Where Happiness Lives

I don’t know if Brandon even reads this blog but this Scrubs quote is for him…
Jake: “Trust you? You don’t even know where New Zealand is…"
J.D: "I know you can dance your way there from Old Zealand…”

That’s right, I am leaving for NZ in approximately 3 days and I am SO excited! Not only is it 18 days that I don’t have to be in school but we are basically touring the entire country (both islands), which is sure to be beautiful. We take the Toowoomba Transit (fondly known as the TT shuttle) into Brisbane were we are catching a flight to Christchurch, NZ (in the south island). From there, we are spending the night in the airport until the car rental place opens on Friday morning, and then off we go…

Back in Toowoomba, I have been busy working and am finding myself busier than ever. This past weekend, 5 of my friends went over to Brisbane while I was stuck here; finishing assignments that are due before I leave. But it wasn’t all just studying. This weekend at my college (Steele Rudd) was Davis Cup weekend which is a big event weekend that we put on. Friday was the Desperate and Dateless Ball at the uni club where everyone dresses up crazy and hangs out. After work I went over and it actually ended up being really fun. Saturday was a road rally and a bonfire which I unfortunately couldn’t attend because of work but the weekend still ended up being a success.

Today and tomorrow I had signed up to do this room audit, where I basically get paid $22 an hour to go around to classrooms and count how many people are in them. AWESOME. And tonight I have to go to this Responsible Service of Alcohol Convention in order to get my Alcohol license so I can work the bar at Hog’s Breath, so I’m definitely staying busy.

My domestic skills are improving (Emily…) as I made the most delicious Chocolate Zucchini Cake yesterday. I wasn’t sure it was going to turn out because I’ve never actually made it by myself, but it did! I was so happy and now I get to sit here eating my favorite cake in the whole world. Life is good. (Don’t worry, I’m not eating all of it…)

For all you people who are keeping up with the Aussie slang (get ready to hear a lot of it when I come back) here is some more…
- Cotton candy= Fairy Floss
- Silverware= Cutlery
- Converse shoes= Connies
- McDonalds= Mackers
- Pickup truck= Ute (I made a fool out of myself when I got a ride home from work the other day and told the guy he “had a nice truck.” He just looked at me and was like “Truck?”)
- They also say “How you going?” instead of “how’s it going” or “how are you doing” which I have started to pick up.

Hope everyone at home is doing wonderfully… although I heard you got some snow, so sorry about that. You should all just move down under to enjoy some warmer weather. It’s no big deal, just fly on down…

Life, Fall Fast Now

So let’s just say that today was a day of firsts. I went to breakfast this morning and had my first experience with Vegemite. Two people from my college were like “Oh Steph, you have to try it…” So this guy I know prepared it extra special, telling me that it’s all about the right consistency of butter and Vegemite. Americans often think of Vegemite as the Australian equivalent to peanut butter, but it is actually only a very thin layer that gets spread on buttered toast. As they all anxiously watched me take my first bite, I felt like I was in a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie, circa Our Lips Are Sealed. And it was actually good! It kind of just tasted like buttered toast with salt sprinkled on it and was a pretty good way to start my morning.

Because tomorrow is a public holiday here in Toowoomba (the Toowoomba Show is apparently the fair that comes to Toowoomba every year) my lab class was cancelled, leaving my afternoon free. When I returned from class, there was a note on my door from this girl I know asking me if I wanted to go on a “fun bike riding challenge.” I was intrigued so I grabbed my bike and got ready. When I went to go meet her, she told me how excited she was to have me on their team for the inter-college Triathlon. At this point, I’m thinking, “What? This is NOT what I signed up for.” But I got suited in blue and white (Steele Rudd colors) complete with blue war paint to go compete in this triathlon. Everyone comes out to support those competing from their colleges and it’s a pretty big deal because the 3 colleges here compete with each other to win a big trophy at the end of the year. Basically, the triathlon involves riding a stationary bike for 500 meters, throwing 3 balls into a bin and then running around the quad twice. No big deal. So I thought.
I was in the third leg for the girl’s race, and although they had told me before how your legs would feel like jelly after getting off the bike, I didn’t think it would be a big deal. After medaling about 200 meters, I was feeling it in my legs. But it was funny because everyone was cheering “Go America! Yea Team America!” which I thought was cute. After biking, it took me FOREVER to get the tennis balls into the bin (because of my amazing hand-eye coordination skills) so I was relieved to start running.

Until my legs went out beneath me and I ate the pavement.

Like, full out skid, my chin hitting the sidewalk. I heard the collective groan of everyone around me and I wanted to just sink into the pavement beneath me. But instead I got up, finishing my 2 laps. After the race, I felt like my lungs were going to die and that I was going to throw up. But I held it together and watched the rest of the races. Everyone kept coming up to me asking me if I was OK which I thought was odd until I realized that I had this gash on my chin that won’t stop bleeding and that my knee and hand were scraped up pretty bad. AWESOME. I’ve cleaned it up a bit, but I’ve still got a pretty nice battle wound on my face. All because I was game for a “fun bike riding challenge.” Despite the injuries I sustained, it was fun and I got to meet a lot of people that I live with which was nice.

Tonight at uni club is Beach Party night which should be fun and I’m working tomorrow all day (I know, on a public holiday, what an outrage…) But all the work will be good because I need some way to finance my NZ trip!

Semi Charmed Life

Although to me, it seems like nothing exciting (or blog-worthy) has happened in my life recently, I started listing things that I want to tell people at home and the list kept going so I figured I should probably update. This might be long, I’m just warning you…

Oz (what they called Australia, not Austrailia, Emily… :) has really begun to feel like home. My job at Hog’s Breath has kept me busy and I really like it. I just started waitressing this past week and the people I work with are really great. It actually kind of reminds me of the dynamics of when I used to work at DQ. Hog’s Breath is this big Australian chain that also has restaurants in NZ. The best way I’ve found to describe them is that they have food like Outback Steakhouse (they’re known for their Prime Rib) but with the casual feel of an Applebee’s. Both of which happen to be 2 of my favorite restaurants, so it all works out. I ride my hot pink bike there and back 6 miles… let’s just say, I better be fit when I come home.

Since the school work doesn’t keep me too busy, I usually go over to my friends’ apartments to hang out. Two other Americans (Daniel and Lauren) live in an apartment with 2 guys from Germany (Alex and Steffan) and the Student Village Apartments maintenance guy, Dev. (Don’t feel like you need to worry about all these names…) Trina, another American girl and this couple (Michelle and Casey) from Canada and I all usually hang out at the apartment most nights and play cards. Clearly, our lives are thrilling. Although, having been raised in a card-playing family, I’m shocked at all the card games I’ve been taught. The nice thing about having friends in the apartments is that they will let me cook over there. So I’m planning on going to Aldi soon and buying ingredients for Puppy Chow (because I miss baking SO much!)

It was Dev’s birthday the other day and apparently, it’s an Indian tradition to have all your friends come over, give you cake, and then have each person feed it to you, ala wedding cake. Except a lot messier. I’m talking cake going EVERYWHERE, including Dev’s hair and all over the floor. Needless to say, it was a very interesting birthday party…

Daniel, Lauren, Emma (an English girl from Hong Kong) and I are in the process of planning our trip to NZ, which is all very exciting. We were going to take a bus tour around the 2 islands, but now we are thinking about renting a car and then going to all the same places we would’ve gone on the tour (AKA: following the bus) because it’s about half the price and we are all very budget conscious (see Mom and Dad?)

Other happenings in my life down under: Last Tuesday there was an Inauguration Dinner for all the people who live on campus. All the awards were somewhat boring, but my Chicken Kiev was delicious and I met some people from my dorm which was nice. After the dinner, Trina, Lauren, Michelle and I had a girl’s night involving bruschetta, brownies and my personal favorite movie, My Girl which was really fun.

I know the last thing you probably care to read about in my blog is my feet, but I need to tell you. They are ALWAYS dirty. ALWAYS. You know that red dirt I was telling you about? It gets on the bottom of all of your shoes and you can’t walk around without having this film of red dirt everywhere. I’m gonna need new socks soon because this stuff does not come off in the laundry.

It’s always the random little things that I want to tell people from home so here they are: Jell-O is not Jell-O here. What we call Jell-O, they call jelly. What we call jelly, they call jam. All very confusing. Also, they rarely use preservatives (you can’t even buy bread WITH preservatives) which may sound all nice and organic, but when my garbage smells up my whole room because of the moldy bread I had to throw away, it’s not as nice as it seems. Oooh Toowoomba….

The city of Toowoomba is kind of a joke around here. It’s this backwoodsy city which has a reasonable population and size but is very small town in feel. Most of the people at USQ are commuters and/or have lived here their whole life. At work, one of the girls asked “Why the HECK would you come to Australia to study in Toowoomba?” So we all just try and laugh at the decision we made to come here and study rather than somewhere on the beach. Hindsight’s 20/20, people.

Also, for all you Grovers, you will happy to know that I received my package yesterday and want to thank you all SO much! I got it on my way to the apartment and Lauren and I opened it in her kitchen basically in tears about how great my friends are. So, good work, you’ve made everyone here jealous of the awesome friends I have. :) I especially liked the music video. A LOT.

Alright, that’s all I’ve got for now. No, that’s a lie, I could write about a lot more, but I’ve got to go to work and have a fabulous Saturday night! Miss you all lots!

The World Spins Madly On

Life in Toowoomba is an interesting thing. I’ve been in classes for nearly 2 weeks and compared to Grove City academics, USQ classes are a breeze. I spent a total of 4 hours on Tuesday learning how to calculate the median and mean for my statistics class, so let’s just say I’m not too worried about failing. Along with statistics, I’m taking a basic biology class, an online business law class, and an advanced international business class (where 17 other international students and I get to sit in wheely chairs for 3 hours every Friday.) So the academic part is going OK; it certainly gives me a lot more free time than I would back in PA.

I also started my job last weekend and have 2 more shifts this weekend, which is exciting. The people are nice, and it’s usually pretty busy which keeps it fun. Right now I’m just running food out to tables but soon, I’ll be trained and then I’ll be a real waitress… I had to get a bike (because taxiing from downtown to USQ was ridiculously expensive) and the bus systems stops at about 5 PM every day here in the small town of Toowoomba. It’s getting delivered today and it’s hot pink so I’m (obviously) pretty excited about that.

But my life in Australia would be no fun if it was all just school and work, right? That’s why I’m leaving for New Zealand in 3 weeks! 3 of my friends here and I just bought our tickets to go to the southern island of New Zealand over uni holiday and we will be there from April 2nd- 20th. We are still deciding on if we are going to go through a tour company to see the whole island or if we’re going to plan our own trip, so we shall see. I have no idea what to expect in NZ so I’ll have to do some research.

Some random things about life here: They have drive-through bottle shops (what they call liquor stores) which I find odd because drinking and driving is illegal here… hmmm… There’s also no stop signs; only roundabouts which I think is very cool and something I wish we did in the States. Random things here are inexpensive/expensive, like you can get a pineapple for $1 but a candy bar costs at least $2.50. Guess I’ll be eating healthier… Although Domino’s delivers medium 4-topping pizzas here for $5.50 on Tuesdays. Perhaps not…

To All of You American Girls

So after living in Toowoomba for a few weeks, here are a few things I've noticed.

1.) There are crickets everywhere. Like lying dead on my carpet or in my shower. Ew.
2.) I’ve already grown accustomed to looking to the right side first when crossing the street. Which means I might die being hit by a car when I return to the US.
3.) Perk: Every Wednesday someone comes in to change my sheets and vacuum my room. Even my mom doesn’t do that.
4.) Because of the humidity, my hair takes probably a good 10 or 15 minutes to blow dry.
5.) The giant window that takes up my whole wall is always open, even at night.
6.) It always startles me when I hear the birds that sound like they are cat-calling right outside my window.
7.) All the dirt here is red or black because Toowoomba used to be a volcanic site… or something like that.
8.) They don’t have bagels here. Like I don’t even think they know what they are. I’m craving a Panera Asiago Cheese Bagel with cream cheese like crazy.

In other news, I just got a job! I start this Friday working at the Hog's Breath Cafe (which is less like a cafe and more like a restuarant) running tables. Classes have been OK (A lot easier than at GCC which is a refreshing change) and they leave me a lot of freetime which gives me time to enjoy the sun :)

Island in the Sun

So far my time in Toowoomba, while it started out difficult, has felt like an extended summer vacation. And our little trip to Surfer’s Paradise didn’t help me feel more prepared to go back to class after a 10 week break. But the coast was SO fun. The 9 of us left Thursday morning taking the city bus into the Bus Interchange here in town where we loaded our stuff into a big shuttle van that was going to Brisbane. After the 2 hour shuttle, we took the Brisbane train to the Gold Coast, then took a bus to Surfer’s Paradise, and then a taxi to our hostel. So after 6 long hours of traveling, we finally made it to the beach! The hostel we stayed in was nice, and felt like a little bungalow right across the street from the beach. We dropped our stuff off in our ridiculously hot rooms and then sprinted over to the coast. It was absolutely beautiful! I haven’t been swimming in salt water in as long as I can remember, so that took me aback, but the water was so warm, it was nearly bathwater. The beach was so beautiful and clean and the sand squeaked when you walked across it. After swimming in the crashing waves (they probably averaged about 1.5 meters the whole time we were there, some getting to be probably 2 meters!) we played volleyball, but not before I got my first jellyfish sting! After everyone told me about all the poisonous animals here in AUS, I felt 3 little bites on my foot and saw a little blue tentacle sticking out of it. I panicked, but they were really tiny jellyfish so the sting didn’t last for more than a few hours.

After swimming, we went back across the street to this little marina that our hostel was right in front of and checked out all the nice yachts and parasailing companies. We went out for dinner and got gelato at this little place next door which was nice. Fun fact: all the bars/restaurants here all have signs on the door saying “No thongs or singlets.” We knew that thongs were flip flops, but we wanted to know what singlets were, so we asked. I was under the impression that singlets were those things that wrestlers wear which is why I was confused that they would need a sign, but it turns out that singlets are tank tops, although the rule is more for guys than girls. We walked down the beach at night which was a little eerie, and then came back and played games on the balcony outside our rooms which was a relaxing way to end our first day outside of Toowoomba.

On Friday, we woke up expecting to go surfing in the morning but it was all booked so we just decided to spend the morning at the beach. We packed lunches and headed down to the beach. For being a very touristy city (it kind of reminded me of Miami) the beach was fairly empty. We lathered up on sunscreen since the Australian rays here are wicked hot, but we all ended up getting a little burnt. In the afternoon, we were all drained from the sun so we decided to head over to the mall that was right next door. It was a smaller mall, but kind of reminded me of Somerset in MI because it was really ritzy and had all these nice boutiques and this really nice art gallery (although I would never walk around Somerset with a bathing suit on). Also, at McDonalds here, they sell their ice cream cones for 50 cents! (Which is really only about 33 cents US). Jealous? The whole day was very relaxed; all the showers we took were cold ones, we wore sunscreen and aloe instead of make-up, and we took naps whenever we wanted to. Before dinner, we played a game of Monopoly (which has Aussie money) and surprisingly I won, despite the fact that Brandon wasn’t there to bribe me to play with extra money and properties. For dinner, we had a BBQ on the patio that the hostel provided for us. We had heard that there was this farmer’s market downtown on Friday nights, so we headed down to the main strip expecting to stock up on groceries for the weekend, but it turned out that it was more of a craft fair and actually reminded me of Dexter Days, but it was still fun. The walk home from the main strip took about an hour on the beach but it was nice to see the stars that we don’t have in the Northern Hemisphere.

On Saturday, we had booked surfing lessons in the morning so after making breakfast, we got a ride to the main strip and suited up with our sun protective tops, lots of sunscreen and our surfboards. There was a group of about 20 of us and we started on the beach learning technique and then we got into the water to just try and paddle with a wave. After we had all gotten the hang of it, we tried getting up on the board. It took a couple of tries, but I was successfully able to stand up! It’s actually not as hard as I thought it might be and I felt like I was straight out of the movie Blue Crush. Very cool. We all got up several times and it was a blast… Also our instructor said I did really well at one point, so I feel like that counts for something. :) Our lesson was over by noon so we got lunch on the strip and walked around for a bit before we went back to hang out/nap. That night, we went out to this club called Melba’s which was very Hollywood and surreal, but definitely fun and a great way to end a day of surfing.

We woke up on Sunday, packed up our stuff and went to the beach for the last time. None of us wanted to burn our burns, so we weren’t out for that long, and then we just hung out until we took a ridiculously expensive taxi back to the Gold Coast. From there, we took the train to Brisbane and the shuttle back to Toowoomba. It was a bit sad to go back but it was a great beginning of school vacation. The atmosphere there was different- it was a definite tourist destination, but it was still relaxed and I felt like I was staying at someone’s beach house for the weekend. One other interesting thing I noticed was that EVERYONE wears surf brands like Billabong, Roxy, Ripcurl, etc and it made me want to come home as a surfer girl. We’ll see…

Classes started today and they don’t look to be that hard. I’m trying to get all my books/class timetables together but it should be good. I’m putting up pictures on Facebook soon and I’ll try and get some up on the blog so you all have proof that I actually surfed. :)