I WANT SUMMER!

That is all.

Under the sea

Fleur, Arthur (art-yooo-ur), Kathi (Kay-tee) and I rented a car with the intention of going surfing in Tourquay. Fleur and Arthur came to pick me up around 8:30 and then we headed over to the surf club to pick up some rack straps and boards. There, we met Kathi strapped the boards on and off we went.

Getting out of the city proved to be a bit harder than expected. Fleur's map reading skills and Arthur's sense of direction (and Kathi and my backseat driving) led us to the docklands and then to a dead end behind a semi-truck. Luckily, when we asked the quasi-deaf, Aussie old man driver of the truck for directions, he graciously offered us to follow him because he was heading the same way.

So we followed him... around the building, past the docklands, and onto the freeway towards Bendigo? Bendigo!? Right when I was beginning to realize that Bendigo was inland and the opposite direction, I saw something that confirmed my suspicions: a sign for the M1 free way (the one we wanted to be on) slowly slipping out of eyesight behind us... I was sure this man who we trailed was out of his mind. Arthur trusted him because he was Aussie. Fleur was with me and I'm pretty sure Kathi was just laughing at all of us. So, we continued on our likely 'wild-goose chase' of a mission...

After about ten minutes we were all in accordance: this old fart was trying to either lead us into the outback or take us on some ridiculously localized and remote back route. Regardless, we decided it would be best to pull over and ask for directions... which we did, therefore losing our trusty elderly Australian guide, at a petrol station whose employees didn't speak English or know what town we were passing through. In conclusion, shit out of luck!

After assessing our (lack of) options and reading the map left, right, upside down and backwards, we decided we would just continue on the way the OFTD (old fart truck driver) had lead us. So we drove... and drove... then we saw it! A sign for Geelong! Woo hoo! So the old man DID know where he was going... I guess lesson learned there is you should always trust ancient locals, for they have the best knowledge of the land.

We were on our way... Cruising down the freeway. Felt like your typical road trip: free, happy and fun. Fleur put on some popular songs from Holland: Shenkie in da Koelkast was one and I cannot remember the others. Then, my favorite part of the day happened...

Fleur put on "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid. The beginning of the song started with the Caribbean style marimbas or steel drums or whatever they are... then when the chorus came on, we all started singing!

I sang "UNDER THE SEA..." (English)

Fleur and Arthur "DIEP IN DE ZEE..." (Dutch)

Kathi "UNTER DEM MEER..." (German)

It was so amazing! We all had this cross cultural reference... It was something we all had in common: we all grew up watching Disney movies and singing the songs, but in completely different parts of the world. I don't know why it touched me so much... Maybe it was because I finally felt like I was really traveling; immersed in a different culture. I loved it!




Kathi, Fleur and Arthur!
---------------------------->



When we got to Tourquay beach, the waves were HUGE! It was very windy and the conditions were anything but good. I ruled out surfing that day... But we had already come all this way... We had to get in the water!



Arthur swinging Fleur around... Pre sufing haha.

We decided to head to Bell's just to experience the massive conditions to their fullest extent. The waves were ridiculous there-- at least 10 foot sets were rolling through! The guys out there looked like tiiiiiny little ants...






Yeah... it was quite large.

Everywhere else was either too blown out... Or too massive to surf. We asked around and people told us of this place called "Fisherman's" that was usually good on a huge swell...

So we went there! Sure enough, it looked like a lot of fun. So we suited up and jumped in...



It was really fun! Still getting to know my board better, loving it more every surf. Well, I think that is about it...

Oh, wait, no there's more. Fleur, Arthur and Kathi dropped me off at the train station because I had to get home for a soccer game...

I felt so content. I was pleasantly tired from surfing, watching the world fly by out the window as I listened to good music and stayed comfortable and warm in my sweatpants. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment. A few times I opened my eyes and looked out the window; every once in a while I would catch a quick glimpse of the reflection of my face, relaxed and satisfied, overlaying the beautiful scenery that passed and I would smile even bigger. Everyone else on the train probably thought I was crazy, smiling to myself and all, but I could have cared less. I could have ridden that train forever!

Thats it for today...

(We won our soccer game 10-2)
(I had my first night of work last night... I like my job so far!)

Peace and love, food, friends, family and everything else that's good...

MIR!

Words to live by:

1. Try a donut with bleu cheese on it.

2. Never cook green beans at 4 AM without the cooking fan on.

3. Don't try to pull off a plastic bag as a shirt.

4. Don't eat surf wax; it does NOT taste how it smells.

5. Don't get drunk to the point where you can't tell the men's from the women's bathroom (or gym locker room).

6. Don't skip your morning tutorial and then run into your tutorial leader on campus later that day.

7. Try not to get caught by a male security guard, three girls in a stall in the womens' bathroom, with a bottle of vodka that you brought in your shoe...at a gay bar.

8. Always remember, the number 8 is the best number in the world.


DISCLAIMER: The information contained on or linked to this blog post is general information. Nothing in this blog post is or purports to be advice. You should not rely on any information on or linked to this web site. If you need advice, you should seek personal professional advice based on your own circumstances.

And then I looked around the room and realized that I was the only American....

And it made me happy :)

Do what you like, like what you do.

I just made an Asian stirfry. On that subject... I shall tell you about my soccer team! I am currently on the indoor soccer team (futsal) called the Melbourne Unicorns. I know the name is amazing... I am the only white girl on our team. They call me their "token white girl" haha. Most of the girls are from some type of Asian descent.



This was before I was on the team... But can't you imagine me right there in the middle, blonde. I think I stand out a bit.

So far, the team has been so fun. We practice once a week and play a game once a week. We have been winning a lot so far... If we win the next two games, we will be on to the finals! I have a good feeling about it.

As for today, I went surfing with Tom, Fleur and Alex. Actually, I ended up surfing with just Tom, Lockey and a few other Aussie boys because Fleur and Alex needed to rent boards, so they went to another place.

It was semi windy and there was a really strong current so I kept getting swept parallel to shore. Needless to say, there was a lot of paddling involved... AND a very very small takeoff zone, so you had to paddle A LOT to stay in the right spot. My arms are very sore, as is my back. I only ended up getting one good one, which was enough for me. I like my new board. I think it is going to take a bit of getting used to, but I'm up for it!

I went to another gay bar with Jake on Friday! Fleur, Coen and Camille accompanied us. Once again, it was quite a fun and ridiculous (in a good way) scene.

I went job hunting on Saturday! Got offered two jobs... Well I at least got a trial run. I got offered a job at the first two restaurants I went to! I turned in one resume at this place called Cafe Cavallari, then went next door to Cafe Notturno. As I was speaking to the manager at Cafe Notturno, the manager from Cafe Cavallari called me. Lucky! I guess I just came in at the right time... I'm going to have a trial at Notturno on Monday and Cavallari on Tuesday. I'm going to be a server too... Should be interesting! Pays really really well though AND under the table.

As for tonight... I am writing my first essay. Exciting story, huh? That's the wrap up! xx

The "PRIME" of Your Life

My 20s... Everyone keeps telling me these are "the best years of your life". "Live it up while you still can". Honestly, when people tell me this, I get scared. It also makes me want to prove them wrong. Surely, I cannot deny that these years have been some of the best of my life, but I think it a fallacy that getting old makes you less content. Or at least you can make it a fallacy... it's like a self fulfilling prophecy! Physically yes, we might be at our prime in our twenties, but mentally, you can be sure I'll be living it up until grandmahood.

I read Dan's blog. His is full of incite and he's very good at analyzing ("analySing" in Australian) his experiences. So far I feel like I have just been telling stories, which isn't bad, but I guess I should share some of the things that I think I have learned... because as I have been told, these ARE the best years of my life and this is supposed to be a life changing experience.

First and foremost, I have always thought that you should never take life too seriously. Only, I really get to apply that here in Australia. Ready for the cliche? Here it goes: "life is too short" to worry about pleasing everyone, finish every reading assignment, hold a grudge, not be the first to say hello, not go skinny dipping, not eat that piece of chocolate or not tell someone you love them. So cliche... but rather true.

Also, right now I am doing really well sans boy. If you know me well, you know that I have been in many a relationship... which can lead to dependence, reliance blah blah all that stuff. Being devoid of an hombre has been fine! I think it is allowing me to really experience things for myself; strengthening my sense of ME. I feel like I already had a pretty good idea about that, but I guess you can always get to know yourself a little better, ha!

What else... little things don't matter here. Back home, you get the occasional drama (holla back Santa Cruz!). It's really inevitable... small town, same people, it can sometimes create sticky situations. DISCLAIMER: This is not to say that there is no drama in Australia! Only that I have not yet experienced any... DISCLAIMER 2: Of course, I have only been here a month and a half and sometimes it takes time for drama to develop, so yeah, I know, it's really not fair to compare the two. BUT, I am thoroughly enjoying myself here and in the moment, I have virtually no problems, SO I am just gonna go ahead and do it. It's hard to explain anyway... but most people seem to not take life too seriously here. It's like... in the States, people live to work. Everything you do is to find a high paying job for yourself in order to have a big house, fulfill the American Dream (generalization!! but we all know it runs true in some cases... and on varying scales). Here I feel like people work to live... Your job is not your life, just your means to an end... You aren't defined by your job. I don't know if that makes sense really... But this has nothing to do about le drama... Straying from my point!

Basically, people don't stress over things that don't matter here. Being away from home makes me realize (realiSe) how much people let the little petty things get in the way of their contentment... It's like sometimes they can't see the big picture.

What else... being stuffed into an uncomfortable situation can sometimes have a remarkable outcome. You gotta start somewhere...

Meh, now I'm just ranting. I'll be back with a fun and exciting story sometime in the near future...

Peace, love, and um... green beans? I love green beans.

Oh, and have I ever told you that I love YOU?! Ha.

What a weekend... WOW

I got a call this morning. When I say morning, I mean 5:50 in the morning. Hence, the fact I am awake right now... If it had been anybody other than my dad calling to tell me I was the only one missing from our family reunion, I would have been a bit pissed. So yes, it is 7 AM, but that's okay. Now I can be productive...

Where to start... This past weekend: "surf" camp. I got back last night from the craziest weekend of my life. It's one of those things you look back upon thinking, "did that actually happen?"

I'll tell you first, that there were no waves--literally .5 feet. This is the reason behind the "quotations" around surf in "surf" camp. No surfing took place. Some measly paddling... maybe. Secondly, nobody actually surfs in "surf" camp. Everyone goes for the partying, a fact that was unknown to me. Another fun fact, there were 40 beds for the 80 people that joined the camp... Sounds like a recipe for mayhem, huh?

The journey started at 1:30 on Friday where I met in the parking lot with Fleur to leave for Bancoora Life Saving Club, which I soon figured out was in the middle of nowhere. I can't complain about the location of the accommodation... it was right on the beach surrounded by awesome "bush" (for lack of a better word).





The bunks were stacked three high and three across. Fleur and I made sure to claim one as soon as we got there. We knew we would be sharing... The one we managed to commandeer was on the very top on the end.

Onward and outward... we arrived around four. Fleur and I took a romantic beach walk before sunset. The beach stretched on forever and ever. Along the way we met a few old fishermen and collected some shells.



We were so happy to be away from the city! We had no idea what we were in for when night rolled around...
















We started off the night with some box wine (a.k.a. GOON). Goon is the cheapest (and dirtiest) form of alcohol here in Australia.





Yup, that's the stuff.

By the time the sun had set, we were starving. Breakfast and dinner were included in the fees we paid. We headed in for dinner. At around 8 o'clock, the common room was buzzing with young people. Everyone was chatting but at the same time eying the kitchen to see what should emerge. 8:30, still no food. My tummy was grumbling. I was talking to Fleur and some others, when suddenly a pan of garlic bread was slammed down on the table behind me. IMMEDIATELY people stormed the table, grabbing, pushing, clawing. Like animals that hadn't eaten in weeks. This is when I realized I would have to fight for my food. If you were there at the right time, you got to eat. Otherwise, it would be stale bread that we brought from home for dinner! Next round of garlic bread, I was ready. Full on football stance, hands up, ready to go. Mmm, that garlic bread was good.

God, I talk too much... I'll try to condense this.

I was tired and ready for bed at this point. Lack of sleep and food coma took over. It was 11ish when I headed to bed. Fleur and I crawled into our tiny bunk, which according to this German girl had been claimed by her hours ago. Fleur and I decided that since we went to bed before her, that it was logical that the bed belonged to us. Here we are curled up in our tiny uncomfortable sky bunk:




It didn't take long for the rest of the people to start to rage. They didn't come for the surfing; they came to stay up to 4 AM, listen to techno and get naked. Seriously though, they came to get naked (not that I am opposed to nudity at all... I love being naked, but they took it to a-whole-nother level). Fleur and I tried to sleep, we really did, but as you can imagine, the 80 people that were trying to fit into these 40 beds were far from quiet. It might be a bit un-PC, but it reminded me a bit of a small scale World War III... I just need to get my point across. Also, the fact that there were so many people from all over the world runs true with my comparison. If you can imagine a small war minus weapons and physical fighting, you can imagine my nights at the "surf" camp. Fog horns were going off, people were yelling, farting, things were crashing and booming and squeaking, creaking, bass was bumping, naked people were poking me telling me I was lame for trying to sleep. Honestly, it got past the point of annoying... onto hysterical. I was delirious. It was 4:30.

7:30 AM.

"WAKE UP EVERYBODY! ITS TIME TO SURF! DO YOU HAVE A SURF LESSON?" I felt a someone poke me on my back. I cracked an eye. "DO YOU HAVE A SURF LESSON?" Someone yelled in my ear. I shook my head. "OK!" I turned over.

Really!? People were awake?! People were still yelling at 7 effing thirty in the morning?! I'm not sure what time I actually got to bed... I reckon around 5.

I couldn't fall back asleep. Fleur and I got up. Breakfast time! Breakfast consisted of toast. Yes, the weekend was very carby... in terms of food. Lots of carbs. Luckily, Fleur and I had stopped by the store so we had a secret stash of green beans and carrots. heh heh heh

Time to surf!




Biggest wave of the day. ha ha.

Like the day before, there was no surf... regardless, I decided to surf. 10 foot foam board, tiny waves, good people, once again can't complain. Oh, did I mention it was sunny?

After our minisurf, we had a tailgate party in the parking lot of this small convenient store.





This is Fleur and this other Dutch guy named Coen (pronounced KOON). He is hilarious and happens to be gay. He provided much entertainment for this trip... He taught me many dirty Dutch words like "Lachen Pipen". Also, I learned how to say "poop in your shoe"... "poopi ees coon" (spelling is DEFINITELY wrong... sorry Fleur, I tried).





That night, Fleur and I had a plan: we would get hammered drunk and therefore be able to get a good night sleep and make it through all the noise. Plan failed. The punch that the surf camp provided DID get me tipsy (tipsy enough to participate in one of their multiple 'nudie runs'...) but it also had a whole case of redbull in it... That combined with the alcohol AND lack of sleep = Miranda getting drunk, nudie run, eat, eat, eat, more eating, sleeping from 11 to 12, waking up to more yelling, naked people, farting, bass etc... in the same exact situation as the night before. Fuck.

Once again, no sleep. Once again, can't complain. The whole weekend was a bit comical... That's all I can say. C'est la vie. It happened. Or did it? Was it a dream? I made some new friends, barley surfed, got no sleep, but all in all, I would say that I had fun. That's all that matters.

Thanks to our faithful driver, Dave Dixon, I was able to get this photo to show you the true surf camp:




Ha ha. This was before the clothes came off....





Lastly, BIG NEWS! I bought a surfboard!!! Yahoo... on the way home, I stopped by my roommate Bianca's father's surf shop! He was so so sweet to me... He hooked me up with a board, a bag, a leash, two things of wax and a wax comb all for 300 dollars. Best deal ever... Plus, I love my board. It is 6'3, rather wide and very beautiful. It has a Koi fish on it for good luck... When picking it, I immediately felt a bond between us. I think we are in for a good, long, Australian relationship together.







That's all folks... How to wrap this up... I realized this morning as I was halfway between sleep and thought that the best way to live life is like cooking without a recipe: loose plans, lots of new and experimental ingredients and not too much seriousness. I dunno if that makes sense... but I've found that most of the time it turns out to be something delicious! If not that, at least it's interesting. Ha ha, k, I'm out!

Mmmmm...

Today:


Weather: SUNNY!

Step one: Grocery shopping at Coles with Dan and Cam...

Step two: Grocery shopping at the Vic Market...

Step three: cook, munch and EAT!

Lesson learned: Grocery shopping makes me 100 times happier than shoes or clothes shopping.

I'm so sore from climbing...
I got my belay card yesterday. Back home you have to to take an extensive class and test to get it. Here they show you the knots and you're up the wall! So much fun! I'll be going a lot I reckon (I am starting to talk like an aussie ahhhh).

Sam and his friend John-o made Camille and I sushi last night! It was so good! The four of us finished a foot high pile of sushi. Mmm... then we had wine and TIM TAMS (a chocolatey Australian cookie that I have become addicted to). What a good day!

LOVE!

Rain, rocking out and rock climbing

Two day catch up...
Real quick...

It has been raining. I wore my sock boots. They are not waterproof. Therefore, wet toesies.

Last night...
Live music at Turf. My friend Sam played a solo act. Just a man and his guitar. SHOUT OUT! He rocked it.

Going rock climbing tonight with Dinnsa...

This weekend I am going to a surf camp with the Melbourne Uni surf club!

Some fun facts:

There is a bar on my schools campus.

There are 4 seasons in one day here.

The word "loose" means DRUNK.

Vegemite=Delicious.

Surfing...

Dear Mom, I am sorry to tell you this, BUT I did something you would not approve of. With that being said, I will continue my story but you must consider the fact that I am 100 percent still alive and well and had a wonderful day!

SO...
I met this guy the other day. His name is Tom and hes a sweet Aussie boy from a little town called Wangaratta. He currently lives in Melbourne and we both share the passion for surfing. Consequently, he offered to take me surfing with him and his friends on Sunday (today) and I accepted (SORRY MUMS!). Yes, I just met him... but you only live once and he seemed innocent enough...



Tom is the one on the left.


He arrived to pick me up at 7 AM (UGGGHHHH) with a 5'10 thruster for me to ride. Lets just get things straight... I have never surfed a board that thin or that short, but what the heck, it was free and I am looking to start shortboarding anyways...

We swung by his friends' house to pick up his buddies Lockey (short for Lockland) and Lucas (also known as Bucksy). Very quickly we realized that the four of us were not going to fit into the car of Tom (who I realized, from about 2 minutes of boy conversation, had been nicknamed Dinnsa, for his last name Dinning). Not to worry, they had a solution... That was to take their friends rickety old hatchback; you couldn't lock the doors because the only way to start the car was with a rusty old screw driver, ha! At this point I knew I was in for an adventure.

We piled the boards and ourselves into the car and began the drive to Tourquay, where I had surfed previously with my friends from the village. When I went last weekend, I had to take a taxi to the train station, a train to the bus station and a bus to the surf shop and walk to the beach... I have to confess, today was much easier AND much cheaper. We drove about an hour and a half from Melbourne--Tom drove, Bucksy sat in the front and Lockey and I sat in the back... It was a fun ride down--getting to know everyone!

After the drive, we checked the waves, suited up and paddled out! The conditions were pretty bad actually, but I did end up catching one good one on the tiny board. It probably wasn't too graceful, but I had a very good time... It was really good to get out in the ocean and it was SUNNY today for a change! After all the paddling AND getting caught inside on a set I was so tired... After about an hour and a half surf, we headed in and got some "FUSH AND CHUPS" (ha ha) in Tourquay and then took a drive to another surf spot called 13th Street...


Bucksy, Lockey and Tom reading the paper while waiting for food...

13th Street looked fun so the boys decided they were going to go for another surf... Hit hard by a food coma, I decided to stay in the car and take a nap... Which I did, for about an hour. Then, they boys came in...

We drove to a gas station to pick up some "lollies" (candy in Australian) which consisted of Crunchie Bars, Skittles, Party Mix Gummies and some other stuff... On the way home, Lockey and I proceeded to separate all the "good" skittle flavors from the bad ones... We sorted the red and purple ones and put them in a separate bag... In the other bag, the green, yellow and orange ones. Which ones were the good ones? It speaks for itself... C'mon people.

Tom and I dropped off Lockey and Bucksy and the ghetto surf wagon... I came in and met the rest of the housemates for a bit, then Tom dropped me off at the village. Ah, what a successful fun day! And, I barley spent any money... We decided we would all go surfing again very soon and I think Tom and I are going to meet up sometime this week for Grill'd (SHOUT OUT TO BROGIE! The best burger place in Melbourne...) That is all my good friends... LOVE YOU ALL!

(Sorry Mom...)

GOLD COAST!!

Byron Bay!!

Today was the first day since I have been here that has actually been warm! WOO HOO!! And... more good news... just booked a ticket to the Gold Coast for two weeks in September when I have spring break. SO EXCITED! So far... it is me, Fleur, Alex and 90% positive Camille. We're gonna book a backpackers hostel too. It's gonna be fun... Can't wait for the beaches and the surf and the sun. We're gonna be in Byron Bay...

Last night...

Me, Camille and Fleur at the concert!

Yeah, don't get too excited by the title... I know it kinda implies that something exciting happened last night, which it didn't exactly. BUT! I did go to this rocking concert with Camille and Fleur. It was down on Brunswick St; a little funky street that resembles Haight and Ashbury. The band we saw was called Casual Projects. Camille met one of the guys in the band at the bowling alley and he told her to come to the show. They were awesome; like a mix between rock and hiphop.

Here is one of their videos... CHECK IT OUT!



Camille and Fleur at the Show!


The night went well... Watched Casual Projects, then another band came on called Jumbledat... They were so good! It was like jazzy hiphop... Lovin' it.

After that deal, we headed over to Escobar for me "interview". Ha, lets just say it is hard to get interviewed when there are people everywhere dancing and yelling. Also, the loud music was a factor... So the manager handed me his business card and we agreed to chat later in the week.

I went to McDonalds.... NOOOO Don't tell anyone. K well I guess I just told everyone... But it was a MISTAKE.

Fleur left... Camille and I proceeded to get free drinks at Escobar from our friend Rory who also lives in the village. We ended up staying until Rory got off work at 4!!!!!!!! AHHH, so late... but we all wanted to share a cab back to RMIT... So it goes... I just took a nap in the corner while Camille stayed by the deserted bar.

Once I got home, I got the munchies pretty bad. I decided I would make green beans with an egg on top... Don't ask me why I picked this combo, but at four in the morning with limited supplies, one must make creative decisions. I cracked the egg.. AND THERE WAS NO YOLK! Just an egg white...a mutant egg. AHH!

Anyways, I ended up burning the green beans and I set off my fire alarm at 4:30 and began running around like a chicken with my head cut off... opening doors, turning on fans, fanning the smoke detector with my notebooks... ANYTHING to make sure that I didn't set off the main fire alarm, which would cost me about 2,000 DOLLARS... I succeeded. The fire alarm stopped. I ate my meal and went to bed.

THE END!

In a nutshell....

So, I know... I am starting this blog business a little late. Thanks to my new friend Daniel Rosales (SHOUT OUT) I have figured out how to start bloggin' so here I goooo....

Daniel!

I have been here in Australia for hmmm, lets see about a month now. So, as you can imagine... a lot can happen in a month. I'll start from the beginning...

The Opera House and the Harbor Bridge... Sunset

View of the Harbor, Sydney.

First things first, I arrived in Sydney on the 8th of July. I was scooped up from the airport by my old time family friend Kenny, who then took me home to his lovely wife Maike. These were two of the nicest people I have EVER met. They practically forced amazing food down my throat and took me on tours all over beautiful Sydney. They wined and dined me every night for the first couple of days I was there.

Beautiful Maike in her humble abode in Sydney
Wonderful Kenny at North Head in Sydney!
Maike and I at South Head in Sydney!

Of course, I was ridiculously jetlagged, but being my stubborn self, I tried to pretend like I wasn't and managed to stay up all day. Then night hit... I wasn't tired at all. So, Maike gave me some of here sleeping drugs... These proved to be very effective. I slept the whole night! Woke up at 9... Got fed an amazing breakfast, but I still felt kinda funky all day. Whilst in Sydney, I got the chance to meet my long lost great aunt! It was Kenny's mother, Joan. Joan is also the sister of my Grandpa on my father's side. She is so sweet. They call her "the Old Girl" :)

The Old Girl!

Kenny and Joan (the old girl) at North Head!

Now, the interesting stuff! I started my orientation in Sydney on the 10th. It all started in this hotel room at the Bayview Boulevard Hotel in downtown Sydney. It consisted of UC students from all over California joining together and pretty much being forced into a tiny room to meet. My roommate in the hotel was named Christina Brown.

Christina and I at a footy game in Melbourne!!

She was also attending the University of Melbourne. At first she seemed very shy. I figured we might become friends someday, but as of now we remained acqaintences. Next door to me was a boy named Jake and his roommate James, both who were attending UM. Jake, I had previously met back at UCSC. We clicked immediately and he became one of my closest friends in Australia. I also met a sweet girl named Laura, who Jake had nicknamed LARVA. Unforunately she was headed to Western OZ, Perth, for school. Regardless, we had lots of fun together.Jake!!

Me, Larv, Jake and Jules In Sydney

Christina and I opened up the door between Jake and James' rooms so we had one "megaroom" ha ha. So essentially the purpose of this orientation was to get to know people who were going to your university and to show a bit of the Australian culture. We did many things... like a cruise of Sydney harbor. Tour of the opera house. Stuff like that.... SUPER touristy stuff. Jake, who happens to be gay, had other things on his mind: GAY BAR!


James, Me and Jake!

So that night... he decided to take us to the gay district. It was me, Larv, Jake, James, and our other frend Ashish. We took a taxi there and I immediately felt out of my element. I showed my ID and walked into the gay bar... Loud music boomed throughout the club, men were talking to men everywhere and there was a flamboyantly dressed transvestite in a silvery shiny dress and heels on the stage with a microphone. Larv and I were the only girls. At first I felt out of place... Jake was enjoying himself. James, shy little James, was having a great time. Ashish looked like he wanted to kill himself. Me an Larv receeded into a corner to watch each guy walk by and check him out (for the purposes of finding a boy for Jake).


After checking out countless boys who were either not attractive or already taken, I saw one! "He looks cute!" I said to Larv.

She agreed. We began to approach him to tell him he should talk to our friend. We weaved through the crowd til we got to the bar....where we saw him.... Making out with his boyfriend!!! Oops....

Okay, if I keep explaining everything in such detail, I'll never get through this all. I'll summarize. Jake is a moocher. He goes around looking for gay guys to buy him drinks, and SUCCEEDS. He's good... So he met some guy, who bought him a drink. I'm standing with James and Larv. James keeps trying to pretend he's gay. He stands with his knee bent and lips pursed... so cute!!! All of a sudden, some guy comes up behind him with a beer. James got his first drink bought for him from a gay guy! The guy takes off...

James...Too cute for words. Motivational Speech!!
Christina and I call James our "LOVE CHILD" because he is kinda like our child...and we love him.

"Go talk to him James!" Larv and I tell him, "He bought you a drink now you got to go talk to him," and he does!

James is the coolest, mellowest guy you will ever meet. He is truly down for everything. So he went and talked to that guy who ended up buying our whole group a round of drinks. (SUGAR DADDY!) The whole time Ashish looked like he wanted to throw up. Larv and I had a good time... but we went home early with Ashish. Jake and James stayed out and had a "gay old time" ha.

Camille, Daniel, and Christina!!!

Sydney consisted of a few more nights sort of like this, but with less gay bars. I was there for about a week and then it was time to head to Melbourne! On the 12th, I said farewell to my wonderful Kenny and Maike who took me out for an AMAZING thai dinner with wine and lots of love. In the morning... I hit the airport.

It was a short flight, about an hour and a half. This time, a friend of my neighbor and friend, Gina, picked me up from the airport. His name was Kim. He was super nice and took me to my new home at RMIT village. When I got to RMIT, I saw my love... BROGIE!!!!!!! Brogie had been studying in Melbourne for the past 6 months. I was so so excited to see a familiar face. Brogs showed me all over the city that night...

Random Aussie, Brogie and Me!!!

The city seemed very foreign to me at that point, which was 3 weeks ago. Now I feel like I understand it much better.

Just down the street from my little room is a market. The market is AMAZING. They sell all sorts of fresh fruit and veggies there for SO CHEAP. I love the Queen Victoria Market. I could LIVE in the vic market. They also sell clothes and all sorts of fun stuff there.

The city is really cool! It has a small town vibe, the best food in the world, and really easy public transportation. The main public transport is trams... Kinda like trolleys in San Francisco, but a little more high tech. On the tram, you buy a ticket for 3.70 and you can ride it as much as you want for 2 hours. The catch is, you don't actually have to buy a ticket, but you run the risk of encountering an EVIL tram inspector. They have undercover ones and regular ones. The regular ones will come on at random tram stops and YELL "TRAM INSPECTION! SHOW YOUR TICKETS." They wear big blue trench coats and resemble dementors from Harry Potter... or as I picture them, AGENTS from the matrix. So, as you can imagine, you have the fear element going if you don't buy a ticket. BUT, I have yet to see a tram inspector so I have this eminent fear of the "Men in the blue trenchcoats." Paying 3.70 every time you ride the tram can really add up... so as Brogie taught me, you don't buy a ticket unless you see a tram inspector... They are hard to see, but you have to be on top of your game: watching the windows at every stop. I feel like an outlaw every time I ride the tram. Then, you still got the undercover ones to worry about...

Blah, blah about the trams... I started my Melbourne Welcome once I got here. This was another orientation program, but with students from all over the world! The first person I saw when I walked into the first even was Christina Brown, my roommate from Sydney! She left to go find her room, and I was stranded. All alone... This was the first time I had felt so alone in Australia. I walked into a room full of 200 unfamiliar faces all staring at me in the front of the room. AHHH! I found a seat near the back of one of the long tables and sat down. Immediately, hands outstretched....

"I'm Ed," said a cute boy with an english accent.
"Matt,"
"Alex,"
etc...

Wow, that was easy. We began talking about where we were from and our experiences in Melbourne. People were really friendly here. Nobody knew anyone, so it was so easy to make friends.
Fleur, Me, Christina and Camille at a footy game!

The Melbourne welcome introduced me to some of my best friends I have made here. We all bonded through attending pub crawls, footy games (Australian rules football is so cool... It's kinda like American football with more contact, less stopping and less padding + short shots), formal dinners, etc.... Here I really got to know Christina and she has really become one of my really good friends. I also met....

Camille! A sweet blonde girl from LA.... she lives at RMIT with me and we hang out all the time. She is amazing and one of my best friends here.

Little Camille!

Fleur! A rad, tall girl from Holland. We hang out all the time and she is so fun.

Fleur <3

K'irsty! The cutest girl ever from Scotland.

Daniel! I mentioned him before... He is from LA and he is supa dupa cool too.

Alex and Ed from England.

Manuel from Germany.

Claire and Corbin from Canada.

Jacob also from LA.

Benoit from France.

Mateo from Italy.

AH, there is more... I am just drawing a blank.

English Ed and Alex, Random guy....and Manuel from Germany

So yeah, made lots of friends there. Then, after that orientation I had ANOTHER orientation for RMIT village. By this point, I have been drinking too much. People bond over drinking here and there is always something going on. Each night there are drink specials somewhere... It's crazy. Soooo... RMIT village orienation consisted of first a barbeque. I came alone, but immediately bonded with some boys juggling a soccer ball. There was Chris, a really cool guy from France, two Aussies named Alex and Dan and Manuel (the guy I met at the Melbourne welcome from Germany). They were so amazed when they realized that a girl could ACTUALLY play soccer... ha ha. One of the guys, Dan, was the coach of the womens' futsal team at Melbourne Uni. He asked me to come play for them... Which I have been! I have my first game tonight....

Me, French Chris, and Camille my love!

Fleur and I!

In the RMIT village welcome, I met a bunch more Aussies.

Ah... there is so much more to say about that but my fingers are getting tired and I feel like I should probably do something with my day. Let me just wrap it up....

It is RIDICULOUSLY COLD here. It was fine at first, but now I am craving sunshine and vacation. I think I am going to plan a trip to Bali for my semester break in September. I got offered a job at this rad bar called Escobar... I think I might work there. I have an interview on Friday!

I got really sick this past week from all the cold and Brogie passed on a nice little cough to me. SO pretty much I have been out of commission. Before that, I was going on runs, playing soccer and being productive. I went to the doctor today and they said my lungs are clear of mucus (YAY HOORAY!!!!!!). So, now I can do things with my life. I started school... the classes I am taking are all art history: Renaissance Art, Australian Art: Rock to Pop, Contemporary Australian Art, and last but not least Sports Education in Australian Society. The last one is so cool... we get to take field trips to go surfing and watch footy matches. I have that one tonight.

Tonight is not only my first soccer game, but also the reunion for the Melbourne Welcome program! So, I get to see all of my amazing international friends again.

All in all, I have been having a great time... Really settling in well. I have missed my friends and home and family a bit lately, but that can be expected because I have the most amazing friends, home and family in the world!!! I got sad when I missed Caroline's 21st birthday and Brian's 26th, but thats life.... You can't have it all! I'll keep writing on here so that I can keep everybody posted on my adventures... OH! That reminds me, I did have an adventure the other day.

I took a train and a bus to a little town called Tourquay and went surfing at Bell's beach! So much fun... I went with Chris, the french boy, this boy Zander from the East Coast of the states, and this boy named Stephen from England. It was a successful trip, but I got really cold in my 4'3 wetsuit AND I had to rent a board... Otherwise it was SO FUN to get to the beach. I was having beach and surfing withdrawls, so that kinda quenched my craving for a while. I think I might try to go this weekend again.

Bianca Little.... My amazing roomie!!!!

OH and as for my roommate here at RMIT, she is AMAZING. Her name is Bianca and she is Australian and SO CUTE. We are very very similar... Both very short and small, both like to cook, both love to travel, both love the beach, both surf etc.... we get along really really well! Couldn't have asked for a better one.... K I'm going to go be productive now.... Miss you all back home.... Sending my love!!! I'll write more soon :)