Dirty Dogs and Magic Tricks

4.14.2012

Saturday. Today Neil and Michelle made us a big pancake breakfast. We took our time eating and sitting by the fire. At the farm there were several dogs that were just around. All the time.  And they were pretty cute. But also pretty dirty. And smelly.

We then had a discussion about one of the books we read. Then some more life stories. After that we had a bit of free time. Which as you can probably guess, we used to play cards. We did some magic tricks. It was fun to trick Braedon because he likes to know everything. So when he doesn’t understand a trick he gets really upset. Which is always funny.

We then played some B.S. while we are lunch. After lunch we helped clean a shed that was on the property. It wasn’t a shed but more of a open garage for giant tractors.  Which really meant just picking up garbage and putting all scrap metal in a pile. The whole thing took less than 20 minutes. But that’s probably because there was about 40 of us doing it.

After that, we played more cards. This time we played Mau. After that, our group had a worship sesh. Then I took pictures with Monika and Tam. Tam wanted to create a stop motion film of the sunset, so she took a picture every 10 seconds for over 25 minutes.

For dinner we had sheep and pig! It was so tender and amazing! We also had grilled potatoes and sweet potatoes. Then, as if that wasn’t enough, we had Sticky Date Pudding for dessert.

Braedon with our dinner

After dinner I went Kangaroo spotting. This entails hopping on the back of  yute when it’s dark out and driving around the property with a giant spotlight on the top and seeing if you can spot kangaroo. We didn’t. But it was still super fun. When you are out in the middle of no where, the stars are AMAZING! I have never seen stars that clear. The milky way is so pronounced it feels like you could reach up and touch it! It is amazing how little you can feel when looking up at a universe that big!

After that, we sat around the fire for some more life stories. Once we had all gone, it was time for “S’mores”.  And of course, like mentioned in my post "You know who you are”,  I put “S’mores” in quotation marks because their marshmallows are totally weird. They are like, fruit flavored or something. So I just ate chocolate and digestives. (digestives = as close to graham crackers as you can get) (and they are not as bad as they sound).

I stayed up for a little bit after that, but then people around the camp fire started telling ghost stories. And I was not okay with that. So I went to bed.

So Much Red Dirt

4.13.2012

Friday the 13^th!!!

Today, we got up and ate breakfast around 7:30. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it, but since we went to Michelle (host mom’s) brothers farm, Michelle and Neil came out and were the cooks for our group for the weekend. I was really excited to see both Michelle and Neil last night when we got there. Michelle had been gone all week and I really missed having her around.

Anyway, we had toad in a hole. Or as some people call it, eggs in a basket. A.k.a. a piece of toast with a hole in it where a fried egg goes. So that was delicious.

After that we all loaded up in Yutes (or trucks) and drove out to a separate part of the property where there is a slight hill from where you can see a lot. I say slight hill because let’s face it, Australia is pretty flat. The drive out there was so much fun! It felt like real life Indiana Jones. It was also just so surreal driving in the outback, kicking up all the red dirt.

We drove out there, took about 30 minutes to write letters to ourselves (then they will give the letters back to us at the end of the semester). After that we had some afternoon tea on sight.

Yutes before.

Yutes after.

Then we loaded back up into the Yutes and headed back to camp. This time I road in the back, and that is quite an awesome/ terrifying experience. You just have to hang on for dear life, and expect to look like a red dust monster at the end. Our yute got the worst of it because we were behind the other 3 vehicles, meaning that a whole lot of red dust had been kicked up. They drive so fast too, mostly because there’s nothing really to hit.

The property of this farm is about 40-45,000 acres. Which I think someone said is about 60 square miles. So, big place. And there is no road markers or anything. Just some fences and such. But they navigate the place like it’s no big deal. They know exactly where they are going. If I was in charge, I would get everyone lost.

As we were driving we saw several animals. We saw sheep and a mob of kangaroos off in the distance. Kangas can sure hop fast.

When we got back, we had a little bit of time before lunch. Throughout the whole weekend, lots of card games were played. There where two boys from the city on the farm, Matt and Nick. They are having a gap year between high school and Uni and are trying to have life experience on the farm. They had been there a couple weeks and are going to be there for several more after we leave. They hung out with us pretty much all weekend. I think they miss civilization, because whenever they had a free moment or weren’t being asked to do something, they were playing cards with us or sitting with us by the fire.

After lunch we played more card games. Then a group of us went to the original house that was on the property. The house is super dilapidated and was really fun to look at/ around

After that I played more cards. A lot of card games got played on this trip. Then I took pictures of the sunset:

Then we had dinner. Braedon came up tonight too. He has an assignment for school that he needed to interview his uncle for. Plus Neil and Michelle needed another car up there.  So he made it in time for life stories tonight. After that him and his cousins (Josh and Dane) helped point out the Southern Cross to me. The Southern Cross is a constellation that you can only see in the southern hemisphere. So that was cool to see. We then spent a solid 20 minutes looking for the “saucepan” which in the northern hemisphere we call Orion’s belt. He couldn’t find me and told me that I should ask Michelle tomorrow night. So that’s what I’ll do.

12 Hours West

4/12/2012

Thursday. Today we are heading to the outback! More specifically, we are going to Mt. Burithumble which is in Euabalong west, which is close to condoblin. Basically it is straight west of Sydney. Or as it looks on Google maps:

We are going to my most mom’s brothers farm. Her two brothers, Murray and Kevin, have a 40,000 acre farm out there. They have sheep, and cattle, and emus and some crops. So we’ll get to see all that stuff.

Anyway, we got to school bright and early. Braedon was a peach and drove us to school so we could be there by 6:30. We got on the bus and were on the road by a little after 7.

I ended up not having a seat buddy, but that was quite okay with me, because that meant that I got to spread out and take up two seats worth of room. So I slept quite a bit.

The problem with taking a bus, is that they have regulations on the drivers. They are required to stop pretty much every two hours and have a break. This means that a drive that should really only take 7 or 8 hours turns into 12-13 hours. So we stopped in the blue mountains for morning tea.

Three Sisters. Not that impressive when it's super early and gray outside.

We kept going, then stopped in Orange for lunch (subway platters again! Yes!). Then drove some more, then stopped somewhere else for afternoon tea. Then went a little farther, then we stopped at an aboriginal site where they have built an education centre. It isn’t quite open yet, but we got a tour and got to have a look at the facilities. It was pretty cool actually. The entire building is made of different types of mud. And the doors all have super ornate stain glass pictures in them. Every aspect of the building was designed with a part of wiradjuri (aboriginal tribe) culture in mind. The tables for students at shaped like boomerangs to promote group work and community participation.

The last leg of our trip was when we really got into the outback. As we were driving the sun started setting over the bush horizon. Probably the most Australian sight I’ve ever seen, driving on a red dirt road, sun setting over the horizon, dry yellow grass, and a sole Kangaroo hopping along side the bus. Yeah, I’m in Australia now. (If only my eyeballs could take pictures). But here’s the sunset:

When we finally got to the place we unloaded the bus and put our stuff in our assigned rooms. We stayed in the sheep shearer’s quarters. Which is exactly what it sounds like. When the people who sheer the sheep come to the farm, they come for about a week and these are the barracks where they stay.

After dinner Kimberly offered us some time to share things about ourselves. Because there are so many of us, she gave us three rocks, to symbolize 3 things about us or our past. We could go as deep or as surface level as we wanted to. So we had a bit of time for people to share some things about them. It was cool to We ate dinner and had a little bit of time to hear some things about people I haven’t gotten to know that well yet.

Jelly Babies?

4/11/2012

Wednesday.

Today was mostly about getting ready for the outback.

I went to the salvo and got some sweet new clothes. I got a t-shirt with Tigers on it. A extra large flannel. Another plain gray shirt. And a baseball hat that says globe on it. I don’t really know what that means. But it was $2 and Kimberly stressed that we would need one. So when you see pictures of it later, that's what that's about.

After the salvo I went home so I could wash the clothes to get the ‘thrift store’ smell off them. You know what I’m talking about. After that I went to Coles so that I could get a few things, like bug spray, sunscreen and snacks. I got these fruity candy things called Jelly Babies. I have no idea what they will be like. But they were only $1.50 so I thought I would give it a go. I’ll let you know how they are. 

 

Easter Show

4.10.2012

Tuesday.

Today I went to the Easter Show with my 2^nd year uni friends. I met Ella earlier, around 10:30. We got there and walked around a bit. The Easter Show is basically just a giant fair with lots of different things. There are various performances going on and lots and lots of animals to look at.

We went into poultry pavilion, which I don’t think I liked. It was a giant barn of caged birds. And they are actually kind of scary. Here is Ella next to a large goose:

After that we saw some pigs and sheep. We also saw a dog agility course. We stopped and watched that for a while. Then Blake met up with us. It was Blake’s Birthday today! The 3 of us walked around the cows and the horses. I have to be honest, the cows really scared me. They are just so big and so strong and they could kill me so easily if they got mad. I took to hiding behind Blake and Ella. They made fun of me, but whatever, the cows were scary.

We then met up with Richard, Casey, ASCer Katie and a girl I had never met, Mariza. We basically spent the whole day walking around the different parts of the show. They made me walk back through the cows. And then we went to a petting zoo portion where we petted baby sheep and goats. They were pretty cute.

After that we went into this one section where there was lots of free food samples, so we took advantage of that. A little later we went into the ride section of the park. I didn’t ride any rides but I hung out while others did. We then went into the stadium and grabbed some seats for the various rodeo events that would happen in there. I couldn’t tell you the names of every event we watched, but it was typical rodeo stuff. Then there was a BMX show. A very Australian display of lots of men on horses doing choreography on the field. Then there was a firework show accompanied by the playing of didgeridoos. Yeah, I'm in Australia.  

The whole evening was very cold. Like really cold. Like I contemplated going home several times because I wasn’t sure it was worth it. But I’m glad I didn’t because it was really fun hanging out. After the fireworks our group was down to Blake, Richard, Casey,  Ella and me. We went on a few more rides and then decided that it was time to go home. 

I caught the train to Lidcome with Blake and Ella. From there, we were to catch different trains. When I got off the train, I heard them announce that my train was leaving in one minute. I ran and tried to catch it, said hurried goodbyes to Blake and Ella, only to not make the train. So we spent a solid 10-15  minutes on opposite sides of the platform looking at each other. So that was funny. Eventually my train came, and I got on and headed home. Overall, it was a really fun day out with the Uni kids.  

The Longest Walk Ever

4/9/2012

Easter Monday.

Today I woke up to the ruckus that is my household. My roommates and Sarah, Emily and Becky were all going to go to the beach today. So they were up kind of early all getting ready for that. So sleeping in was not really an option. But that was okay because I should have gotten up anyway.
After they all left I took advantage of the empty place and did some cleaning. While I cleaned I watched My Big Fat Greek Wedding. (Miss you Natalie).

After that I showered and got ready and then I headed to Central Station to meet up with my friend Charlie. Today, we really didn’t do anything. We met up at Central and then we just started walking. And let me tell you, we covered a lot of ground. We walked down to Darling Harbour, where there is some sort of festival going on. We saw some acrobatics, kept walking, saw a cruise ship gearing up to leave port. Kept walking, saw interesting sculptures, saw a car with a boulder on top of it:

Kept going, under the Harbor Bridge, Sat and looked over the water to the Opera House. We ended up running into my roommate Carly down by Circular Quay. So She was able to meet the infamous Charlie. We then walked all the way to the Opera House. I had already been up there but Charlie told me it didn’t count unless I touched it. So we had to go up there so I could touch it. We then kept walking and ended up back on George street. We were both pretty hungry at this point so we popped into pizza hut and split a ham and cheese and pineapple pizza.

We really didn’t do anything today. We pretty much just walked around in a circle. For 4 hours. But it was super fun. Charlie is the best. He dabbles in comedy and let me tell you, he is going to be big someday. I like Charlie. I think I like him mostly because he takes jokes as far as I do. When normal people would give up on a scenario joke, he keeps going. And he remembers things and he references them later. We’re basically twins when it comes to sense of humor. But he is way funnier. His delivery is much better too.

After that we found our way back to Central Station.

From there I took the train home. I had a hankering for a soda, so I convinced Megan and Erica to come with me to the servo. I picked up a soda, some red rock deli chips and some smarties. Totally worth the 7 bucks it cost me. Overall, really good day.

The Resurrection and Jack-O-Lantern Underwear

4.8.2012

EASTER SUNDAY!!!

Today was a lazy morning. I got ready.  A group came over and we got ready to go to Queen Elizbeth Park where almost all of ASC came for a barbie that my roommates organized. I say my roommates because I pretty much had nothing to do with it. They did all the planning, all the shopping. I just showed up. I did draw the map on the invitations though. So that’s something.

Anyway, we went there and people joined as they were able to. We got there around 11. We had burgers, fruit salad, Macaroni and cheese and plenty of dessert. I had to leave at 1 because I was meeting some friends in the city before the big church service in the Sydney event centre. I took the train to Town Hall and met up with my friend Linh. We were originally going to have a picnic with a bunch of people. But mostly everyone bailed. So her and I plus two guys (Andrei and Kenny) went to an arcade and played games for about an hour and a half until it was time to go to church.

We left at 3:45 to get to the Sydney event centre and there was already a huge line. The doors opened at 4. We went in and spent 20-30 minutes trying to get seats and we still didn’t even get to sit together. I sat by Kenny and Andrei and poor Linh sat in the section next to us. It was quite traumatic. So many people came that they didn’t have enough seats and had to set up a screen outside.

After church, the 4 of us went out for Chinese food. We were joined by Andreis friend Chris whom I had met in one of the previous Saturday night events. We sat at the restaurant for easily an hour and a half just talking about our life stories. Actually, I didn’t say too much, but I was thrilled to listen and hear more about my company. Linh is apparently 21 years old. I seriously thought she was like, 24 or 25.

After that Andrei offered to drive us all home. This is huge considering we all live in complete opposite directions. I tried to tell him that I could just take the train, but he insisted. So I let it happen. Kenny ended up leaving to hang out with other people. On the way to Andreis car we ran into Warren (south African man from last night) and Andrei offered to drive him too. Andrei. What a champ.

When I got home I found 3 new roommates: Sarah, Emily and Becky. To clarify, not actual now roommates, just friends from ASC who were spending the night. We stayed up and chatted for a while about our days. Finally I decided to head to bed, but not before Megan showed off her jack-o-lantern underwear that had a glow in the dark face on the butt.

She stood on an ottoman by the lamp “charging” the glow in the dark portion. All the while brushing her teeth. Like it wasn’t weird for her to be standing with her pants down next to the lamp over the night stand while brushing her teeth.

“Quit charging your butt and finish brushing your teeth!"

But she didn’t care. She was too excited. And I have to admit, it was kind of cool when we turned off the lights. But I don’t know if that’s because it was actually cool or if I just wanted to go to sleep.

Nothing say's the resurrection of Christ like Jack-o-Lantern underwear.