Semester is winding down

Well, this is the last week of classes! Wow, it is flying by fast. This weekend I am off to New Zealand for 6 days. My finals are all on November 14 and 16 so I have already started studying but I should have plenty of time to get everything in :)

This weekend was basically just birthday parties! Saturday night was Saeed's birthday. We went to a nice Italian restaurant down at the Rocks with almost 25 people and then we went out dancing in Darling Harbour. Sunday night we went to dinner at Bondi Beach for Heidi's birthday. These photos don't show any of Sydney but you can see some of my friends here!

Me and Kerry (surprise- can you tell we hang out a lot? :)

Me and Melinda (she's travelling with me to Malaysia)

Me and Lindsay- we started running together this week. This photo was taken right after we found out we had the same drill team instructor in Texas!

Melinda, Jamie (from Australia), Kerry and Me

Saeed's birthday cake- these sparklers must be an Australian thing because they did it the next night at Heidi's birthday

Not everyone but this is part of the gang from the International House- basically a smattering of Americans, Canadians, Australians, Iranians and Japanese

Pretty night in Darling Harbour

Birthdays, iBall and Mike Tosh!

The last week has consisted of birthday parties, studying, the International House ball, studying, and visiting with Mike Tosh (from NGC)! We went to a really nice Japanese restaurant for Kerry's birthday last weekend. Then we had the International House ball on Friday. Originally I wasn't going to go, but I found out I won't be able to go to our going away candlelight dinner so I thought I should go to this instead. It was really nice- it was in a restaurant at the Botanical Gardens, pretty amazing. They greeted us with champagne when we came in (classy) and gave us a really awesome dinner. Then yesterday I saw Mike Tosh! He's been around Australia for work. It was really nice to visit with him- we walked around The Rocks (historical district) and the CBD and had a really nice dinner at an Italian restaurant. Today it is back to studying! One month until finals!! Yikes.

Me and Kerry at her birthday party

Harbour Bridge from the Botanical Gardens- started to rain right after I took this photo!

Walking to the restaurant




Me, Heidi (from Germany) and Melinda (from Long Island- she's going with me to Malaysia)

Our table- so pretty!

Me and Steph (from Boston)

Walk from Bondi to Coogee Beach

It dawned upon me this weekend that my adventure is halfway over! There is still so much of Sydney to see. So I got up really early and did the walk from Bondi to Coogee beach Saturday morning. One of the Australians here in the International House went with me so that was fun. It took about 2 hours to do the walk, then we did some homework, laid in the sun and got lunch. It was the first really, really nice day here so the beach was jam packed. I cannot believe how many topless women are on the beach! It's really freaky. Anyway, here are some photos of the highlights of the walk!

Starting at Bondi beach- so much prettier when it's not raining! (see post from August in the pouring rain :)
They have these pools right next to most of the beaches around here

The footpath from Bondi

Me sweating from the heat- at least it was windy!

Random graveyard in the middle of the walk

Haha, so funny :)

Simply paradise

Pretending the scale the wall

We made it to Coogee!

Me, still hot, but happy from eating lunch :)

Semester Break Adventures! Canberra, Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road

The following photos are a compilation of the last 9 days! My trip was absolutely unbelievable, almost indescribable. In a week, I interviewed the advisor to the Shadow Minister of Defence, ate kangaroo & emu, drove on the other side of the road in the pouring rain on the edge of a cliff, saw koalas in the wild... it's been quite an adventure!

Canberra

Floriade- annual spring flower show in Canberra

Salvation Army was selling these hilarious nomes

New and Old Parliament Buildings

Australia's National War Memorial

Canberra Youth Hostel where I stay during my visits

On the bus ride from Canberra to Melbourne- trying to snap photos as we are whisked through the Australian countryside

Melbourne

Me really excited to be in Melbourne after a 9 hour train ride! (my eyes are red from the flash, not from drugs or crying ;)

Me really, really excited to find a 'proper' salad in Australia (most of the time there are hardly any leaves and it's just all meat)

Parade and Rally for the AFL (rugby) Finals

Me after lunch at Nando's outside Federation Square- this was about 5 minutes of sunshine for the whole day

Royal Botanical Gardens

Drinking tea in the Royal Botanical Gardens- cheesy, I know but I felt it had to be done

Sign says "Tourist Precinct"- I guess we are quarantined?

Taken just for Mom!

View of Melbourne from the Rialto Tower

This hot chocolate was as thick as pudding!!!

Taken just for Sarah N!

Sign says "Animal Blessing... bring your own pet"!

Itty bitty Me outside my new home- the Royal Exhibition Building! Hey, I can dream, right? ;)

Close up of the fountain on my new porch, haha

Casting of an ancient armadillo in the Melbourne Museum- and you thought they were big and ugly in Texas?

Lifesize Australian spider- just kidding!

I'm obsessed with the public bathrooms! These are on almost every block

Not really sure why they have office hours??

Me eating KANGAROO!!! For a girl that doesn't eat much meat, this was quite an experience

Me trying to be artistic in the Fitzroy Gardens

Captain Cook's cottage ("discovered" Australia) which was originally in Yorkshire, England but they felt it necessary to box up the bricks and send it over to Australia in the late 1800s

Great Ocean Road, Victoria, Australia

Driving on the other side of the road, in the pouring rain, on the edge of a cliff- these signs were useful!

Me at the Twelve Apostles- it was sooo windy the camera almost blew away! We found out later that it was probably about 100k an hour winds

Wind calmed down just a bit

The rain stopped just for a bit

Sun! But still strong winds...

KOALA! In the wild...

Driving through the Otway National Park

On the way back to Melbourne

Gorgeous lighthouse

Apparently I have to go back to Sydney since they won't let me sleep in the car!