I am sitting in my hostel right now, in Cairns :) so exciting!! It's still quite early, but that's because Mollie was a little tired (dun dun duuuuunnn) so we headed back a little early but that's okay because now it's gives me time to update this (Kelsie Bouchard this is for you)! Our adventure started in Sydney where we had a day to tour around first before Holy Thursday mass. We decided to walk places and figured out maps in Australia show everything in a much larger scale so we could get everywhere on foot pretty easily. We walked around Darling Harbour as well as Circular Quay. We then went to the Botanic Gardens to tour around. They had the most beautiful rose garden that just smelled out of this world. It was almost too much, like it was fake or they had secret little sprayers in the trees to omit the smell but no - it was natural...crazy! We were then able to walk through to the Opera House and tour around! obviously kodak moments were a must. We then stopped at a restaurant called macchiato and had homemade pizza that was delicious and italian and our waitress had the most adorable accent! We then trekked out to a town a little ways away to meet my chaplain at UoW who was having a Easter retreat and we celebrated Holy Thursday mass there. It was very good although I will say the priest spoke at quite a shouting level...I almost broke down at one point during mass with giggles because he was speaking so loudly but I luckily locked it up!
On Friday we did a Hunter Valley wine tour which was AWESOME! the last time I went we did big, commercial vinyards but this tour was called "Boutique wine tours" so all the ones we went to had were little tiny places that only sold their bottles from their specific stores. They were so tasty and our tour guide was absolutely hilarious which made the day that much more great! We got back and had a cheese picnic on our hostel beds (I know that sound gross and you're thinking of those lights from CSI being shown on the covers but it was in a plastic box...nothing spilled on the bed...even if it did, let's be honest - when it comes to food my family is gross and will eat anything and everything no matter what non-sanitary surface it touches). We then went to bed to wake up on the early side to do the Sydney Harbour bridge climb. We stopped at a little french place in the morning to grab some pastries for breakfast and then walked over to the bridge. Again we had another great tour guide named Chris who was a little appalled by our "funny" pictures which primarly were instigated by me. In one I think I actually reached out at Becca and after he took it he was like "is that an eye gouge!? you are poking her directly in the eye but that's okay because it looks like she's strangling you. You do realize these go up on a big screen where people can see them?"...yea about that...haha but the views were amazing and we did the discovery climb where you got to learn about all the fun facts having to do with the actual structure of the bridge which was right up Mollie's alley! it was spectacular and we then bought several pictures at the end of us doing it!
okay I only have six minutes left and I don't have any more dollar coins so this is going to be a to be continued post...so to be continued........
ooo i felt like I was an episode of friends or something where you're just WAITING for the next one and it says that and you're like nooooooo...I hope that's what just happened with you! actually I don't...cause that's kind of sad...that you just got upset about my blog...flattering...but really...find a hobby...or come and visit me! good see you next week!
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
hellloooo Easter Break!
So I am right now in an internet Cafe in Sydney with BECCA AND MOLLIE!! :) so exciting!! So I finished my 12 page presentation on Weds in my P.E. class to triumphantly head to Sydney to get the girls at the airport at 7:25am. I stayed at my friend Janie's apartment because she's right by the train station and that way I wouldn't have to wake up at 4:00 am to get a train to Sydney. Bec and Mollie arrived safely rambling about this and that...well more Becca because let's be honest, she talks more than any person and Mollie is just the side-cart girl (no offense Mollie...it's just a fact). We had a lovely breakfast and got phone cards so we could call Jean Marie and Big Dave - I didn't even try for Nana because she only spoke to me for maybe 30 seconds the last time I attempted and promptly said "Oh, that sounds important! Jean Marie, Brenna needs to tell you something important"...I knew I had lost her haha. But we're planning on doing some site seeings before Holy Thursday mass and then going to bed because the girls probably will hit a wall because of jet lag and we have an early morning wake-up to go off to the Hunter Valley for some wine tasting!! So this is just a quick update but hopefully I'll be able to post some more as we go abouts our travels! Happy Easter to everyone!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
The Other Part to the Story
I've realized that every time I post a blog, about an hour later I remember something that I'm like "shoot, I meant to put that in!" So, I'm here to update you on the forgotten stories from Adelaide. The first one I thought of was our Kangaroo Island catastrophe. So Kangaroo island is known for obviously kangaroos and I guess they aren't really the smartest of animals. On our way back to our "farm" where we were staying, our tour guide actually hit one on the road after it hopped out and then right back into traffic. Now I was unaware if you hit a kangaroo, you actually have to kill it. So here comes this cute little petite tour guide to the back of the bus where we were and I thought she was going to get out a gun. No, no...she reaches down and gets a hollow, metal pipe and was like "I'm sorry guys. I can't believe I have to do this, but I love animals way to much to let it suffer." So of course everyone on our tour bus stood up trying to get a good view. I however, turned around and got to watch everyone else's expressions which was actually kind of hilarious. Rolf next to me decided to get out his high tech camera and take continuous photos of it. But after several hits I guess, our guide moved it to the side of the road and we were on our way again. It definitely was a different kind of encounter with a kangaroo.
The second story I forgot to tell was how much I hate JetStar. JetStar is an airline that sells super cheap tickets but is also horrible at the same time. So all of us brought carry on lugguge so we didn't have to deal with checking anything and when I checked in to go back, I had to weigh my carry on items (this is something we didn't have to do on the plane ride there flying with Qantas) and it turns out I was 5kg over their limit (which is about 10 pounds). My carry on luggage was far smaller in width and length than several other peoples but because of the weight (I had bought a bottle of olive oil and tomato sauce at this delicious vendor in Central Market which together weighed about 5 pounds) I had to check a bag. Now, if I signed up to check a bag online with JetStar it's only $10. But if on the day of you find yourself in the pickle I was were you had to unexpectedly check a bag it costs you $80. WHAT!? How is that even reasonable. The woman wouldn't even let us take things out. Ah, it was so frustrating! So I got my nice little receipt and sent my bag off to the world of $80 checked bags. I don't think the total contents of my bag equaled $80 - but whatever, you roll with the punches and you deem JetStar the worst ever. I also found out yesterday that Becca, Mollie and my JetStar flight back to Sydney from Cairns decided to change it's schedule. We are now leaving 9 hours earlier!? I called them because in the email there was only an agree button - not a disagree one, and the man said he could only give me a refund - there were no other flights that day. I made up a story and said that we had a booked dive and weren't getting back until the afternoon and he apologized and said he couldn't do anything about the airline but give me a refund. By this time though, flight prices on other airlines are around $700 one way so it would be a waste of money to try and switch airlines to get a later flight out. Ah! They probably have in fine print somewhere that they're allowed to do that but I think that's a little meany-head of them. Honestly, they are not high in my books right now. But on a lighter note - Becca and Mollie arrive in two days - OH MAN TWO DAYS!! I'm super excited!!
The second story I forgot to tell was how much I hate JetStar. JetStar is an airline that sells super cheap tickets but is also horrible at the same time. So all of us brought carry on lugguge so we didn't have to deal with checking anything and when I checked in to go back, I had to weigh my carry on items (this is something we didn't have to do on the plane ride there flying with Qantas) and it turns out I was 5kg over their limit (which is about 10 pounds). My carry on luggage was far smaller in width and length than several other peoples but because of the weight (I had bought a bottle of olive oil and tomato sauce at this delicious vendor in Central Market which together weighed about 5 pounds) I had to check a bag. Now, if I signed up to check a bag online with JetStar it's only $10. But if on the day of you find yourself in the pickle I was were you had to unexpectedly check a bag it costs you $80. WHAT!? How is that even reasonable. The woman wouldn't even let us take things out. Ah, it was so frustrating! So I got my nice little receipt and sent my bag off to the world of $80 checked bags. I don't think the total contents of my bag equaled $80 - but whatever, you roll with the punches and you deem JetStar the worst ever. I also found out yesterday that Becca, Mollie and my JetStar flight back to Sydney from Cairns decided to change it's schedule. We are now leaving 9 hours earlier!? I called them because in the email there was only an agree button - not a disagree one, and the man said he could only give me a refund - there were no other flights that day. I made up a story and said that we had a booked dive and weren't getting back until the afternoon and he apologized and said he couldn't do anything about the airline but give me a refund. By this time though, flight prices on other airlines are around $700 one way so it would be a waste of money to try and switch airlines to get a later flight out. Ah! They probably have in fine print somewhere that they're allowed to do that but I think that's a little meany-head of them. Honestly, they are not high in my books right now. But on a lighter note - Becca and Mollie arrive in two days - OH MAN TWO DAYS!! I'm super excited!!
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Food is so yummy in my tummy!
This past weekend, a group of four of us (Nikolai my roommate, Nicole, and Rolf and myself) traveled to Adelaide which is the capital city of South Australia. It is also technically the food capital of Australia yum! Our travels to the airport however were ridiculous. We missed our train by just a minute and figured out that the next train was in an hour and a half. But we scanned down and figured out the stop next to us had a train going out in 10 minutes. So I stupidly said that we should buy our tickets because I read the sign wrong and figured we were picking the train up from the station we were already at. Once we had all bought our $20 dollar tickets, we read the sign again and figured out I was an idiot and we needed to get to the next station by walk/car in five minutes. We sprinted and caught a taxi which got us there ten minutes past the train. We then discovered that the next train would put us at the airport with 15 minutes to catch our plane - not so good. So we called a taxi because the one who brought us from the first to the next said he would drive us straight there for $25 each. We had already bought our train tickets so we thought that was ridiculous but now that was our only option. We called his company back and got a taxi. We asked the driver how much is was to the airport and it turned out that it's a flat rate of $180 because they can't work in Sydney so it would pay for their drive there and back. We were quite reluctant but it was our only option. But we got to the airport fine and started our adventure! We caught a bus from the airport and took it into the city. We ended up not knowing where to get off and took a little side trip into the suburban area of Adelaide before Rolf asked someone. Once we got turned around and found the right stop, it was a short walk to the hostel. We stayed at Cannon St. Backpackers which was almost like a college dorm. It had ping pong, a lively crowd, a bar and free apple pie at 8pm. We were able to book a four person room for $2 more a night so that worked out perfect. We grabbed some essentials and then were off to tour around and find dinner!
This was us on the bus from the Airport to the City - finally arrived!! Our trek to dinner was hilarious as Nicole and I were oogling over cute little cafes and restaurants with clean linen table clothes and little T-lights. The boys were totally fine going to McDonald's - ridiculous! So I told them that if we couldn't find anything, Nicole and I would go on a cute date of our own and leave the boys to their four dollar meal. We ended up finding this cool place call Woodshed that was rustic and most of all had kangaroo on the menu. Then the owner of the place next door convinced the boys that they served the best pasta in Adelaide - they were hooked and Nicole and I were left to eat at Pasta Palace - honestly, Pasta Palace!? haha but the gnocchi was actually pretty good and we got a decent sized house wine. But it was hard convincing Nikolai that Pasta Palace might not be your ideal spot to take a girl on a first date - although I will say the plaques on the wall were pretty spiffy! We went to bed on the early side because we had to be up at the crack of dawn for our Central Market tour with Adelaide food and wine tours. The Central Market was this big place with vendors and fresh produce, meat, bread, and cheeses. This is one of the pictures detailing the inside:
We met Helen our tour guide at 7:15am to have a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, warm croissants and fresh coffee (because I hate coffee I got a hot chocolate - it was amazing!). We then toured around and got to meet all different vendors and get samples of their food at most of the places. Helen was quite a chatter so she kept us super late. Rolf got a new camera lense so he was camera boy for the morning. Helen repeatedly asked him to send them to their company so they could add them to the website - so fun! I also had the best yogurt I have ever had at one of the vendors. It was 98% fat free and made with no sugar but instead sweetened with honey. We had the mixed berry kind and it was absolutley fabulous. It tasted like cheesecake but fresh and glorious and out of this world. This is us with Helen:
Afterwards, Helen realized she was really late for her second tour and she hadn't moved her car yet. She asked if any of us could move her car around the corner and up to the parking at the central market. I volunteered (I don't know what I was thinking because they drive on the other side of the road) so she gave me instructions we were off to hi-jack a car! We found it fine:
...But me being the idiot that I am started opening up the passenger side of the car because I was all excited to get in and drive I forgot it's reversed. Everyone else knew so they made me pose and take a picture and then decided to tell me I was stupid and needed to get on the other side. Oh goodness, I prayed I woulnd't do the same while driving. We parked the car however fine and now I can check off my list "drove an Australian car"! I still don't know what Helen was thinking but I'm totally okay with her trusting us and fulfilling one of my goals. We then walked around the city until our 1pm tour at Haigh's Chocolate Factory. The chocolate was so good and everything is hand made and the factory looks just like willy wonka's - so cool to watch. This is us in front of the sign:
We then decided to do some shopping. Nikolai and I tried on some sweet Akubra hots. I'm still a little upset I didn't buy this one - it was beautiful. I also would look ridiculous any other time then at like a rodeo or hunting crocodiles but hey, that happens on a frequent basis...
We then decided for dinner we would go back to the central market and get all the fixings for a picnic on Victoria Square which is this beautiful grass plaza in the city. We bought bread and then I got feta, sun dried tomatoes, hard salami, kalmata olives, brie, avocado, grapes and a big bucket of mixed berry yogurt! It was unbelievable. Everything was so fresh and delicious. I would break my bread into chunks and have different combinations of everything. One of my favorites was brie, sundried tomatoes, avocado and a little feta. Uh, my mouth is watering just thinking how glorious that event was. This was our lay out:
Our next adventure started the next day at 6:15 am when we were picked up from our hostel to tour Kangaroo Island. It took 2 hours to get to the ferry and then a 40 minute ferry over. Our first stop was Pennington Bay which was absolutley breath-taking. The water was so clear and turquoise with perfect surf. We only had time to walk around a bit but the sand was so fine and soft and the rocks were awesome as well. Nicole and Nikolai made it all the way up the top:
This was the view of Pennington Bay:
We then went to the farm where we were staying, grabbed some lunch and went on to the next stop - a bird show. Nicole got to get up and hold some Kookaburras on her arm:
We then bee-bopped over to see some fur seals. You can't see the seals in the background but this is us in the caves with seals in the background haha:
We then went to the Remarkable Rocks which I don't actually know why they are remarkable but they were pretty fun to jump around. We didn't know what to do with just looking at rocks for 45 minutes so we started taking random photos. We have one with self-timer and ones looking like someone is getting pushed off the rocks. Jumping pictures as well peekaboo shots were taken - it was fun to play photographer. This is one of our more creative ones - can you find all four of us?:
We then went to the beach for the rest of the day and snorkeled a little bit. At night we trekked out to go see the little penguins come back from fishing all day. Because they have very sensitive eyes, we weren't allowed to take pictures but we did get to see several of them which were super cute. The stars were actually one of the most amazing sites - you could see the milky way and everything. The next day we went to see the Sea Lions down at a Conservatory where only guided tours can go and see the seals. We got to be about ten feet from them and watch them interact in the wild - this one kept on following us - looks just like a little puppy!:
We then were off to sand board - this is Rolf on the way to the dunes. It was one of my more creative photos I took so I wanted to add it to the blog:
The Dunes:
So you get this sled like sandboard and go right down these huge dunes. I bit it hard my first go and have it on video. Five dollars to see it...just kidding...but really it was bad. The good part is, it doesn't hurt, you just get sand everywhere. All of us did a couple runs but lagging up and down the dune was quite a difficult and by the time you get to the top you're exhausted. This was all of us on the top:
We then packed up and went to the beach for a couple hours. The boogie boarding was great and the sun was beautiful. We had gorgeous weather and it was absolutley fabulous. I was glad to get back and get some rest but traveling I've decided is awesome.
This was us on the bus from the Airport to the City - finally arrived!! Our trek to dinner was hilarious as Nicole and I were oogling over cute little cafes and restaurants with clean linen table clothes and little T-lights. The boys were totally fine going to McDonald's - ridiculous! So I told them that if we couldn't find anything, Nicole and I would go on a cute date of our own and leave the boys to their four dollar meal. We ended up finding this cool place call Woodshed that was rustic and most of all had kangaroo on the menu. Then the owner of the place next door convinced the boys that they served the best pasta in Adelaide - they were hooked and Nicole and I were left to eat at Pasta Palace - honestly, Pasta Palace!? haha but the gnocchi was actually pretty good and we got a decent sized house wine. But it was hard convincing Nikolai that Pasta Palace might not be your ideal spot to take a girl on a first date - although I will say the plaques on the wall were pretty spiffy! We went to bed on the early side because we had to be up at the crack of dawn for our Central Market tour with Adelaide food and wine tours. The Central Market was this big place with vendors and fresh produce, meat, bread, and cheeses. This is one of the pictures detailing the inside:
We met Helen our tour guide at 7:15am to have a delicious breakfast of fresh fruit, warm croissants and fresh coffee (because I hate coffee I got a hot chocolate - it was amazing!). We then toured around and got to meet all different vendors and get samples of their food at most of the places. Helen was quite a chatter so she kept us super late. Rolf got a new camera lense so he was camera boy for the morning. Helen repeatedly asked him to send them to their company so they could add them to the website - so fun! I also had the best yogurt I have ever had at one of the vendors. It was 98% fat free and made with no sugar but instead sweetened with honey. We had the mixed berry kind and it was absolutley fabulous. It tasted like cheesecake but fresh and glorious and out of this world. This is us with Helen:
Afterwards, Helen realized she was really late for her second tour and she hadn't moved her car yet. She asked if any of us could move her car around the corner and up to the parking at the central market. I volunteered (I don't know what I was thinking because they drive on the other side of the road) so she gave me instructions we were off to hi-jack a car! We found it fine:
...But me being the idiot that I am started opening up the passenger side of the car because I was all excited to get in and drive I forgot it's reversed. Everyone else knew so they made me pose and take a picture and then decided to tell me I was stupid and needed to get on the other side. Oh goodness, I prayed I woulnd't do the same while driving. We parked the car however fine and now I can check off my list "drove an Australian car"! I still don't know what Helen was thinking but I'm totally okay with her trusting us and fulfilling one of my goals. We then walked around the city until our 1pm tour at Haigh's Chocolate Factory. The chocolate was so good and everything is hand made and the factory looks just like willy wonka's - so cool to watch. This is us in front of the sign:
We then decided to do some shopping. Nikolai and I tried on some sweet Akubra hots. I'm still a little upset I didn't buy this one - it was beautiful. I also would look ridiculous any other time then at like a rodeo or hunting crocodiles but hey, that happens on a frequent basis...
We then decided for dinner we would go back to the central market and get all the fixings for a picnic on Victoria Square which is this beautiful grass plaza in the city. We bought bread and then I got feta, sun dried tomatoes, hard salami, kalmata olives, brie, avocado, grapes and a big bucket of mixed berry yogurt! It was unbelievable. Everything was so fresh and delicious. I would break my bread into chunks and have different combinations of everything. One of my favorites was brie, sundried tomatoes, avocado and a little feta. Uh, my mouth is watering just thinking how glorious that event was. This was our lay out:
Our next adventure started the next day at 6:15 am when we were picked up from our hostel to tour Kangaroo Island. It took 2 hours to get to the ferry and then a 40 minute ferry over. Our first stop was Pennington Bay which was absolutley breath-taking. The water was so clear and turquoise with perfect surf. We only had time to walk around a bit but the sand was so fine and soft and the rocks were awesome as well. Nicole and Nikolai made it all the way up the top:
This was the view of Pennington Bay:
We then went to the farm where we were staying, grabbed some lunch and went on to the next stop - a bird show. Nicole got to get up and hold some Kookaburras on her arm:
We then bee-bopped over to see some fur seals. You can't see the seals in the background but this is us in the caves with seals in the background haha:
We then went to the Remarkable Rocks which I don't actually know why they are remarkable but they were pretty fun to jump around. We didn't know what to do with just looking at rocks for 45 minutes so we started taking random photos. We have one with self-timer and ones looking like someone is getting pushed off the rocks. Jumping pictures as well peekaboo shots were taken - it was fun to play photographer. This is one of our more creative ones - can you find all four of us?:
We then went to the beach for the rest of the day and snorkeled a little bit. At night we trekked out to go see the little penguins come back from fishing all day. Because they have very sensitive eyes, we weren't allowed to take pictures but we did get to see several of them which were super cute. The stars were actually one of the most amazing sites - you could see the milky way and everything. The next day we went to see the Sea Lions down at a Conservatory where only guided tours can go and see the seals. We got to be about ten feet from them and watch them interact in the wild - this one kept on following us - looks just like a little puppy!:
We then were off to sand board - this is Rolf on the way to the dunes. It was one of my more creative photos I took so I wanted to add it to the blog:
The Dunes:
So you get this sled like sandboard and go right down these huge dunes. I bit it hard my first go and have it on video. Five dollars to see it...just kidding...but really it was bad. The good part is, it doesn't hurt, you just get sand everywhere. All of us did a couple runs but lagging up and down the dune was quite a difficult and by the time you get to the top you're exhausted. This was all of us on the top:
We then packed up and went to the beach for a couple hours. The boogie boarding was great and the sun was beautiful. We had gorgeous weather and it was absolutley fabulous. I was glad to get back and get some rest but traveling I've decided is awesome.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Hello everyone! I just wanted to give you an update on things! School is going well - I'm in the middle of my five hour break at Uni and I have just gotten done three assignments in the library so this was my break for being so deligent! I guess I haven't really shared my class schedule so this is what I do on a weekly basis:
Monday: 8:30-9:30 Aboriginal Studies Lecture (super boring and basically pointless, I still go to it though so I can do homework in the library after)
12:30-1:30 - Scripture and Prayer (this is at the Catholic Society chaplaincy. It's a great way for me to take a break out of my day and we pick one scripture from the Bible and go into it a little ending in prayer
Tuesday: 8:30-9:30 Learner's With Exceptional Needs Tutorial (Just like a recitation at home except this one is broken up into all P.E. students which is awesome because then we can do things that are specifically applicable to P.E.)
2:30-3:30: PASS class for Australian Studies (this is basically like extra help but I think you secretly get extra credit for going to this. It's with students who have taken the class before and statistically those that attend this get 15 points higher a semester - banging!)
3:30-5:30 Australian Studies Lecture
5:30-6:30 Australian Studies Tutorial (This ends my streak of Australian studies ridiculousness. I would probably space out in this tutorial but my tutor is the lecturer so it's a little more intense but she is actually really nice and super interesting so I'm okay with it)
Wednesday: 10:30-11:30 Net/Court Games (this is one part to my Skill Analysis class but it's awesome because he goes over how you modify the class while still challenging students. Very hands on in-depth P.E. class)
12:30-1:30 Daily Mass with Catholic Society
1:30-2:30 Target Games (Part two of skill analysis, another awesome class of application with education)
3:30-5:30 Aboriginal Studies Tutorial (this class is "Death Class". It's two hours with a ridiculous tutorial woman who nervously laughs all the time and doesn't really answer questions. We also have a 68 year old man named "Marve" in class who has hearing aids so he talks in an outdoor voice and always interrupts the tutor. We also have a girl that asks questions at the very end of class keeping us after for a good five minutes when we didn't think 2 hours could ever go slower. I cringe thinking about this class)
Thursday: 1:30-3:30 Learner's with Exceptional Needs Lecture (this would be bad because it's my only class on thursday but the professor is super awesome and I really enjoy the lecture)
Friday: 1:30-3:30 Aquatics - I haven't had this one yet but I'm excited to see except our big assignment in this class seems impossible so that will be interesting to do haha
I also was quite a risk taker this week and myself and three others just decided to book flights to the Adelaide which is the food capital of Australia - we leave thursday haha. I still can't believe I'm going so soon - man that's in two days! But I'm quite excited because we are doing a two day tour on Kangaroo Island so that should be outstanding! We are also doing a Haigh's Chocolate factory tour and a tour of central market with food and wine tours of adelaide so I'm excited to eat...yessss! I just now have to play catch up so I can get work done prior to leaving because I know I won't do it there and I dont' want it all in my face when I get back so I am being very studious! But I am really excited and can't wait to Blog about it once I get back! Also Becca and Mollie come in two weeks - DYING!! soooo crazy!!
Monday: 8:30-9:30 Aboriginal Studies Lecture (super boring and basically pointless, I still go to it though so I can do homework in the library after)
12:30-1:30 - Scripture and Prayer (this is at the Catholic Society chaplaincy. It's a great way for me to take a break out of my day and we pick one scripture from the Bible and go into it a little ending in prayer
Tuesday: 8:30-9:30 Learner's With Exceptional Needs Tutorial (Just like a recitation at home except this one is broken up into all P.E. students which is awesome because then we can do things that are specifically applicable to P.E.)
2:30-3:30: PASS class for Australian Studies (this is basically like extra help but I think you secretly get extra credit for going to this. It's with students who have taken the class before and statistically those that attend this get 15 points higher a semester - banging!)
3:30-5:30 Australian Studies Lecture
5:30-6:30 Australian Studies Tutorial (This ends my streak of Australian studies ridiculousness. I would probably space out in this tutorial but my tutor is the lecturer so it's a little more intense but she is actually really nice and super interesting so I'm okay with it)
Wednesday: 10:30-11:30 Net/Court Games (this is one part to my Skill Analysis class but it's awesome because he goes over how you modify the class while still challenging students. Very hands on in-depth P.E. class)
12:30-1:30 Daily Mass with Catholic Society
1:30-2:30 Target Games (Part two of skill analysis, another awesome class of application with education)
3:30-5:30 Aboriginal Studies Tutorial (this class is "Death Class". It's two hours with a ridiculous tutorial woman who nervously laughs all the time and doesn't really answer questions. We also have a 68 year old man named "Marve" in class who has hearing aids so he talks in an outdoor voice and always interrupts the tutor. We also have a girl that asks questions at the very end of class keeping us after for a good five minutes when we didn't think 2 hours could ever go slower. I cringe thinking about this class)
Thursday: 1:30-3:30 Learner's with Exceptional Needs Lecture (this would be bad because it's my only class on thursday but the professor is super awesome and I really enjoy the lecture)
Friday: 1:30-3:30 Aquatics - I haven't had this one yet but I'm excited to see except our big assignment in this class seems impossible so that will be interesting to do haha
I also was quite a risk taker this week and myself and three others just decided to book flights to the Adelaide which is the food capital of Australia - we leave thursday haha. I still can't believe I'm going so soon - man that's in two days! But I'm quite excited because we are doing a two day tour on Kangaroo Island so that should be outstanding! We are also doing a Haigh's Chocolate factory tour and a tour of central market with food and wine tours of adelaide so I'm excited to eat...yessss! I just now have to play catch up so I can get work done prior to leaving because I know I won't do it there and I dont' want it all in my face when I get back so I am being very studious! But I am really excited and can't wait to Blog about it once I get back! Also Becca and Mollie come in two weeks - DYING!! soooo crazy!!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
kangaroos plus wine equals a VERY good day!
This past Friday, my friend Amanda (from Pennsylvania, lives on Campus East with me!) and I attended a Hunter Valley wine tour. We had to catch the train to Sydney and be at the University of New South Wales at 8:00 so that meant a very early morning. We woke up at 4:30am to walk to the train to catch the 5:30. Once we were in Sydney we scrambled to get a taxi and make it to the Uni which we did with one minute to spare. Our first stop was the reptile park where we got to see koalas and feed kangaroos in the open park. Amanda and I had contests to see who could get the best kangaroo picture - she won...it was ridiculous. We then ventured out to the Hunter Valley which is about two hours north of Sydney where we visited four wineries and had a grand time! The first was golden grape where we tried six different wines - one being something called "dragon's breath". It was butterscotch schnapps with rosemary and chili peppers. The shot was so firey but so good!! I decided to buy a whole bottle for a family occasion because this will blow limoncello out of the water! The next winery was a bigger, more proper wine taste with a cheese sample in between glasses - delicious. Amanda and I decided to get a "break" wine so we could drink on the bus while going from one place to another. The third winery was McGuigan's where we had a whole range of different wines in a very fun little wine glass (which I hid in my purse and now is displayed on my dresser) Our last stop was at Dr.Jurd's jungle juice where we got to sample it at this very hick bar. There happened to be a wedding reception at the same time so it was interesting when 50 quite tipsy/drunk wine tourers got off the bus and basically crashed this ridiculous wedding. They left pretty soon after we got there -whoops! But it was a great day to go and explore one of the wine capitals of Australia!
I got a little up close and personal with this guy - we're totally pals now
Feeding kangaroos - AMAZING
Amanda and I at the last wine tasting - how great are those cute little cups!
A whole day of wine tasting + a camera = self explanatory. haha but there actually was a story behind this...we were doing a photo shoot with different "themed" faces and for one of them I shouted - "Face just after white water rafting!" And this was the after photo when we processed the actual theme and figured out it was ridiculous. Whatever...I thought it was good.
This is me with a koala!! They are suuuper cute!
I got a little up close and personal with this guy - we're totally pals now
Feeding kangaroos - AMAZING
This was the rack of the smaller bottles of dragon's breath - ooo spicy!
This was at the Lindamen's wine tasting. These were all the samples we tried with lovely cheese and crackers - put food in front of people who have been drinking and they become ravenous
Amanda and I at the last wine tasting - how great are those cute little cups!
A whole day of wine tasting + a camera = self explanatory. haha but there actually was a story behind this...we were doing a photo shoot with different "themed" faces and for one of them I shouted - "Face just after white water rafting!" And this was the after photo when we processed the actual theme and figured out it was ridiculous. Whatever...I thought it was good.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Picture Upload!
So I decided to upload some more pictures because it is frustrating me so much that facebook won't let me upload any of them online. These are some pictures of the Bateman's Bay adventure! Also new fun fact update - one of the fashion trends here is Aladdin Pants. No joke, they are sequined or flowy colors and big and baggy and then end at your ankle in a tight elastic. Very interesting. I was not a fan at first but now I see them everywhere and I think it would be kind of fun to have Aladdin pants - I can just hear Michaela's comments already!
These were the wild kangaroos we came across in the wild. My friend Amanda got surprisingly close before they all noticed her and hopped off on their merry way!
Another kangaroo but this one had a JOEY! ahhh!! so cute! I couldn't get over it!
This was the beach before we went down and had a beach walk. It was such beautiful sand with awesome little coves to find little creatures in.
This was the sign on the framed picture of Princess Diana in the room I slept in - I know - unreal.
The boys - Adam and Pat with their weapons and wetsuits before going out on their epic fisherman adventure.
The boys and the fish they "speared"...We all got to watch them gut and clean them and then we got to eat them...mmm so tasty!! I should hire boys to hunt for my food all the time!
These were the wild kangaroos we came across in the wild. My friend Amanda got surprisingly close before they all noticed her and hopped off on their merry way!
Another kangaroo but this one had a JOEY! ahhh!! so cute! I couldn't get over it!
This was the beach before we went down and had a beach walk. It was such beautiful sand with awesome little coves to find little creatures in.
This was the sign on the framed picture of Princess Diana in the room I slept in - I know - unreal.
The boys - Adam and Pat with their weapons and wetsuits before going out on their epic fisherman adventure.
The boys and the fish they "speared"...We all got to watch them gut and clean them and then we got to eat them...mmm so tasty!! I should hire boys to hunt for my food all the time!
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