A Movie Script Ending

Last week there was frost on the ground. Actual frost. And at the moment, my heater is on full blast. Not exactly how you picture Australia, huh? Everyone thinks its sun and surf all year round here… not quite the case. The one perk about it being this cold, however, is that people have taken pity on me at work and have been offering me rides. So I’m not complaining. Speaking of work, I’m actually starting to get really sad about leaving The Breath. While the biking to and fro isn’t my favorite, I have really liked my job there and love the people I’ve gotten to work with. So it’s all starting to get bittersweet in some ways.

Although I will tell you, finals are over in less than 2 weeks and that’s looking pretty good. Pretty much my life has resorted to studying the 4 subjects I’m taking here inside and out now that classes have ended. Work finishes up this weekend and all that’s left is the 4 exams! It’s a bit crazy in a way: I’ve been envisioning going home and imagining what it will be like for so long and now when I think of something from home, it just seems so close. For example, I discovered this candy place in the mall here that specializes in American candy (for our Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and peanut butter M&M cravings). They also sell Pop Tarts. For $11. Ridiculous. I don’t even like Pop Tarts that much, but knowing that I could have one in 12 days if I wanted to (for free since our house is usually stocked) puts a smile on my face. Not much else is going on here, besides the work, the studying, the cold, and the mental countdown I have going until I get home to America!

Also, although I have not developed the Aussie accent, as hoped, I have picked up some slang. It’s actually in my vocabulary, not just words I think are funny. I found myself saying “how you going?” the other day without even realizing it. So you may hear me say that, among other words such as “heaps”, “whinging”, and “feral”, all of which are in my every day vocabulary. (whinging= whining and feral= disgusting/trashy. Similar to how my mother uses the word “skanky”). :)

Somewhere a Clock is Ticking

I figured I’d provide another update with life here in the ‘not-quite-Outback-not-quite-beach’ parts of Australia. Everything feels so normal now, from walking to class in flops (or shall I say thongs?) and seeing tons of starts every night when I walk home, but there are definitely things I miss about home, like when I think of my kangaroo shirt that I didn’t pack or my own sheets or GCC blueberry muffins. There’s also still lots of subtleties that makes Australia different from the US like the fact that they don’t have lemonade like we do here. It’s all carbonated and goes by the name of Sprite. I would love a can of Countrytime right about now. Also, no one eats PB & J sandwiches (I’m shocked) and when I ate banana with peanut butter the other day, the whole table looked at me like I was crazy. I also just discovered that they don’t celebrate Halloween here. Seeing as how Halloween is my second favorite holiday, I could not imagine growing up without trick or treating.

But all in all, it’s going well. I worked like crazy this past weekend, seeing as how it was Mother’s Day. Down here, Mother’s Day is a WAY bigger deal than it is in the States. It’s similar to our Thanksgiving where everyone gets their extended families together, and a ton of people go home from uni over the weekend. Needless to say, the Breath was packed and all I can say is that I realized how grateful I am that my mom is not super high strung like some of the mothers I witnessed at the restaurant. But work is keeping me busy: occasionally people will ask about my accent, but usually they just look at me like I've sprouted 3 heads as soon as I open my mouth. Cool.

Classes are… well, classes. Not too much else is going on in that area, seeing as how most of my assignments this semester are finished. Steele Rudd (my dorm) is having their semi-formal next weekend and everyone has to dress up in theme (Fairy Tale) so I am in the process of putting together a fairy costume. Also, next week is their blood drive which I am pretty excited about (as you know, I love donating blood!) Other than that, the nights I’m not working, I just spend hanging out with friends, playing cards or watching movies. (I think you all think my life down here is a lot more glamorous and exciting than it actually is…) :)

Sydney is in a couple weeks and then it’s nearly finals! Crazy. I love hearing from all of you and miss you all dearly! For all you Grovers, I hope all your finals go well and enjoy the first half of summer for me!

P.S. I fixed this blog so that anyone can leave comments- I love hearing from you!