Sarah's Adventures Down Under

What are you made of?

2007-12-14T13:13:00.000+11:00

Brad Pitt asked me this question this morning in the Sydney airport. Well, he asked me it through an advertisement for cologne but I know he was talking directly to me, haha. The last few months I have figured out what I'm made of.

I went to dinner last night with my friends at a pub across from IH and then I said good-bye to everyone this morning. On the way to the airport, I think the taxi driver was a little concerned for my mental health because I couldn't stop crying. I won't lie- it was really, really hard to leave Sydney. I feel like I was just starting to get comfortable there and I made some really great friendships. But it was such a big mix of emotions because I am so excited to be home. I cried all the way through customs until I saw several other study abroad kids crying when I knew I needed to pull it together.

The last several months have been such an emotional roller coaster. I feel like I have grown up so much and learned so much about myself and other people. The future is pretty exciting- I have 3 interviews tomorrow for internships with the government (Treasury and OPIC), and I have 2 more lined up next week. I also got an offer yesterday from a friend for an all expenses paid trip to Ecuador next spring (pretty amazing, huh?) I plan to graduate next fall and then hopefully get a full time job in trade policy with the federal government. I'm also planning to take the foreign service exam next spring because I think I'd really like to be a diplomat (on the economic track) in the future. Who knows, I'd also love the chance to live in Sydney for a few years sometime in the future.

I hope that you have enjoyed this journey with me! That's all folks :)

Last Day in Sydney

2007-12-13T00:01:00.000+11:00

Photos from my last day in Sydney- I cannot believe I am all packed and ready to leave tomorrow. It's a mixed bag of emotions- I'm so excited to come home to see my friends and family but I am so upset to be leaving here. Today it took me forever to get all my errands done. Then I went down to the Harbour this afternoon to take it all in one last time. Tonight we got dinner and just enjoyed the skyline one last time...

View of the Sydney skyline from the IH roof

View from Victoria Park

Friends out at the Rose Hotel

Me and a Aborigine performer down at Circular Quay- awesome music

It took about 8 tries to get this! :)

I present to you the Opera House!

Sarah sees more of Sydney

2007-12-11T21:50:00.001+11:00

Today I went to see more places. Started out a 8 am on the bus to Palm beach. Then we wandered to Chatswood (nice suburb), the Sydney Tower in the CBD and all the Christmas decorations!

I freakin' love this country even in the rain (I'm jumping even though it looks like I'm sitting down...)

Palm Beach

Christmas decorations in the CBD

View from the Sydney Tower... we didn't get a very good sunset because of the rain...

The green part in the middle is Victoria Park which is right across the street from where I live

Since we didn't have a good sunset, I made up for it by taking ridiculous photos in the souvenir shop!! (that's a outback hat and boomerang)

Self-explanatatory :)

The store David Jones has the entire Nutcracker story in the store windows- it played music and the puppets were moving!

Sarah sees New South Wales

2007-12-11T21:43:00.000+11:00

Photos from my road trip through the state New South Wales with one of my Australian classmates.

View of the Pacific from Bald Hill

Kangaroo Valley

Flies on my back- they were swarming me!!!

Fitzroy Falls

Baby Market (presumably where you can buy babies ;) ) Next to an Adult Store. ONLY IN SYDNEY!!!

Sarah Goes Across the Harbour Bridge

2007-12-09T22:47:00.000+11:00

My weekend in doing all those touristy things I should have been doing over the semester. It's been pouring all week but luckily we got a nice morning before the rain started up again to walk across the Harbour Bridge! (finally! this is normally one of the first things people do here, haha)

Guess you can tell by now this is the Opera House...

CBD (Central Business District = downtown Sydney)

From the top of the pylon- can you see the people walking on top of the bridge?

I love this city!!!!

Yay! We made it across what my internship supervisor called "Guantanamo Bay"- see all the fences and security cameras? I also think we saw at least 4 security guards in 30 minutes.

Sarah Goes Kayaking

2007-12-09T22:43:00.000+11:00

We went kayaking for the afternoon in the Middle Harbour, near the Spit Bridge.

I'm getting good at these self-portraits!

Can you tell I was really into it? ;) It took us about an hour to go like 100 yards because my arms are so week and uncoordinated, hahaha

We rowed over to a beach on the other side and decided the water was so nice just to go swimming in our clothes. Hey, I'm not gonna come back for a long time! ;)

Me soaking wet and freezing cold- maybe the whole swimming in my clothes wasn't the best idea I've ever come up with. Let's just say it was a long bus ride home! :)

Sarah Goes to Manly Beach and North Head

2007-12-09T22:39:00.000+11:00

Last weekend my friend and I took the ferry from Circular Quay across the Harbour to Manly Beach and North Head.

Me on the ferry- it was a windy day!

At Shelly Beach- a huge lizard! I'm starting to develop an obsession with these reptiles

Took the bus up to North Head where you can see the Sydney skyline in the background- so pretty!

Pacific Ocean - you can almost see the US on the other side! ;)

What it looked like below if I fell off the cliff

Fun day!

7 days to go...

2007-12-06T22:55:00.000+11:00

Wow I cannot believe I have 1 week left! Just when it's getting warm and I'm making friends outside IH, I have to leave! I am soooo excited about going home and seeing everyone!!!! but so enjoying the sunshine here. I don't think I'll be sleeping much in the next week- just trying to soak in some rays before I leave. I made a friend here at the hostel in Canberra. Her name is Belinda and we went on quite an adventure to the grocery store tonight. It's nice to have someone to hang out with here. I'm fine by myself but I think she's been going a little nutty spending too much time alone. I think tomorrow night we are going to try some of the nightlife. There isn't much here but it's warm out and there are all sorts of people around. I'm wrapping up my internship tomorrow- so far I got really good feedback on the reports I've written. I just hope they are somewhat useful since it's taken me months to write them. When I go back to Sydney I have to face the music of PACKING! That is going to be awful- I have collected so much stuff. I have no idea how I'm going to get it all home!!!

Sarah Meet World, World Meet Sarah

2007-12-05T20:16:00.000+11:00

I just got back from wandering around Canberra for about 2 hours. I went and saw all the embassies- so cool! I have never visited a US embassy before, but thought I should find it in case of an international incident or something. :P It was fun to see how all the embassies are built in the architecture of the country. The US is red brick, of course, sitting up and nice and imposing on a hill. I'm sure we wouldn't have it any other way.

Today was so much fun! I am so glad I'm doing this internship. It's been a little stressful at times but I think that's because of my cultural misunderstandings than anything else. But we had a really fun, 3-hour long lunch/ Christmas party at the National Press Club. Wine, steak, dessert all included! Andrew got me a really cute kangaroo for the gift exchange. Then we went over to a meeting at DFAT (Dept of Foreign Affairs and Trade = similar to the US State Dept) about IP in Australia's free trade negotiations. I really don't think I was supposed to be there but it was really cool. Andrew said he checked that it was okay to bring an intern- didn't really mention that I'm a US spy or anything, hahaha. So it was funny to hear them talk about the US position on things. I like being a fly on the wall. And since I look like everyone, they don't know I'm not AUstralian until I start talking. Although I did notice yesterday that I was losing my voice a bit because I'm sick and a bunch of people (Even australians) thought I was from here. Now I finally know how to do the accent!

I think tonight I'll just relax and watch tv. I met a really nice girl from Geelong last night watching trashy shows. I was introduced to "Gossip Girl" and other shows I've missed premiere in the last few months. Only a week left to go in this wonderful country- I have a LONG to do list!!!!!

Survey- what to do for my last night Down Under?

2007-12-03T19:34:00.000+11:00

I am in the hostel for Round #4 of my internship. It's going really well- I had a great meeting with reps from Austrade (trade promotion) today. So nice and helpful! It's raining outside and I just finished a huge pasta and chocolate cake dinner because I am really sick and feel like I deserve it, hahaha. I lost a ton of weight this semester (through starvation- I knew the horrible IH food was good for something!), and I'm determined to keep it off so that will be the last time I gorge myself! Ugh don't feel so good now... :P

So I'm trying to decide what to do for my last night in Sydney! I still need to walk across the Harbour Bridge and hopefully my friend is going to take my kayaking this weekend. I can't decide what to do though- go to the beach, go dancing in Darling Harbour (won't be the same without Kerry and Saeed!) or just wander around the CBD. Hmm... I know I will be back to Sydney so it's not like I'm saying goodbye forever but I want my last night to be a memorable one. Got any suggestions?

Saying Goodbye

2007-11-29T19:14:00.000+11:00

I will be leaving Sydney two weeks from today- what a crazy 5 months it has been! The last couple of days and weeks I have had to say goodbye to all of my new friends here. When I first got to IH I thought oh my goodness, these people are so much younger than me! They are so immature! How in the world will I survive? But we have really gotten close over the last several months seeing each other every day and eating every meal together. It has been hard to say goodbye to them because I don't know when I'll see them next. Some of my American friends like Kerry and Melinda live in DC and Philly so I know I'll see them again soon. It will be much longer before I see people like Pinky and Saeed. But we are lucky it has gotten a lot easier to stay in touch with email, Skype and Facebook.

When I was initially researching Australia and doing study abroad I found this graph below that explains your adjustment abroad and at home. I was thinking about it the other day and I seriously cannot believe how accurante this thing is! A couple of my other friends here have agreed.

It starts out with the honeymoon period where everything is new and exciting, then you hit the culture shock. I found a thing online that said at this point you may be finding faults with your new surroundings and will be contacting family and friends at home more often. It said that "Bear in mind that you seem to reach out to them only during your low points so try to remember to call them when you’re feeling better so they won’t worry"- sound familiar? Hmm... let me think of how many of those phone calls I made!

I think I underestimated going through any of this because Australia is such a developed and advanced country- it's not like I was going to live in Zimbabwe or something. And also they speak English here, so surely it couldn't be that different! I am reading online tonight about cultural adjustment and these are some of the things that now I can relate to:

-Not getting innuendoes.

-Not understanding what people are saying even though they are speaking English.

-Thinking no one likes you.
-Ordering chips and getting fries.

Then you go into adjustment. "Recognize that you are making it through the storm, and revel your successes, new friendships, experiences, travel, etc.! Your survival seems assured!" and finally you reach acceptance where you are able to function in both environments.

I am hoping this graph also comes with an explanation about why you get really awful grades when studying abroad, haha. I studied a lot but still think my grades are probably going to be horrible. Part of that is because my exams in the first half of the semester were atrocious so it was hard to make it up in the end, and the other part is that grading in Australia is really different. Students here don't need to get good grades to get a good job- they just need to pass. So whereas most students in the US aim for an A or B, students here just aim to pass. As a result, the whole grading system is really different and I personally think impossible to adjust to when the US system is so ingrained in you. Or so this is what I'll be telling myself when the final marks are released ;) As long as I graduate next year, I'm not worried too much. In the meantime I'll be enjoying my last few weeks of Australian summertime!

Sarah's Intro to Asia: Malaysia and Singapore Fun!!!

2007-11-28T20:45:00.000+11:00

Here are some selected photos from my trip to Malaysia and Singapore. In 9 days, we visited Kuala Lumpur (KL), Cameron Highlands, Georgetown, Langkawi, Singapore and Melaka. It was an amazing trip! Melinda and I took about 1100 photos combined- on No. 900 Daniel started questioning what he was thinking going to Asia with two girls!

I was sooo excited!!!! At the Sydney airport

Cool fountain in Kuala Lumpur- me and Daniel (he's lived in Singapore and Brunei and was our personal tour guide- I don't think we would have survived without him!)

Merdeka Square

Tallest flagpole in the world- I am the little pink dot at the bottom of the pole

At the KL Butterfly Park

Peacocks at the KL Bird Park- we were lucky to be there during mating season so we saw about 10 male peacocks struttin' their stuff! It was really amazing.. that's me behind the bird!

Nightime in KL

View from our room in Tanah Rata in the Cameron Highlands

Day trip to the tea plantations

Daniel, Melinda and Me

View of the valley from a lookout point- it was amazing being above the clouds!

Trekking in the Mossy Forest- a few weeks ago they found an entire tiger family in the highlands which is very rare

Enjoying some afternoon tea at Boh Tea Centre

Beautiful butterfly at Butterfly Farm #2

Hibiscus flowers

Canopy walk on Penang Hill- don't look down!!!

View of Georgetown from Penang Hill

I think I would have made at excellent soldier! At Fort Cornwallis in Georgetown

Riding on the back of Lasah the elephant in Langkawi. It was so awesome!

Feeding Lasah- can I take him home??

We ran across this cute little guy on the side of the road and I got to feed him!

On the ferry going back from Langkawi to Penang

Sunset over the Straights of Malacca- I think this is my favorite photo from the trip

Melinda and I went to Singapore without Daniel. Will we survive??

We caved and ate Western food!!! Sorry Daniel!

Little India in Singapore- we stayed right down the street

At the Singapore Night Safari (don't worry- the crocodile is fake ;)

So much fun!

Back in Malaysia- in Melaka

Apparently I became the tourist attraction...

At the replica of the Sultan's Palace

Petronas Towers- I am the jolly green giant! :)

Passes for walking across the skybridge

Good bye Malaysia- hello Sydney! Taken at 6:30 am this morning outside the airport. We survived! Malaysia, I will back one day! :)

Penang > Singapore > Melaka, Malaysia > Kuala Lumpur

2007-11-27T10:55:00.000+11:00

I think this has been the fastest paced trip I have ever done. We knew it would be ambitious seeing half of Malaysia and part of Singapore in 9 days but I didn't realize how exhausting this would be!! Oh well, we are on our last day in KL and are heading back to Sydney on the red eye tonight. We have done too much to list it all so here are some of the highlights!

Saturday/Sunday- flew from Penang to Singapore on Singapore Airlines. Is it bad that one of my favorite parts of Singapore was the airline flight? Haha. It was a really nice flight. We wandered around the city, did the Night Safari at the zoo (highly recommended if you ever go to Singapore!), did some shopping, hit some museums and then took a bus back to Malaysia Sunday night. Daniel met us at the Melaka bus station.

Monday- wandered around Melaka looking at all the colonial buildings, old fort, temples and mosques. Apparently I am also a tourist attraction! I had some Malaysians (very sweet) ask if they could take a picture with me. I found this bizzare but Daniel didn't think it was weird. Melinda also pointed out that all the old Chinese men were staring at me in Singapore. I think it's just the blonde hair :) Then we took the bus to KL! Got some naan and teh tarik

Tuesday- Got up around 7 am, showered (with lizards) and are heading to the Petronus Towers before shopping! We are taking the red eye back to Sydney tonight.

Pictures will be posted soon!

Life is Beautiful

2007-11-24T01:21:00.000+11:00

First of all, I should say thank you to everyone that writes comments on my blog! I am hoping that my adventures encourage others to get out there and explore too. But overall it just makes me really happy knowing someone is reading this, haha :)

So I am sitting downstairs of Crystal's Guesthouse in the heart of Chinatown in Georgetown, Penang. We were lucky to find this place- the owner is incredibly nice and it's so clean! A big plus after sleeping with mice our first two nights :) We are packing up and looking up bus schedules trying to figure out how to get to Singapore. But I am avoiding packing and blogging instead!

Today was absolutely amazing. We got up early and took the 3 hour ferry ride over to Langkawi, which is a popular tourist destination near the border of Thailand. Unfortunately we could only the stay the day since we are trying to see half of Malaysia and Singapore in 9 days. Ambitious schedule but so far we are doing it! The ferry ride was beautiful... unfortunately so beautiful that I got caught up in the experience (apparently I do this often- Melinda and Daniel have made comments about me "wandering" too much- oops!) that I didn't put sunscreen on and didn't realize we were outside for over an hour. Now I'm more sunburned than I've ever been in my life! I will pay for this tomorrow...

Anyway, we ran off the ferry, hired a taxi ('hired' = rent in Australian english) and went to ride Lasah the elephant!!! It was WONDERFUL! Life long dream fulfilled for sure. And apparently it is possible to have 2 lifelong dreams fulfilled in one day because then we were walking to the beach, and we just happened to see a man feeding some friendly monkeys. And he gave me some peanuts to *feed the monkeys*. I officially am over the moon. It held my hand and pulled the peanuts of out it. Absolutely amazing.

We wandered around the beach and hung out for about 2 hours. I tried to stay out of the sun but I just love the water too much. Then we wandered over to the marina and tried to get a taxi back to the ferry. Of course, there were no taxis going our direction so just as we were starting the 2 km trek back to the last location we saw cars, a nice man pulled up and gave us a ride! Fortunately I had done this in Costa Rica so I wasn't freaked out- I think Melinda had a mild heart attack but she'll survive :)

To finish off the wonderful day, we were able to watch the sun set over the Straights of Malacca. I don't think I've ever seen the sun set while out in the water before. The only thing that came close was the sun setting in Maui when the family went there several years ago so it brought back good memories.

I am starting to get a stomachache from all the crazy food Daniel has been making me eat. Last night's Indian food (slightly different than the traditional Thanksgiving dinner!) was probably what put me over the edge. I guess it's something about being foreign and blonde in Little India that gets you 5 waiters and eventually with enough help we figured out something to eat. In general though, I noticed people are really friendly here, always smiling. Anyway, Daniel has been trying to get Melinda and I to eat from the food stalls outside and tonight he finally succeeded. I didn't eat too much because the squid hanging outside was a bit unappetizing but I did have the satay chicken, coconut milk (from a coconut) and I tried the ice cream/ bean/ jello/ ice combination before deciding my stomach is not going to hold out any longer. Tomorrow just Melinda and I are going to Singapore (leaving Daniel for the day in KL) and we will be running to pizza! The first thing I am eating in the States is a burrito! I can smell those black beans and salsa from here ;) More stories to come soon!

Happy Thanksgiving from Malaysia!

2007-11-22T12:29:00.000+11:00

I am sitting here in an internet cafe in Penang, which is a small island off the coast of the Malaysia. We got here around 8 pm last night and were able to quickly find a room. Our room searching abilities are getting better and better! The last night in Cameron Highlands we got a triple for 35 ringgit- that's $10!!! Last night we got an even cleaner and bigger one with a tv for 43 ringgit-- I think that's like $13. I love Malaysia :) The weirdest thing we are dealing with so far is the joint toilet/shower. Yes, you literally take a shower next to the toilet. Very odd but we are getting used to it. That's along with no toilet paper, periodically having to squat in holes to use the bathroom and using lots and lots of hand sanitizer! Despite all this I'm having a great time. Yesterday we went to a tea plantation, trekking through a mossy forest and to another butterfly park in the Cameron Highlands. Then we took a bus for about 5 hours to get here to Penang. Today we are going up to Penang Hill and then will be doing all the touristy stuff around Penang. Tomorrow we are trying to go to Langkawi, another island, but it's more like a resort.

They don't have turkey here but maybe we will try to have some chicken for a mini-Thanksgiving :) I have been thinking a lot lately about how fortunate I am to be having such amazing experiences. A year ago I never imagined that I would be jumping off mountains in New Zealand or trekking around the rainforest of Malaysia. I think this trip is proof that if you work hard enough, you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. The last few months have really opened my eyes to all the opportunities out there. I certainly have a million things to be thankful for- my family, my friends in the US, all the new friends I have made here in the Asia Pacific. I couldn't have gotten here without the support of each and every one of you. That's what I'm thankful for this Thanksgiving!! I will be back in the States soon... only about 3 more weeks. Can't wait to give all of you big hugs! (can you believe that I actually want to hug people now? that should say something about how much i've changed ;) hehe)

That's all for now.. more updates will be soon!

A Day at the Sydney Aquarium

2007-11-22T01:10:00.000+11:00

Me, Pinky (my roomie!), Saeed and Kerry making scary faces in the shark tank

Yours truly

SHARK! This thing was probably 5 feet long...

Pinky and I at Darling Harbour on a beautiful Friday afternoon

Final Exams, Exploring Sydney and Malaysia!

2007-11-21T00:19:00.000+11:00

It's been quite a while since I've updated this because I was studying non-stop the last two weeks. Exams went okay- I was mainly just happy to be done! Then as soon as I was done, we started exploring a bit more during the last 48 hours with all of my friends. It was a whirlwind going to the aquarium, symphony at the Opera House, bush walking through Kuringai National Park (and finding our own private beaches!) and clubbing Sydney-style (probably one of my favorite things about Sydney). I think only I slept about 18 hours in 4 days :) A few of my friends will still be in Sydney the next month but most people are going home for semester break (which by the way, I cannot get over seeing Christmas decorations when it's warm outside!)

Then Sunday morning we had to say good-bye to everyone at IH (it was incredibly hard to say goodbye to Pinky, my roomie) and then it was off to Malaysia!! I am here with Melinda and Daniel, two friends I met at IH. We spent 2 days exploring Kuala Lumpur going to the Butterfly Park (Daniel showed me how to hold a butterfly!), getting face to face with peacocks and eating more Chinese food than you can imagine. It is hot, muggy and smelly but I love it! So much character to this place. Today we got on the bus to the Cameron Highlands. Most of today was spent on the bus and then indoors because it has been raining all day. But that's okay- I'm pretty tired after trekking all weekend so it's nice to relax a bit. Tomorrow we are doing some jungle hiking and going to a tea plantation before we head to Penang! I am sooo glad Daniel came on this trip- he has lived in Singapore and Brunei and has been to Malaysia several times. Melinda and I just kind of follow him around... I think she and I would still be wandering around Kuala Lumpur if it wasn't for him! I think the weirdest thing so far is that the toilets and showers are in the same stall... literally right next to each other. Bizzare but I'll get used to it :) That's all for now!

Canberra and my internship- Round 3

2007-11-08T19:07:00.000+11:00

So this week is my third trip to Canberra for my internship and it went so much better than the last 2 visits! I'm feeling much more comfortable here, and we finally narrowed down what I'm working on. I've been kind of wandering aimlessly and was concerned that what I was doing wasn't adding any value to the organisation. But it sounds like I'm on the right path so I feel a lot better. I'll be coming back in a month for a week to interview some more people and wrap things up!

One of the really cool things about the organisation is they have a lot of government contacts. So today I got to go to the debate between the environmental ministers! Election here is in 2 weeks and climate change is a pretty heated topic. The debate was at the fancy National Press Club and was televised although I doubt it will show up anywhere in the US :) It was really interesting though. Unfortunately I think everyone thinks I'm an idiot because I don't understand all the intricacies of the political system and ask the dumbest questions. They also always ask me for my opinion and it basically ends up being "they were really good public speakers" because I don't know enough about the topics to make an opinion. And actually, any opinion I have ends up sounding terrible so I'm trying to keep my mouth shut! :) But all in all, it has been really great to get exposed to all these different facets of the government and country.

Next week I am taking my finals (ah!) and then I'm done for the semester!!

LakE Wanaka and Queenstown Airport

2007-11-02T14:11:00.000+11:00

My last two days in New Zealand were spent in Wanaka and Queenstown.

Laka Wanaka after a rainstorm

Hand of Trust, I think

Walking around the lake

The Purple Cow, where I stayed for the night. I shared the room with a nice girl from Austria

And I woke up to THIS on Thursday morning. Un-freakin-believable

Signs at the Queenstown airport. Home is a long, long ways away

View from the Queenstown airport

Bye New Zealand! I will definitely be back one day :)

South Island of New Zealand- Queenstown, the Remarkables and Milford Road

2007-11-01T07:33:00.000+11:00

It's hard to put into words how absolutely AMAZING New Zealand is. I met Lisa (from high school) and Amy (her friend) over on the south island for the last 6 days. If you have never been before, GO! You will not regret it. It is actually more beautiful than the Lord of the Rings, which was filmed there. Pictures do not do it justice. I took a couple of videos which I will figure out how to upload. For now, here is my photo diary!

View of the north island from the plane

Huge mountain on the south island

We decided it would be fun to go hang gliding! (yep, that's me!)

It's a lot scarier than it looks

View of the Remarkables from the gondola

Amy, Lisa, Me

We liked the Remarkables so much we decided to drive up them! Probably should of had a 4 wheel drive...!

Laka Watakipu

Lisa and Amy bungee jumped off this bridge!

Arrowtown- they filmed some of the Lord of the Rings movies around here (obviously not in the town... :)

Driving on the other side of the road! We split up the driving. Poor Amy got stuck with all the horrible winding roads

Mirror Lake

The beginning of our climb to Lake Marian. We thought it would be a nice stoll in the woods

But it was really like climbing a mountain... literally!

We had to climb OVER this tree

But it was SO WORTH IT!

Avalanche!!

Paradise

Me attempting to walk around the lake before I gave up

Finally making it down the mountain!

Too bad we didn't see the edited sign before we started up. We thought it would take 3 hours total- more like 4-5!

Continuing on Milford Road

Going through Homer Tunnel

Only to find THIS on the other side!

The road closed the next day because of avalanches- yikes!

We were really excited to be there :)

Do we have to go?

Walk to Manapouri

The 12 km hike was worth it :)

The little shop in Te Anau where I found margarita mix! More exciting than you can imagine after not having proper margaritas for almost 4 months!

We made fajitas- can you tell I was excited?!?

Drive Wednesday morning from Te Anau to Queenstown. We were treated with a rainbow after the rain!

SHEEP! I think there are about 20 million of these around NZ

Trying to drive to Rainbow Reach. You'd think this would be sufficient warning to turn around

MOO! These were in the middle of the road

Rainy day but still ridiculously beautiful

Maybe this was what the warning was for!

Semester is winding down

2007-10-23T20:29:00.001+10:00

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!

2007-10-14T10:47:00.000+10:00

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

2007-10-07T15:38:00.000+10:00

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

2007-10-02T21:08:00.000+10:00

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!

I ate Australia's Coat of Arms

2007-09-29T21:45:00.000+10:00

Today I ate kangaroo and emu!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Can you believe it? I barely eat chicken, and I ate such exotic foods today. Pictures will be posted soon- too bad they didn't get a photo of me choking down the emu. I had to close my eyes. The kangaroo was delicious though- tasted like steak. The emu kind of tasted like bacon? I think because it was smoked. Anyway, the last two days have been a worldwind trying to see as much of Melbourne as possible. Tomorrow we are 'hiring' a car (=renting in Aussie English) and driving the Great Ocean Road. I'm really nervous about driving off a cliff but hopefully it'll be okay. I absolutely love Melbourne- sorry Sydney! I can't believe how awesome this place is, even in the rain. I am going to have a hard time leaving this continent... :)

I love Melbourne!

2007-09-27T22:22:00.000+10:00

Everyone says that you can't love Sydney and Melbourne- goes against the laws of the universe or something. I already see why! There is just something about it that I really like here... Just got here a few hours ago after a 10 hour trip on the bus and train. It actually wasn't bad at all- I really enjoyed the Australian countryside. We went through some pretty small towns on the bus- barely even paved roads in a couple of places. We just got dinner and it started raining so it will probably be an early night. I'm excited about getting up early tomorrow to explore the city :)

Day 3 Canberrian Adventure

2007-09-26T18:59:00.000+10:00

My internship work is wrapped up for the week and I'm getting ready to go to Melbourne tomorrow! Last night was *very* entertaining here in the hostel. I was suprised that most people went to sleep pretty early. But there was a guy somewhere on the other side of the room that kept making all these grunting and moaning noises, kind of like when someone breaks their leg. It was so bizarre. Some people got up really early this morning around 5:45 am. I'm not really sure why since I thought everyone here was on holiday but apparently not.

I met with another guy at Australia's Stratetic Policy Insitute this morning. The guys in the office took me out to lunch and told me all about their protesting when they were in university during the Vietnam War. I am starting to get the impression that Australian students are much more into protesting than Americans are but I could be misinformed.

Tonight I am going to do some more work before getting on the train tomorrow! I wanted to upload photos but it looks like this computer in the internet cafe has a virus so I will wait on putting my memory stick into a computer I know is safe!

Canberra & Holiday Fun

2007-09-25T20:12:00.000+10:00

I am on semester break for the next week so I am back in Canberra for the first half of this week for internship stuff. Last day of classes before semester break was Thursday, but I have massive amounts of work which I frantically tried to do all day Friday and Saturday. Apparently there was work I was supposed to be doing the last few months! I actually did a really good job of keeping up on all of my reading; now I just have major assignments like papers that take up a lot of time.

I took the bus to Canberra on Sunday and spent the day exploring Floriade (national flower show, similar to Cherry Blossom Festival in DC) and the Australian War Memorial. Both were really interesting. The war memorial was really moving. I wish I wasn't so tired by the time I got there- it was huge and I didn't get to spend as much time there as I wanted to.

Work yesterday was okay- a little stressful because of fuzzy expectations, but it was alright. Apparently my hostel reservation didn't go through last week so I didn't have a place to stay on Monday night. I had to pay heaps to stay in a hotel, but I think it was worth it not to wear shower shoes and to stay in the most comfortable bed ever!!

Today things at work went exponentially better. I am wrapping up my research on the Australia-US FTA so I briefed everyone on that. I don't think I have unearthed anything too meaningful but I think it's been good to pull all this info together for the group. It is election year here in Australia so now I am writing about the opposition party's defence policy. It has been incredibly interesting learning about Australia's foreign and defence policy. It's also really interesting learning about their political system- it's so different from ours! So I interviewed a guy from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute and the assistant for the Shadow Minister of Defence. It'll take too long to completely explain a shadow minister but basically it would be like having a Democratic counterpart for every Republican cabinet member. Andrew (my internship supervisor) told me this afternoon that I need to get my head examined for thinking all of this is interesting- I'm sure most of you agree ;)

Tonight I am staying in a dorm room with 9 other people because there are no other rooms left in the hostel. I am just happy to have a place to stay! It should be very interesting getting up in the morning at 7 when everyone else is fast asleep. Luckily there is no nightlife whatsoever in Canberra so I don't have to worry about any drunks coming in late :) On Sunday night all the girls in my room went to bed at 10 pm- I can only cross my fingers tonight is as peaceful!! I am using this week as a trial to see if I will survive living in a hostel my last 3 weeks in Australia in December. It is iffy at this point... we will see :)

I have a massive amount of work to get done so I should get back to studying. Thursday I am headed to Melbourne!! Not really sure who I'm travelling with as people's plans keep changing, but I will see when I get there! I am just excited to see more parts of the country, especially now that it's warming up! I love being on permanent holiday.

Half American?

2007-09-19T01:06:00.000+10:00

Today we started discussing the US studies centre at lunch and got on a very interesting topic. One of my Australian classmate's told me that she's half American. Meaning her mom is American and her dad is Australian. She actually has dual citizenship and passports for both countries. This launched a big discussion about whether American is a nationality (versus an ethnicity). Now, most of the time in the US if someone asks "What are you?", obviously I am a European mutt. But hypothetically we asked what if you moved to Australia and had a kid here. Doesn't it sound weird to say that your child is half American, half Australian? Both are immigrant countries! Then this got us on the topic if a Canadian married an American, would that kid say it was half Canadian? Doesn't it just sound weird? Anyway, just some musings as I'm up in the middle of the night doing homework :) Have a great day!

Harbour Bridge at Sunset

2007-09-17T17:22:00.000+10:00

I absolutely love this photo taken by one of my classmates this weekend

Sydney Uni US Studies Centre

2007-09-17T17:12:00.001+10:00

Over the next few weeks the university is launching a new US Studies Centre (partially funded by Rupert Murdoch). I initially learned about it because they invited all of the American exchange students to a barbeque to meet eat other (like I haven’t run across one of the other 1000 American students here yet?) and to learn about the new centre.

According to the Aussies I met at the Spanish chat on Friday (sidenote: I was getting frustrated with my spanish because several people have been commenting on how horrible my accent is. Not really great for someone who is already terrified of speaking! But I realized I can’t give up just yet since I have to pass a proficiency exam in March so I'm trying really hard to keep talking... The chat was ‘heaps’ of fun. Since the drinking age here is 18, we met at the bar on campus and got free beer. They kept asking me all sorts of questions about the US and my impressions of Aussies. We started talking about the Australian political system and gave up on Spanish since we didn’t know any of these words!)... Anyway, back to my point- apparently the centre was initiated to combat the anti-American sentiment in Australia. Well, this method doesn’t seem to be working and based on the fliers I have read around campus, it just might be doing the opposite. They are having student council elections this week, and I’m starting to get the impression that student activists on campus are a bit militant. Some of the other items on the voting agenda are: Free education (it used to be free here until about 10-20 years ago), Money for education not war (the US Studies Centre and protesting at APEC fall under this category), No nuclear research on campus (a rally will be held on Monday for this), Fighting for Women’s Rights (this includes maintaining “autonomous women’s spaces” to make creative and political publications and –surprise- organise protests), Fight Homophobia (there was no explanation for this, but I think it’s self-explanatory).

My feelings on the US Studies Centre are mixed, but overall I think it’s a little strange. Can you believe they are offering a master’s in US Studies? You can take classes on US diplomacy, economics, culture, business, etc. I was trying to think about it from another perspective- why do people study Asian or Middle Eastern cultures? Well, they have a lot of history and I think a lot of times people study the areas because they want to pursue careers in those regions. The US really only has about 350 years of history, and I’m getting the impression that the US has run over Australian culture. Some people here know more about the US than Americans do so I don’t really see why they feel the need to study it more. I think well over 50% of the tv shows here are from the US. The only really cool thing the centre is offering is internships with companies in the US. I think that would be a really great experience for students here. The barbeque to learn more about the centre should be very interesting....

English > Spanish > Persian

2007-09-13T23:22:00.001+10:00

I decided that I'm horrible at Spanish and am just going to move on to Persian :) Today I learned how to have a whole conversation with myself:

"Salam. Esmam Sarah e. Chetori? Khoobi? Man khoobam. Chetori? Merci."

Translation? "Hi. My name is Sarah. How are you? Are you well? I am fine. How are you?Thanks."

I really hope that all of the random knowledge I am learning here will be useful one day. I imagine myself negotiating with Iran and impressing everyone in the room with my ability to speak to myself :) With a simple sentence maybe I can make our two countries friends. I can dream right?

As you can tell, I'm avoiding my studies. I think I was having too much fun for the last few weeks and now I'm paying for it! This weekend is a bunch of birthday parties but probably not much else. I have a bunch of term papers I have to work on. Hopefully the weather will be nice so maybe I can study up in the roof garden.

Two Months

2007-09-13T01:17:00.001+10:00

I didn't even realize I'd been here for two months until Mom mentioned it on the phone. Wow, time is really flying by! I was reflecting the other day how much I've learned even in such a short time here. I knew that my mind would be opened by this experience, but I don't think I realized quite how much. Part of it is from my classes, another part from the people I've met, and I think the most is just by being on my own in a new place. I feel so fortunate that I've been able to have such a wonderful experience so far. It takes my breath away every time I see the Sydney Harbour. I'm so excited thinking about the adventures that are yet to come...

Me and the Opera House

2007-09-11T19:02:00.001+10:00

Me on the ferry over to Balmain
I love this picture

Police State

2007-09-10T17:33:00.000+10:00

Here are some photos that I took around the CBD (central business district) and Hyde Park for the APEC protests...

They created a wall of police and fences around the CBD

I think there were probably 5 police for every protestor. We asked these guys for directions- they were pretty nice. And when I say we, I mean we made our Norwegian friend ask for directions so no one would hear our American accents. We talked to some Aussies later and learned that we really had nothing to be worried about because it was anit-Bush, not an anti-US protest, but you never know sometimes...

I counted at least 10-15 of these useful and multi-function buses that could transport for police and protestors.

They were rapping about democracy and then through on a dance song about uranium. Very bizzare...

Trying to stay out of the way as someone got arrested. Kerry thought it was a great idea to get right in the middle of this crowd though (she is a budding journalist). I think there were more people from the media than actually protesting

People running to the wall of police to see another person get arrested. Apparently a streaker also was arrested earlier Saturday morning.

You can't see in this photo too well but they brought out the dogs

Riot police. There is a massive outbreak of equine flu in Australia, otherwise some of these guys would have been on horseback

I think every single police officer in the state of New South Wales was working on Saturday

They covered all the rubbish bins in case of bombs

We saw a group of delegates walking through the fences

This must have cost a good portion of the $170M spent on security on these fences-- they put a fence around all of Circular Quay

You can't see in this photo but there were snipers on the top peak of the Opera House and that is a police boat in front

Three helicopters flying over and around the Harbour Bridge. We think someone important must have been driving across

My impressions? I am so glad that I got to see all of this! What a unique experience. Overall I think all the security was worth it because nothing happened. Better to be overprepared than under. But I can see why Sydneysiders are very upset at the image of their city portrayed that was to the world this past weekend.

Public Holiday, APEC Protests, Birthday Parties

2007-09-10T02:27:00.000+10:00

I am so happy that my mid-semester exams are over with! Last week was so hectic, but it was made up for with a really fun weekend.

Friday was declared a public holiday because of the APEC Leaders Meetings that were held here in Sydney. About a million people left the city (25% of the population) and half of the CBD (central business district) was surrounded either by police vans or fences. I think they were really worried about violent protests so they turned it into a police state.

I attended my first protest/rally on Saturday! I actually had a really hard time not laughing because I'm not sure what the point of it was, and I've decided that they are actually a complete and total waste of time. I guess the protestors felt like they were doing good, but I think I would rather work for change in other ways. I'm really glad I went though. I was there when they arrested the 2 organizers, which is talked about in the middle of this article.

Then we took a ferry across the harbour and went to Balmain and Leichardt. Actually, on the way we went past the Opera House- there were snipers at the top of the building and police boats all around! Pretty crazy... Anyway, we didn't realize that we made a big circle and ended up just on the other side of campus. We literally traveled 45 minutes to end up 15 minutes away from where we started! This is what you get for being a tourist. But we ended up eating at a really nice Italian restaurant. Overall it was a really fun day.

On Sunday, it was our friend's 23rd birthday so we went to a great Lebanese dinner. I actually tried lamb for the second time. I was nervous but I ended up really liking it! Very surprising since I don't like very much meat. Maybe I will try kangaroo after all!

Now it's the beginning of another school week. I don't have as much homework due this week but I have several group projects that we need to get started on. I cannot believe how quickly the semester is flying by!

Margaritaville

2007-09-09T13:57:00.000+10:00

Having an awesome pear margarita

Fuzzy photos of the Harbour Bridge Fuzzy photos of the Sydney skyline (camera not really designed for night photos)

Lekumba, Bourne Ultimatum, and Aussie culture

2007-09-02T22:11:00.000+10:00

It has been a jam packed couple of days. On Friday, we went to this place called Lekumba, which is a predominantly Lebanese suburb. It was really fun to get some food and walk around the middle eastern shops. Then we saw Bourne Ultimatum which was amazing! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you go. Then my friends had heard how much I love MARGARITAS and we were able to find some at Opera Bar. Yup, that's right-- at the Opera House! It was so swanky. They actually had pear margaritas, which weren't as good as the lime, but it was still fun. A bunch of my friends here never had a margarita so I think my new goal is to find the best margarita in Sydney. I know they are out there, I just have to find them.

Then yesterday, a guy in my Spanish class, in his words, "emersed me in Australian culture". It was really fun. We got snacks, went bush walking, and he showed me his high school. He kept asking me the most bizarre questions- like "have you seen barbeque chicken before or is that an Australian thing?" Haha. Can you believe he had his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich a month ago? And he kept saying "I can talk American you know- traaaaaash", which apparently is a strictly American word. Then last night we had iNight which is a talent show here in the International House. It was really fun.

This week is going to be crazy because of APEC. There are 21 world leaders coming, and they are basically shutting down the whole city. I really wanted to go to the beach next weekend after my exams but I think it's going to be pretty difficult to get around because they are shutting down a bunch of train stations. I guess this is the biggest event they have had in Sydney since the Olympics. There are going to be thousands of protestors everywhere. I'm actually really excited- I think it's going to be quite an experience!

Study, study, study

2007-08-29T16:07:00.000+10:00

I haven't done any posts for the last week because I've just been studying! I knew the party would end at some point. I have an exam tonight, papers tomorrow, presentations and exams next week. Fun, fun :) This Friday we are going to visit this Lebanese town somewhere in the suburbs of Sydney. Kerry also has a bunch of friends coming to visit from Brisbane. I'm pretty excited that now I have wireless so I can lock myself up in the library during the day but still have fun at night :) I will post more pictures soon, especially ones of me making some awesome tacos this past weekend. Everyone was very happy to have a home cooked meal.

Stargazing at the International House Cabin

2007-08-21T19:11:00.001+10:00

Saturday afternoon they took a bus to stargazing at the International House cabin. We didn't see too many stars because it was overcast, but it was still a lot of fun. We roasted marshmallows! They taste really different here- chalkier. And there are no graham crackers for s'mores. Then about 10 of us actually spent the night in the log cabin, which was a blast. We went searching for kangaroos and actually found a dead and live wombat instead. Pretty awesome :) I hope we can go back there again when the weather warms up!

Around the fire...

Kerry, me and Saeed (can you tell we hang out a lot?)

I wish Saeed was smiling!

IH Cabin and van... they actually will let us borrow the van for trips on the weekend!

Quick Update

2007-08-15T16:29:00.000+10:00

Last night Kerry and I went meet her family friend at a sushi restaurant. This girl, Channing, is from Chevy Chase, MD and was here for the last few months interning at the Four Seasons hotel. It was fun hearing about the experiences she's had. We also got stopped in the bathroom by a woman from Utah who has been living here for the past 2 years. She was very excited to meet Americans (I don't know where she's been hiding because I think I meet a new American every day) and actually thanked us for having good accents, which made me laugh. Kerry & I got confused on the bus on our way back and the driver said, very excited, "Are you from California?? Welcome to Australia!" hahaha.

We also met a guy last night who gave us a detailed itinerary of all the fun places to go in Sydney on the weekends (weekends being Thursday through Sunday nights). Kerry and I really enjoying going out and dancing so I'm looking forward to it. I don't think I can keep up with everyone who goes out Wednesday through Sunday- it's pretty crazy, I guess some people just don't have enough work to do! But we will spread out the fun over the next few weeks :)

Saturday night we are going stargazing at the International House cabin. It is somewhere in a national park about 2 hours from here. It looks like a group of us will be spending the night there too, which should be cold but a lot of fun.

In addition to my internship, I also got a small paying job, which I'm excited about. It's just taking notes for my class for disability services. I figure I have to take notes anyway so I might as well get paid for it. I've noticed job postings around campus like for things at International House they need help with on weekends. Wages are pretty ridiculous here (to help out at a campus fair or drive a city bus is $21/hour)! Hopefully if I pick up a few things here and there it'll give me some additional spending money for trips. Now that I have my work authorization, I don't have to worry about being deported!

Last Photos from the Blue Mountains...

2007-08-15T16:09:00.000+10:00

I finally got the last photos from Saeed- he took some of the funniest pictures so I hope you enjoy!

Kerry and I trying to be penguins... I want to take one home with me!

Saeed making a pretty scary face...

Wildlife and I just don't mix- these birds were a lot scarier than they look in this photo. They were flying around our heads making all sorts of noises. I should just stick to the city

Our tour guide that looked a little like Adam Sandler

Saeed is such a ladies man

Hard to read but the sign says "Seat for Bored Husbands"

Our water and my milkshake

Paige (U of Miami) and me

Best lunch ever- vegetables with melted cheese and salad, yum yum :)

Trying not to fall off the mountain

Windy day

Enjoying the view

Aren't we so cute? :)

Caught me with my glasses on!

More Photos from Blue Mountains

2007-08-14T16:46:00.000+10:00

Going home on the bus

I finally know what a wombat is! I hope this useful tidbit will help me beat Saj in Jeopardy one day :)

Me trying not to get close to the emu's claws!
Sleeping koala

Baby joey!

Perfect sign after being starving for weeks and then having a wonderful lunch!

Us enjoying the best lunch everSteep hike

Enjoying the view and sunshine

I liked the tree

Blue Mountains and Featherdale Wildlife Park

2007-08-13T11:52:00.001+10:00

I was so excited to see a kangaroo up close!

Me excited and also a bit terrified. They don't look as cute up close with those huge claws!
Me praying he won't hop away!
I was sooo excited about the penguins! They are so cute- only about 6-8 inches tall.Yes, it was August 12 and about 75 degrees outside but the poor Australian kids deprived of snow think that shaved ice is just as fun!

Beautiful Blue Mountains- they look blue from the distance due to water evaporating from the eucalyptus leaves

Hiking into the valley

Kerry and I weren't matching on purpose, I swear!

There are houses in the area that have this view...

Saeed, Kery, Melinda, Me and Paige

Waterfall

Out in Darling Harbour

2007-08-13T11:47:00.000+10:00

Kerry and I at Malaya at Darling Harbour
Australian guys

They were showing rugbee in the women's bathroom at the club!On the bus

Weekend Fun!

2007-08-13T11:38:00.000+10:00

This past weekend was so much fun- I'm in such a better mood. I think I was a lot more homesick than I realized. I think just missing friends more than anything else. But I finally have found good food and am getting to know some good friends so I'm feeling much better about things.

Friday night we went out to a Malaysian restaurant at Darling Harbour for this guy's birthday (he just turned a whopping 21) and then we went out dancing at Pontoon and Sidebar. Kerry and I love dancing together so that was a lot of fun.

Saturday we went to Paddy's market. I'm not sure what I was expecting- I think more of a flea market environment, but it was basically just Australian clothing & souvenirs, wigs, leggings and lingerie. I kid you not, we are in this big open warehouse, and I think there were at least 5 lingerie stalls, 3 wig stalls and 2 legging stalls. It was hilarious.

Sunday was the Blue Mountains! I just loved it out there. We got lucky and had some beautiful weather- probably about 75 degrees and sunny. We left Sydney CBD (central business district) around 8 am and first drove through the Sydney Olympic Park. There's not much there now although they use it regularly for sporting events. I can just imagine how awesome it was when the Olympics were here. Then we went to two different lookouts at the Blue Mountains. We stopped at had lunch at this really cute village, Leura. Then we hiked for about 45 minutes down the valley to see the Three Sisters, and then we took this really scary, almost vertical train ride back up to the top. For the rest of the afternoon, we went to Featherdale Wildlife Park where we got to touch and feed kangaroos, koalas and wombats.

When we got back to IH, to top off the night, we watched "Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", which was absolutely hilarious. Overall, it was a really fun weekend! Oi mate! (not sure I'm using that in the right context yet but I'm getting there...) Now it's back to school work :)

Travel Plans!

2007-08-07T16:06:00.000+10:00

Last week I was looking for cheap tickets to Melbourne because I'm hoping to go there over the semester break, and I ran across a sale on tickets to Kuala Lumpur. I originally had no plans to travel outside Australia just because it is so expensive. But after some serious thinking, I took the plunge and bought the tickets! My bank account is really not happy with me right now, but I figure when else am I 1) going to have this much free time that I can travel so much and 2) will be back in Asia Pacific. Plus, it will actually be about the same price for me to go to Malaysia and Singapore as it would be the Australian outback. So I probably will not make it to Uluru as I originally hoped, but I think I'll still see plenty in this region. These are my travel plans so far- I'm so excited!!

Aug 12: Blue Mountains (they are right outside Sydney)
Sept 21-26: Melbourne (tentative)
Oct 26 - Nov 1: New Zealand! (with Lisa Chang from TX)
Nov 18 - 27: Malaysia & Singapore!
Dec 1 - Dec 16: Cairns to Sydney (tentative)

When will I actually be studying during all of this? Good question, I haven't figured that part out yet ;)

Observations

2007-08-04T14:50:00.000+10:00

Some interesting items I have noticed:
- Mascara costs AUD$18 at Kmart ($15.5 US dollars)
- At bars, they put straws in bottles of Smirnoff Ice
- A normal size bottle of Jose Cuervo costs AUD$45 ($38.5 US dollars), but you can find a good bottle of wine for AUD$4 ($3.4 US dollars)
- It feels like there isn't as much pollution. This statement is not so scientifically based on the smell of bus exhaust (really not that bad here) and the cleanliness of my hair (so soft!)
- Americans love Australians. Not all Australians love Americans. This is evidenced by the number of stories I have heard about actual fights (one Canadian was hit because someone thought he was American) or near fights I have seen (A guy started yelling "Yankee" at our friend walking down the street and a fight was only avoided by getting in a cab)

Yay!

2007-08-03T13:24:00.000+10:00

I'm really excited because I finally found a good class to take! I decided econometrics was too easy (and boring) so I'm switching that to international public management. Not something that sounds like the most interesting topic, I know, but the professor is amazing! I've been kind of disappointed with my other classes so far (just not as interesting as I thought they would be) so I'm really excited about this one. And better yet, it is full of grad students who are interested in public policy! Yay! My kind of people :) It has been incredibly difficult to change my classes with the university- I have to get every change approved by 3 different departments and it looks like they lost my form in the mail. Oh well, hopefully that will get straightened out!

It is raining today and tomorrow so I will probably just stay in and do some reading. I am finally on Harry Potter #7 (after re-reading #6) and I have a lot of reading and a quiz. A lot of the other grad students here are just starting their studies so they are going through the transition of handling the postgrad workload. I'm really glad I've been in school for almost a year and a half now so I'm used to the work. Everyone else is pretty overwhelmed but after reading a book a week last semester, my classes now feel like a piece of cake! (maybe I won't be saying this a month from now:) I'm glad to finally feel like I'm settled in here. I really like my roomate a lot. I have never had a good roomate so I was a little worried, but she is wonderful! I also am busy planning my trips for the semester break. I have 10 days that I think I'm going to split between Melbourne and Adelaide. There are some companies I'd like to meet with in Melbourne for my internship, and then I think some of the other girls here in the Int'l House might also be there during part of the week. I'm also planning to visit my friend Lisa Chang in New Zealand for a few days before finals start! Then hopefully I will be able to go to the outback over a long weekend during the semester and eventually go up to Cairns after classes are over.

Bondi Beach

2007-07-31T23:28:00.000+10:00

I'd been feeling off the last few days so I took the afternoon and headed over to Bondi Beach. Didn't get as much reading done as I hoped because it was cold and windy, but it was really nice to walk around... This morning a girl told me in class that it was "so cold" people probably couldn't get out of bed... it was about 50 degrees out. I can't imagine how crowded the beach gets when it's warm!

My seagull friend...

Me pretending to study :) (yes i did take this photo of myself...)

"Surf Craft" = surfboard. You know that people bring them on the bus?

It made me laugh that the forecast was "fine"

More Photos

2007-07-30T16:03:00.000+10:00

View of Sydney from the 8th floor of the International HouseDefinitely one of the most beautiful cities in the world... view of the bridge and Opera House from the Botanical Gardens.
Downtown Sydney

Bats in the trees at the Botanical Gardens- they were about 8 inches big!

Saeed (from Iran), Lindsay (from UT Austin), Kerry (from Tulane), me, Heidi (from Germany)

We loved this tree!

Saeed, me and Kerry at the Landsdowne. It's right down the street from the International House so we spend more time there than I care to admit :)

Winery in Hunter Valley
Off whale watching!

It was freezing and we only saw the top of a sleeping whale... but it was beautiful!

The sun is bright even in winter Downtown Sydney

Darling Harbour Flag on top of Parliament in Canberra
View of Canberra from Parliament

Constant State of Confusion

2007-07-30T15:48:00.000+10:00

So after two weeks, I'm figuring out that constantly being confused all the time is just me adjusting to Australian culture! I keep thinking that I'm so glad that I speak English because otherwise I wouldn't be able to get anywhere or really accomplish anything. It's amazing how it's really the little things that make a difference. The biggest "culture shock" so far was eating at a little cafe yesterday. We were starving and just wanted to grab a quick bite. I really didn't expect the food (and service) to be so different here. For those that know me well, I'm a very picky eater and try to eat as little meat as possible. Well, I'm learning that being a vegetarian is not easy around here! I was already forced to eat a sausage last weekend because I had no other choice. So after about 15 minutes of trying to find a vegetarian option on the menu, I gave up and ordered pasta with chicken. 15 minutes passed... thirty minutes past and no food arrived. At this point, we drank our entire pitcher of water, and the waiter was no where in sight to fill it up. I was practically staring him down, and he still didn't come over! Eventually we got our food, and it was such a tiny dish. All I wanted was to stuff my face with food :( Then we couldn't figure out how to pay. I guess you had to go up to the counter, but they didn't even bring the receipt to the table so we just sat there staring at the wall. Now I know this does not sound like a big deal, but it's just kind of embaressing having to ask such silly questions all the time. I'm slowly mastering the bus system so I have faith I will eventually learn how to order food at a restaurant as well :)

Two Weeks...

2007-07-26T09:52:00.000+10:00

I cannot believe I have already been here two weeks! Time is just flying by. I had my first 3 classes this week- still have one more new one tonight. I'm taking Advanced Spanish, Macroeconomics, Trade & Development, and Economentrics. I'm a little surprised because I thought the classes would be very challenging, but it seems like a repeat of what I did last semester. Trade & Development is a lot like the political economy class last semester, and Macroeconomics is a lot like Int'l finance. I'm sure though with the internship and having fun that I will have plenty to keep me busy :) We went out again last night- my whole "I'm going to bed at 10 pm" plan definitely didn't work but I had a lot of fun so it was worth it. Today I have Spanish and then I'm going to attempt to take the bus on my own, and I'm going to meet Bob DiMattia (from NGC) and his wife for lunch! Tonight I have econometrics from 6-9 pm.

Whale Watching and My Internship

2007-07-22T21:39:00.000+10:00

I am back to the International House after whale watching today at Norman Bay. It was okay- we froze for 3 hours to only see a whale for 2 minutes! It was a little disappointing, but I know that whale watching is hit or miss. We did see a bunch of dolphins are we came back to the port so that was pretty cool. It was a gorgeous day so it was nice to be out on the water.

Classes start tomorrow so everyone is heading to bed early. It looks like I will only have class Tue-Thu! Yahoo! That means 5 day weekends which I'm very excited about because hopefully I will get to travel around. I really think I will just have no money by the time I get home, but I'm sure it will be worth it.

Just to explain more about my internship, I'm interning part time with the Australian Industry Group. They are a membership organization that represents 10,000 Australian companies. Since they are located in Canberra, I'm going to work independently from Sydney for about 15-20 hours a week and will just visit the office a few times during the semester. I'm going to research a few areas for them: the effects of the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement on bilateral trade, potential changes to regional trade flow in the Asia Pacific and Australia's defense procurement process. The Australia-US free trade agreement was very controversial (similar to NAFTA in the US), and it looks like over the past few years, Australia's exports to the US have decreased rather than increasing like it theorectically should under the FTA. So I'm going to do some research and interview companies to see if we can find reasons why this is happening. Then, since the WTO is not doing so well, there is a lot of discussion about regional FTAs and Australia's future trade relationships in the Asia Pacific. They want me to recommend steps for Australia to take in the next few years- I assume Ai Group will use whatever I find in their lobbying the Australian gov't. The APEC ministerial meeting will be held here in the beginning of September and that is where many of these discussions about these regional relationships will take place. Nothing I do will be used in these meetings-- it's just exciting that such a big meeting will be held right down the street!

Canberra > Sydney > Newcastle

2007-07-21T20:58:00.000+10:00

Day #2 of my internship at Ai Group went really well. I'm so excited to be working with the organization. It's a little nerve-wracking because they expect me to be their "expert", which is quite a stretch! But hopefully we'll learn a lot from each other. My supervisor, Andrew, took me to the Australian Parliament house which was really useful because Australia is having an election later this year and hopefully now I will understand a little bit of what's discussed in the papers. We also met an Australian journalist that covers international trade-- that was really interesting with the recent events in the Doha Round and then the APEC ministerials meeting will be held in Sydney in September. Of course, you probably have no idea what I'm referring to but it's really excited for a trade nerd like me. I met a really nice guy on the bus ride back who was about my age and is working for the Australian Dept of Defence. It's interesting to hear that everyone has the same experiences at the beginning of their career, even on the other side of the world.

I got back to Sydney late Friday night and went out for another night on the town. I'm worried that everyone will lock themselves in their rooms once the semester starts so I'm trying to live it up as much as possible. I had to get up incredible early today, Saturday, to head out for the wine and whale weekend! I'm actually in Newcastle now. We spent the day wine tasting and are now in a hostel at the beach. It's amazing how much everyone drinks here- who would think you'd take shots at a winery?? It was crazy, but fun.

Overall, I'm feeling like an emotional rollcoaster, having fun one minute and then quite lonely the next. I'm much older than everyone else here, which I wasn't really expecting. Just about everyone I have met so far is a junior in college, so that makes me a good 5-6 years older. Not a big difference in years, but it's a huge difference in maturity level. I'm kind of thinking now that any further traveling I do around the country will be independent, rather than with a tour group. Everyone is really nice, but I'm hoping to meet some older people in my classes. School starts up again on Monday!

Darling Harbour and Canberra

2007-07-19T19:22:00.000+10:00

I am writing from a chat room in the Youth Hostel in Canberra- this whole computer is in Chinese which just makes me laugh. The last couple of days have been crazy with orientation. I actually fell asleep during Harry Potter I was so tired!! Yesterday I slept most of the morning and then did the Walk to the Water down to Darling Harbour. It was amazing- it's still a bit unreal that I'm here.

Then we went out to our new favorite hangout, the Landsowne Hotel. Dinner is only $5! That is pretty awesome considering how expensive things are. Here was the live entertainment for the night- he was amazing and we decided we are his new groupies:

We actually ended up meeting the Sydney Uni rugby team and partied with them all night... Steph, girl above, has made great friends with the Landsdowne owner so we got free drinks all night. It was a lot of fun!

I came to Canberra today to meet my internship people. They are really nice and I'm excited to be here. I'm exhausted since I only got a couple of hours of sleep last night so I will be turning it in very early! I've never stayed in a hostel before... tonight should be interesting!

More Sydney Photos

2007-07-19T19:09:00.000+10:00

Australian Flag and People on the top of the Harbour Bridge

Proof of friends International House

Flat escalators

Orientation and My New Phone

2007-07-17T15:19:00.000+10:00

We had orientation the last two days. It was pretty boring and not very useful because I had read all the info packets before I got here. I wasn't going to get a phone while I'm here but I decided I would have more friends if they could actually call me. So I went and got a pre-paid phone this morning. I think it's so cute! It has an FM radio if I want AND it tells you what suburb you're in! Amazing. Maybe this is all the rage in the US but my phone doesn't tell me-- it lets you know if you are at Sydney Uni, Darlington, etc. Now I won't get los and I can make plans without smoke signals :)

My roomate moved in today. Apparently she was here all weekend but they put here in a different room. Not really sure why! She is from the Phillipines- just graduated from high school and is studying law and commerce. I'm really excited about meeting all these new people. Last night we hung out at a pub with a bunch of Brits- it was quite amusing as they acted out all the different British accents. Tonight we are finally going to Harry Potter so I'm very excited- hopefully it won't be sold out! Tomorrow we actually don't have anything going on. Thursday & Friday I'm going to Canberra (the capital) and this weekend I'm going whale watching!!!

More Zoo Photos

2007-07-17T15:18:00.000+10:00

Look Right

2007-07-15T19:53:00.000+10:00

Sydney, Australia- the friendliest and most helpful city in the world!

Taronga Zoo

2007-07-15T19:06:00.000+10:00

Today was the best day so far- after a long night's sleep, I'm finally feeling like the jet lag is wearing off, and I have a much better grasp of my surroundings. The last few days have just been a daze! But now I feel like there is hope I can take the bus on my own and not get lost! I woke up at 5:30 am (too excited to sleep!) and finished organizing my room. At breakfast, I actually met a guy from Baltimore! That was pretty cool.

Later this morning I met up with some people from the US and Norway to go to the zoo!!! We took a ferry going past the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge...

Now I really feel like I'm in Australia. The last couple of days I've been around so many Americans (since we're really the only ones here so far), that it felt a lot like home, but now it's sinking in that I'm really down under.

The zoo was so much fun. There were so many trees, and it was so peaceful and quiet. You never would have known how many families were there (it is still winter holidays so the kids are out of school). The animals were amazing- you could get so close to the kangaroos, emus, koalas, giraffes, etc. Some people actually took photos almost next to the kangaroos. It was great. I also decided that even bratty Australian kids are adorable when they whine with their accents :) And it's cute hearing Australian parents yell at their kids. They just sound so polite! The Australian people here in the International House said they don't really feel the same way about American kids, hahaha. And also, in Australia, they are not allowed to keep "natural flaura and fauna" at home- aka, they are not allowed to keep kangaroos and koalas as pets. Oh yes, to get this answer I had to look like an idiot and ask. Let me know if you have any other silly questions about Australia you'd like to know! I'd be more than happy to look like a moron to find out... :)

One thing that I have noticed about the whole city, and especially the zoo, is that it is so clean! And there are not that many trash cans around. I feel like most cities are pretty dirty just because of all the people- you seriously would never know how many people live in Sydney because it is generally so clean and quiet here.

We are going to try to go to another club tonight- it's Sunday so I doubt many people will be out but it is fun to explore. It's so nice not really having any responsibilities or anything to do for a couple of days... it's pretty awesome :)

Centennial Park

2007-07-15T09:05:00.000+10:00

Cockatoos and ibises in Centennial Park.. they think they are pidgeons...

Was that 5 or 10 kilometres?

2007-07-15T09:01:00.001+10:00

Yesterday I had a bad run in with the metric system! Well, I can't blame it on the metric system- it was just my poor map reading skills. I convinced a group to walk to Bondi beach. Looking at the map, I thought oh it's only about 4 miles. It'll take us about an hour but it will be fun! Well, 2 hours later we were in the middle of the most amazing park watching wild parrots flying around! But were still 3 miles away from the beach!! Apparently it was really a total of 10km (6.2 miles)-- and I learned that walking 6.2 miles is much different than running them. It's also more difficult when you have 5 other people with you. So we enjoyed the part and got some food at a local store and took the train back. Which took only 5 minutes. We walked for 2.5 hours when we could have been there in a few minutes! So I still haven't made it to the beach, but hopefully that will be an adventure later this week.

Last night I took a nap before we were all we out- I went to sleep at 7:30 and didn't wake up until midnight! oops! I thought everyone went out without me, but I found out this morning that everyone fell asleep. Maybe there will be more partying tonight... we do have all semester so I'm not too worried about exploring the nightlife :)

Clubbing, Sydney style

2007-07-14T10:39:00.000+10:00

Last night we hit the town... I'm so disappointed! I guess people don't go out until very, very late here so not many people were in the clubs even by midnight. There were a ton of people in the streets, just not inside. So we are trying it out again tonight. Also very interesting, they have heat lamps inside the clubs! I guess they don't use central heating anywhere here. I have noticed in the Int'l House they have radiators on the ceilings. Pictures will be posted shortly :)

There is a big alumni weekend going on at the house so I got to meet more people yesterday. We are going to explore the city today so that should be fun....

I have friends!!

2007-07-13T16:59:00.000+10:00

I am finally meeting people here in the International House- I'm so glad I'm living here. I have been hearing horror stories about people trying to find housing. Ugh, too stressful! Last night we rented a movie- from BLOCKBUSTER. I was so upset I wanted to cry!! I traveled over 30 hours for Blockbuster?? And I got my hairdryer at KMart! It is so Americanized!! But there are little differences that make me feel better- like the fact that escalators in the shopping center are flat- they aren't stairs! It's so weird- I'll have to take a picture when no one is looking... :) I decided I have to take all my pictures of the campus this weekend before everyone else arrives next week- just wait until you see the street intersections. They remind you which way to look! I think I'm going to get hit by a bus because I keep looking the wrong way.

I am meeting people from all over- US, Australia, Iran, Pakistan, France, Indonesia, NZ. I love it! Nothing too funny or exciting happened today. I woke up bouncing off the walls at 6:30 am. We had a Daily Arrival session this morning, and orientation will start on Monday. I got my login for the computer system and get this- you pay per megabyte! So that means every time you look at a website, it downloads all these megs of pictures, files, etc. You get 6MB free a day and pay $0.02 for every meg after. So strange. Tonight we're going to try out some of the local nightlife, and I convinced some people to explore the city with me tomorrow. The initial idea wasn't so hard, it was convincing them to walk 4 miles to the beach :) Sure we could take the bus, but walking is so much more exciting. Unfortunately, it is way too cold to go swimming but I need to see the water!

And I realized why people hate the winter here- they don't use central heating! In my room I have a little tiny space heater that takes all night to warm the room. And all of the buildings on campus are freezing cold. Oh well, hopefully it won't be cold for long!

I am here!

2007-07-12T14:30:00.001+10:00

And it only took me 5 minutes off the plane to lose my passport!!! Don't worry, I have it back now, but it was a rather terrifying 30 minutes running around the airport trying to find it. All I could keep thinking was "Thank goodness they speak English here because I have no idea how to explain in Spanish!" I actually called my family, got in the taxi and started to leave the airport before I realized I lost it. Turns out it fell on the ground as I was exiting Customs, but the wonderful info desk people found it before I was deported :)

Highlights of the trip so far:

- On the flight from Dulles to LAX, the woman next to me decided it was a really good idea to take off her shoes and go into the airplane bathroom BAREFOOT. She also didn't seem to understand personal space and kept touching me with her nasty toes the whole trip

- Qantas is really the best airlines ever. I have never seen such an enormous airplane (11 rows across!). We were delayed about an hour and a half because they had to refuel the plane (i think they said 70 tons of fuel). I didn't mind the wait because the Qantas Customer Service Manager gave us great food! I figured out the way to beat jet lag is to stay up over 24 hours (we ate dinner at 4 am DC time) and now I feel great. I sat next to a fun 11-year-old who was with about 150 other kids on a People to People ambassador trip. I didn't get my ice cream as promised on the Qantas website but I did watch some great Australian tv shows so that made me happy

- Guy in Customs: "What's your nationality?" Me: "American" Guy: "Good, that girl in front of you said White. We don't like that here. That's why she's being checked but you are free to go" hahaha

I am all checked in to my room in the International House. It is cozy to say the least (smaller than my freshman dorm), and I'm not sure when my roommate gets here. I walked around the campus this afternoon trying to get my course schedule straightened out. I feel so discombobulated just being on a new campus trying to figure out where to go for what. Everything is just a little bit different- I can't figure out how to flush the toilet and the keys are these weird metal bars you stick in the door.

I saw a posting for some people going to see Harry Potter tonight so I'm hoping to meet up with them... Maybe I will try to find the Sydney Opera House tomorrow but the city is MUCH bigger than I expected. I feel exactly how I felt when Mom left me at my dorm at Maryland 7 years ago- no freakin' clue what I'm doing but I'm excited to be here :)

Wheels Up!

2007-07-11T01:34:00.000+10:00

I am off! My flight leaves tonight and I'll arrive in Sydney at 7:30 am local time. Door to door I'll be traveling for about 27-28 hours. Is it possible to survive for so long without a cell phone? I'm about to find out!

Turning over a new leaf

2007-07-04T07:51:00.000+10:00

Today was my last day of work! It is really weird to leave but I'm excited about what's yet to come. I realized today that I have lived my life in 3.5 year increments. I lived in Texas for 3.5 years, I went to Maryland for 3.5 years and now I've worked at NGC for 3.5 years. Three and a half years from today will be February 2011. In 2011, the Women's World Cup will be played in the US, and London will be ramping up for the 2012 Olympics. Maybe by then we'll even have a solution for social security (hey, we can dream :) . I hope to be working for the government either in the US or overseas. Where do you think you'll be?

Two weeks to go...

2007-06-26T22:05:00.000+10:00

I officially leave two weeks from today! Yikes! I think I am in denial about how much I really have to get done. It's very difficult to pack for 5 months and to get used to the idea that it will be winter when I get off the plane in Sydney. So rather than packing what I need, I have started to put away what I don’t need. Hopefully whatever is left over will fit nicely into two bags weighing no more than 70 lbs each :)

First Major Problem

2007-06-08T05:50:00.000+10:00

I found out yesterday there are no limes in Australia. I knew there were going to be differences in food, but I don't know how I will go without a margarita for five whole months!! This could turn out to be a major problem. You may think I'm joking, but I'm not. I love margaritas. I don't drink much but that is one thing I cannot live without. Hopefully they at least sell mix! This also makes me concerned about going without Mexican food, which I'm starting to realize they probably don't have either. If I don't have refried beans for five months, my body may go into shock and completely shut down. This trip might be tougher than I think ;)

Qantas: Most Amazing Airline Ever

2007-06-04T01:33:00.000+10:00

I was poking around this morning to see what luggage I can bring on my flight to Sydney, and I came across all the amenities Qantas offers:

In Flight Cuisine
Be tempted by our inviting menu. Choose from our complimentary dishes such as Chicken Provencal with Pesto Risoni or Japanese Soy Beef served with fresh garden salad. There's also cheese and crackers, and an ice cream to enjoy with your movie. Plus, on most flights you'll be able to enjoy warm bread rolls fresh from the oven.

Entertainment
60 Movies
200 TV programs, including destination guides
20 Q Radio Channels
150 CDs
Moving Map
10 Games

It's 5 hours from Dulles to LAX and 14 hours from LAX to Sydney. That means I could watch up to 7 movies and eat almost a gallon of ice cream. I may never want to get off the plane!

First Step

2007-06-01T09:55:00.000+10:00

After so much planning, I finally took the big step and gave my notice yesterday! I was so nervous that I never thought I'd actually get up the nerve to do it. But after buying my plane ticket and putting a deposit on housing, I figured I was committed. Everyone has been so supportive so far, which is great because I need the encouragement to make such a bold move. Now I just need to finish up the financial aid paperwork, get some shots, pack and get on the plane! So much planning, I need to get on living.