Op-shopping is my new favorite thing!

So yesterday was Wednesday and it was super busy! Campus east sets up all these activities that the RA's on duty plan and run which is great so the line up was "op-shopping" at 11-2 and then "a walk to the lighthouse" at 3:30. Now you might be thinking in your head what the heck is "op-shopping". Well, we have salvation army at home and they have that times a million here. There are soo many thrift stores all over the place and it's common for uni students to use their resources to grab an inexpensive new outfit or props for themed parties. Any thrift store is called an "op-shop" here hence "op-shopping". One of the RA's here loves Op shopping so she decided to compile a tour of all different ones to hit up a series of all different ones - I was in heaven! I got this awesome dress for $2 and I found at one all these vintage University of Wollongong shirts that are sweet! It's also an awesome place to find furniture - I was very tempted to snag an $18 futon because it was probably one of the most comfortable couches I have ever sat on.
When we got back, my roommate Nikolai (he's an exchange student from Canada so another non-native like me to do touristy things with!) and I went and joined the tour to the lighthouse. It was a beautiful probably 2 mile walk and it's right on the coastline where the famed town beach is. It was really beautiful! All of the postcards I have been seeing has the town center with the lighthouse pictured on it and now I can successfully buy them and say that I did the walk around there. Also on the walk, the amount of pelicans on the ocean is crazy! They are like seagulls here (they have seagulls also so don't think I escaped those little buggers) and they just swim around the water being cool. When they eat things - man that is so fun to watch, it's almost like they have a tickle in their throat and they need to shake it out.

I also finished my enrollment sign up online so I know my class schedule! It actually turned out really awesome because I am a tutorial sign up champ! So how it works is each student has the lecture they have to go to at a set time but then they break that down into smaller groups called tutorials. Sign-ups for tutorials are at random times and once that time has passed - you are eligible to sign-up for one of time choices available. My roommate Amy who's the RA said that it's best to sit and just wait for the clock to reach your time and quickly enroll because apparently last year she was 10 seconds late and everything but one tutorial was left. Most of the classes I'm taking are with international students so I was praying they weren't that fast at this game. So for both of my sign ups I was anxiously waiting for the clock to tick to my time, click the menu, the class I wanted, and enroll! I am proud to say I got every one I wanted and like my roommate back home Brittany says - "Slam, bam, thank you ma'am!" My class lineup is a lecture on Monday morning, a tutorial Tues morning and a lecture Tuesday afternoon (3:30), two tutorial Weds but not until 1:30 and then one lecture Thursday! This is great because the lectures are not compulsory (don't worry jean marie, I will be attending them) but if I decide to travel someplace far away and I really would like a longer stay, I could fly out Weds, stay through Monday and technically have a 6 day stay there! Saaaaweeet!

My Door List

So I just read the last blog I posted and there were way too many exclamation points to count - wow I sounded like I was hopped up on sugar and disney videos. Hopefully this one is a little less suzy sunshine (not that Australia isn't awesome!...it was just over the top...needs to be taken down a notch)

Today was a lovely morning - I had my orientation for Education which started at 9. The program here has around 85 students in each year for physical education which is enormous compared to the 20 of us over four years at Syracuse. But I got to meet the director of the program and we're going to set up a meeting to discuss things so that will be great.

But I wanted to share about my door list. So about a week ago, I just got so overwhelmed with little things here and there that I "must do!" in and around where I live and Australia that I compiled a list. I stuck it on my door and put a pen next to it. If anyone thinks of something that they recommend or I just shouldn't pass up - they add it to the list. Once I have accomplished something that's on the list, I redraw it with a vibrant marker so as progress on in the list - my sheet gets more colorful! So far I have accomplished quite a few things - (most of them involving food - what can I say - I live to eat)
1) Eaten a Meat Pie - this is quite similar to a chicken pot pie but instead it is filled with meat and usually has potato and cheese on the top or whatever thing they want to add to jazz it up. It's almost like Shepard's pie meets pot pie. And we have just discovered that at rugby games and things similar, you can get a "traveler's pie" which is like a hot pocket meat pie...tasty!
2) Saw a Rugby game of sorts - Bulldogs vs. Dragons - it was a great game to watch!
3) "Munched on a Lemington" - Lemington's are a classic Australian dessert that is sponge cake with a chocolate coating (lighter than frosting but similar), then covered in coconut shavings. Almost like jean marie's favorite the snow ball but less twinkie-ish to it. Apparently some have a cream or jam filling. It was good with a cup of hot chocolate.
4) Eat a Kebab - We had this the other night - oh.my.goodness. was it tasty! I decided to go all out and I got "the whole lot" on a lamb kebab wrap - lettuce, tomato, tabbouleh, hummus, cheese, onions, olives and then I asked for sun dried tomatoes on it - my mouth's watering right now - after it, I felt like I could go a week without eating but I was a total fan.
There is still much more on my list to do and I will keep updating you on accomplishments - hopefully there will be some more "scenic" accomplishments instead of all food ones - but hey, I am not complaining, food is just too good!

I also found some American girls who wanted to go to Ash Weds. today so we walked about 15 minutes to the local church which was great. The little boy in front of us decided after we got our ashes to proclaim in his best outdoor voice "We all got paint on our face!! I love it when we paint faces!" The mom was shushing him as his 5 year old sister was licking her fingers and then giving her doll the sign of the cross on it's forehead. I found it hilarious and a pretty gross at the same time but hey, they're learning in their own ways.

I bought a boomerang today!

So it's been a while since I have blogged...my apologies!

What have I been doing!? Well I went to my first official rugby game! Man - that sport is awesome! I'm a fan of high paced sports like hockey and lacrosse and this was like American football in fast forward. I liked it soo much! The team moving forward has six tries to get to the end zone and anytime a man gets tackled they get back up, kick the ball backwards, and play is on again! It goes so rapidly and since the players don't where pads of any sorts - the contact of man to man is such a cringing but awesome sound!

It's also "orientation week" which is basically like a week long party with orientation things thrown in. All the abroad/exchange students had orientation yesterday morning - we just got the basic overview of campus and such. The place I'm living - Campus East - has had events all day and night for us this whole week. There are six sections of Campus East that basically are split up depending on where you live. And we have been doing a lot of activities to bond those specific sections together. We've had themed parties everynight and Campus East basically invades a local pub and has a get together there. Last night was one of my roommates birthday where he turned 18 (the legal drinking age in australia!) so we took him out and celebrated. Tonight is the pub crawl where we'll bounce from four different pubs wearing our pub crawl t-shirts! It should be a lot of fun! I also have been reading travel books religiously and came across so many things I want to do so I'm anxious to get classes started to see where my big exams are and what are the best weekends to travel! So far, flight research shows that they aren't that bad of prices to fly right now so that's good. Can't wait to explore!

For All Those Snail Mailers

I forgot to mention if you want to send me a letter (which I am quite a fan of! - tell me about your day, throw a random 3x5 card in, knit me a scarf ha and pop it in! I promise I'll send something back!)
This is mostly for Jean Marie if she can't find my address:

Brenna Sacra
Campus East
P.O. Box 219
Fairy Meadow, NSW 2519

some ideas -
- reese's are not available in Australia except for random stores so reese's cups, pieces, and much more are deliciously appreciated not just by me but by the aussie's too!
-Fluff, apparently fluff does not exist past new england ha. I tried to explain to some people what a fluffernutter was - they mainly thought I was joking.
-Along the same lines, S'MORES are not a common thing - they don't have graham crackers and their marshmellows are weeeeird so another one of those explanations gone wrong occurred trying to explain s'mores amazingness.
-Granola bars. They have very different granola bars if that's what you want to call them.

Send me mail and I'll send you back love!! muah!

Unintentional Adventure!

So Campus East had a "walk up Mt. Kiera" today and I was so excited to get out and be active for once! Plus it was a great way to explore some Australian vegetation and maybe critters. Our two guides turned out to be a little "under the weather" due to some alcoholic beverages from the night before haha so we were ushered up the mountain with volunteer RA's (one being my roommate, yay!) The first 400 meters was a straight incline which makes you think that you got into something a lot more difficult than you expected but then it thinned out and was a great little hike. We got up what seemed 3/4 of the way when we hit a point in the trail where there was a slight beaten path upwards or a more defined one that sloped downwards. As a group we voted to either go upwards or attempt downwards. We decided since the path went down, it probably would take us to the bottom and the up trail looked a little muddy but not bad. So we started climbing up, winding through trees and deciphering the best way to get to the top. We zig zagged through about a half hour of bushwhacking but felt like we had done no progress because the top seemed like meters away. My encountering of creatures also occurred but they weren't the kind you cuddle up and take pictures with - they were leeches. Yes, who knew leeches were in mountains!? They were in the moist mud we were hiking and the suckers would cling to your shoes and work their way up to your ankles. They could also be on tree leaves and end up on your arm or backpack. Every hiker pulled about six or seven leeches off by the end of the hike. It also turned out that the path we decided not to take because it went downwards only does that for a bit and then loops you around the mountain to the top. Bushwhacking, although it was an adventure, led us to a wall of straight up rock about 20 feet tall. We then had to proceed to go back from the path we had just attempted to make going up. I actually really liked this better than a beaten trial because we were able truly "hike" an australian mountain even if we didn't get to the top.

Later on this evening, a group of us decided to have a bonfire on the beach (which apparently is illegal) We roasted some marshmellows - which were the flavors of vanilla and cherry - very different. My roommate Pat is quite the outdoors man and was able to get a great fire going with just one match (we had put wagers on this attempt prior). The fire lasted a good several hours and was fabulous. A couple of us decided to go for a night swim which probably isn't the best idea but hey, you're in Australia and you only live once. The waves were great and the water was quite refreshing - probably in the 60's temperature wise. I have yet to buy a boogey board like the cool kid that I am, so I have been attempting body surfing - it is not going well haha. The waves just take me up in their whirling motion and I almost feel like a rock in a rock polisher getting jumbled all over the place. But the bonfire was great and now I am quite tired from the whole series of events and there's always tomorrow!

Random Things that I've noticed

1) Australia birds sound like dying cats. Their "crow" is this low growly call that sounds just like a cat in an alley

2) Vegemite is really not that bad. The first day I was here, I was bombarded with three australians and a packet of Vegemite. I put some on my grilled cheese and I actually really liked it - It's very salty, almost like soy sauce in a spread.

3) Spaghetti and Baked Beans are a common breakfast food - ooo different!

4) Bagels are few and far between, they don't really get the whole concept of a bagel - "it's just a like toast...so why is it different?"

5) The sun looks timid but is quite fierce. My face looks the shade of a tomato and is so sore just from a couple hours out in the sun.

6) Bell Peppers do not exist - they are called capsicums.

7) Colleges are "uni's" and dorms are "colleges"

8) So many australians have light eyes...the amount of blue eyes is ridiculous.

9) There is no Taco Bell here which I am fine with but I can't even imagine my Syracuse roommates surviving without it haha

10) Tipping does not occur here which is actually awesome when you go out to eat and you don't have to figure in how much everyone has to pay extra for a tip.

11) Franzia is called "Goon" here and they don't slap the bag they "scull"

12) Australian accents are pretty much my favorite thing...ever.

G'day Mate!!

Australia!

So I arrived Friday, February 13th at Sydney airport after my 24 hour flight. Everything went quite well besides the little girl who had a seat next to me freaking out because she didn't want to sit next to a "grown up" girl and wanted to sit next to her sister Jenna. So apparently I scare small children - I'm glad I'm not going into a profession where I deal with kids - oh wait...
But my Qantas flight was fabulous - two delicious gourmet-looking meals (dinner had a chocolate lava cake for dessert...um hi! fabulous!) and each seat got their own personal T.V. screens where you could watch countless movies (around 180 to choose from). I ended up watching Four Christmases, Australia (how fitting!), The Duchess, and of course High School Musical 3 was thrown in last. The University of Wollongong has a complimentary pick up service that drives you from the airport to the "uni" which was wonderful. I arrived, a little jet lag and in need of a shower, but there none the less. I am living in Campus East which is a grouping of little "units" in four different sections that all share resources and is very community centered. In total there will be 615 UoW students living here so it will be quite busy.
My room is great and I have three roommates - two boys, one girl. One of the boys has still not moved in yet so we are waiting with baited breath for his arrival. My other two aussie roommates are just wonderful and super nice. Each day there is a new activity that Campus East sets up to get you meeting and greeting more students and familiar with the area. So far we have done "speed mateing" where we got thirty seconds to introduce ourselves and tell a little bit about one another before moving on to the next person, a walk to the beach (which is only about 1/4 mile away), movie night, and a tour around Campus East. It's awesome to have that kind of resource because coming as an international student not knowing anyone, it was a great way to meet some people.
Today I skyped with Jean Marie and Big Dave this morning - it went well! It was a little static-y and the picture was kind of pixelated but it was worth seeing them even just for a bit. Big Dave managed to give me a lecture about GPS' even from across the country leaving Jean Marie and I just laughing because he still could scold me through skype even across the world. Later on, a group of us went out for Tacos which are quite different than in America. They are just the taco shell with a soupy tomato sauce, field greens, your choice of meat - beans, chicken or beef, and then shredded cold cheese. It was so different - but still tasty! We split some strawberry sangria that was just a lovely end to the meal and walked about a half hour home from the city. I can't wait for the adventures to start and really dive into my time abroad in this awesome country!! I feel like there's so much to tell that I don't know where to start so I will take it bit by bit for the next couple days!