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Don't you love it when you are so busy that you don't have time to check your email? Especially when being that busy does not include homework? I just had my first weekend like that. Yay!
Friday night we went to a Black Seeds concert. These guys are a reggae band, which normally I wouldn't be into enough to go to a concert, but Jesse said they were awesome, so 7 of us ended up going all on her word. It was Jesse and myself, Wiebke, Bonnie, Silke, Manuel and Alex. Germany, the States, Korea, Mexico, and Spain all represented in a group of 7. The best part of the evening, though, was trying to understand everyone else's English. For example, Bonnie, from Korea, had difficulty understanding Alex's Mexican-Spanish accent. Lots of fun trying to understand one another. The concert was at 8 at the Metro Theatre in downtown Sydney, and didn't get out til like 2 am. There were 8 guys in the band, and their instruments included things like a trombone, trumpet, sax, and xylophone. Pretty awesome.
That next morning I got up by 6 to go catch a train to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, to do the Echo Point to Ruined Castle bushwalk. We arrived about 10.30 at our destination and began a 14 km bushwalk through the valley under the Three Sisters. The views on this hike were some of the most amazing sights I've ever seen. It was stunning. The terrain varied, from rocky outcroppings we had to hop over, to completely encompassing jungle-type ferns with aerial roots we could swing on. Who is we?? Again, we ended up with a group of 7. Matt, the only one from Sydney, and the leader of the bushwalk club on campus. Audrey, from Switzerland, only other girl on the bushwalk, code name: Kookaburra. Alain, the born-in-Germany-of-Welsh-decent-raised-in-the-UK-now-lives-in-Sydney guy, who has circus training and can unicycle and juggle and all that cool stuff. Code name: Mr. Itchy Beard. Andrew, from Colorado(!!!), lives in my apartment complex, code name: Mountain Sheep. Patrick, also from Colorado (!!!), who was really really awesome and has the unfortunate code name of Toilet Guy. Steve, from Pittsburgh, who has amazing taste in clothes and is possessed of a pair of the most blue eyes I've ever seen. And me, from Colorado, good ice-breaker for groups of people who have never met one another before. Code name: mother, due to a misunderstanding during initial conversations on the train. I apparently have 60 kids.
So, that was us. We got on really well, and stopped for lunch atop a spot in the middle of the park called Ruined Castle. Relatively difficult to get to, but once you're at the top...
You can see everything, going every direction. You can see for miles, off to the end of the valley. Pics on fb, again. It was an amazing spot, and one I would like to take certain people to if they ever make it out here to visit...
We all fell asleep on the train ride back, and it was nearly 8 by the time we rolled back into town.
That night was a party at a friend's house just across the street. Rather than a shower and sleep, which I really wanted, I headed off to this party to go say hello and hang out with people and see about a drink. Also, perhaps, because Steve and Patrick were supposed to be stopping by...
Anyway, while I was there with Hayley and Liz and Jaz, I actually drank a beer! The whole thing! Anyone who knows me realizes what a feat this is for me.
Went to sleep relatively sober. The others went downtown to a bar, I think, but I was exhausted and wimped out.
Woke up Sunday morning only to head out again, this time to Lane Cove for a birthday party for one Diesel James. Got to see Annette and Les, and all the James's. AJ found a bike for me, which is super exciting, cause now I can transport myself around Sydney without having to rely solely on the bus transportation system.
Stayed in Lane Cove Sunday night cause I worked for Helen all day Monday, from 8-6. Let's just say I have a newfound respect for people who watch babies all day, every day. I was shattered after a 10 hour shift! Stayed the night again with Les and Annette, and had the most amazing food thing called Fisherman's Pie. Wow.
Anyway, kinda short tale of Alyssa's fun-ness over the last few days, but honestly, my inspiration is kinda lacking tonight. Back to classes today, already have more work. I just wanted to record this stuff before I got too distracted with class again.
Only 4 weeks left in the semester! Woohoo!
Yay for Spring Break!!
Today, Monday, is technically the first day day of my two week mid-semester break. Unfortunately, I do not really get a semester break because I am in two online courses, which means I have to study and go to class and have tests over the next two weeks. This does not, however, deter me from having fun where I can.
Enter one Jessica Kobbe. I met Jessica (Jesse) in my bioethics course. We have the same sounding last name, and that was a great conversation starter. She is from Germany. Recently, we had an assignment due for bioethics, and she was discussing with the professor the possibility of an extension because she was having difficulty with the language in the technical papers. Me, being the kind-hearted soul that I am, stuck around after class and offered to help her with her paper and the articles she had to read for it. We set up to meet the following day, Saturday, at her flat in North Strathfield. Saturday morning found me ventruting forth into the unknown... this was my first train ride in Australia. Got a little lost trying to find the place, but with the help of our trusty mobile phones, we got me there with minimal difficulty. Saturday afternoon we spent working on her paper and bonding. You know how sometimes you meet people and the personalities click? You just bond instantaneously and suddenly find yourself richer in good friends? That is Jesse and me. So besides finishing the content of her essay, we spent a fair amount of the afternoon and evening discussing girlie things, and generally getting to know each other better. Siblings, food, plans, hot boys... you know. Girlie things. It eventually got very late, and Jesse and her flatmate, Shirley, invited me to stay the evening. So I happily threw myself onto the ground and slept with great contentment until about 5 in the morning.
It had come to our attention during the previous evening that we had an opportunity to go to Canberra, the nation's capital. So, at 5 in the morning on Sunday, Jesse and I got ourselves out of bed and began the long drive south. Enter now a new member of our journey, Andy. Andy is a friend of Jesse's that she lived with for a brief period of time. Things did not work out for her to live there, so she moved to a new place with Shirley. Anyway, Andy is driving, Jesse's in the passenger seat, I am in the back. We drive for approximately 4 hours, and arrive in Canberra.
Our first stop in Canberra is at the Floriade. The Floriade is a a festival of flowers, only found in Canberra, and only on for about a month in the spring when the tulips are blooming. It took us several hours to walk around this park, and there were flowers everyewhere. Mostly tulips, but also poppies, iris, and some other pretty, nice smelling, colorful flowers. (Anyone interested, there are pictures on fb.)
After the Floriade, we were hungry, so we drove around until we found Canberra's main shopping center and stopped for a bite to eat (fish and chips!!). We went past the parliment building, but it was not even worthy of a picture. Good to see, but just to be able to say 'I've been there'. Not really very exciting at all. The national museum was kinda crowded, so we skipped that, but we saw a very nice fountain in central park.
Our next main stop was at a place called Black Mountain. The area was designed as a scenic tourist-y spot, so it's not really a proper mountain, but the area affords a nice view of Canberra and the surrounding country. At the top of the 'mountain', there is a tower steeple thing that you can pay to go inside and have even better views, but we decided that was kind of silly and decided to take a hike around the 'mountain' instead. (Again, see associated pictures of Black Mountain hike on fb.) There were lots of trees, lots of lizards, and lots of very pretty parrots. Most of them were red/purple or red/green. And they came in pairs. The parrots down here either mate for the season or mate for life, I'm not sure which, but the point is whenever we saw a single parrot, there was always a second one to be found in the bush.
At the end of the hike we were sweaty and grubby and very tired, so we opted to go home. Andy dropped us off at Jesse's flat around 6, and she and I ate some more and finished her paper, which I just needed to proof read for spelling and those annoying English-isms that I don't know how English-as-a-second-language people ever learn. We finished with that at a reasonable hour, but Shirley and Jesse again invited me to stay the night, so I did. We slept for like 9 hours last night, and it was wonderful.
This was a bit more narrative than I originally intended; mostly I just wanted you guys to know that I am branching out! I have a wonderful new friend, and have visited Canberra. Yay!
So I just watched a movie. It was good, but it made me think.
It used to be that we all watched movies together, piled into someone's apartment. It used to be an afternoon of homework, with a little bit of play time sprinkled through it. Rock-climbing, frisbee, tubing. The movie nights. Then dinner would happen, and back to the grind. That was the schedule. For years, that was the way it was, night after long night. Sometimes, there was less playing (junior year classes...). Sometimes we lost a member for a bit (after school activities or anti-social-ness...).
But we were all always there, you know?
It was us. We were the the Night Crew, the Meyer Crew, the Physics Crew.
The pomegranate juice. The chair races. The light-up frisbees. The all-nighters. The tears. The homework assignments with 18 names on them. The runs to Safeway and King Soopers in the small hours of the night. Charlie and Candy Mountain, The End of the World, Ultimate Showdown, 4 Men 8 Treadmills.
So many memories, wrapped up in few years.
And now we're moving on.
I suppose that was bound to happen, but I rarely thought of it before graduation. With Mines, it's usually one day at a time.
But now we're here. We've graduated (most of us!). We made it through Mines. Even if your GPA wasn't a 3.5, we made it through Mines. That is something in and of itself.
So now what happens? We have the rest of our lives waiting for us, but I'm not sure I'm ready for the rest of my life. I got so used to having you guys there with me, to help me through the long nights and the assignments, and the tests we all thought we failed, the emotional drama that comes with life.
Being halfway around the world kinda puts things into perspective.
Truthfully, I was terrified to move to Australia. Granted, I've moved around a lot in my life; Mines was the longest time I've ever spent in one place, at one school. I've learned how to adapt, and meet new people. But leaving never bothered me so much before I met you guys. There was a big part of me that didn't want to move, that wanted to stay in CO with you guys, find a job, settle down. Travel a bit, just for fun, but stay close to home.
Because home is where you guys are, for me. It's not about where I can find a job, where I find a house. Home is where I have people that I love, and that I know love me back.
So why did I decide to leave? Partly because I've wanted this program since I was in high school. Partly because, come on, it's in Sydney! Partly because I was worried that if I stayed, I would never have the guts to move again. If I was going to move, it needed to be then. When I didn't have a house or a significant other. If I waited for a while, I might be in a relationship or have some responsibility that kept me from moving. Partly, I left to prove to myself I could. And partly, I left for you guys. That big part of me that didn't want to move, that wanted to stay with you guys? If I stayed, someone else would have been in the same position in a few years' time. One of us needed to go. I decided I had the opportunity, so I would be the first one to boot myself out the door.
So it was scary to move down here. It's still scary, and I've been here for almost two months. Don't get me wrong, Australia is pretty much amazing. I'm not in hurry to leave, there's way too much to do.
I guess I just wanted to let you guys know that I love you. Life moves on, and we're all going to go our ways and do our own things. And they'll be great, and we'll meet new people and have a myriad of new experiences. But you guys will always be there. And I'll always be there for you.
A toast! (We're not together, so use your imagination, here... the next time you have a drink, whether together or individually, raise your glasses!)
To the many years behind us, and the many more ahead of us!
So I went to a party recently. It was an 80s party, disco style. Lots of fun, and free drinks from 8-10pm. Lots of scantily clad females, and lots of neon colored gents. I was there from 7.30 until about 11, when I left to come home (I had class the next morning). However, I got lost on the way home cause someone told me to get on the wrong bus, and it took me 2.5 hours to get home. Kind of drastic, but I'll spare you the details. The point of this post is to tell you a couple of funnies.
So, the joke of the year (not day, week, or month, but year):
Person #1: I want to give you an Aussie kiss.
Person #2: What's an Aussie kiss?
Person #1: It's like a French kiss except Down Under!
I laughed so hard I choked myself on my drink.
The second one to record isn't really a joke. We were playing drinking games on the bus on the way to the party, and Liam and Mark starting singing the following song. It's a repeat song, so they would sing a line, and then we would sing the line. I can't remember all the words, but a couple of the refrains went something like this:
I wish that all the ladies
were buns on a shelf.
And if I were a baker
I'd fill them with my cream.
I wish that all the ladies
were waves in the ocean.
And if I were a surfer
I'd ride them with my motion.
I wish that all the ladies
were bricks in a wall.
And if I were a brickie
I'd lay them by the mile.
It carried on like this for a while, but it got progressively harder to understand what everyone was screaming. A grand night, overall! Except the getting lost...
I am staying at Les and Annette's gorgeous two story house. It's all dark wood, and glass... very classy. Mum and Erin arrive from the States, and go upstairs with Les and Annette, and they give Erin a day long roller skating lesson. While they are all upstairs, they have me house-sit their puppy, Sassy. I go upstairs to my bedroom to go to the bathroom, but when I enter my room, Mike and Sean are there, going through my jewelry. They keep picking up necklaces and holding them against my throat. You guys were apparently looking for the 'best' necklace. I go back downstairs and sit on the front porch with Sassy. A while later, I hear the upstairs door open, and Les, Annette, Mum, and Erin all come back downstairs and everyone is excited because now Erin knows how to roller skate. Les starts to make dinner, and Mum goes to help him.
Fast forward to next scene. The house is the same, but now it is owned by Ron's mum, Margaret. There is no sign of Mum, Annette, Les, or Erin, but Margaret still has Sassy. I have just arrived at the house from overseas, but for whatever reason, I'm not allowed to stay in the house. There is a tool shed like thing out back, and that is where I put my bags and papers and stuff. I house sit again, while Margaret is upstairs. She is gone for the whole day, and then it becomes night. I go out to the shed to get some homework and bring it back to the house, and while I'm gone, I leave the back door open. I'm only gone a couple minutes, but while I'm gone, 4 feral cats get into the house. Sassy starts to bark ridiculously, and that triggers the return of Margaret. She comes down the stairs, and Sassy is still barking, and we scare the cats back outside. She starts screaming at me, cause apparently, the cats come in with a really stinky armadillo/skunk like thing, and now it's in the house, and if it sprays the house will be ruined. Enter a man I assume is Margaret's husband. He goes to the kitchen and finds the creature in the cupboard, and turns to Margaret and I, standing in the doorway. He tells us that yes, there is a creature, yes, it already sprayed, and it's also the worst smelling kind. Margaret is livid. She screams at me, asks me how I'm going to fix this, how much money do I have, how am I going to make reparation? She tells me to get out. Margaret's husband gets me a bag, and tells me to pack whatever can fit in the bag. I go to my shed, and pack my homework, some blankets, and some food. The husband comes outside and hands me a passport and a map. I put them on the top of the bag. I leave the house via a field out back, and start walking along the side of the shed. A little 12 year old girl, who looks kind of like Natalie Portman, comes running out of the bush wearing a red dress. She looks at me, then runs away again. I follow her.
Hand over hand. Watching your feet. Tight shirt. Numb toes. White flakes floating all around, settling in your hair, in your eyelashes, down your throat. Going higher, getting farther away from everything. A moment's irritation, aimed at the rope between you and the wall. Sweaty palms, slick hands. Your breath starts to hitch. Your muscles start to tighten and cramp at inopportune moments. Your foot slips and your rhythm goes. Catch yourself. Your body screams. Hair in your face. Look up. How far? A moment, to regain desire, edge, drive.
Go.
