underneath me and got the wind knocked out of me. It was awesome. The lifeguards are crazy strict here. They give you maybe a couple yards of beach to play in, and I literally mean a few yards. After that they flip out and tell you that the water is dangerous, which obviously it is if it was able to clothesline me at waist-level.
There was a surfing rally going on further down the beach that was so cool to watch:
I think surfing is such a foreign sport to the east coast in America that I always regard it like an extreme sport. We're going to Byron Bay next weekend to get surfing lessons, I'm probably going to make a damn fool out of myself, but it will be worth it.
Surfer's Paradise tonight, cheers!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Say, "Melbourne." Come on, it's hilarious.
So yesterday was interesting.
We woke up early as usual because none of us can shake off the jet lag, and Ilana, Ashley and I decided to do water aerobics. It was fantastic. It was the three of us an a bunch of old sassy ladies. At first I didn't think it would do much exercise-wise, but after a while I could feel the burn. They make you wear weights around your waist so you don't drown in the deep end, and it feels like you're moonwalking every time you make a move. My favorite part of the whole experience was when one of the old guys introduced me to his friend Jeffrey and he said, "Nice to meet you, I'm the resident lifesaver." Priceless.
We got lunch at this amazing place called Lakeside Grill, where they take our dining plans. Then I tried to set up my webcam and opened it to realize that the CD-Rom was cracked. Bastards. I bought a new headset today so hopefully I can Skype soon. The girls went rock climbing after dinner, which isn't really my style, so I took a nap in the suite. I got ready to go out because there was a beach party at Don's and then buses were going to take us to Surfer's Paradise, and all of a sudden a monsoon hit the campus and all the drunk Aussies outside started running for cover. It's been raining so much here and ruining our plans, I'm getting kind of pissed about it.
I convinced Ilana and Abby to go to the beach party because Don's is literally across the way. It was so crowded there and everyone was WASTED, and not in a good way. We shuffled off into the smaller rooms and met a couple of Australian guys from Melbourne, which I guess you pronounce as "Mel-bin" because they made fun of us for pronouncing it wrong for a good 20 minutes.
We ended up hanging out with them for awhile, and it turned out to be really entertaining. Best two quotes of the night:
"If I were to visit America, I'd see New York City, Las Vegas, and Compton. Do they give tours there?"
and
"Don't mind my mate over there. All he knows about America is the New York Yankess, the Green Bay Packers, and Kool-Aid."
Other things I found out was that Australians think Boston is in the South, which I don't understand. The only American baseball team they know over here is the friggin Yankees, and one guy went so far as to start ranking on the Red Sox to me. I told him to shove it because he didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't like that too much.
Then one of the more annoying guys said, "Americans come over here and think they're the best. Which maybe they are." Weirdest statement I've ever heard, and I don't really know what to think of it, but I think it sums up the feelings that most Australians have. They don't really like America but they're so influenced by us that they can't completely hate.
Ugggggh it's been so gross outside. I guess rain around this time of year is really rare. I'm going down to the pool in a bit or maybe the hot tub. Tonight we're going to this really cute area of town called Market Square to go to dinner and get drinks. It's a newly built grouping of really posh bars and restaurants, so hopefully that will be fun. I've been slacking on the pictures so maybe I'll take some tonight if I'm feeling frisky. Cheers!
We woke up early as usual because none of us can shake off the jet lag, and Ilana, Ashley and I decided to do water aerobics. It was fantastic. It was the three of us an a bunch of old sassy ladies. At first I didn't think it would do much exercise-wise, but after a while I could feel the burn. They make you wear weights around your waist so you don't drown in the deep end, and it feels like you're moonwalking every time you make a move. My favorite part of the whole experience was when one of the old guys introduced me to his friend Jeffrey and he said, "Nice to meet you, I'm the resident lifesaver." Priceless.
We got lunch at this amazing place called Lakeside Grill, where they take our dining plans. Then I tried to set up my webcam and opened it to realize that the CD-Rom was cracked. Bastards. I bought a new headset today so hopefully I can Skype soon. The girls went rock climbing after dinner, which isn't really my style, so I took a nap in the suite. I got ready to go out because there was a beach party at Don's and then buses were going to take us to Surfer's Paradise, and all of a sudden a monsoon hit the campus and all the drunk Aussies outside started running for cover. It's been raining so much here and ruining our plans, I'm getting kind of pissed about it.
I convinced Ilana and Abby to go to the beach party because Don's is literally across the way. It was so crowded there and everyone was WASTED, and not in a good way. We shuffled off into the smaller rooms and met a couple of Australian guys from Melbourne, which I guess you pronounce as "Mel-bin" because they made fun of us for pronouncing it wrong for a good 20 minutes.
We ended up hanging out with them for awhile, and it turned out to be really entertaining. Best two quotes of the night:
"If I were to visit America, I'd see New York City, Las Vegas, and Compton. Do they give tours there?"
and
"Don't mind my mate over there. All he knows about America is the New York Yankess, the Green Bay Packers, and Kool-Aid."
Other things I found out was that Australians think Boston is in the South, which I don't understand. The only American baseball team they know over here is the friggin Yankees, and one guy went so far as to start ranking on the Red Sox to me. I told him to shove it because he didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't like that too much.
Then one of the more annoying guys said, "Americans come over here and think they're the best. Which maybe they are." Weirdest statement I've ever heard, and I don't really know what to think of it, but I think it sums up the feelings that most Australians have. They don't really like America but they're so influenced by us that they can't completely hate.
Ugggggh it's been so gross outside. I guess rain around this time of year is really rare. I'm going down to the pool in a bit or maybe the hot tub. Tonight we're going to this really cute area of town called Market Square to go to dinner and get drinks. It's a newly built grouping of really posh bars and restaurants, so hopefully that will be fun. I've been slacking on the pictures so maybe I'll take some tonight if I'm feeling frisky. Cheers!
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
"Well, that was the flight from hell now wasn't it?"
Greetings from Australia!
I've been here in this lovely country for five days, and it's already been an amazing experience. It took me four plane rides, seven hours of insane turbulence over the Pacific, and a boatload of time spent not showering to get here, and it was well worth it. The trip here is not for the faint of heart, and I think getting to, say, Mars would be easier.
I'm sorry, I just paused because a bat the size of a small dog just flew my window. Moving along quickly.
For those of you who aren't aware, I'm living on the Gold Coast of Australia at Bond University. I'm in a four person suite, and by pure luck I got put with my good friend and wifey Ilana as my roommate. We live with two other girls, Ashley and Abby, who are really fun and decent people. We have a kitchen, living room, eating area, and a balcony that overlooks the Olympic sized university pool. There are only two suites like this in the whole building, and we got one of them. My life is really difficult. :)
Australia and it's people are absolutely amazing, although I didn't think I would be experiencing culture shock as bad as I have been:
1.) Australia uses "gold" coins which are of one dollar and two dollar value, so it's really hard to remember that they're worth more than the US pennies and to not throw them around as such. They have GIGANTIC fifty cent coins that look like Spanish dablooms or something and weigh like a pound each.
2.) They dislike Steve Irwin intensely. Well, at least the guy at the Circuit City imposter place did. He also said Americans were "flashy," and when I said that he just took a dig at our country, he had no idea what that meant.
3.) They never say "You're Welcome." They say "Cheers!" or "No Worries!"
4.) They're very Americanized here, though they have a love/hate relationship with our country. When we landed in Sydney, all the TVs at the airport were set to the presidential debates that happened in the states, and Hillary Clinton's "tearful breakdown" was on the front page of every newspaper.
5.) All the guys are in ridiculously good shape with the darkest tans I have ever seen, and all the girls are teeny tiny with no boobs and are really European in their fashion.
6.) They drive on the left side of the road, and only take right turns after going through a rotary, which exist about every 2 miles, and the drivers go approx. 80 miles per hour everywhere, but I have not seen one sign of road rage.
7.) Australia is apparently rife with genital herpes and date rape is huge? YIKES.
8.) Apparently Clancy is the name of popular poet here, and I've been reminded of this a couple times now when I introduce myself to people.
9.) Australians are by far the nicest people in the world.
10.) All the bars close really early here and everything is uber expensive. For example, I paid ten bucks to get into a bar last night, but they gave me a free drink at the entrance, but then we had to leave early because last call was at midnight. Like, what?
I've had some lows here while I was trying to adjust to life abroad, but honestly the experience so far has been nothing but positive. I still don't have any money because Sallie Mae is being a huge pain in the ass but hopefully it will all get worked out after I sic my Mom on them.
Also, my roommates and I have planned some trips, and hopefully we're going to Thailand for Easter! I was so against Thailand in the beginning because it scares the crap out of me, but hopefully no creepy guy will plant cocaine on me and I won't get arrested and spend the rest of my days in a Thailand jail, a la Brokedown Palace of whatever that movie is.
And also also, I'll be spending my 22nd birthday on board a huge ship and will be sailing across the Great Barrier Reef. Words can't express how amazing that will be.
Tonight we're going to a beach party and then bar hopping at Surfer's Paradise, where hopefully I can meet some locals and hopefully not get genital herpes.
And just for fireworks and cartwheels, as Stal would say:
Cheers!
I've been here in this lovely country for five days, and it's already been an amazing experience. It took me four plane rides, seven hours of insane turbulence over the Pacific, and a boatload of time spent not showering to get here, and it was well worth it. The trip here is not for the faint of heart, and I think getting to, say, Mars would be easier.
I'm sorry, I just paused because a bat the size of a small dog just flew my window. Moving along quickly.
For those of you who aren't aware, I'm living on the Gold Coast of Australia at Bond University. I'm in a four person suite, and by pure luck I got put with my good friend and wifey Ilana as my roommate. We live with two other girls, Ashley and Abby, who are really fun and decent people. We have a kitchen, living room, eating area, and a balcony that overlooks the Olympic sized university pool. There are only two suites like this in the whole building, and we got one of them. My life is really difficult. :)
Australia and it's people are absolutely amazing, although I didn't think I would be experiencing culture shock as bad as I have been:
1.) Australia uses "gold" coins which are of one dollar and two dollar value, so it's really hard to remember that they're worth more than the US pennies and to not throw them around as such. They have GIGANTIC fifty cent coins that look like Spanish dablooms or something and weigh like a pound each.
2.) They dislike Steve Irwin intensely. Well, at least the guy at the Circuit City imposter place did. He also said Americans were "flashy," and when I said that he just took a dig at our country, he had no idea what that meant.
3.) They never say "You're Welcome." They say "Cheers!" or "No Worries!"
4.) They're very Americanized here, though they have a love/hate relationship with our country. When we landed in Sydney, all the TVs at the airport were set to the presidential debates that happened in the states, and Hillary Clinton's "tearful breakdown" was on the front page of every newspaper.
5.) All the guys are in ridiculously good shape with the darkest tans I have ever seen, and all the girls are teeny tiny with no boobs and are really European in their fashion.
6.) They drive on the left side of the road, and only take right turns after going through a rotary, which exist about every 2 miles, and the drivers go approx. 80 miles per hour everywhere, but I have not seen one sign of road rage.
7.) Australia is apparently rife with genital herpes and date rape is huge? YIKES.
8.) Apparently Clancy is the name of popular poet here, and I've been reminded of this a couple times now when I introduce myself to people.
9.) Australians are by far the nicest people in the world.
10.) All the bars close really early here and everything is uber expensive. For example, I paid ten bucks to get into a bar last night, but they gave me a free drink at the entrance, but then we had to leave early because last call was at midnight. Like, what?
I've had some lows here while I was trying to adjust to life abroad, but honestly the experience so far has been nothing but positive. I still don't have any money because Sallie Mae is being a huge pain in the ass but hopefully it will all get worked out after I sic my Mom on them.
Also, my roommates and I have planned some trips, and hopefully we're going to Thailand for Easter! I was so against Thailand in the beginning because it scares the crap out of me, but hopefully no creepy guy will plant cocaine on me and I won't get arrested and spend the rest of my days in a Thailand jail, a la Brokedown Palace of whatever that movie is.
And also also, I'll be spending my 22nd birthday on board a huge ship and will be sailing across the Great Barrier Reef. Words can't express how amazing that will be.
Tonight we're going to a beach party and then bar hopping at Surfer's Paradise, where hopefully I can meet some locals and hopefully not get genital herpes.
And just for fireworks and cartwheels, as Stal would say:
Cheers!
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