So Spontaneous

Finally...something good to write about! Well, it's been a GREAT weekend. It started out with the idea that we needed to start traveling. Although Sydney has been amazing, we wanted to get out and see more of what Australia has to offer. A few weekends ago I contacted a realtor in the Jervis Bay area because we were going to go down but it never worked out. I sent him an e-mail Thursday afternoon asking him if he had any properties available (people rent bungalows and cottages instead of staying in hotels down there) and he had one left on a lake in Sanctuary Point. We said we'd take it, went to the travel agent, booked bus tickets, and were on our way! But first, I had a great night out Thursday with my friend Kara from IU and our friend Sam (she knows Julie and Elysa) from GW. We went to this place downtown called Captain Torres. It was a Spanish Restaurant/Tapas Bar and we had a great meal: chicken chorizo, a huge plate of fresh seafood, garlic prawns, arroz con leche, and of course Sangria. After dinner we took the train into North Sydney to an area called Greenwood. We went to the Greenwood Hotel which was so much fun. The bar was in the shape of a "U". The "U" was made up of a bunch of different rooms that all had bars in them and each room played different music. Outside was a huge dance floor...it still gets us every time to watch the Aussies dance...very different than Americans.

We woke up at about 7am Friday morning and took the train from Bondi Junction to Central Station. We took a bus from there to a town called Nowra which took about 3 hrs. Then we caught another bus to our cottage in the Jervis Bay Area (our town was Sanctuary Point). It was so picturesque. Our cottage was on a gorgeous lake - so peaceful and serene.

We called a cab and took it to the Hyams Beach area, about 10 min from our cottage. We were all famished so we stopped at the one cafe in the area and got roasted veggie frittatas, Greek Salad, and antipasto...soo good. From there, we walked down the road to Hyams Beach which has the whitest sand in the world! It was gorgeous, but very windy, and when the wind blew the fine sand felt like needles on our skin...ouch. We moved down to where the sand was more compact and stayed for a while. We went back to the house and ordered in dinner and just hung out. My friend Rob from camp lives in Ulladullah which is 20 min south of where we were staying and he came over to chill with us. It was great seeing him after 2 years.

So have you ever heard the old Aussie song "Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree" let alone experienced their vocal chords? Well, the Kookaburra, also known as the Laughing Jackass, has, according to dictionary.com, a loud, harsh cry that resembles laughter. Lets just say, at 6am when you hear this noise, it sounds like you are being attacked by wild monkeys. Bryn and I were in a dead sleep when these obnoxious birds started LAUGHING...seriously. It was unlike anything we'd ever heard. We honestly thought they were crazy monkeys that were going to jump in our room through the open windows and attack us...we were terrified but it was hilarious. Ok, maybe it will be funnier if your do this: click on this link Kookaburra, play the sound link on the page, and imagine you are in a dead sleep in the middle of nowhere...let me know what you think.

Anyways, the next morning, after recovering from our living nightmare, we made eggs and pancakes and took off for the beach. We attempted to go to Caves Beach, but after a 40 minute drive through the National Park, only to arrive at a private beach we couldn't stay at, we decided just to go to Huskisson Beach which was closer to where we were staying (Huskisson is the main town in Jervis Bay). It was a little overcast but still a nice day. We walked into town from the beach and it started to rain so we went back to the cottage for dinner. Rob came over again and we had our first Aussie Barbie. We grilled Chicken, Corn, and had an assortment of Tooheys, Carlton, and Boxed Wine...classy. It was a lot of fun but too gross outside to go out so we took it easy again and just hung out at the cottage...it was a nice break from dressing up and going out in the city.

We took a bus back to Sydney this morning. It was a long travel day but after a great weekend it's nice to be back. Australia had daylight savings time last night so now we're 14 hrs ahead of Miami. After checking our e-mail and Facebook we decided to go to the grocery store and I made dinner for everyone. The Australians are known for their Sweet Chili Sauce. They put it on almost everything...it's like their Ketchup. Rob gave us the idea of making a Sweet Chili Chicken Pizza so I took wholemeal flat bread, put a on a Sweet Chili Sauce Base, and topped it with spinach, roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, cheese, mushrooms, and grilled chicken. Definitely a recipe I'll be bringing back to the states. We had a big salad and I also grilled eggplant and rolled it up with rolled sun-dried tomatoes, basil, and bocconcini. Everything was soooooo good! Now we're just hanging out. I'm going to read a little for school and go to bed early. My knee is healing really nicely but sadly, it looks like I'll be coming home early to have surgery this summer. So upset the fam will not be able to visit me in Australia, but one day we'll all come back together. Hope everything is good at home. Congrats on initiation Phisters! Keep in touch! Until next time...Cheers :)


An old pic from Leslie's 21st (Bryn, Les, and Me)

Our Lakeside Cottage in Jervis Bay!

The Whitest Sand in the World

Attempting to Be Artistic

Waste of Space

Well, I haven't written because I haven't really done anything exciting. My past week has consisted of going back and forth to school, the doctor, and physical therapy...fun right? My knee is healing slowly but surely. The swelling has gone down a lot, good thing it doesn't look like a bowling ball anymore, and it's starting to bruise. The doctor said I chipped the bone when I fell...awesome. Hopefully that won't make the healing process much longer. I had an MRI today to check for further damage and I'm going back to the doctor on Tuesday to get the results. My physio (physical therapist) is great. He's doing acupuncture which is really cool/weird. One day at a time. I'll be sure to keep everyone posted.

Last Friday we went to see a 'Moonlight Movie' in Centennial Park which was a lot of fun. We brought food and picnicked on the lawn. They showed The Holiday which I still hadn't seen. I loved it and would recommend it to everyone! It was such a nice night and there were so many stars in the sky...absolutely gorgeous. We went to the beach on Saturday and Sunday, knee brace and all. There's a grassy patch behind the sand and my friends were nice enough to lay out on that with me so I wouldn't have to attempt walking on the sand. We went back to Bondi Market on Sunday, didn't buy anything but always a good time.

School's going well. I'm starting my first research assignment this week. We have to go out to a place we haven't been yet in Sydney and basically journal it major detail. We'll see how it goes. My lectures have been interesting and the tutorials are very interactive. It's not the norm for everyone to go to Uni (university) after high school here, so the kids that are at Uni are very eager to learn. Not saying it's not like that in the states, but it's almost assumed that after high school we go to college. Here, the students make a true effort to be involved in the classroom because they are choosing to be there and really want to make a name for themselves. I met one girl in my gender studies class who commutes 2 and a half hours each way to school 4 days a week...crazyyy. No one is afraid to start a discussion whether it pertains to the topic or not, and the teachers don't expect you to raise your hand. I actually had one teacher say to an American kid in one of my classes "I already told you twice, you don't need to raise your hand." Poor kid. He was just trying to be polite :)

I booked Spring Break which is exciting. Me and my friend Bryn are going to go to New Zealand for 10 days (Thailand was sadly voted out but I'm definitely excited about this trip). We're flying from Sydney to Christchurch (in the South Island of NZ), and doing a 6 day organized trip of the South Island. I hope I'll be able to hike Fox Glacier! When I told my physio that I needed to be well enough to do that in 3 weeks he almost had a heart attack, but told me he'd try his best to make it happen. After the tour is over, we're going to fly from Christchurch (the tour ends there) to Auckland (in the North Island) and spend 4 days there. I have a few camp friends up there so right now we're planning on staying with them for a couple of days and maybe getting a hotel for a couple of nights. We're gonna play it by ear. Should be a lot of fun!

Well, I'm gonna go to bed. All of the roomies are out on the town, sad, but hopefully I'll be getting back into it soon. Hope everyone is doing well and all my friends in the states had a great and safe Spring Break! Can't wait to hear stories :) Keep in touch! Until next time...Cheers :)

A Dislocated Knee and a Fabulous Dinner...Thank You Leslie's Parents

Yes, I managed to dislocate my knee in Aussie Land. The night started off great. We found Jack Bauer on Channel 5 at 10:30pm (up to date) but before he came on there was an amazing fireworks show over the harbour. They're celebrating the bridge's 75th anniversary and there are all of these events going on. The fireworks lasted about 10 minutes. They were hugeee and very colorful. Leslie said they were in honor of her 21st which began at midnight.

So we got ready, we all looked so cute in our dresses, and walked over to The Eastern, a very trendy bar in Bondi Junction. The music was great, the people were beautiful, and the floor was very slippery. While walking from one side of the bar to the other, I didn't see a large puddle of some sort of liquid because it was so dark and next thing I knew I was laying on the floor with my knee cap on the side of my leg (sorry for being graphic) screaming Leslie's name over the blaring music. Without any hesitation I decided to pop it in myself cause I was in so much pain and then a few guys tried to help me up. As I attempted to stand, my knee decided to pop out again. The bouncers (who were very helpful) called an ambulance and carried me over to a bench by the elevators (we were on the 2nd floor). 5 minutes with your knee cap on the side of your leg seems like an eternity. Finally the paramedics arrived and told me they were going to take me to the hospital so I can be seen by and doctor and he would pop it back into place. I replied with "WHAT?!? You're not going to do it here??? Do you KNOW how BADLY this hurts???" Blake, my new paramedic friend, said that they weren't authorized to do it and it had to be done by the doctor. I said, "NO WAY I'm not waiting any longer", took a deep breath, squeezed the life out of Blake's hand, and popped it back in. After a few loud screams and a few deep breaths, they lifted me up onto a stretcher and wheeled me out of the club...humiliating and amusing at the same time.

After a 5 minute drive in the ambulance to the hospital, 4 hours in the emergency room, 3 painkillers, 2 x-rays, a pair of crutches, a knee brace, and a cute young Irish doctor named Tim, I was in a cab on my way back home. I had sent my roommates home from the hospital at around 2:30 cause there was nothing else they could do but they were absolutely great. Just showed me, even more, how amazing my friends are here. Happy Birthday Les...

I decided going to school probably wasn't the best idea, so I spent the day in bed, taking Advil, and icing my knee. There was no way in the world I was missing Leslie's birthday dinner, so I took a shower (that was an experience given the size of our shower here) and got ready. I wore a long cotton dress to disguise the knee brace, and we were off to Circular Quay to one of the most amazing restaurants in Sydney called Wildfire. The restaurant was GORGEOUS and the food was amazing. Heidi and I split lobster (thank you Leslie's parents) and we got an amazing Snickers Souffle with embarrassing sparklers in it and sang Happy Birthday to the birthday girl. I decided not to go out and took a cab home with my roommate Lindsay. Her best friend from home Jamie came in from Brisbane late last night. After a disc of Sex and the City I went to bed.

Today hasn't been very exciting, but I was able to catch up on the Lost episodes I've missed on iTunes. Tonight we're going to go to a movie in the park downtown which should be fun and relaxing...they're showing The Holiday which I still haven't seen...yay! I'm going to a doctor on Tuesday and hopefully I'll get everything sorted out. Life could be worse right? Hey, I am in Australia. Until next time...cheers :)

Pictures Posted

Hey everyone!

Just wanted to let you know that I posted the pictures from the Wine Tour and Mardi Gras. Click on this link to view them: Hunter Valley and Mardi Gras. If you still haven't seen the last album I posted, there is a link at the bottom of the slideshow that says "Browse all albums (2)". Click on that then scroll down and you'll see the other album (or you can just go to the Feb 28th post where the link is) Enjoy!!!

Cheers :)

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

What a great weekend. We stayed in Friday night after a fun day in the Hunter Valley and woke up early on Saturday morning. Les and I went to the gym then all of us went down to the beach for what was probably the most beautiful day we've had since we've been here! It wasn't too hot and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. The water was gorgeous and the beach was PACKED with so many people and surfers everywhere! We came back at around 5 o'clock and got ready to go downtown for Mardi Gras.

The roads were closed off so the cab driver had to drop us off about 3 blocks away from the end of the parade. The parade started around 8 and went til about 9:30. Apparently there were almost a million people on the street, I believe it, making it the largest gay and lesbian event in the world...yes, it was gay Mardi Gras. Drag Queens and people dressed up everywhere...definitely an experience. It was hard to see the actual parade path because there were so many people, but we got a couple of decent glimpses along the way down Oxford Street. We found our way to The Gaff and once again, Leslie's friend Ash got us in and hooked us up with bracelets and stuff. We had dinner there and hung around for a little while. After trying to hunt down a cab for about 30 min, we finally got one and took it down to the Harbour. We went to Bungalow 8 for about an hour. Les bumped into a few of her friends from home which she was super excited about.

We slept in on Sunday and me, Les, and Bryn went to the Cosmo cafe in Bondi Junction for a great brunch...omelettes and stuff. The weather here is just like it is at home...raining one minute then full-on sunshine the next. We were sitting outside for brunch in the overcast weather and after 15 minutes we had to move because the sun came out and it got so hot. We decided to go down to Bondi Beach because they have a market every Sunday until 5pm. It was super cute...all designers that aren't big enough to have their own stores but have booths where they sell their merchandise. I bought a couple of cute necklaces from this really nice jewelry designer and Les bought a cute bathing suit cover up. The fashion here is trendy/punky. Everyone's doing the skinny leg jean with converse or adorable sundresses and strappy sandals...sooo cute it's hard not to buy everything.

After the beach we stopped by the grocery store and made dinner at home. At around 9 o'clock there was a huge thunder/lightening storm. We decided it wouldn't be such a smart idea to go out so we just hung out in the living room watching TV and the light show outside. I had school today, 1 lecture and 2 tutorials. They were ok. My Australian history class seems like it's gonna be a bit challenging. I'm happy we don't have a final, but not happy about the 12 page double spaced paper I have to write at the end of the semester...yuck. I don't have class tomorrow but I do on Wednesday and Thursday. Leslie's 21st birthday is on Thursday so we've been planning things to do and places to go. She's really excited and we're definitely gonna make it a lot of fun :) I'm going to try and post new pics from this weekend tonight, so look out for them. Love to everyone...cheers :)

"An Orgy for All of the Senses: Wine, Chocolate, and Cheese for Everyone" - Steve the Tourguide

Today was an INCREDIBLE day. We decided to get out of Sydney, so we went on a wine tour in the Hunter Valley Wine Region of New South Wales. The day started early...6:15am to be exact. Our tour guide Steve, who described the day to us as "an orgy of the senses", picked us up at 7:15am right down the street from our apartment building. We drove about an hour and a half outside of Sydney to the Australian Reptile Park. We got to see some more Koalas, Kangaroos, Snakes, Spiders, a Platypus, and some other native Australian animals. Can't get enough of those Koalas :)

We were at the reptile park for about an hour, and then we drove another hour and a half to our first winery: Tulloch. It was one of the prettiest ones we saw and we tasted some great wines (and learned a lot about the wines and the region). After that, we went into the village of Hunter Valley for a great lunch (there were about 20 of us in the group). We walked around the shops in the village for a little--it reminded me of a small town in North Carolina or New Hampshire, filled with cute wine, chocolate, and coffee shops.

Our next stop was Drayton's Family Wines. It was our least favorite of all the stops, but we did find a bottle of Riesling that we all liked and bought a couple of bottles for the apartment. We had a cheese tasting there too which was great. There are cows that graze around a lot of the vineyards.

After that we went to "the world famous" Lindemans which was a beautiful cellar door (that's what they call it when they just sell the wines where the vineyards are --- no actual production goes on there). Their grounds were gorgeous and their wines very tasty. It was cool to go to the cellar door of such a large producer of wines.

Our last stop was Ivanhoe Wines, my other favorite next to Tulloch. From the outside it looked like a gorgeous two story blue, white, and yellow, house with a wrap around porch. The whole first floor was where they had their retail shop, and the basement was where the tasting was. They grow all their grapes on their property (over 50 acres). It was absolutely gorgeous.

After a long 3+ hour ride back (traffic was awful) we finally got to the Junction and went out to dinner. We're all just sitting around watching Love Actually on TV debating whether or not to go out or go to sleep. Big day tomorrow with Mardi Gras which we're super excited about. Check out some of the pictures from today that I posted below. Until next time...cheers :)

can't get enough...

Lindemans

Vineyards

Ivanhoe

Heidi, Les, Bryn, Me, and Leah at Ivanhoe