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!

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 :)