Meanwhile in Australia...

 It's been almost 2 months since I arrived in this glorious country and I definitely feel like I am truly "living" here now. I've met some amazing people, already done a ton of traveling, and things are going smoothly. Last week I must admit I experienced quite a bit of nostalgia and longing for Boston on St. Patricks Day! There's nothing like beantown on St. Pattys..the atmosphere, the charles river going green, the spirit of the Irish! But, to my dad's advice, I still went out and drank some green beer to celebrate here. Thankfully an Irish bar named Puggs was the place to be and we decided to skip class and drank for probably about 10 hours straight...let's just say the next morning wasn't pretty. That's a picture of us at Pugg's early on in the day..the other pictures will remain hidden! They had some Irish bands playing so we sang music, socialized, and of course did some Irish dancing! Even though I definitely would have preferred St. Patty's in Boston, I was pleasantly surprised at how well they managed to celebrate here in Melbourne.

I also experienced my first Booze Cruise last week! A bunch of friends and I bought tickets for a cruise put on by MUSEX (same club we went surfing with) and cruised the Yarra River all night while dancing and drinking. It was an "Anything But Clothes" party so we had to get creative! I made a top out of duct tape and fashioned an Australian flag into a skirt. Basically I should probably go into fashion design.

 Then this past weekend I made one of the most spontaneous yet best decisions of my life. I was hanging out on Thursday afternoon before heading off to African Drum and Dance (best class ever, by the way) and I got a call from my friend Meg, a BC student who's also abroad here with me. She was supposed to go on a surf trip with her friend for the weekend but he was sick and couldn't go and would I like to go with her? Would I?? Sure, why not! The next day we took a train back on the great ocean road to Lorne, a small but popular surf town. Meg said it reminded her of Laguna Beach, California. Apparently Australia's like California with an accent...I've never been but if this is what CA is like then buy me a ticket because I want to live in this atmosphere forever. We arrived in Lorne and met up with the rest of everyone camping. It was organized by the University of Melbourne surf club so we basically had a big area of camp to set up our tents in. However, minor setback, we couldn't find a tent. Instead we got to cozy up together in a "Swag"..a swag is kind of like a covered sleeping back with a little pop up top over your faces. However, Meg and I have never even heard of one of these contraptions before so we kind of unraveled it and stared at each other for a while. Eventually we sort of figured it out and just decided we would have to have a few drinks and we would sleep great in it!

 Our swag was super impressive next to the huge tents other people brought. It actually was pretty comfortable to sleep in though and definitely a conversation starter to the strangers sleeping around us! That night we socialized and drank around camp before heading out to the local pub and dancing the night away. Lorne has a trampoline park which consists of about 10 trampolines built into the ground. Usually it's about $5 for 10 minutes of jumping. Screw that! At about 2 am a bunch of us (we're talking about 50 people..) decided that we NEEDED to go on those trampolines. So we all climbed the chain link fence and spent about an hour jumping, laughing, and singing songs together. Yes, cops drove by. Did they care? No, they didn't even bat an eye. No one cares about anything in Australia, I LOVE IT.

 The next morning we were woken up way too early. This "beautiful" bird was the culprit. Yeah it's a cockatoo. Yeah it's a pretty cool looking bird. You would think it would be lovely to have thousands of them living in the trees surrounding your campsite. Yeah, quite the opposite actually. These pretty creatures make the most horrendous sound I have ever heard. It's kind of like a crow on steroids, and it almost sounds prehistoric. If dinosaurs weren't extinct I would think it was a velociraptor or something outside my tent. So sleeping through that noise was not the greatest!

 This is the coast of Lorne, we spent the day mostly surfing, drinking cappuccinos, and eating some of the best food I've ever had. After our lovely cockatoo wake up call Meg and I went to Moons Espresso Bar and got the Big Brekky - poached eggs on thick toast with avocado, some of the juiciest and most delicious cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach, big plump beautiful mushrooms, and fresh slices of avocado. I was in complete heaven. We surfed all day and I got up a couple of times! I love that I'm definitely improving the more I do it and I don't want to stop! Hopefully the beaches in Westport are ready for me to come back because I am getting out there and bringing back some of this Aussie surf culture with me, it's too good to pass up. Not only is it such a great workout but it's the most relaxing exercise I've ever done! After a refreshing shower, the club had a big barbie and we ate and drank our hearts out. After another few hours dancing at the pub, about 30 of us decided that we only live once and we went on a lovely naked swim in the ocean! Mass skinny dip? Check that one off the bucket list.

 The next morning Meg and I found a really cute cafe at the end of this walking bridge and had a delicious breakfast of eggs and toast again. We spent the day surfing and walking around Lorne drinking coffee and going in the cute shops.

I had to snap a pic of the trampolines we snuck onto. How priceless! After a day in Lorne we hopped a ride back to Melbourne with some friends we made on the trip. Of course we had to surf at sunset on the way back. I came back to the city feeling 100% refreshed and on an eternal high. This feels like a nonstop vacation to me, and the crazy thing is that this is real life for most people that live here. They just work during the week and go in full relaxed mode all weekend. What a life!

Driving the Great Ocean Road

 

I know it's been a while since I've updated - I feel like there's so much to catch up on! First of all, that is a map of the Great Ocean Road which a few friends and I had the pleasure of driving a few weekends ago. 151 miles of beautiful scenery, the road was built as a war memorial for World War I. Between Torquay and Warrnambool tourists flood the road to see the natural wonders that lie just off the coast. Since it's not summer here, although the weather is still beautiful, it was not very crowded the weekend we went which was lovely because it only increased the sense of peace and relaxation that we vibed with for a few days. 

 The first day it wasn't the best weather but that was fine because it was when we did most of our driving. This is a beach just outside of Apollo Bay which we stopped at and walked around. There's something about just the sights and sound of the beach..I don't think anything gets much more relaxing than that.

 Along the way we saw so many of these camper vans people rent. They're all painted differently and have quotes on the back. This was especially my favorite! That night we drove to the 12 Apostles, probably the most famous attraction on the Great Ocean Road. Even though it was cloudy it was still beautiful! Our hostel was in Port Campbell just 15 minutes down the road. It was super clean and we roomed with a few nice people from the Netherlands.

 The next morning we ate a delicious (but pricey) breakfast at a cafe in town in Port Campbell then headed off to Port Fairy to a wildlife sanctuary. Along the way we saw more beautiful coastline! Below is the Bay of Martyrs.

 We never fail to stop and take some classic jumping pictures...in front of cows of course.

 No trip would be complete without a stop to Cheese World!!!!! This is the award winning best cheddar in Australia! Who knew? It tasted like it too!

 We stopped at Tower Hill Wildlife reserve, a big park built on the edge of an inactive volcano. We took some walks around but saw most of our wildlife in the parking lot! Those emus were just chilling by the picnic area.

 The best part was seeing koalas in the wild! Once again, most of them were asleep or just hanging out. What a chill life.

 On the drive back we stopped at more beaches and admired the beautiful coastline. Because of constant erosion from the waves the scenery is always changing. It's weird to think that it's not always going to be there.

 Our favorite spot we stopped at was called the grotto! Seen here, it just looks like a bridge going towards the water. On closer look..

 It's a beautiful pool overlooking the water! Of course we hopped the fence and went in. It was cold and the rocks were so slippery but we made it across and admired the turquoise water. My camera does not do it justice at all - it was a hidden paradise!

 We also stopped at other famous spots on the road. This is the london bridge - so beautiful. And it's falling down! How ironic.

 That night we made it in time to see the sunset at the 12 apostles. We stayed for a few hours and just admired the beautiful turquoise water and this natural wonder...probably the best sunset I've ever seen.

 On our last day we stopped at more spots such as Loch Ard Gorge pictured here..

It was an excellent weekend overall! We successfully drove on the left side of the road, saw some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, and came back to Melbourne relaxed and refreshed! Another successful weekend away.

Melbourne Loving and Yarra Valleying

Sunset at St. Kilda

I've been in Melbourne for a little over a month now and I am absolutely loving it. It seems like I've been here longer, yet time still flies by every day. If I'm not going to class I'm out exploring the city, and every night there's something to do. They go out a lot on weekdays here and the weekends are a little more relaxed. Last Sunday we rented a car and took a break from the city for a day to go wine tasting in the Yarra Valley!

Driving into the yarra valley - lush!

I felt like we had left Australia and stepped into California. It was a perfect 80 degree, sunny, and blue skies day which put Eileen, Hilary, Joe and I in the perfect mood to go vineyard hopping and taste lots of wines. Overall we went to about 3 wineries, one cider press, and a brewery. At one of the wineries, we spent about an hour talking to the owner who was the nicest woman in the world. She gave us heaps of free samples and told us how she came to run the vineyard, Coombe Farms. Basically her life now consists of taking care of her 9 month old (we got to meet her and I don't think I've ever seen a more perfect and beautiful child in my life!) living for free on the vineyard, and getting paid $23/hour to sit around and talk to strangers about wine. Sounds like the life! We bought a bottle of champagne from her for $30 yet it sells at restaurants for $250 a bottle - what a deal! 

Wine tasting menu at Yering Station - all samples free!

America has a really good rep here...

More of the Yering Station vineyard

Joe, Eileen, and I loving the Yarra valley

Huge bottle at Coombe Farms

Tasting some BEER

Overall it was an excellent day. We stopped for lunch at a great cafe and ate some great focaccia sandwiches. We drank wine. We made friends with fellow wine tasters. We stole apples from the cider orchard and ate them as we sped away. We spent barely any money. We basked in the sunshine. I never want to leave!

I Guess I Have to "Study" Abroad

The time has come. I wasn't looking forward to it that much, but it was inevitable. School has officially started. Seeing as I haven't been in a lecture hall since December 10th, starting classes two weeks ago was kind of a drag. However, I must say that I highly approve of the way they do school here. Like everything else in Australia, it is extremely relaxed. For each class you take you have to attend a lecture and a tutorial. The tutorials are like a discussion and are mandatory - this is where most of your grade comes from. Since all the lectures are recorded and put online they are far from necessary to attend which is nice, especially since most of my lectures are early in the morning. But, like the well trained BC student I am, I haven't adapted to this new system and I'm still attending all lectures anyway...we'll see how long that lasts! I also only have midterms and finals, both of which are papers, so I have no assignments due in between and my only homework is about an hour of reading for each class each week. In short - I kind of love school.

I'm taking 4 classes while I'm here which is the normal load for a University of Melbourne student. Since I'm well on my way to completing my major, Communications, I'm taking a few classes which I hope to count for my minor, International Studies. My classes are:

Australia Now - An introductory class to the world of Australia in all aspects from politics, history, art, sport, culture, and society. It's a class that a lot of international students take to be accustomed to where they're living. So far the history we've learned is really interesting, but much much less dense than American or European - after all Australia was only colonized by the British in 1788 and didn't receive independence until 1901.

Sport & Education in Australian Society - this class focuses on the world of sports in Australia. Melbourne is actually the sporting capital of the world so it's extremely eye opening to see how it really has affected society, especially in relation to the Aborigines. They played a game called Marngrook which was adapted into the game of footy. The ball game was played with a possum's bladder covered in skin - ew! Australian Rules Football (footy) is huge here. There are teams from all parts of the city and it's really important that you barrack for someone. Barrack is the Aussie term for "rooting", however to "root" for a team is a completely different term here, and highly inappropriate (think about it..). In the class we get to go on lots of field trips to rugby, cricket, netball, and footy matches as well as a day of surfing and visits to lots of museums. Win!

Aboriginal Cultural Studies - Another class that might possibly be counted towards my minor. It focuses on the study of the Aborigines through their history, relations with the colonists, current status in Australia, as well as a focus on art and music. It's probably the most rigorous class I'm taking in terms of work however so far I'm really fascinated to learn about the indigenous people of Australia. They are often compared to Native Americans in terms of how they were treated by the colonists, however their place in society today is still highly contested. We explore a lot of the racism that impacts them and how that conflicts with their culture.

African Drum and Dance - My most entertaining class! We have a 2 hour rehearsal a week where we learn to drum, dance, and sing traditional music from Ghana. My teacher is sooo enthusiastic and hilarious, I really lucked out. At the end of the semester we put on a performance which should be really exciting as well. So far I love going to this class because I feel like I'm using a part of my brain which hasn't been turned on in years. My days of reading piano music are all coming back to me!

So I know it's not the most rigorous of schedules...it's actually probably the lightest workload I've had all of college. I only have class Tuesday through Thursday which leaves me with a 4 day weekend, every weekend. Pretty sweet. That just gives me more time to soak up all of Australia! I feel like I'm on a constant vacation here and the slice of academia that I bite into each week keeps my brain rolling and furthers my education of this marvelous country.

Something New

What’s the #1 goal of studying abroad? Is it to see the world? To meet new people? To party hard? Who knows… it’s different for everyone. But I think it’s most important to try new things! On my list of things to try while I’m in Australia are:

- Bungee jumping

- Sky diving

- Holding a koala bear

- Eating new FOODS!

It’s a short list, I know. And I can probably think of more but let’s face it: it’s a Sunday night and I’m exhausted. However, I have eaten some delicious food while I’m here. This includes….wait for it….emu, crocodile, and kangaroo! I mean they had a deal for a sample platter at the night market for $7 so of course I had to have it. 

The emu, shown in sausage form, wasn’t bad. I probably would have preferred it in a filet because the sausage made it pretty chewy, but it tasted like a chicken sausage pretty much...nothing too crazy. The kangaroo, which was a patty, was really good. It’s apparently one of the leanest meats you can eat and since they’re shot in the wild (sad, I know) it’s completely organic. The crocodile (the white meat) was by far my favorite! I tried it first thinking it was going to be the worst of the three and it was definitely the best. Tastes kind of like chicken but with a much more rich flavor, and it was the perfect texture. I’m a big fan of crocodile, who knew!?

Another food I’ve fallen in love with: Pho. I’m still trying to figure out why I’ve never tried it until tonight. In Vienna we have a really popular place people always talk about but I guess I never got around to stopping in for some delicious noodles. Eileen and I went down Swanston St. (by far the best street for shops, food, bars, and of course people watching) to a Vietnamese restaurant and got some cheap but huge bowls of rice noodles with chicken, sprouts, and mint leaves all in chicken broth. Oh my god it was so yummy. It was the kind of meal where I left feeling healthier. I’ve been losing my voice and now I feel like the pho has nursed my vocal chords back to life…it’s like chicken noodle soup on steroids. Oh and fun fact from the sign on the front of the restaurant, “President Clinton had 2 bowls…how many can you have?” I highly recommend to whoever has never tried it to go get some!

Surfing, Drinking, and Penguin Watching

This past weekend I was lucky enough to spend my time in Phillip Island! The Melbourne University Student Exchange Society (MUSEX) is a club I’ve joined on campus which holds events and trips for international students. Their motto is “Go Hard Before You Go Home”…they are not joking around! So far they’ve thrown three different parties at bars around the city which have been some of my greatest nights here. The club is run by University of Melbourne students, one of them actually studied abroad at Boston College! Anyway, MUSEX took us to Phillip Island for the weekend for surf camp or, more aptly named, party camp.

We stayed at the Phillip Island Coastal Discovery Camp, which consisted of bunk houses, a dining room, and a recreational room all located on acres and acres of fields and plush grassy areas on a cliff which overlooks a beautiful beach. However, since there were about 80 of us it was a tight squeeze: I slept in a bunkhouse meant for 8 with 15 people….7 of us, including me, on mattresses on the floor. But that’s what camp is all about, right? The leaders had us dress in togas the first night and we were divided into groups and competed in a game called boat races. Basically, it’s a relay chugging a lot of beer. They also had a dance room set up and all of us were up all night dancing the night away…so much fun! The next day was spent lounging on the beach, playing frisbee and volleyball and of course surfing! Once again, I love wearing a wetsuit. The water was pretty cold but I couldn’t really feel it. I rode a wave this time!! It really is just the most relaxing and fun sport. The water was so clear and so beautiful and it was so peaceful to just swim and surf the waves. It’s a hell of a workout too..my arms were definitely sore in the morning. That night we had to do four legged races in our teams - it was quite an experience. Basically, three people are tied together. Then the teams have to race between 4 stations and at each station the person in the middle has to chug an entire beer and the two people on the ends have to share a beer before you can move on. What a hilarious site it was to see all of us attempting this! After that we had a nice dinner and then it was off to see the PENGUINS!

Phillip Island is famous for the nightly march of penguins coming in from their day out in the ocean to land so they can nest for the night. Since it’s so famous of course the whole thing is really overpriced and touristy. They sat us in bleachers facing the beach and we have to be quiet as we wait for the penguins to emerge from the water and make the journey across the beach. Since they’re mini penguins they’re only about a foot high so they have very short legs! They stand hesitant at the shore’s edge in groups of about 6 or 7 before all at once they start sprinting towards the bush. It’s the cutest scene - they’re moving their legs so fast they look like they’re going to fall on their faces. We watched maybe about 100 move into the bush and then moved onto a boardwalk they have where you can see them in their nests. We watched groups of them waddle along the grass really up close and they are so precious!! They’re so fat because it’s moulting season so when they move their entire body is bobbing from side to side. We stayed for about an hour and then the show was over. It was worth the cold windy weather and the money we paid for sure though, so cool to see penguins in the wild like that. They had a really strict rule about no photography so I couldn’t get any pictures, unfortunately. We spent the following day at the beach again and I, of course, am now sporting a really cute sunburn. I put on sunscreen but the lack of ozone layer here kind of makes it difficult to avoid getting fried. We rode back to Melbourne around two, it was refreshing to get away from the city but I’m glad to be back. Now I’m just attempting to recover from a very fun, but very tiring weekend!

Bunk No. 2!

MUSEX!

La playa...beautiful water

Going in for the surf

Just like the pros!

o take photos, we had to opt for the green screen. Classy! I managed to steal a picture from a friend's album who illegally did take pictures. Below are the precious penguins as they march to their nests!