Week 8

Did you know the leading cause of death in Australia is skin cancer? There is no ozone over the country. It has been entirely depleted. People burn here so easily and no one wears enough sun tan lotion. Many state schools do not allow children out at recess unless they are wearing a hat and sun screen.
Racism is rampant in this country. The native Aborigines are treated unfairly. Have you ever heard of the "Lost Generation?" No neither had I. "The white society thought it would be in the best interest of the child to remove her from the corrupting influence of her Aboriginal family; they would send the girls to an institution or foster home, and train her to become a servant. There were no rules or regulations for the treatment of the Aboriginal children who were sent to work...The forced removal of indigenous children happened in every state and territory of Australia. The separation of Aboriginal children started in Victoria and New South Wales as early as 1885 and, in some states, was not stopped until the 1970s. About 85% of Aboriginal families have been affected in some way, either by having children taken away from them or by being forced to make major decisions to avoid having their children taken. Often the white people would send Aboriginal women out into the white community, and if they came back pregnant, the rule was to keep each woman for two years and then take the child away; sometimes mother and child would never see each other again." (Thanks to http://www.iearn.org/hgp/aeti/aeti-1998-no-frames/aboriginal-children.htm)

Okay pretty much to sum up the treatment of Aborigines: These people have been hunters and gatherers on this continent for the past 40,000 years. When the white settlers came there were approximately 250,000 Aborigines. They systematically tried to force them into the bush and murdered thousands of them. When they realized they weren't going to go away, they tried to breed them with white people in order to make them more fair skinned. Children were sent away from their families to white-training camps. One Aussie told me the government only apologized just last year. WOW. One Aussie told me their nicknames are "Booma's" because they are sound just like a kangaroo when they get hit by a car. WOW. Also, a constant joke that goes on around here is "Don't give any spare change to the Abos! They will just go sniff petrol with it."

I did see some Abos on the beach and they were swearing loudly in front of little kids, which I did not appreciate. But how can an entire group of people be judged by one man on the beach? And how do we really expect some of these people to act after being treated like pieces of crap for so long? No excuse for violence and vulgarity, but I have certainly heard plently of Aussies rampantly swearing all over the place as well.

How about the treatment of Jews? Well honestly, I have met some extremely anti-Semitic people here, which is not only appalling but truly disappointing. I was at Don's Tavern with a friend of mine. We went inside the bar to grab a stein of beer. (did you know stein means rock and berg means mountain Steinberg= Rock Mountain! strong last name thanks dad anyways..) So we came back outside and there were no chairs left. Some girl yelled out "No chairs for Jews find another table." I was about to knock the girls pearly whites out but my friend said, "No No she is just kidding. She's a friend of mine." I said friends don't say that jokingly or not. I let it go...

Until she was leaving and yelled some retarded thing like "Fake Jews!" and something ignorant and stupid. Last straw. I said, "Excuse me are you racist or something? I think we should talk about this. Do you hate Jews? Why are you racist huh?" She circled her fingers near her head and said "You're crazy! You're crazy!" I said, "I'm crazy? I think you are for stereotyping and being a mega-racist!" "You're crazy!" "Oh okay. So either stop being racist or come over here and we can talk about it huh? Come over here. I just wanna chat and see why you are like this!" (Chat?....) She ended up running off whimpering. I didn't even need to knock her out, I just wanted to understand where this hostility and ignorance was coming from. Is it because people are scared of what they don't understand? Is it because that's what the media portrays? Are her parents subliminally teaching her to be a racist? Or is she jealous of me being prettier and with a cuter guy than she? (sorry had to say it try to uplift my mood)





So returning to what I was saying in the last blog entry.. Sunday we went to Manly Beach. It was cool. We ate at a Mexican joint and had a few beers while people watching on the beach from a rooftop bar. We went back to Uni Lodge and chilled with some other NEU people I have know for awhile. I was pretty exhausted so I chilled on the couch and watched two movies, both with subtitles. Hey, free basic TV here alright. One was a French film about an extremely overweight policeman who found out a woman was having an affair with her uncle who he thought she then subsequently murdered. Her father was paralyzed and the mother died in the same accident that did it to him. He made her eat dinner with him for 2 hours a day for company in return for him not turning her in. In the end, it was the paralyzed father who murdered his brother. The car accident happened because his wife was having an affair with the uncle and she felt so bad she tried to commit suicide. The father couldn't stand letting his brother have EVERYTHING he ever loved and cared about. As you can see it was twisted but it was so well put together I really want to figure out the title. It deserves an award. The second movie was a Chinese film that wasn't as good but it was okay.

The next morning Kayte and I went to the beauty salon. They were must cheaper in Sydney because of the increased amount of competition from small shops. I got a wash, cut, and dry for $35AUD. We then got lunch at Broadway Cafe and I watched the Red Sox lose to the Devil Rays. Hopped on a plane and made it back to the Gold Coast in time for dinner.

Tuesday I intended on going to my classes but unfortunately didn't make it. I went to watch my first full New England Patriots game at Tavern. It was awesome!! We won by like 30 points. So proud of my team even sans Tom Brady :) Then ACES (Australian Culture Exploration Society) had a drinking sports game competition called Dizzy Bat. You have to chug a beer then spin around with your head on a bat 8 times really fast. Then you have to hit the ball and run to the base, but there is only one base like in cricket. Cricket's actually a pretty cool sport; I like it. Then we went to the bra for dinner and then to CBD and Varsity Tavern for the usual festivities. I left early to hang out with some Aussies and watch tv shows I haven't been caught up on.

Wednesday I went to Robina Town Center to talk to Westpac (Bank of America affiliate) because my ATM card hasn't been working. OF COURSE it worked there (and then didn't work again today the day I am typing this up GRRRRR). Today was strange. BIZARRE! There were two MAJOR hail storms. Okay it was like 65 degrees here.. and giant balls of snow/ice were shooting out of the sky. Really bizarre weather that day..

Thursday had a midterm and then went to Tavern. BlahBlah

Friday went to my friend Adam's multi-million dollar house on the water. We could hear the Indy 500 race track and see the helicopter shows. We just chilled in his pool and had a great party. I am telling you his house was crazy nice. His dad went to Duke Uni and Bond Uni.

Saturday chilled around and then went to "Indy Undy Ball" where everyone was in their underwear at the club. We stayed for one drink and left. There were so many creepers there, you can imagine. Indy 500 + women in underwear + booze = filthy men. Ick. lol. Then our buddy Will had a party and we stayed there all night. I fell asleep pretty early, which was fine by me.

Next Week will be more interesting I swear...
Wednesday: My 22nd bday and Skydiving in Byron Bay
Thursday: Flying to Melbourne
Friday: 9 hour planned tour of forest/Melbourne/ancient history stuff
Saturday: Derby Day of the famous Melbourne Cup (horse races)
and then the next week: Thursday: Cape Tribulation Zip Lining
Friday: Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef
Saturday: Level 3 and Level 4 White Water Rafting
Sunday: Bungee Jumping from 50 meters up...

COMMENTS WELCOMED!!!!

See you when I am old.

Week 7

So some stuff about Aussie culture: Did you know that the life savers here are unpaid? They are a completely volunteer service. They are a source of national pride for the country. They go through rigorous training and exercises. I think that is pretty amazing and I can see why Aussies are very proud of their life savers (life guards).

Green Life: So Australians are very eco-conscious right? Well, they are. Commercials are all over the tv about being green and buying energy saving products and what not. There are pictures over faucets that say "Every drop counts" and even the toilets have two options.. You can figure that one out yourself.. But then tell me this: Why the bloody hell (ha) doesn't Bond University recycle? They don't recycle ANYTHING. There are no separate bins for paper, plastic, cans, bottles, nothing!! I just don't understand it. It is very aggravating to me to have to throw my plastic and glass bottle and aluminum cans in the regular trash. This school needs a total revamp in its green clean policies, and pronto. I haven't really even seen many recycling containers anywhere else as well.

One thing is true about green-friendliness here: Every beach is spic and span clean, and there is no workforce that goes around cleaning it. Everyone just respects the beauty of the coast and throws away their own trash in the receptacles. I think this is a great thing because I know when I was in Israel at the Red Sea in Eilat, there was a surplus of trash all over the place. Even in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil and Hampton Beach, Maine there is always trash, but at least there are workers to pick it up. This isn't even necessary here, which I think is something to be proud of. :)

So last week was awesome. Sunday I got back from Moreton Island and all that jazz.
Monday I did laundry and worked on a paper with the topic "The Talibization of Southeast Asia." At first I dreaded it because 1. I don't know much about it and 2. It's not the terrorism I am interested in. Fortunately, it ended up being a very interesting topic in which I learned A TON. :)
Tuesday I had a mid-term in Love, Sex, and Relationships and got a "High Distinction" which is equivalent to an A. Yay! It is worth 30% of my grade too. That night I went to CBD and then to Varsity Tavern. It was heaps of fun.

Wednesday I went to Broad Beach with Amy and got some killer sun. After that I ended up going to Burleigh Heads beach to a BBQ Cookout with Samarth. It was good fun. Everything they served had pork ugh, but actually they had lamb chops!! Bow chica wow wowww!! So delich. Then that night I hung out in the blocks and then walked home in the rain :(

Thursday I had a bunch of classes and what not. It was fine. Then at 6PM we got a maxi taxi and went to the Gold Coast airport in Coolangatta and boarded a plane (which was delayed) to Sydney!!!!!! We arrived in Sydney and drank at a local bar in the Broadway section of Sydney near the Sydney Lodge, which is a hotel/dorm building for University of Sydney students from abroad. Kayte, Tom, and I stayed there with some fellow Northeastern Uni students.

Friday we woke up at 9AM and jumped on a bus to Circular Quay, the harbor right next to the famous Sydney Opera House. We bought a $90AUD (.69*90=$62.10USD) package that included 5 different points of interest (touristy stuff :) in Sydney. Our plan was to do all 5 in one day, but we managed 4 on day 1 and finished up on day 2. Pretty good! We got coffee and I got a chicken skewer (mm good bfast aye mate!)

Day 1: Opera House Tour: We went on a 1.5 hour tour of the famous Sydney Opera House. It took millions of dollars and many years to construct this building. It was chosen from the discard pile of a design contest. It is a masterpiece. There are 7 rooms designed differently for different kinds of performances. Opera, Theater, Symphonies, Concerts, they even had a plant expo there and turned a stage room into a rain forest. All of the chairs and walls and nuts and bolts in the rooms are made out of wood in order to keep the acoustics proper and what not. It was crazy and beautiful.

After the tour we walked over to the bridge which was constructed to last 500 years. We climbed stairs to a spot called Pylon Lookout. It was real beautiful and it was such a sunny and clear day. We lucked out. We then had lunch at a burger joint in the rocks called Rock Burger. It was good and cheap. Then we walked back down to the pier, people watched a little, and boarded a cruise ship for an hour tour around the harbor. Unfortunately by then it was 4PM and it was very windy on the ship. I sat inside after a few minutes because I was cold, but I was still able to see everything the tour guide spoke about: the island where all the convicts came in (Fort Dennison) and other parts of Sydney. We saw the lighthouses and isles and extremely huge and rich houses. We then got back to the pier and walked to location #4.

We walked down some cool streets like George Street and Pitt Street (tons of shopping, 5 star restaurants etc.) to the observation Tower. It is one of the highest buildings in Sydney. We were able to view the ENTIRE city --Olympic Stadium, Opera House, The Queen Victoria Building, the harbors, etc.-- from the spherical dome building. We stayed there until the sun set. It was magnificent. The sun set over the Blue Mountains. I wish I had had time to drive over to the mountains and hike them, but honestly, Sydney has clearly topped my list of best cities in the world. I could see myself not only coming back here, but living and working here one day. One day maybe. Maybe I will find myself a nice handsome Australian man from Sydney.. cough cough.. I also wish I got to see the "Great Synagogue" but time did not allow for it. I hear it is amazing. I also heard the kosher food in Sydney was killer. Next time.. Next time..

So after this we realized we didn't have time for our final stop of the tour so we went back to the hotel and got kebabs (kebabs are really shwamara or gyros I think I told you this already) We then got ready and went to The Rocks again, but this time for drinking festivities. The Sydney U kids were all blasted by the time we were ready. They did a power hour. Wow. So we took taxis to Lowenbraw, where it's Oktoberfest everyday. The beer was 10 bucks for .5 a pint but gd damn it was good beer. I had 2 of the light beers and then upgraded to the dark ale. They are all home brewed there on site. WOW the dark beer was by far one of the best beers I have ever had in my life. My brother and his friends would certainly agree. After this I went to 3 or 4 other joints and just had a stellar time. I met a guy from Mexico and due to the fact I was rather intoxicated by nights end (come on people bars stay open until 5 AM and I was out in the sun all day) I continued to speak Espanol for most of my evening. He was rather impressed if I must say so myself. Well I will, because I was impressed with the skill too. :) lol okay okay..

So the next morning we woke up at 11am instead of the intended 9am and didn't have time to do the Bridge Climb, which we heard was sick, but I guess I'll look at it in the sense that I saved 200$AUD. We went to a pancake place in Darling Harbor, mmm, and then headed to location #5, the Sydney Aquarium!! YAY!! It was so cool!!!! There were so many crazy and amazing animals!! There was a glassed in dome and we were able to walk through it and see HUGE sharks, HUGE turtles, and even BIGGER manna rays!!!! It was so awesome-- words can't even explain. If you know me, I get excited to see a crazy bird fly by, nevermind big sharks and crazy species!!!!! Tom and I then went and bought some opals (did you know 90% of the world's opals come from Australia?) and had a pizza lunch. It was real good.

Saturday night was by far one of the best nights of Australia: We got tickets to the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra (Sydney Pops) at the Sydney Opera House. It was so great! They are very talented! They had guest singers, a choir, guest instruments and stuff. There were two songs by a lady who played the flugal horn.. It was so sexy and amazing. It made me appreciate fine arts and modern classical music so much more. It was really enlightening. When I get back I definitely want to go to the Symphony Orchestra. I mean I have lived next to the building for 3-4 years and still haven't even seen a show!!!

After the show we went to the Opera Bar. ONE COCKTAIL IS $18!!! DAMN!! I had one drink and we got some munchies and then went home. I went to bed right away. I was exhausted.

Sunday I woke up early. We took a bus to Circular Quay and then a ferry to Manly Beach. It was beautiful. Lots of sun and lots of people. The water was freezing though. There were signs that said "Don't disturb penguins" and "Penguin nesting area" but I didn't see any. :( I got a great tan!! Someone keeps calling me black, but then if you see my bum or my tan lines you realize I am supposed to be pasty white! LOL

I still have a little more to write but wanted to get some of this done so check back later for photos added and the conclusion of my Sydney trip. :)

Photos from Sydney:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2220364&l=7d0ad&id=1812695

Photos from the aquarium: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2220951&l=a9c2d&id=1812695

Photos from Morton Island: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2218023&l=b847f&id=1812695

Photos from Curumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (Zoo) and Bond University Extravaganzas:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208726&l=11a32&id=1812695

Photos from Pub Crawl and Pot Belliez Concert:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2217530&l=07afa&id=1812695

Week 6

This week flew by as well! I did A TON of homework this week.

I presented my project on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam of northern and eastern Sri Lanka to my terrorism class. It went really well.

Over the weekend some tragedy happened at home. One of my best friends since kindergarten, her brother was severely injured in a car accident, and the passenger, who I use to hang out with sometimes in high school, died. :( I feel bad that I am not there to be with her in her time of dire need. I have been praying for her and her family and hopefully everything will work out okay....

I did three different research studies. They were all just questionnaires and they enable me to get a higher grade in my Love, Sex, and Relationships classes. Then Tuesday night I went out with some friends. It was a good time.

Wednesday I went to the Pot Bellyz concert with Ben and Jen. The music was cool and it wasn't crowded at all so we were able to get up close.

Some things I have realized about Australia and Aussie culture: Drinking is the center of everything. Even at 10AM the locals drink beers in order to be social. Gambling is huge here. Pokies, as we know them slots, are in most restaurants and are very popular. There is a huge casino called Jupiters Conrad in Broad Beach, but I haven't gotten there yet. Swearing: Everyone does it, and often. Shoes: Going barefoot is not only acceptable, it's normal. I have been going barefoot many places and no one ever looks at you strange or anything. It's just the way it is. I actually enjoy it. It's fun. Your feet get pretty rough but that's okay.

Thursday was Yom Kippur but unfortunately I had way too much work and hard projects due that day. The terrorism one was a 25 minute presentation/PowerPoint (which ended up going the entire class 1 hour!!) and a 3 page paper.

I also got a new camera this week. It is a Pentax brand. It was pretty cheap because of the exchange rate, which keeps dropping and dropping.

Continuing with Thursday, I went to steak night at Don's and then did a prank call for the head bartender there. It was pretty hilarious. He then gave me a few free jugs and bourbons it was cool. I took it easy though and then went and watched a movie with an Aussie friend of mine. I knew I had to be up early the next morning for Moreton Island..

Or so I thought... It ends up we were going to Moreton Island SATURDAY at 5:45 am not Friday! OOPS! So I went back to bed until 11 and then went to the library and worked on some projects about "Inherited Alcoholism" and "The Talibanization of Southeast Asia." Diverse topics, aye? I went to the Bra (cafeteria) for food with my friends and then went over to the Blocks (other single-room dormitories with a nice quad) and had some wine and met some new people. We then went to CBD and I had one beer and talked with friends. I was walking to Varsity Tavern when I got a phone call. My friend got a huge tattoo finished so I walked over to his place to see it. Then I went home and was able to wake up nice and early for Moreton Island.

Moreton Island is the 3rd largest sand-only island in the world. It use to be a volcano but over the course of hundreds of thousands of years sand washed ashore and created a complete sand island. It is also the fastest moving island in the world. We took a bus to Brisbane (45 minutes away) and then a 90 minute ferry to the island. It was kind of sad because it was pretty rainy. Australia is in a severe drought so rain = good but why the hell did it have to rain the one time I go away? Anyways, we made out tents (yes we went camping) and saw some crazy spiders!!!

We then suited up in wet suits and went to a spot with over 20 wrecked sea ships. They were put there by the Australia government many years ago to create an artificial reef. I saw some real pretty fish and a bright colored sting ray. We lucked out because you are totally able to snorkel while it is raining, but the other group tried to sand toboggan (sand-board) and you can't really do that in the rain. After snorkeling (dammit I wanted to see a shark) around the boats, we ate lunch and hung out by the beach and stuff. On the beach we were whale watching and we saw a pod of humpback whales! It was amazing. They were huge and flapping out of the water alot. They sprayed water of our their blow holes often. It was super cool. I wish I could have seen some dolphins, but still haven't had this opportunity.

They cooked us a really cool stir-fry dinner and we all sat around a fire and chilled. One of the guides found a carpet snake and was showing it to everyone. The snake was getting real aggravated because of all the flashes of the camera going off on it. So the snake was freezing (as were we lol) so he wrapped up around the guides arm and wouldn't get off. The guide put the snake under his shirt to keep him warm as he brought him back to his tire home. Unfortunately on the walk back the snake bit the guide 3 times, with only one time getting him pretty bad. The guides reaction? "I was excited to get bit! I have handled so many of these and have never been bit. I always wanted to know how strong these guys truly are and now I know! He's got a mean set of fangs on the bugger!" This same guide is picking me up on Wednesday October 29 (for those of you who know me aka family, yes this is my 22nd birthday) and we are going up to Byron Bay early in the AM. As long as the weather permits, we will be doing a 14,000 foot free fall sky dive. I will be tandem (with a guide) but I figure this will be the best birthday activity ever. He also is able to get me a pretty sick discount (plus the ride) and afterwards we are going to go to a nice pub for lunch and beers. My friend Tom from NEU is coming and I can fit 2 more people in his car so we shall see what happens.

The next morning we woke up early, had breakfast, and then went in the 4X4 to a place on the island called The Cave. The only way to get around the island is in a 4X4 because there are NO roads, everything is sand. We saw one guy get stuck in his 4X4 and it ended up being Marty, one of the guys who won The Biggest Loser, the weight-loss show on NBC.

The Cave was pretty. It has one of the only 2 lighthouses left on the island. Back in the day sailors use to knock right into the reed or the island and the lighthouse prevented them from doing so.

After the cave we went to the natural body of water on the island called Blue Lagoon. It was like swimming in a glass of Evian water. We could drink it, and boy it tasted delicious. Swimming in it was great, although it was sprinkling a bit out, it was still nice. The water is the natural source for the aquaphors and all the drinking water on the island. Currently, only 50 people permanently live on the island. They are the people who run the one shop there as well as a small mechanical looking garage.

After this we went on a 2K (1.2 miles) steep uphill hike on a spot called Mount Tempest. This is this tallest Vegetated Sand Dune in the world. It was a tough hike because the weather was starting to clear up and it was all pretty much sand, not much vegetation on the actual path. It was so well worth it. The view was incredible from the top. We were able to see the entire island from end to end. We also could see the skyline, although it was tiny, of Brisbane off in the distance. It was truly incredible. There are these trees there that only grow 1 CM per year. So if the tree is 2 meters high, it is 200 years old! They use to call the trees Black Boys, because they are burnt black, but they had to change the name to be politically correct a few years ago. These trees need fire in order to drop their seedlings on the ground so the rangers regularly set fire to many parts of the island. There are also these trees that have these crazy squiggle marks on them. They look as though they have been vandalized but really they have had moth larvae in them. The moth larvae eat the nutrients of the tree and then fly off once they are ready to go. They are truly incredible looking.

After the hike we went sand tobogganing! It was so cool. It was at least a 100 foot drop down a giant sand dune in a spot on the island called The Desert. The first time I went I got a whole face and mouthful of sand. It was pretty awful but I was determined to get it right. Climbing back up the sand dune was incredibly hard and exhausting. I went a second time and it was perfect. No sand in my face or anywhere and I traveled really far along the non-hill portion of the sand. It was pretty fun. We waxed our boards up first in order to get the least amount of friction possible. Some girl took my camera and used the video function to tape it but clearly didn't know what she was doing and didn't get it recorded. :( Oh well. Jen got it on her camcorder so hopefully I will get the clip someday. I climbed the hill and did the downhill slide one more time. It was definitely a cool experience. Then we went and packed the 4X4 up.

In order to enjoy the sun which just came out (What luck I know!!!!!!!) we walked 30 minutes down the stretch of beach to the ferry landing point. It was so gorgeous out. We found jelly fish, crabs, star fish, and more. It was beautiful with the sun on out faces, our feet in the warm Pacific Ocean water. It was truly a great camping experience and I will never forget it. I am so happy I went. It only cost $294 AUD which at this point with the exchange rate is only $220 USD approximately. What a great deal- 4 meals, sand tobogganing, ferry rides, shuttles to and from Brisbane, driving around the entire island, sleeping in a tent with Jen and a few fellow spiders, and so much more.

Other stuff: So our tour guide said pretty much what has happened to the Aborigines here is a Holocaust, they just don't use that term. There use to be upwards of 200 tribesmen on the island. They were all either kicked off or massacred. They were crazy smart people too. They knew how to use the land, even though they couldn't really grow any of their own crops and the fact there are no land mammals on the island, or there weren't at that point in time. In the 1920s-1950s the Australian government put goats and hogs on the island in case someone was shipwrecked they would have food to eat. They also put wild horses on the island too. Since then they have been eradicated. One tour guide did say that there are a few hogs left and one herd of goats.

So the Aborigines trained the dolphins to help them collect fish. When they would spear into the water the dolphins would chase schools of fish toward land and the tribespeople would hunt and gather all of the fish for their main source of protein. I don't know how they did it and what the dolphins even got out of it besides a few morsels the people would throw back to them. Now that just amazes me.

We also saw a type of bird that hunts oysters with extra long beaks. This specific type of bird is a monogamous species. They find their mate at about the age of 2 and stay with that same mate their entire lives. If the female bird dies first, the male dies within 3 weeks thereafter, which is not true for the female. Why? Because men need women to survive. Duh :)

Week 5 & Week 4

Week 4 flew by!! This semester is going by so quickly! I wish it would just slow down! This week was again full of Bond-sponsored social activities and drinking shenanigans. I hung around with the same people and went to the same bars around the area. >>>This is a pic from Palava.. Keep reading>>

Tuesday was Rosh Hashana and 5 of us (2 girls and 2 guys + me) went to the Reform synagogue in Surfer's Paradise. It was very small, but had a very long service. It was the first time the synagogue has ever had a full time rabbi, EVER. We then ate lunch at Pancakes in Paradise, which was cool.

I did a presentation on the beach culture in Australia with two chicks from NEU. I think we did a good job. It was worth 20% of our grade.

The weather here switches up daily. One day sunny and hott, the next windy with partly clouds.

Thursday was alot of fun. It was an event called "Palaver" pronounced palava, which I looked up and it means to flirt or whatever. It was held in the school's bar, Don's Tavern, and was all you can drink. EVERYONE dressed up and looked so sexy and good. It was fun. Afterwards I went into Surfer's Paradise with Ben and Jen to a place called Ruby Tramp. It was fun and I'll add some of the cool pics I took from it. Good times.

>>>>This is a pic of us out for Jen's 21st bday>>
Friday Kayte and I got a ride from Will (our lovely Aussie neighbor) to the train station. We hopped on (for free hehe) and went into Brisbane. Some boys asked us if we were going to a hostel on the train so they followed us to the hostel. They ended up being fellow students at Bond, but rivals at home as they play hockey for Merrimac in the greater Boston area. It ends up both of them were drafted by professional NHL teams! One in Miami, one in LA. Pretty cool stuff. So we stayed at this hostel called "Bunk" which was connected to this bar called Birdie Num Num's. lol We went out to dinner and then chillhed at Birdie's for the night. The next day Kayte and I went to Chinatown and got nasty Chinese food. Ick nothing beats home for China food honestly.

PARKLIFE!!!! Kayte and I walked along the river to the Brisbane Botanical Gardens for ParkLife 2008!! Parklife is a house/trance/electronica/r&b/rap show that had four different stages and had over 100,000 attendees. It made me think of like Woodstock or something. It was pretty crazy and we met some cool people. Everyone was pissed (pissed in Aussie slang actually means drunk) but we definitely weren't (that's a first I know..) It was alittle overpriced and we were alittle disappointed in some of the artists, but the venue was real cool and it was overall a great experience. In any event, it was great to get out of Gold Coast if only for two days. We checked out by 11AM and were on our way back to Bond on Sunday morning. >>>This is a pic of the view of the sunset from my room.







Week 4

The first part of the week I felt as if I was going through the "study abroad cycle syndrome" which states first you feel strange, then euphoric, then sad, then u balance out. I was on the sad stage. I just felt kind of lonely and wanted people to leave me alone for awhile. I freaked my mom out too because I was crying to her on the phone. By the end of the week though I was totally fine and I am happy as a bird again. Speaking of, when I sleep at a friends crib in A Block, there are these ANNOYING crazy birds that squak and make crazy noises. They do not even sound like birds.

So the rainforest was Sunday and I didn't really go anywhere the rest of the week. I started working on my Tamil Tiger project for terrorism. They are really a fascinating group. It was my Dad's b-day on Wednesday so I surprise called him at work. I think he appreciated that. Thursday was my friend Samarth's 21st bday so we went to dinner in Broad Beach. We went to a tempanyki place (known to us Americans as Japanese Hibachi grillin). I got the terriyaki steak medium. It came with rice and miso soup and salad and what not. It was good times. Then we went to Hotel CBD and he got very wasted. I suppose that is the way you SHOULD be on your 21st birthday, no? I had to leave him there before I smacked him upside the head though. Then I was actually really worried and walked over to his place to make sure he was okay. He was fine just real blasted. So I came back home after watching some of Crash with him and his buddies. It was nice.

Friday I don't remember what I did so it must not have been that great.

Saturday was cool though. I didn't plan on going, but I went to the BASIC Burleigh Heads (its a small suburb) Brewery tour. It was cool. The owner is from California but decided to move here and open a brewery. The beers were alright, but the best part was my buddie Will got me in free :) Then the bus dropped Jen and me off at the ACES U-Brew-It brewery tour. They were watching some footie (Rugby to you Americans) championship game. I drank here for free too. It was good times! Good people. I came back and went straight to this apartment complex area called The Reserve. People were grilling up burgers and chicken because it was graduation day. Ate some food had a few more and talked to some cool people. Everyone was going out into Surfer's but I didn't really want to waste money so I came back here and went to sleep. It was fine.