Footy Round 2

We went to our second Saints game the other night. Since St.Kilda is ranked 3rd right now and their opponents the Bombers were ranked 14th we thought it'd be easy. Ash got me a little beanie and he got a scarf and we were mad excited after the beautiful performance they pulled out last week. We got the first goal...AND that was pretty much it. WE GOT CRUSHED.

It was so disappointing. Not to mention we were the ONLY Saints fans in the section. BUT I tried my first pie. They sell these little meat pies at football games here, similar to getting a hot dog at a game in Canada. You put ketchup on top and they're so delicious. I think it's rather impractical for a sports game though. This little pie stuffed with meat and gravy that is piping hot and goes squirting everywhere, not exactly finger food but nonetheless delicious. On the way home from our embarrassing defeat Ash got pasta on Lygon and following this I got probably the best piece of cheesecake I have ever tasted at this little cafe beside our house - DANGEROUS. Anyway it was Baileys cheesecake and I have saved it for 3 nights now because it was a) so expensive b) its so delicious c) its so rich. Anyway the cheesecake was ALMOST enough to deal with the brutal defeat we witnessed earlier.

Last night Ash tried to make dinner. First he asks me what to do and I say boil the water. So he comes back and asks what is next, I say cut up the green pepper. All seems to be going well when he runs in and says "I need help I need help it's all gone to shit!" I go in the kitchen and the glass lid for the pot had exploded everywhere, shattered into our pasta, our veggies and everything. It was so funny! So Ash said that was it and we went to this really good burger place around the corner Grill'd. Then we went to IMAX and saw Inception. It is the biggest screen in Melbourne and I found it really trippy. It made me feel a bit nauseas but it was a pretty good movie. Ash was disappointed with Leo's performance but I thought it was pretty good. The IMAX and museum is directly beside our house it's unbelievable.

Miss you all!

xo

Sarah

Sushi & Meeting the Parents!

First I just have to talk about sushi. Melbourne actually has sushi on every single corner. Every shop is either a boutique or sushi I'm not even joking. There's a place dangerously close to our house that sells rolls for 2$. They don't cut up the roll they just hand you a massive roll and it's so cheap and so delicious. I am going to go into sushi overload. Ash has been trying to cut me back and then the other day on my way home from school I got a roll and scarfed it down. How could I not? I pass the place on my walk home it's torture. And most of the restaurants don't even have doors it's like an open walk through to the street, it's too enticing. Anyway, Ash kissed me when I got in the door and was like "you had sushi" and I protested and said I didn't he was mistaken, but he knew! I'm a sushi addict! If anyone loves sushi I'm telling you Melbourne is the place to be.

Moving on. On Sunday Ash's parent's drove down from Chiltern (3 hours inland from Melbourne) to take Ash and I out for lunch and meet me. I was really nervous but they were SO LOVELY. Ash's mom got me an adorable koala china mug and a kookaburra (special aussie bird) bookmark! Then we drove together to South Melbourne and had this unbelievable fish right by the water. You order the type of fish you want and then they make you beautiful fish and chips! We also got tons of calamari and scallops. I was so full but it was one of the freshest and most delicious meals I've ever had. Then we walked along the beach and looked at the Spirit of Tasmania boat that takes you on trips to Tasmania. We took some pictures on the pier and continued to walk along the beach. We stopped at this delicious ice cream place and I had mocha ice cream. I always get small or childrens size and it's still too much. They PILE on the ice cream here. Nonetheless so good. Then we drove back into Carlton and they went home. We're going up to their place next weekend and I'm really looking forward to it. Ash's parent's are so nice and I'm so glad I had the chance to meet them. It's so weird when you've heard so much about someone and seen pictures and such but never met them. It was surreal but really nice.

I don't have class today and neither does Ash so we went to the gym this morning where he killed me. Then we ran back and made lunch. It's such a beautiful afternoon. We were going to go to the botanical gardens but Ash says it's not quite warm enough. We're going to another footy game tonight which I'm excited for. We met another couple upstairs who just moved in. She's from Missouri and he's from France and I think they're coming with us to the football game tonight. I've been so pleasantly surprised with my roommates, everyone is awesome. School seems pretty intense and I'm a little nervous for it. Everything is worth 50% or 60%. There aren't small assignments or participation it's all like two essays or an essay and an exam. But I've paid enough to be here so I'm determined to rock these classes. Going to do some reading before footy tonight.

Miss & love you all,

- Sarah

First Day of Class

Today I had my first day of class at the University of Melbourne. I had two lectures today in International Gender Politics and Global Movements: Protest and the Planet.

Well, campus is enormous and despite Ash and I finding my class the day before I was lost. I finally found the Architecture building and I was missing Huron at this point. A) I am not used to massive lecture halls and I've never had a TA before either B) I'm not used to having classes all over a massive campus of 44,000! Anyway I found my first class and it was really good. Something that's sweet here is that the profs put all of your readings into a massive and I mean MASSIVE coursepack which cost between 25-50 bucks but they don't make you buy textbooks! Well atleast none of my classes have yet! It's phenomenal! BUT heavy. Anyway my entire grade is compiled of two 2000 word essays worth 50% and 50%. So it's definitely fewer marks into your final grade but it means you have to rock them. My other class has a presentation, a test and final paper worth 50%. So seems like they love the papers here at UMel.

Also people dress so nicely here. The typical dress code for girls is tights, flats or leather boots, baggy sweaters and massive scarves. Or nice jeans, I have yet to see sweatpants on a boy or a girl. Plus the guys here love the skinny jeans. Everyone, like jocks, artsy guys everyone rocks the skinny's. I was so frustrated today, it's so weird to think of myself as the exchange student but I am and people look at me like I am retarded when I ask questions. The bookstore was so efficient but crazy today. They had guards at the door and you had to leave your purse in a cubby and just take your wallet and find your books/coursepacks and line up to pay. It was nuts. I was really flustered today and thoroughly missed Huron though when people were seeing each other on campus and reuniting and such and I was like there is no way I will know someone on campus today haha. I am a first year all over again.

There's a bakery like 5 minutes from my house and it had a sign that said it wanted applicants. I was so brave and gave my resume today - never done that before. They said they wanted food industry experience but I told them although I was lacking in that sphere that I had lots of customer service experience! haha, so doubt I'll get that, but since I have Mondays and Fridays off I thought it'd be cool to work somewhere once a week to make some extra cash since I'm spending mine so quickly!!! Ash is taking me out to this Thai place we found on our street tonight to celebrate my first day of class. Gotta run!

xo

Sar

Friday Night Footy!

On Friday night Ash took me to an Australian Football game. His favourite team St.Kilda was playing Hawthorne. I tried to guess how many people were there and I said around 10,000 and at the end the final count was 49,000!!! I was WAY off.

We took the tram through the city to the docklands right on the water to the stadium. It was a beautiful but cool night so we bundled up. I was mad because Ash made me wear leggings under my jeans and I felt like I could barely walk like the Michelin man but I was thanking him later because it got SO cold in the stadium.

We sat in the third tier and you can sit anywhere up there. We got beers and went up into the stands an hour early to get a good seat. The game is played in a big round oval shaped field with two goals at either side. There are two tall goal posts and then two smaller ones on either side of those. If you get the ball through the middle goal posts it's a goal and it's worth 6 points. If you get it through either side post it's 1 point. You can only kick it through the goals. Players pass the ball by a hand pass sort of like punching the rugby like ball or by kicking it. If someone catches your kick it's called a "mark" and nobody can touch you until they kick or pass the ball. They don't wear any padding and tackling is fully encouraged unless you have marked a kick.

I got so into the game it was phenomenal. The teams were so evenly matched the whole time and from where we were sitting we could see everything that was going on. People were getting so rowdy and screaming and standing up and cursing it was amazing! I don't know what was more entertaining for me, watching the game or watching Ash's reaction to the game! St.Kilda was down in the final quarter and then they kicked a goal making the entire game a DRAW! So we might go again this Friday to see them play at the best footy stadium in the world the MCG. We took a packed tram back towards home but we were so hungry we stopped on Lygon street for pizza and pasta and then we walked down and got gelato as well. It's crazy here, even past midnight tons of places are open! I LOVE IT.

Anyway, I LOVE footy now and will forever be a St.Kilda's fan.

Love Australia & miss you all!

xo

sar

Arrival in Melbourne

Arriving in Melbourne was ridiculous. I was so ecstatic to see Ash but so nervous as well - it'd been so long! I wasn't wearing my contacts so I didn't even recognize him at first, he saw me staring at him but not reacting for a significant amount of time and then I ran towards him and jumped on him. It was the weirdest feeling I can't even say. So much anticipation, 6 months worth! I was like sobbing without tears and so shaky, like nervous jittery shakes.

We drove into Melbourne together and it was just so exciting being together again. When we got to our new place it wasn't exactly what I imagined. Our room is the first one inside and we share an enormous kitchen with 7 other apartments - but now there's only people in 3 of the other apartments so its a pretty big place to ourselves. Nobody uses the kitchen so it's pretty much just Ash and I cooking up a storm every night. The bathroom is a little scary to get to. It's through a semi-outside courtyard, but the shower room is really nice. I was slightly skeptical until I discovered our UNBELIEVABLE location. I am legitimately 5 mins from my school and our house is on the corner of two streets one big main one and a tiny alley. Well, the alley leads to Lygon St. - a really busy city street with hundreds of restaurants, bakeries and shops. Actually a 15 second walk from my doorstep it's insane. Then on Rathdowne the big street my house is on, there is the Melbourne Museum which is a massive rubix cube type building as well as an enormous IMAX theatre and beautiful park. Ash and I went for a long run through the park today and it was lovely. We also live minutes from a gym, grocery store and anything else you could possibly ever want. I've never loved my location more. Before dinner we will just walk to the grocers like 2 mins away and grab stuff. Walking home or to school is amazing, I get to pick up dessert on the way home or grab a bagel on my way, it's such a bustling area and so nice. You can also walk to the legitimate DOWNTOWN part of Melbourne too. We've just been doing a lot of walking and it's so nice, everything is so close and centralized I LOVE it.

On my first night in Melbourne, Ash surprised me by taking me to this beautiful hotel in the city. We walked there and stayed in this really nice room and ordered room service. It was such a introduction to Melbourne! On the way home the next day we walked by the state library and through this park in the city core of Melbourne. A race was just ending and we watched it. It was a beautiful cool but sunny day and I was SO happy to be where I was. We moved into our new place and I LOVE it. The first day in the kitchen I walk to grab some water and there is a girl, standing in my new place, in the kitchen, in AUSTRALIA wearing a University of Western Ontario hoodie. I was like actually what are the chances. Turns out her brother goes to Western and she goes to Carlton and is from Sarnia and we have mutual friends!!! What a small world. She moved out today which was too bad because she and her room mate seemed amazing, but I look forward to meeting the new tenants - looks like after only a week, Ash and I will be the vets of this place!

Miss you all but LOVE Australia,

xo

Sarah

Cairns Culture & Adventure Week

Our second day in Cairns we went up to Kuranda and learned all about the rainforest. There were these amazing plants that were light sensitive and curled up when you touched them. We kept saying Avatar was real and Northern Australia was definitely where James Cameron got his ideas. There were these green ants that you could pop in your mouth and they gave an explosion of taste like sour green apple. We saw a massive tarantula just chilling in the woods and wild turkey nests. We also saw a worm farm they had to make soil. Then we had afternoon tea and went out to a school to plant trees. Dallas, Jess and I were tree planter experts and planted a ton. It was a really fun day. I like learning about the rain forest and seeing so many birds, butterflies and animals I'd never known existed.

On our third day we went to Reforestation. It was an amazing outside rain forest. First we went on an army duck tour through the rainforest. The army duck is this old WWII metal vehicle that can go from land right into the water and become a boat. We had a really funny guide who took us all through the rainforest and into the river, we weren't able to peer out or put our arms out over the boat though because crocodiles can jump up and grab you! Later we were taught by the aboriginees how to throw a boomerang and then we watched them play didgeridoos and perform several traditional dances. We loved one of the aboriginees "SeaHawk" haha, we were all in awe of his dancing. Then we got to hold a koala and walk around the rain forest park. It's crazy in Australia all of the zoos I've been to the animals aren't caged in and you can go up and pet them. It's so surreal, you can feed them and pet them and hold them. The animals seem so happy and really people friendly. I pet several wallabies and kangaroos but I was too afraid to hold the massive snake. The rainforestation day was chock full of amazing experiences and I'm so glad we went.

That night we went on this bar hopping night out called "The Ultimate Party" - and wow was it a party. We got picked up at our resort by a double decker open roofed party bus. At each bar there were challenges (mostly dirty ones). They played horses/knights/cavaliers - my FAV drama game, where you're paired up with someone of the opposite sex and when they yell horses you sit on their back like a horse, knights they pretend to knight you and cavaliers they put one knee on the ground and one up and you sit on their knee. HOWEVER this version was a bit different as they started to call out sexual positions like missionary, spoons, etc. etc. and the couples had to do them. Entertaining but I'm glad I wasn't the one rolling around on the bar floor. Anyway, we got to go to 5 bars around Cairns and Hannah, Jess, Dallas and I danced up a STORM and I had probably my best night in Cairns.

The last day was our free day. I had signed up earlier for a Jungle Tour. It was a long bus ride but we got to go to another rain forest park, to Mossman Gorge where we went swimming in the rapids and went on a rain forest walk then we got to go to Cape Tribulation a gorgeous beach area before heading home. On the way home we stopped for this really weird ice cream. They gave us a little dish with 5 flavours but the best was the coconut icecream with coconut flecks in it - SO GOOD. Then we got home and packed for our arrival in MELBOURNE! It was such a great experience, I met so many people and I'm so glad I went so I could meet some people in my classes before school started.

Loving Australia, but missing you all

xo

Sar

Cairns Culture & Adventure Week - Great Barrier Reef Day

I meant to post much earlier but I haven't found the time until now! I'll start right at the beginning with our Australearn trip to Cairns. Cairns is in the NorthEast part of Australia and is home to the Great Barrier Reef and Cape Tribulation. The Northern part of Australia is actually hotter than the south. It was a bit rainy but really nice when we arrived. 160 study abroad students going all over Australia took part in the Cairns week. We stayed in Bohemia "Resort" - a backpackers hostel/residence. It was actually a blast. I was in a room with 5 other University of Melbourne girls and met so many new people. I was the only Canadian in the bunch and in turn was subject to more than a few "eh" and "out and about" jokes haha.

Our first day in Cairns we went to the Great Barrier Reef. Despite taking 2 motion sickness pills I felt so sick, I could barely move during the end of the 2 hour boat ride to the reef. The boat was amazing with an inside cabin and bar and outside these suspended nets you could lie on over the water as it drove out to the reef. When we arrived we put on wetsuits and snorkeled. It was absolutely amazing, there were these massive oyster shells that snapped shut as you swam over them and we saw a nemo fish as well! Then we had to decide whether or not to scuba dive. I wanted to and they suited me up. First you jump in and hold a rope suspended at the top of the water and put your face in and practice breathing. Then when you feel okay you are pulled to a rope another meter down and practice there. Well, I had weights strapped to my waist to help me sink and I looked up to see the water so far up and had a panic attack. Thumbs up is the sign you want to go up so I was frantically doing thumbs up. The instructor came up and I had a little teary panic attack saying I wanted out. He was like "if it's about the money you can get out, if you're just scared you have to do it" because if you just do the practice you don't have to pay. I said I literally couldn't breathe and felt like I was going to drown. So he said he would hold my hand the whole way. So loser Harvison held the guides hand for half of the dive well other people were doing flips and taking pictures. I am so glad I did it though, I let go of his hand and did it all on my own for the second half. I just found it terrifying to be so far below the ocean surface, I was like skimming the ground. It was so beautiful that I soon forgot though. I was really sad when it was over. I would never do it again because I felt that every breath was my last, but I'm SO glad I did it. I mean if there's anywhere in the world to scuba dive it's the Great Barrier Reef. When I got out of the water, the head guide wrote in this neon sunscreen on my forehead "I Love Craig" the instructor who had to hold my hand the whole time.

We also went across to this beach called Michaelmas Bird Sanctuary. There are thousands of birds just going nuts the whole time. Apparently so many of them flock there because they are the only species so they can live in abundance without threat from other animals. We only stayed there for a few minutes because the sound of the birds was so deafening. On the way back we all napped on the boat and watched the sunset. It was such a great introduction to Australia and I really enjoyed myself!

PS. Right now I'm sitting in my room listening to Ash play guitar - but we'll get to that part later!

Loving Australia but missing you all
xo

Sar