back home again

so i've made it home. the plane ride wasn't too painful. uneventfull really, which is a good thing. i sat next to two boys also travelling alone on the flight from melbourne to lax - we played video games - it kept me entertained.
i don't think it's totally hit me yet that i'm back in the states and not in australia nor will be back there any time soon. it's straight back to reality here: started work today, went to an all adult party saturday night...the usual stuff, haha. the fact that the weather here at the moment is gorgeous makes the transition a lot easier. i have no problems laying around the pool, that's for sure.
came back to the most in-your-face small towness you can get...a buger at tugboats with a 3-piece bluegrass band playing. i loved it. oh how i missed country music! there are two things i've noticed/experienced since i've been home that are drastically different. 1) the toilets use a ton more water. it's kind of ridiculous - there is no need for all that water! 2) mom and i filled up the shopping cart to the brim and drove all those groceries home. sure beats walking!
so both of those are pretty random. oh well
anyway, i'll probably do one more post summing things up, but i don't feel inspired at the moment. however, i am pretty inspired to eat peanut butter, so i'll get on that.

tennis

i totally forgot to post about one of the most exciting things i've done all semester...play tennis at the australian open grounds!
matt and i went a couple weeks ago and took a tour of rod laver and the surrounding area. the grounds are part of olympic park which also includes the mcg and vodaphone arena. it's really close to the city as well as where i live which i feel is rare for such a large sporting complex.
anyway, we were on this tour with a big school group, a couple old ladies from new zealand, and this dude from panama/berkley. we went into the press room, locker room, rod laver, and things like that...all very exciting. afterwards matt and i stayed to hit around for a bit. it was a random weekday in winter, so hardly anyone was booked to play. that meant we got to play on the margaret arena show court! how cool is that!? we were totally gitty.
we hit around and got in a match. did i win? of course! (let's just not mention matt doesn't actually play tennis, and hasn't picked up a racket in 4 years...details) when we were finished we ran around the court taking funny pictures. awesome :)

wilson's prom

we took another mini roadtrip sunday/monday. the original plan was to get to wilson's prom early sunday, hike all day, camp, then hike again monday. then we got smart. it's the middle of winter here and gets down between 0 and 5 degrees C at night. wilson's prom is in a state forrest which means - no fires. that's cooooold.
so plan b was to drive halfway there to phoebe's (matt's girlfriend...not my dog) dad's farmhouse. there we made dinner, watched a movie, made s'mores in the fireplace, and slept in beds. upscale camping for sure. the stars there were amazing! you can see the milky way so clearly here plus sometimes 2 other galaxies in the distance. very cool. we woke up in the morning freeeezing (making me very glad we didn't camp) and drove the rest of the way to the prom.
wilson's prom is just a state park on the ocean with some good trails and camping. on the drive in we saw a couple emus hanging out in a field beside the road. we stopped for a few pics, but scared them away. next, we (me, jesse, tiffany, matt, and phoebe) climbed up mt. oberon and had an awesome lookout over the ocean and rest of the park. then we headed over to squeaky beach. so i was pretty excited when we discovered it lived up to it's name. it really did squeak, but only on one side of the little river...strange. we hung around there for a couple hours...kicking a football around and scrambling on rocks. it was a beautiful day for the beach - not so much swimming weather, but sunny and clear!
best part of the whole day was when we got back to the car, phoebe had found a wombat! my goal for the whole day was to spot one, and there it was munching around our car. for those of you who don't know, wombats are basically koalas that live on the ground. apparently they are a lot more docile, though, because it walked right passed me and let me reach out and pet it! so very exciting.
after that we just headed back to melbourne. another exciting, successful road trip!

road trip!

the great ocean road is a 7 hour drive along the coast east of melbourne. it's one of the big tourist attractions around here because of the 12 apostles (large stone formations) in the middle - plus it's just really pretty.
tiffany, andrea, a friend jesse (who's visiting from surfer's paradise), and i went for a 2 day road trip down the great ocean road a few days ago. such a blast! the trip went as such...
we headed out thursday morning in our rented holden astra - a thrill in itself because none of us (excluding jesse) had gotten the chance to drive on the left since we've been here. it started out as all good road trips do...rocking out to 90s tunes! it was very opening credits for that 70s show! (just a different decade) it was a beautiful day - a bit of a rarity for victoria - and the ocean was bright aqua/blue. amazing!
we turned off on this gravel road through a eucaplypt forrest to see if we could spot any koalas...we did! they were so hilarious! i climbed a tree towards the first one we saw. although seemingly sleepy, supposedly they're are pretty vicious so i didn't get too close, but i couldn't help trying. we went up a bit further and saw several more. one of which was trying his hardest to get the stupidest leaves, making death-defying moves in the process. we have it on video tape.
our original plan was to get to the 12 apostles for sunset, but storms turned up and it was pointless, so we made a detour towards some waterfall. it was 20 minutes out of our way and when we got there it was raining and turning dark. after the effort, though, we couldn't not go and see the falls, so we layered up and headed down the 2K path. by the time we got there, it was really starting to get dark and the tall rainforest trees weren't helping the situation. the falls weren't very impressive at all, not worth the getting wet, but oh well. we snapped a picture or two and then booked it back to the car.
the next town was princeton where jesse lived for about 2 months when he first got to australia. he worked at this kids farm camp, kangaroobie, as a counselor, so we stopped by to say hey to his old co-workers and bosses. we were planning on making it to the next town and staying in a hostel there, but his bosses offered for us to stay the night there for free - how can you pass that up? they fed us a huge dinner of leftover steak and scalloped potatoes from the campers' dinner and we all sat around the dinner table the rest of the night swapping stories. they were so nice!
i mentioned something about horses at dinner, and matt (a boss) offered to let me ride in the morning. i was so excited! he loaded up the yute with a couple saddles, told us which horses to ride, and sent us on our way. the whole thing was a little nerve racking for me. although i was a trail guide for several months, these were horses i didn't know, who didn't get ridden all that much, on land that was unfamilier. plus, jesse had never ridden before so i was totally responsible for him as well. we caught our horses, after a bit of a chase, i gave jesse a quick lesson, and we were off. i kicked into lame gear and wouldn't let our horses even trott. last thing i wanted was a friend's broken leg to deal with. it was a nice ride anyway - just wandered around the farm a bit and enjoyed the freedom of being back on a horse. i wanted nothing more than to take off galloping across the paddocks, but it was not to be. next time. oh but on the way back jesse let me drive the yute. it was a standard. i'm bad enough at driving a stick in the first place, but it's a whole other ballgame when the shifter's on the other side. i'm proud to say i didn't stall it once, although i did pass by matt with a look of terror on my face. he just laughed at me.
we were back in the car by mid morning and got to the 12 apostles shortly after. they were pretty impressive, that's for sure - much bigger than expected. they're slowly dissapearing however...one of them fell a few months ago. they're just made of limestone and the waves are wearing away at the bottoms. all-in-all though, they're just rocks. we stopped a few senic vistas and ran around on the beach for a few hours before heading back home via the freeway (a shorter return by 4 hours) and made it home in time for the footy game!
an awesome two days!

vegemite

my brain is about to explode from studying. therefore...i shall post.
so i was grocery shopping the other day and decided on a whim that i was going to buy vegemite. i don't know if you all know what that is, so i'll explain.
vegemite is a paste-like substance made from the excess yeast scraped off beer barrels. when they discovered a while back that it was jam-packed full of vitamins, they started putting it on the inside of baby's lips for a nutritional supplement. well this created a whole generation of people who have grown to love and crave vegemite. australian's love the stuff.
if you were to try it, however, it might make you gag. i had my first experience during orientation in the blue mountains. i had the smallest possible dab on a piece of toast and had to spit it out. i expected it to be sweet like jam or nutella or something...that was my first mistake.
if i were to describe the taste of vegemite it'd be salty, bitter, yeast. mmm, sounds awesome, i know! but after working at the coffee shop and seeing people consume the stuff like candy, i wanted to give it another go.
i was advised the proper way to eat vegemite is on toast with a layer of melted butter and a thin thin layer of vegemite. i followed the instructions closely, and you know - it's not THAT bad. just an aquired taste, i suppose.
in any case, the not-so-pleasant taste is totally out-weighed by the massive amounts of vitamins. (one of the richest sources of vitamin b in the world - or so it boasts) moreover, it's so aussie. so when in rome...
the back of my tube advertises:
'vegemite is the uniquely australian taste - proudly made in australia since 1923!
this handy travel pack of vegemite is great for aussie adventures when hiking, camping, traveling overseas, sailing and other outdoor pursuits. suitable for vegetarians and absolutely delicious!'
haha - i don't know about all that.... oh but that ad is so aussie too. they are fond of their 'outdoor pursuits' haha. i love this country!

what i will miss

ok part 2...these are things that are either purely aussie or city-type stuff that won't be around at home or school

- my roommates - they're so awesome! as dad would say, having more than 2 girls living together is a recipe for disaster, but the 4 of us have really worked out. can't really say the same for the sorority life, that's for sure.
- afl - i've already expressed my love for the sport. i just hope i can get the premireships on espen 2 or something because as it's going now, it seems like collingwood has a good chance of being in them. yeah they won again last night!
- public transportation - it's nice to be carted around the city.
- being able to walk anywhere - everything i need is within walking distance (except school really) which is nice for quick runs to the convenient store or movie place. sure beats 'quick runs' to walmart that end up taking up hours of your life. i swear that place is a black hole!
- $1 cappachinos - mmmm
- outdoors club - they've been so awesome! rock climbing, rogaining, camping... so much fun :)
- city life - there's so much to do here and something's always going on.
- endless resturants/bars - you never have to go to the same place twice (although we do have our favorites) such as...
- the local - a roommate favorite
- aussie slang - i'm going to miss their catchy words and phrases. cheers! ta! bloody oath! good on ya! no worries, mate! i could go on and on
- people in business suits and tennis shoes power walking in the park over lunch - they make me smile
- utes - the pansy el camino sorry excuse for a truck i made fun of in my last post. (i secretly like them)
- asian take-away - it's everywhere in mass. the states boasts a lot of chinese, but it's no where close to the options here.
- sushi - in keeping with asian take-away, there is sushi everywhere!
- trivia nights - it's actually not dorky to go do trivia plus we've become quite the regulars and get extra help from the mc. he feels sorry for us when we're asked aussie questions. we're team '3 british, 4 americans, and a swede' or something like that.
- my new friends - i've made some good ones through class, outdoors club, work, and random meetings. definately going to miss them!
- living near a beach - although summer's over now, it was really nice being able to hop down to the beach whenever i felt like it. mmm the ocean :)
- easy grading scale - coming from a distinction (70%) counting as an A to purdue's 90% may be quite the shock.
- high minimum wage - so i'm making $12.50/hour cash as a waitress with no experience. as a receptionist at the vet clinic at school i make $9/hour minus taxes. what a rip!
- cheek kisses - so i was slightly weirded out at first, but i've grown to like it.
- being called 'love' - the first time a random guy on the street said 'sorry love' to me i wanted to deck him. now i realize everyone says it and it's not condecending at all. i've grown to like that as well.
- not tipping - sure things may be expensive here, but at least you don't have the awkward tipping thing to deal with.
- the way aussie's say yeah and no - phonetically it's kind of a drawn out yearuuuh and norrruh and they always say them together when answering a question. 'you going out tonight?' 'yearuuuh...norrrh'
- school uniforms - they make those kids wear the most ridiculous dresses and blazers it makes me laugh. they're always running around the city in groups flooding brumby's and the train. i feel like they're never at school!
- being considered a 'backpacker' - it just sounds cool
- using the excuse 'whatever i'm on vacation' - going home means back to reality.

i've had such a blast here. i'm really going to miss the people and culture. ::sigh::

what i miss

so i was in the queen vic market today buying some groceries and decided to stop at the sweet shop for some peanut butter fudge. when i asked for it, i got a confused look and was told they'd never heard of it. 'must be an american thing' he said (my accent gives me away every time!) but it got me thinking of all the things i miss from home. so i've decided to do a 2 part run down: first the things i miss from home, second what i will miss from australia. i made up this list over dinner in china town tonight. made me a bit home sick and then a bit australia sick (even though i haven't even left yet) but it was nice to reflect. ok...here goes!
- peanut butter fudge
- phoebe and groucho (and karl although i've yet to meet him!)
- good paramsian cheese - they have kraft here, but it's darker and sharper and just tastes funny
- having a car - being bound to public transportation really slows traveling down, plus the freedom and solitude of driving is one of lifes greatest pleasures...at least for me
- my family, of course
- grass - i'm living in a concrete world
- madison's "rush hour" - or "rush ten minutes" as it's more suitably called. rush hour here is quite the bugger
- campus life - the city campus just isn't the same
- walking to school - time wise walking to krannert and taking the train to the city is about the same, but i would just prefer to be able to walk it
- college sports - there's something about rallying around your school's team where you know some of the players, everyone's on the same side, and you have a real attachment.
- phoebe!
- my own computer - between borrowing my roommate's macs, waiting in line at the library, and paying at internet cafes... it's quite cumbersome
- cheap phone conversations - you don't realize how good free local calls, free cingular to cingular, and roll over is until you're paying 18 cents per 30 seconds, a 25 cent connection fee, and just recieved a $300 land line phone bill
- small town life - it's just nice when people know your name, your family, and your credibility... where you're always safe and about 10 minutes from home no matter where you are
- accents i can understand - i love aussie talk, but sometimes i don't have a clue what they're saying.
- mom-cooked meals - mmm mmm home cookin... can't wait! mom, you know you don't even have to ask... t-bone steak is what i want, as always!
- pick-up trucks - theese pansy el camino looking things just don't cut it. there's just something about a ford f150 you've just got to love
- american tv - i have 5 channels here, 3 of which have anything decent to watch, so programing is limited. but even more so, i miss american commercials...the commercials here are low budget and hardly make since. adrian gets the new 24 sent to him every week and when a commercial comes on, it's just comforting
- having my own room - tiffany's a great roommate, but i miss having my own space that i can leave as messy as i want and not bother anyone...well i think it still bothers mom and dad, but at least they aren't living in it.
- did i mention phoebe?
- fashion-less people - i went to class unshowered and in a t-shirt and jeans (how i always dress for class at purdue) for the first time the other day, and felt really scrubby. don't these people get tired of looking good every day. it's exhuasting!
- a colorful fall - fall's come and gone here and there were some color changes in the leaves, but it just wasn't the same as a hill side of trees all brightly colored.
- small town people - they talk slower, move slower, and sugar coat everything. nothing wrong with that!
- being on the same time schedule - it hasn't been a huge problem, but there is a small window of time each day when i can talk to people at home
- cheaper....everything! - the states is way less expensive in pretty much all areas. i'm looking forward to my dollar going a lot further.
- sunday's at the cabin - it's probably my favorite thing ever. spending a summer at home is going to be awesome!
- boating - love it....river, lake, doesn't matter.
- space - the city has its good points, but i wouldn't trade it for the feeling of next to no neighbors, a yard, and a whole house (not just apartment) to the family.
- and of course, phoebe!

australia's been awesome and there's plenty of more fun to be had, but i'd be lieing if i said i wasn't excited about going home. leaving is the best way to appreciate what you already had. i'm just glad it's still there to go back to! see you all in a few weeks!
(pic up for 'markets')

hodge-podge

sorry for the lack of posts for those who use my blog as a time-consuming distraction, but nothing very exciting or post-worthy has happened as of late.
it's the equivalent to dead week (the week before finals) here, so i've been busy studying and getting school stuff wrapped up. as of 2:30 today, i finished my last class of the semester - very exciting. i just finished a paper on the anzus (australia, new zealand, united states) treaty for my international diplomacy class. it was relatively boring, but educational i suppose. we got to pick our topic so i decided i might as well use the class to link australia and the us. i figured that is the aim of studying abroad so i might as well embrace it.
my next paper, for the extreme right, is on this guy david icke who thinks many high profile people are actually lizards. that has to be way more interesting to write! haha i love that class!
went to another afl game last week and saw collingwood. they blew the competition out of the water, of course! yes, magpies is a 'dorky' name, but what can you do? i went to the game with 3 roommates and their mates from class. we had tickets to the mcg club section so we thought we were pretty special. the only real difference is that the floors were wooden instead of concrete and they served drinks in glasses instead of plastic cups. not really worth the extra 15 bucks in my opinion, but it wasn't my call.
more on footy players...in addition to the styled hair and short shorts, they also wax their legs and oil up before a game. they claim it's for better footy performance, but what for? being more areodynamic? i highly doubt it. does going to the tanning bed also make them a better player? turns out these guys are pretty stuck on themselves.
my friends created an afl team called 'the metros'. their team colors are purple and gold glitter, their uniforms consist of popped collars and argile socks, and they must sport the frosted faux-hock. i think the team would be quite popular around here. :)
other than that i've just been working a bit. had a small mental break down at work the other day, but otherwise i've really enjoyed it. working just gives me a since of purpose and makes me feel like a productive part of society; not just some leach. plus some of my co-workers are really fun which gives me something to look forward to.
that's all i've got for now. finals will be over the 6th and all papers and such are due by the 13th so after that i'm sure excitement and adventure will pick back up. until then i'll try to think of something interesting to say occasionally. right now, however, i need to stop procrastinating and get back to studying.