100th Post!

5.19.2012

Saturday. 

This is my 100th Post!!! How exciting. Anyway: 

Today we had to catch a 7:34 am train to Morriset. Why you ask? Today we went sailing! Megan had the hook ups from when she did a camp up there a few weeks ago for a class. So she was able to get us 4 roommates and Becky up there to sail for free! We road the train for nearly 2 hours to get there. When we did, we were met by her friends, Nathan, Heather, Tim and their friend Nelson. They drove us to camp and we walked down to the water where the boats were. We got our life jackets on and got ourselves out on the water. We had to take 2 our because we were such a large group.

Once we were out there, there wasn’t a lot of wind. So sailing kind of turned into just sitting on the water for a while. Which was still nice. Nelson really liked to paddle so we did end up going somewhere. Just nowhere fast. We did end up catching a little bit of wind so we got to see what a very calm version of sailing looks like. It was really pretty out on the water.

After, we went into town, and by town I mean a tiny tiny shopping center. There was a couple restaurant/deli places where several people got some fish and chips. I had packed a lunch so I just ate that. We then caught the 2:10 train back to the city. I got home around 4 and was able to do a bit of work before heading to church. 

L to R Megan, Heather, Nelson, Falco, Nathan, Tim, Erica, Becky, Carly's arm (sorry Carly)

When I got to church, I was greeted by Charlie, who I hadn’t seen in a while. I sat by Kenny and Linh. The pastor had a good message about taking on and putting our focus into “Today” as opposed to hoping too far into the future. You know, “give us today our daily bread” kind of stuff.

Then for the after party we went to a restaurant/ hotel place. On the walk there I talked to a boy named Sam, whom I had met several times. He was really nice. I also talked to a Brazilian guy name Terrick. Like Derrick, but with a ‘T’. At the restaurant, I talked to a German girl names Sandra. She was super cool and has been traveling all over Australia and working her way through. I also talked to Alex and Nicole, girls I had met a few weeks ago. They are from the gold coast and commute every week. They are super fun.

Kenny picked on me a lot tonight. Pretty standard. Not street teams Kenny, the other Kenny. I asked him who he is going to pick on when I leave and he said that he is going to make me stay so that he can have an American to make fun of. Classic Kenny.

To wrap of the evening, I talked to Charlie for a bit and we ended up sharing a cab to central station.

Rocky Horror Townsends Show

5.18.2012

Friday.

Today was our last class Aboriginal class with our teacher Jennifer. We only had it for the beginning part of the day. The afternoon session was optional. They were taking a group to go to the quarantine station. But I did not sign up to go. Instead, I went with Monika and Tam to this super cute coffee shop at the other end of Parramatta road. It looked really small, but then there were bookshelves that swung open to reveal an entirely different room. So cool!

So the three of us hung out and drank iced chai’s and just enjoyed each others company. I really enjoy spending time with those girls.

I got home around 4:30 and got to work on my essay for a bit. I went up to the house around 6:30 to see what was on about dinner. Well as it happened, today was Claire’s Birthday. So not only was it the usually crew, but Daniel (other brother), Aunt Jackie, cousin Hugh, God Mother Sharon and Daniels friend Kate were all there. We basically just snacked on h'orderves and hung out all night. The night only improved when Michelle tried on Clare’s thigh high leather boots that she had rented for a costume party. Clare will be going to the party as cat woman, so she has boots and a corset. Michelle put on both. It was quite a sight.

 

Just when I thought I’d seen everything the Townsends could throw at me, they put on the soundtrack to the Rocky Horror Picture show. They sang and danced to I’m just a sweet transvestite as well as the time warp. Yup. This is my family people. And I love them oh so much! I made sure to take video. Next time I’m feeling blue, I can just replay the video of Neil dancing like a maniac to the Time Warp, and I will have no choice but to laugh.

Pretty great Friday Night in.

Popper

5.17.2012

Thursday

Today I had 2 classes. I had to get some help in my design class concerning some packaging that I’m making. And on an unrelated note, I learned that a juice box is called a ‘popper’. A.k.a “papa”. That is just another example of how there are so many small differences between Australia and America.

In drawing it was our last class with the nude model. After drawing I went to the design lab because I wanted to practice making my packaging. But I ended up logging onto skype. I saw my sister was on so we skyped for about an hour. After that I didn’t feel like working on my stuff anymore and I knew a bus would be coming by soon, so I decided to go home. When I got home I hung out with Carly and we successfully avoided doing our homework for about 2.5 hours. We watched master chief, which has become a new staple in our reality TV watching time. It is funny how it is really the exact opposite of The Biggest Loser. The Biggest Loser is all about not eating and losing weight. On Master Chief, all they do is eat. After that we went to the servo and got magnums (the ice cream). They are having a special on them where you can get 3 bars for $8 which is actually a really great deal for them. So naturally, I got 3. This way, I won’t have to go back the next 2 times I’m craving a magnum. Future Rachel will thank me.

After that we were still able to avoid homework by just chatting. I suppose that makes us good for eachother.

Out Asianed Again

 5.16.2012

Wednesday.

Today I wanted to get work done, and I did, just not so much academics. I spent most of my time in the design lab posting blogs and just hanging out with Anthony and Steve. We spent a lot of time on Google maps checking out different places in America. I showed them around Oregon from a bird’s eye view. Anthony was really excited that there is a Lebanon in Oregon. Anthony is Lebanese. So basically he is from Oregon and we are related.

We took a break from our virtual tour of America to go to the gathering. Today we didn’t have a speaker, instead we all sat on the lawn and ate free pizza. I got to hang out with the second years. They are cool.

After, I figured I wasn’t going to get any work done at school, so I headed home to work on my essay. I did some laundry so that it could be hanging on the line. As I was getting lots of work done, Julliane called and invited me to go to dinner with him and Hong. They have been meaning to take me to Korean Barbeque for a while now, but they have never been free. Even though I know I should have said no and worked on my paper, I said yes. And it was totally worth it.

We went to a Korean barbeque place in Strathfield. For those of you who don’t know, Korean Barbeque is where there is a grill in the middle of your table, and they bring food and you cook it right there in front of you. We walked in, and everyone in the place was Korean. For real. I was the only white person there. Before I knew it, we were seated at a table, Hong and Juliane said some stuff in Korean to the staff, and the food started coming. I was handed a pair of chopsticks and I thought “oh Jeeze, here we go again,”

I started trying to use them. And I was doing okay until Juliane told me I was holding them wrong. All this time, I thought I was doing alright. I was sitting there, practicing my technique, when all of the sudden, the waiter brings a fork and just places it next to me. I just started laughing. No one said anything to him. He just watched me trying to use chopsticks and thought “Yikes that girl needs a fork!”

After Korean Barbeque we went to Gloria Jeans coffee shop and all got some hot chocolate. There, they boys saw one of their co workers. He really liked me. Later after we had ordered and sat down, Julliane made me guess the co workers age. I said 45. But apparently he was 35. Then Julliane threated that he was going to tell him that I thought he was a solid 10 years older than he actually was. Luckily he didn’t.

"Jesus doesn't talk about your bucket list"

5.15.2012

Tuesday.

Today I had my usual class load. In Ad design, my Australian food I tried today was called              Mainland on the go. Sam recommended it. He recommended the Extra tasty flavor. I  mean, why would you go for just plain Tasty when you could have Extra Tasty for the same price? It was just some cheese and crackers. But it was delicious. 

I also got some Pods, like I did last week, but these were Honey Comb flavored. I really love just spending time with the 2^nd years. They are so fun and I just love them so much. And I’m pretty sure they like me. I mean, they do call me their favorite American. I get misty eyed when I think about leaving them. :[ 

For here on out, my post gets kind of serious, so if you're not down for serious topics, just leave it at the cheese.

Earlier, in Kimberly’s class we had a guest speaker, Trevor, come in. He talked about consumerism. I felt pretty convicted by the end of class. We talked about how the new trend in consumerism is experiences. Consumerism used to be about who had the most and the best stuff, but now we try to fill out lives with experiences. But it all still comes back to money, because a lot of the experiences that we want to have cost something. 

We also talked about how money distorts the way we see the world and what our values are. Something that we would never do for a dollar all of the sudden seems much more plausible when larger amounts of money are involved. Trevor told a story about a woman who, when offered $10,000 to spend the night with a man, agreed, but then when he changed it to $20 she became offended saying “what kind of woman do you take me for?” to which the man replied “I think we’ve established what kind of woman you are, now we’re just haggling over the price tag,”

We let money say who we are. No matter how hard we try, we will pass judgments, positive or negative, on others based on what they look like, what brands they wear. We judge them based on their stuff. Because we create our identity by the brands that we wear and own, rather than letting our identity come from Jesus.

When we are generous with our money, we are defeating the demon of greed. How often is it mentioned in the bible to give to the poor and how often do we do it? We are so disgustingly rich compared to so many people in the world. Things I live with now that I believe are essential to daily life only came about in the last 10 years. And so many of those things would never be possible in some peoples wildest dreams. But there I am, driving my car, listening to my iPod through my stereo, sipping on my $5.00 Starbucks iced vanilla coffee… like a jerk.

One of the last things that Trevor said that felt like a stab in the heart was:

“Jesus doesn’t talk about your bucket list,”

Ouch. He is right. Jesus does not talk about a bucket list, or achieving experiences. He talks about loving people, and helping the poor. Now can I justify some experience and travel if I think that I may in some way influence or impact others? But what does it mean to have experiences just for the sake of experiences? Is it okay if I balance it out with a certain amount of charity work? But Jesus didn't really talk about living a balanced life, did he? I guess it comes back to value. What do I really value and is it worth what I perceive it to be worth?

Pretty much my mind was blown after the first 20 minutes and I had a lot to digest and process after all of that. I don’t really know what my outlook is going to be when I get home. But if I seem like a completely different person with a completely different outlook on life, don’t be mad, okay?

Tater Tots

5.14.2012

Monday. Today I had Photo class. I was actually able to get quite a few good shots for my project. So that was good. I made plans to skype my family, however at approximately 12:30, I left my computer to go toast my sandwich in the student center, and when I returned at approximately 12:35, the internet had stopped working completely. I went up to the library to see if I could plug into the Ethernet cords, and those were not working either. So the internet was down on the whole campus.Cool.

I went to counseling, then afterward immediately tried to get on the internet, and it still wasn’t back. As time went on I realized that it was not going to come back any time soon. So I went into Kimberly’s office and asked if I could use her special internet that is completely separate from Wesley’s, if I could sent a quick e-mail to my mom to tell her that skyping would not happen today. I swear, this internet situation at Wesley is out of control. I will never complain about APU internet again. Actually that’s not true. I probably will. But at this moment in time, I like to think that I will never complain about APU Internet again, because it as never been and will never be as bas as Wesley’s. Fingers crossed.

I was about to do the work that I could without Internet. I hung out with Krystal and Steve for a while and we chatted about our classes and I got some feedback on stuff I was designing. For whatever reason, when the Internet is down you can’t print in the design lab. And seeing as how I really needed to print things to see how they looked, I decided to just go home.

When I got home, I fixed a snack, because it wasn’t quite time for dinner yet. A little later Carly and I went up for dinner. It was a "fix your own burger" night. We sat and ate with Neil, as everyone else was out. We talked about some things we will miss about Australia. Like putting beats on our burgers. I’m going to miss that. Hopefully Anna and I can do it next year.

We also had Tater Tots for dinner. But Neil and Michelle had never heard them called Tater Tots. They call them Potato Gems. It was pretty hysterical listening to Michelle say “tater” in her cute little Aussie voice. Speaking of voices, we also watched The Voice. I ended up going to bed super early which was fantastic! In bed, lights out, before 10pm. I wish I did that every night!

No Exchanges or Refunds

5.13.2012

Happy Mother’s Day!

Today, all the kids came over for breakfast. We had bagels (which are not common in Australia at all! They had to go to Costco to get them. These were the first bagels I’ve had since I’ve been here), with salmon, poached eggs and cream cheese. I was really skeptical about the fish, but it was actually really good. I don’t even like fish and I liked this. It was so good, I had 2!

After breakfast I came down to the flat and did lots of homework. I actually got quite a bit done. It was really cold and windy all day, but it was still sunny. I got a little bit of a sunburn from sitting by the window all day.

We went up for dinner around 6:30. And dinner was seafood. I was pretty terrified. There was fish, as well as giant prawns, heads and all. Their beady little black eyes were staring at me and I was genuinely frightened to try them. But I did. Of course. Because I’m here and I’m trying new things. Once you get past the fact that you have to decapitate it and the cracking noise it makes when you rip off its exoskeleton, and once you’ve dipped it in some sort of sauce and actually get into eating it, it isn’t so bad. I didn’t mind the prawns because they were rather meaty, unlike a lot of fishy, sea-food type things I’ve tried before. So that was a good new experience for me.

On a more serious note, I had a lot of time to reflect on my life today. I really came to the conclusion that each day really is a gift. Not in a “Each day is a gift, that’s why they call it the present” kind of way. But in the “This is the one May 13^th 2012 you have been given so you better being enjoying it” kind of way. There are no exchanges or refunds for your days. They are here and then they are gone. If you lived well in it, great, if you didn’t, tough luck. Do better next time. I really hope that I will be able to do everything I want to do so that when I go home I won’t say, “Australia was great, but I wish I would have...insert activity, experience or desire here…”

So hopefully I can take these last few weeks and truly do what I want with them.

The Last Street Team

5.12.2012

Today was my last day at Street Teams. And it was probably one of the weirdest days on the job. We first stopped and visited Joy. She was sweet as ever. But there was quite the ruckus happening at the end of her hall. I’m not sure exactly what was going on. But it was not a stable situation. We then moved on to another door where the man answered half naked. And when I say half naked, I mean the bottom half. So that was interesting. We then talked to a few more of the regulars. The fire doors in the building had been shut and there was a big hub-ub about all of that.

 All of the neighbors kept coming into the hall and complaining. We were standing and talking to Marcia when Luba came down and joined us and started going off about how the housing commission shouldn’t be able to treat them like this and Marcia chimed in in agreement. Although they were complaining and obviously upset, it was kind of cool to see them out of their own apartments and talking to each other. Usually, most of the residents stay in their apartments because it is not always safe to hangout in the hallways. But here they were, coming out and bonding over a common enemy, the housing commission. It was actually pretty sad to say goodbye to some of the residents, as well as my team members. I may see some of them at church a few times before I actually leave, but not in the same context. My leader was super cute and nice and gave me a lovely card and a little box of chocolates.

L to R: Kenny, Corey, Diana, Me, Rachel M., Sam

Joy

Marcia

After all of that, I went to Gleb markets with Tam, Monika, Megan, Lindsey and Leah. Tam joined some of the street performers for about half a second. She is too cool:

Like a Bo$$

At the market I bought some super cute stuff. Some stuff for me and some stuff for gifts. I did pack a lunch so I was getting pretty hungry at this point. So I headed home, ate some food, took a nap, and got ready for church.  I went to the after party that was at Meloney’s Hotel (aka a bar) where we just ate some food and hung out. There was some dancing too, but I didn’t really dance. I basically just hung out with Hong and Julliane. They told me all about their romantic histories. Julliane went on and on about how so many women in Korea want to date him because he is so tall and handsome. And apparently Hong has a girlfriend in Korea which I didn’t know! But it was really cute to get to know more about them.

Didgeridoos, Spears, and Boomerangs

5.11.2012

Friday. Today we had Aboriginal class. We had a discussion for the first half. Although I could not tell you what we talked about. The second part of class was a lot more exciting. We learned how to throw boomerangs and spears from this guy named Ross. Ross was cool. He makes boomerangs, didgeridoos, and lots of art work. And he was selling some of his work.

I bought some souvenirs. Including a didgeridoo for Dad. (So spoiler alert Dad, you’re getting your didgeridoo). After that, we had a bit of a lunch break, then we reconvened for about another hour. We talked about some fundamental differences between America and Australia. Like our national anthems. And of course the entire class sung the national anthem and it was all very patriotic.

After class I stuck around campus. The ASC staff are doing what we call “Family Nights”. Each staff member (there are 4 of them) hosts one family night with about 10 students. The group could do various things like get together and have dinner, possibly an activity. I don’t really know. But anyway, my family night was tonight with Michelle.

Since I was just hanging around campus, Michelle invited me to go shopping with her for taco supplies and to come to her apartment a bit early. So Tam and I both went with Michelle to the grocery store. We had quite an adventure figuring out how much food we needed to by for 13 people. (and we way over estimated on some things).  Michelle and Tam were impressed with my shopping cart organization abilities. i.e. putting a like items together and putting the tortilla chips on top so they wouldn’t be crushed.

When we were checking out, the clerk was very helpful. He had been eyeing all of our groceries and come to the conclusion that we did not have enough lettuce or onions or soda and that we had forgotten the jalapenos. I thought it was all a scam to make us buy more. But Michelle totally went with it so I guess if that was his intention it worked.

After shopping, we went back to Michelle’s apartment and quickly helped her set up. Nothing like vacuuming a staff members apartment to make you feel closer. Michelle was also really impressed with my ability to set up for a party. All I did was move the table into the corner and set up all of the seating in a kind of circle around the living room. But she was impressed with my forethought and says that I need to give lessons in hosting.

We got started cooking the meat, and soon enough the rest of the group came. We ate way to much food and played catchphrase. We then moved on to just chatting and it was overall a really fun night. I had service placement in the morning so I wanted to leave somewhat early. I left with Katie and Kristen to catch the 9:29 bus, that didn’t come until 9:52. But who’s counting?

I had to carry around the didgeridoo I had bought earlier and I got a few weird looks. The bus driver asked me if I was going to play it or use it as a weapon. I told him neither and promised not to cause him any trouble. It was slightly embarrassing to be walking about the city on a Friday night with a large, heavy, stick. But I will admit, I felt very safe walking home.

Homeless Outreach

5.10.2012

Thursday.

Today I had 2 classes.

After my classes I headed home and ate a quick dinner. Then I headed out to Hillsong to do another volunteer thing. This one is more of a homeless outreach. Basically, we went to Martin Place where a lot of homeless people gather. And you just go around and talk to people. It was probably one of the more awkward things to do. How do you just walk up to someone that you’ve never met and probably have very little in common with, and just start a conversation? I stood around and watched Becca play chess with a man named Collin. Then a guy who apparently knew him came up and started chatting with me. He was talking about how he loves fishing at telling me all of the good spots to fish around Sydney. He was really nice. From then on, the night got easier. While we were talking about fishing another man named Victor joined in and we got to talking about all sorts of movies and shows. They said that they liked American shows a lot and followed a lot of American celebrities. They knew a lot more about American pop culture then I did.

Victor was very enthusiastic and really just wanted to talk. I really didn’t have to say all that much. He was telling me all about his girlfriend and how she has 6 kids and how they’ve been dating for a month and how she wants to take him to visit her sister in Melbourne and how he’s never been out of Sydney and how he’s training to become a Barista.

 A little later a food truck came and a coffee truck. Then I chatted with Tam and Jenae who had been talking to this guy named Robert all night. I got to talk to him and he was really cool. Then before I knew it, it was time to go home. So we walked back to the vans and then had a debrief in the car before being dropped off at Town Hall train station. I took the train home with Janae.

Kind of a Picnic

5.9.2012

Wednesday.

Today I got to sleep in. I met Henrique in the city at the Opera House. We went to the botanical gardens and had kind of a picnic.I had just eaten breakfast not too long before, and I had stopped by Starbucks in Circular Quay for an iced coffee. This was the first time I had had Starbucks the whole time I’ve been here! So Henrique ate lunch.

After we were done we walked around to the other end where you can look out at the Opera House and the Bridge at the same time. I tried to take pictures but the sun was in an awful spot for it. So I will have to go back in the morning sometime.

We walked a bit further past Woolloomooloo (how fun is that word?) and wound up right outside of the Art Gallery of NSW where we went last Friday. We popped in there for a bit because it’s free. After that we went to a store and picked up some iced tea and sat in Hyde Park for a while. After that I walked to Town Hall station and I realized that I actually know where things are around the city. Like, I know how to get to the train stations and what is immediately around. It is quite an exciting feeling when you realize that you’re not lost even though, by all accounts, you should be.

When I got home, I was able to crank out the rest of my paper that is due on Friday.

Ella plays tricks

5.8.2012

Tuesday.

Today, I went to class. All day.

In Ad design, I had to give my presentation, and my teacher seemed to like it alright. Then during our break we went to the servo like always. Of course I had to have my Australian food for the week. Ella and Carla told me I had to by this stuff called Weet-bix. 

They said it was a biscuit (or a cookie) and that you just eat it as is. Like a sucker I believed them. Apparently it is not a biscuit and it is actually a super dry, super flakey cereal bar that you’re supposed to eat with milk. So as soon as I bit into it, I discovered that it is the driest thing  I have ever experienced. Cool joke Ella…

It actually wasn’t that bad and I think I would rather like it if it had the proper fixings. Luckily Sam told me to buy these things called Pods also. Pods are a sweet. I don’t really no how to describe them but the kind I got were Snicker flavored. And they were very good and I was happy to share them with the class. Good thing I had those as a back up to that Weet-bix.

Once we got back I didn’t get much work done in class. I ended up giving Richard a virtual tour of my hometown via google maps. We then took a tour of his high school via google maps as well. His high school was so big! They had their own lake! And a cemetery! And agriculture field complete with cows and sheep and pigs!

WHAT HIGH SCHOOL HAS THAT?!

It then got brought up that I was a youtube sensation. So I showed them my claim to fame on youtube:

My future career as a mascott

They were pretty impressed. So Dad, if you get some more likes and comments from Australia, that is why.

When I got home I ate dinner and watched the Biggest Loser FINALE!! This was the one where they show what all the contestents have been working on for the past 4 months while the show has been airing.

Brads

5.7.2012

Monday.

Today I woke up with quite the sore throat. Unfortunately we didn’t have any sort of cough drops laying around the house, so I had to stick it out.

Today in photo we started shooting out second project. We have to shoot a perfume ad. Luckily Courtney brought an extra bottle that she said I could borrow. The ad has to be shot from directly above the subject. This is actually a lot more difficult than it sounds and I’m only mildly satisfied with the shots I got today. So I’ll have to figure out something better to do for next week.

After class I went to counseling. And after that I had a lot of work to do. I went to the lab and printed things that I need to turn in tomorrow. Steve was in there so I hung out and talked with him for a while. I told him that I needed to go by brads. He didn’t know what brads were. Apparently they call them split pins. We got in a pretty bi debate over that. For those of you who don’t know what a brad is:

Later I went to the craft store and I asked the shop lady where the split pins were. She looks at me and goes “Oh, you mean brads?” So what the heck Steve!? Now I look like the idiot when I knew what they were called all along! So mental note: tell Steve I told you so.

After I bought my brads, I went to Wollworths (which is a grocery store) and bought cough drops for my still sore throat. I just used the self check out thinking that it would be faster, but then the supervisor guy had to stop me so he could check my backpack. Now that is a pain because my back pack is really heavy and when it’s strapped on to me, it’s really strapped on there. But he told me he has to ask anyone with a backpack. So you know, I get it.

When I got home I did some homework, ate dinner and watched the voice with the family.

Pumkins in May

5.6.2012

After such an eventful day yesterday, I took the opportunity to sleep in today. I slept until much later than I would like to admit. But I did have enough time to run some errands. I went to the shopping centre and picked up some Tim-Tams, and some props to use in my photography class.

I came home and got ready for church. When I got on the shuttle bus to church, I met a girl named Colleen. She was from Northern Ireland. I tell you, I had the HARDEST time understanding her accent. I had to have her say her name about 5 times before I had her spell it. But she was a very nice girl.

Once at church, I saved seats for Hong and Julliane and their friend Joseph. They showed up just as the music started so I didn’t have to fight anyone off to save their seats. After church I talked to Kenny from street teams. Not to be confused with Kenny from connect group. Kenny from street teams is from Georgia and goes to Hillsong College. He is pretty great, but claimed that we were not friends because we weren’t friends on Facebook. What is the world coming to?! So I’ll have to find him and add him so we can be friends in real life.

I took the train home with Hong and Julliane. They introduced me to Choc Pie. I’m pretty sure that Hostess makes an identical type of dessert. But it was pretty good and they gave me one to take home too. 

When I got home I ate the pumpkin soup that they had had for dinner. It is so funny to me that pumpkin soup is now in season for them. Pumpkin soup is for October and November people! You’ve got it all backwards.

And on that note I headed to bed.

Who is Sergei?

5.5.2012

Cinco De Mayo!!!

Today I had service placement. It was actually kind of a rough morning there. We had issues because there were only 2 boys and a lot more girls. We usually have to have at least one boy and one girl in a team for safety reasons. And I was supposed to be leading a team today. So anyway, I ended up leading a team of 3 girls (including myself), and we were told to just visit the regular women that we see. After just a little while we kind ran out of people that we could visit without a boy, so we wrapped up kind of early.

Afterward, I took the train to Circular Quay and ate lunch by the Warf watching all the ferryboats come and go. A little later my roommates joined me and we hoped on the ferry that goes to Toranga Zoo! Now Toranga Zoo usually costs about $40 to get into, but Carly had some connections through her service placement, so we got in for free! Score!

So we hung out there and I saw lots of Aussie animals like a platypus, emu, koala and kangas! So cool! 

The whole zoo is build into a hill. Luckily we had taken a bus to the top and worked out way down. At the end it spits you out back at the ferry dock.When we got to the end we got back on the ferry and headed to Circular Quay. We decided we wanted to grab some dinner in the Rocks. As we were walking the Rocks markets were just closing so we were able to see a few cute booths. We then went and ate dinner at Pancakes on the Rocks. This is the original one, not the fake darling harbor one that I went to when I saw Titanic. I got a dish called the Aussie Sunrise which was 2 pancakes, a scrambled egg, and ham. It was so good! I ate it all so fast. I couldn’t help myself.

After dinner we headed to young street. Here we were meeting a bunch of ASCers to go to Sydney Swans AFL game. AFL = Australian football league.

If you want to read about AFL, click here for the Wikipedia page

 We caught a shuttle bus that took us to the stadium. I actually really enjoyed watching AFL. I think I just like Aussie sports more than American ones. Another reason why I belong here. But I have to say, it was a really good thing that Kieran taught us the rules last night, otherwise I would have had NO idea what was going on. The people in the front row had the giant pom poms that they would bring out whenever Sydney scored. The whole stadium was full of red and white (Sydney Swans colors).  

This guy is dedicated

I sat by Carly, Tam and Monika. And one time after Sydney scored, Carly leans over to me and says: “Does that guy have a Canadian flag?” and sure enough, I look over, and there is a man who is standing there, waving a Canadian flag. We wondered if he knew it was a Canadian flag, or if he just brought it because it was red and white. I tried to get a picture of it but I couldn’t pull it off sneakily.

Also, it took Carly and I a while to figure out what the crowd was chanting at various points in the match. At first we thought they were chanting “Ser-gei! Ser-gei!”. To which we thought, “Who’s Sergei? Is that one of the players?”

Later we figured out they were actually chanting “Syd-ney! Syd-ney!” which makes A LOT more sense. After the game we all headed out of the stadium and back to the busses that would take us to the train station. I sat by Joel and we joked about how we had been bus buddies earlier in the semester. Joel, what a character.

Finally when I got home, I did the math, and it had been 16 hours sense I had been home. That made for one very long and eventful day.

Holiday Inn

5.4.2012

Friday. Today we had class in the city. We all had to meet at Archibald fountain just outside of St. James station. Today was Rachel Conway’s birthday, so we sung to her in typical loud American style. From there the group split in two. Half went to the Art Gallery of New South Wales, the other went to another Museum with an aboriginal exhibit. I started at the Art Gallery. The down stairs was full of Aboriginal art work.

There was one work that was this giant typographic representation of a poem that Mr. West used to say to my English class all the time senior year.

“In the desert I saw a creature, naked, bestial, Who, squatting upon the ground, Held his heart in his hands, And ate of it. I said: "Is it good, friend?" "It is bitter - bitter," he answered; "But I like it Because it is bitter, And because it is my heart."

Boy, that brings me back…

I wanted to take pictures of it but we weren’t allowed to.

After that, the group came together and ate lunch in The Domain Park

After lunch, the groups switched and went to the location that they didn’t go to in the morning. So I headed to the museum. When we were done there we were dismissed for the day.

We walked to St. James train station so we could catch a train to New Town. A bunch of us headed to New Town. We were all going out to eat for Mexican food as a surprise for Rachels birthday. But we almost missed the train, and Emily almost died trying to catch it. The train was at the station so we all rushed to get through the turnstiles. The rest of our group had made it but Emily and gotten caught up at the turnstiles. Next thing I know, the train is saying “Doors closing” and Emily is still running down the stairs. Luckily Janae was holding the door open. Emily bounded down the last 4 or 5 stairs and barely made it onto the train before the door pushed Janae out of the way. It was too much excitement for me.

After that adrenaline rush, we made it to New Town. We all got there and Kaela brought Rachel a little bit later. Rachel was very surprised!We ate some Chipotle Chicken Tacos, sang happy birthay, then a little while later my roommates and I went back into the city.

She has no idea.

  We went into The Rocks to visit my Host brother, Kieran, at his work. He works at Holiday Inn. And when I say we went to visit him, I mean we went to use him for the view from the roof of his hotel. So we went there, and got some really sweet pictures of the opera house and the harbour bridge. It was gorgeous and I really could have stayed there for a lot longer. But it had already been a rather long day so we decided to head home.

When we got to strathfield station, we started walking to the exit, and who should be walking the same direction, but Kieran! We were on the same train and didn’t even know it! So we walked home together and when we got home we turned on an AFL game. That is, Australian football league. AFL is nothing like NFL, so get that idea out of your mind right now. Kieran explained the rules to us, which was a really good thing, because we are going to an AFL game tomorrow night. At half time, Carly and I decided that it would be a great night for Magnium Icecream. So we walked to the servo and got some. That was a good end to a great day!

Salsa: It's Not Just For Eating

5.3.2012

Thursday. Today I had my classes. There was plans of going to Max Brenners again (that chocolate shop off Wynyard). However the plans were changed to go to the Lindt Factory instead. They were going to meet at school at 8, but I didn’t feel like waiting around until then and I didn’t want to go home just to stuff some dinner and then rush back to school.

So instead, I just went home. On the way home, Henrique texted me seeing if I wanted to go to a pub and then go salsa dancing. And I thought, eh, why not? I had forgotten that Julliane and Hong said they might want to go to Max Brenners with me and the group. So I didn’t tell then that we were no longer going. So instead they ended up coming with me into the city to meet Henrique. I met Julliane at the train station, and he was on the opposite side of the gate. I told him we had to catch a train and he was all “I have a car,” and I was like “since when?” and he was like “I borrowed it, so I can drive us,”

So Julliane drove us. Which was scary. He only just started driving in Australia. Sooo I was nervous. And he could tell. But he ended up doing a great job. So we got to Town Hall, parked and then walked to the Queen Victoria Building. Henrique met us there and from there we walked to an Irish pub. There was a guy playing guitar. Apparently there are other nights where there is a big band. So we just hung out and talked for a while.

A little later Henrique’s friend Chris from Chile met up with us. It was totally weird. I was hanging out with 2 Koreans, a Brazilian and Chilean. Who am I? WHERE am I? Anyway, once Chris came, we all walked to this salsa bar place in Darling Harbor. We got all the way down there and then Hong and Julliane couldn’t get in because they were wearing shorts and apparently that was a “no-no” and this place. They said that they were just going to go home. I felt bad but they insisted they were going to go home anyways because they had work early the next day.

Anyway, at the salsa bar, Henrique taught me the very very Very basics of salsa dancing. I am not very good. There’s a lot of just “getting into the music” that I’m not very good at. I think Natalie would have died.

I ended up heading home kind of early (around 11) because I had class the next day. On the way home I was craving a soda so I popped into the servo. I got to chatting with the guy behind the counter and he told me I had to work until 6am. I thought, wow, that stinks. I’ll be waking up around 6:30 and he will have just gotten off work. I guess that’s what happens when a servo is open 24 hours.

The Universal Problem

5.2.2012

Wednesday. Today I talked to Mom and Dad on the phone. We talked about plans for getting home. Which I hated. I didn’t want to talk about details of getting home. I’m in denial that they will be picking me up from the airport in just a few short weeks. We also talked about my friend Olivia’s wedding this summer. She’s getting married in Hawaii in July and I really want to go. I have just recently been e-mailing Olive and talking about how much I want to be at her wedding. Mom was saying that we might be able to work something out for me to go. But I’m not going to get my hopes up just yet.

I then went to the library and started working on a paper that is due next week for Aboriginal class. My first mistake was going to Concord library. This is the loudest library you could imagine. So I was very distracted. And didn’t get all that much done. So I went home and did most of the work.

Later I met up with Hong at Strathfield. He got some food at Oporto. He let me listen to a recording of a song that he was playing guitar in. It was really cool that he got to share that with me. When he pulled out his ear buds so that I could listen, he spent a good 30-45 seconds untangling them before I could listen. I thought, “wow, that is a universal problem,” It does not matter where you are from or what language you speak, your ear buds are going to get tide in knots.

After that Hong wanted to show me a frozen yogurt shop that was near by. It was very good and reminded me of going to Tutti Frutti back in Azusa. After that Hong walked with me to my house. Successful Wednesday.

Sorry, Ella

5.1.2012

Tuesday. Today I had many classes.

In my advertising design class, I was supposed to give a presentation on a product and their advertising. I chose Dr. Pepper 10. They don’t have a lot or Dr Pepper here, and they surely do not have Dr Pepper TEN. Actually, they do have Dr Pepper, it's just not very common.

 We were all taking turns and I thought we were just going in a circle around the room (as far as who was presenting next). In between presentations the teacher looks right at me and goes “who’s next?”. To which I replied, “I thought we were just going in a circle,”

“Okay, that’s fine,” he said. Then he looks right at Ella, who was next in the circle, and goes “that means Ella’s up,”. So I accidentally threw Ella under the bus there. She threatened to take away my title of “her favorite American”. That one stung. But then she was also a little glad that I was comfortable enough with her to do that. I guess other Americans are usually too shy to be that mean.

I ended up not having to present, which was nice because I could use more time to refine my presentation. The other American in the class did her presentation on Ghirardelli Brownies, which they don’t have here in AUS. She had her mom send her the mix and made them for the class. They then requested that I send them care packages with Ghiradelli brownie mix and Dr Pepper 10. In return they will send me Aussie grass (which is really no different than American grass), toilet water (to see if it will spin the other way), and maybe some Tim Tams if I’m lucky. What a trade off!

During the break, Sam bought biscuit things (I think called Monte Carlos) for me to try because I didn’t bring any money to buy anything Australian. Sam is really into my weekly Australian experiences. Every time he comes up to me and says “Rachel! What are you going to get!” So nice.

After class, I came home and ate way too much food. We had pizza, salad and to finish it off, sticky date pudding with caramel sauce. I ate so much, and I ate it all in about 10 minutes. I can’t even help myself when dinner comes around.

I'm Surrounded By Asians

4.30.2012

Monday. Photography class. Today felt like a total waste of time. The teacher has this idea for a picture, and we all have to participate in it. It might turn out cool, but I would have rather had the time to work on our assignment. However, I think the teacher would rather take up our time with his project and then get mad at us later for not having things done. That seems to be his style.

After class I ate lunch and then went to counseling. Then I went to the library to do some work. Then I went home and got ready for Connect Group! Tonight we went to a karaoke place!

I met Linh at Event cinema. A girl named Yy met us there. Yes, this girls name is Yy. Like, you really just say Y Y. Phonetically: why why. How cool is that! The three of us went to a Japanese restaurant. It was really cool! Each table was like a little booth, and each booth had a touch screen that you order off of. It has everything on the menu, and you just select what you want and then that order goes to the kitchen and then they bring it out to you. A little later Beff joined us.

I had a moment of crazy inter-cultural experience. Linh is Vietnamese Australian, Yy is Chinese Australian, and Beff is from Korea. And here we were eating in a Japanese restaurant. Talk about Asian invasion! It was so cool! When some food came, they told me that I had to use chopsticks because I was surrounded by asians. I didn’t do too badly with them either! I only made a minor mess. Yy was very encouraging and told me I did well.

After that we went to a karaoke place called Big Echo. It was really fun and rather inexpensive. I might end taking my roommates there. We’ll see. 

L to R: Beff, Yy, Linh, me

After I walked to the train station with Yy. She had to go to Ashfield, which is on the same line as me, but a train was there that was going to Strathfield but not stopping at Ashfield. I wanted to wait with her so we could catch a train together, but she insisted that I get on the train because you never know when the next train will be. Seeing as it was kind of late, I didn’t argue with her. This was probably one of the most random nights I've had in Australia. And I love it!

"Are you dinner?"

4.29.2012

Sunday. Today I slept in. Typical Sunday.

Today I went to Hillsong in Baulkum hills. This is the original campus of Hillsong. And it is quite large. Don, the caretaker at Wesley, takes students to this campus every week. So Don came and picked me and my roommates up at our house around 3:30. Joe was already with him. We then drove and picked up Alex and Chelsea at their place.

We went to church. And it was HUGE! I think they said it can seat around 2,000? Maybe I made up that number. But it was large. 

Afterward we stopped in at McDonalds for dinner. Not my top choice, but I had to get back to Strathfield because I was meeting up with Hulliane and Hong.

I met up with them and we got coffee and hot chocolate. We only got to hang out for about an hour before Julliane had to leave to catch a lift back to his house in Auburn. But it was still fun.

At one point, Hong tried to ask me if I had eaten dinner. Instead, he asked me “Are you dinner?”

To which I replied, “I’m not dinner. Are YOU dinner?”  He realized his mistake and jokingly agreed that, yes, he was dinner. Julliane then declared himself to be ‘Lunch’ and assigned me to be ‘Breakfast’. Now when they text me, they say ‘hello breakfast’.

They are the best.