October 28-31

My night in Byron Bay was pretty uneventful and the next morning I went to this yoga class I found that was in a room that overlooked the beach. But the class ended up being all meditation/breathing stuff that I would have gotten more exercise from if I had stayed in bed, so I left early. I went for a stroll on the beach and then up to a lighthouse/lookout that had neat views, before getting in my car to carry on down the coast. I drove from Byron Bay to Coffs Harbour, another sleepy beach town. I liked it, and the hostel I stayed in was refreshingly friendly. I met this nice German girl who is here fruit picking. I am so glad that Sydnee's plan for us to work our way around Australia by fruit picking didn't work out. I don't think I'm cut out for migrant labor. The day I woke up in Coffs Harbour was Sunday and I went to Coffs Harbour Baptist Church. It was tiny and the median age as in the 50s or 60s, but it was a nice church. The drive has been very scenic, but, other than driving on the other side of the road, I'm feeling more and more like there is very little difference in here and America. Other than how un-populated everywhere is. There is so much land without people living on it. From Coff's I went to Newcastle. Jennifer Hawkins, Miss Universe, is from there. It is the biggest city I've come to since Brisbane with over 300,000 people. It was once a very industrial city, but I thought it was pretty nice. It seems like some areas have become a bit run-down. I stayed at the coolest hostel there, it is in a huge historic building and was very nice and very big. It was right by the beach and there is this neat walk way that someone built like a mile out into the water for viewing and fishing purposes (I guess). When I left Newcastle I drove to Gentry's to surprise her and her roommates that I had a car. They live about a mile from the church and the store (and none have a car) so if they want to go anywhere they have to walk there and back. And if they want to go to the nearest town they have to rely on public transportation; having stayed with them I know how that can get old, so I was excited to be able to offer a shuttle service where ever they wanted to go for the next 24 hours. We all piled in and went to the mall when I arrived. Then I dropped some of them off at church and Gentry and I went to the grocery store to buy stuff to cook dinner with for everyone. We had a fun girls night and this morning I just got back from dropping them all off at school. I need to go for a run, shower, pack up and drive to Sydney to return the car, so I'm off for now. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT IS MY LAST WEEK ON THIS TRIP!!!

October 26, 27

After yoga and checking out of the Asian place, I went and picked up my rental car!!! I am renting a car for a 5-day drive from Brisbane to Sydney (I'm doing it in 5 days, but if I did it all at once it would be an 11-hour drive). Okay, if having not driven in over four months wasn't bad enough, I am now driving on the other side of the road!!! Now, I know that it isn't rocket science, but it isn't easy! I'd say I am a very confident driver, I like driving and I'm very comfortable with driving under most conditions, but this was a stretch for me! It helps a lot that you sit on the "passenger side" to remind you to stay on the left, but reflexes are hard to break- for example- when I am trying to be a very good/careful driver I always use my turn signal (contrary to popular belief), and on this car the signal thing is done with your right hand and the windshield wipers are with your left. So I had my windshield wipers going crazy everytime I would try to turn. And when I put the car into drive or reverse or whatever, my right hand "twitches" before I realize I need to use my left hand (which is most people's less coordinated hand, so American's are smart to make cars the way they do). Also, speed threw me off a little because it is in kilometers here, so I would see I was going 60 and think that was fast, meanwhile I'm being passed by everyone on the highway until I realize I can go 110kph! Also, add into the complication of needing directions to know where to go! I ended up scrapping the map and just using street signs to direct me, which worked really well. My first stop was Surfer's Paradise. And on my way I found the "Brisvegas" I'd read about! The whole hour drive from Brissie to Surfer's the highway was lined with one amusement park or water park or putt putt place after another. Surfer's sort of reminded me of Panama City Beach with the "class" of Destin. I loved it! I totally wish I had just moved there and been a beach bum for two months (well, kind of). My skin is still a little burned and I needed to stay out of the sun, but I couldn't resist a late afternoon stroll down the beach (after applying my new brand name spf 45 sun screen liberally over exposed skin). I stayed at a great "hostel/resort" (what a contridiction in terms!) but guess who my three roommates were? Three non-english speaking KOREAN girls! The irony! So I didn't do anything fun like go out or learn to surf or bungee jump (the three things to do in Surfer's), but maybe next time?!:)
Today I got up, went for a little walk/jog on the beach, showered and headed down to Byron Bay, another beach town an hour south. On my drive down all civilization ceased and on either side of the road were the rolling hills of Tweed Valley. It was very green (despite a water shortage) and beautiful. I am travelling down the Pacific Coast Highway. Funny, about a year and a half ago I drove up the other Pacific Coast Highway (in California), so neat! Byron is supposed to be a hippy-ish town, so I wasn't expecting to like it, but it's not so bad. The town has a lot of "therapeutic" spas and massage places and yoga classes. "Luckily" it was overcast and rainy today so I didn't mind not being able to "make use of the beach." Oh, and I feel so cool asking where should I park my car when I go into the hostel!!! Haha.

October 24, 25

Brisvegas? That's Brisbane's nickname, but not my experience of it. The city center part seemed just like any other Australian city. There are some casinos but I didn't go in any, so maybe all the glitz and glam is indoors. When I got back to the hostel from walking all over the city, the Scottish guy, Stuart, reminded me that it was discount movie night, so we decided to go see a movie. Scottish accents can be difficult to understand, but generally make me laugh. Syd, if you are still reading this (and I'd be impressed if you are since you're getting married so soon!), imagine the Scottish couple from Hvar, it was just as great as that! The phrase from this couple that we repeated numerous times was "absolutely brilliant" (must be done with the correct accent to produce the maximum giggling), with Stuart it was "I can't be bothered". Sorry, none of this is very interesting to read I'm sure, but talking to people with British accents is guaranteed to make me laugh. After the movie we met up with some of his friends at a pub/bar that was pretty dead. He had to have a beer before he could go to sleep (more like a pitcher, but those British people drink all the time, I think). Oh, and let me tell you what my new best friend, the South Korean girl said to me: She asked if I had a boyfriend, and I said "no... single as can be", and she said "why?" (girl, I don't know, must not be God's timing, but I ask myself the same thing) , " but you are so beautiful." (that's when she became my best friend). That was so nice of her, made my day!
I keep meaning to talk about the aborigines. They make up about 8% of the population (I think I read that) in Queensland (the state that Cairns and Brisbane are in), which I believe is the most of anywhere else in Australia. I never saw any in Sydney or Melbourne, but now I see them all the time. It can be a bit shocking because the ones I've seen are all bedraggled looking with crazy hair and crazy eyes. And black people are such a rarity here, so I hadn't been used to seeing any. There are many sad stories about the destruction of the aborigine people, sort of like our Native Americans. They really haven't fared well from British settlement. I had wanted to go to this aborigines reserve place my second day in Cairns, but then that sunburn happened and I couldn't get myself to make it happen.
Today, I got up early for yoga again (even though Stuart and I didn't get back until 1 am-ish), but I would have been up that early anyways thanks to the construction outside our window. After yoga and a shower I talked to mom on skype but underestimated the time it would take to walk to the wharf (I was going to take a "nature cruise" to a Koala Reserve), so I missed the boat, and decided to take a bus instead. Then I proceeded to wait an hour for a bus that wasn't coming, so I gave up and took a taxi. At the Lone Pine Koala Reserve I got to have my picture taken (for a small $15 fee) cuddling a koala (here's the link: http://www.koala.net/photo/2510006237.htm) and see baby crocodiles, kangaroos, and other Australian animals. What do I think of having held a koala? They aren't as cuddly as they seem, but that could be because I was afraid I would freak out and drop it and because it's little claws were digging into my sunburn. They are cute, no doubt, but I'd take a human child any day (as long as it isn't crying...). I was able to take the boat back to the city and I was very glad that I hadn't taken it both ways because the park was much too small for all the time it gives you to be there. It's mid afternoon now, so I'm not sure what's in store for later.
Oh, and if you are one of the people keeping up with this for a while, you may notice in the koala photo a new shirt. It was an impulse buy yesterday at some cheapy store, not sure what got into me, but could it be that I've only worn solid color tops for over four months straight?

October 22, 23

Sunday was uneventful, I basically crept around Cairns trying to avoid sun or having anything touch my body. I drank so much water (several litres I'm sure) to stay hydrated and I kept stopping to spray aloe on my body. I'm sure I was a sight to see with my roasted, red skin and pained look on my face. At one point after I had reapplied some aloe to my body some Australian guys took pity on my (they were sitting at a nearby cafe/pub) and offered to buy me a beer, I settled for a cappaccino instead (alcohol is dehydrating) and sat with these random "blokes" for about an hour.
Monday I flew to Brisbane on Virgin Blue, which Richard Branson owns. There are pictures of him on the plane and in the in-flight magazine and a "note" from him saying he hopes we enjoy our flight. Which I did (although if he had been there to personally invite me to his private island, Necker Island, that would have been even better). In Brisbane I went to the airport shuttle desk to get a shuttle to my hostel, the first sign that I wasn't staying at a good place was when the guy at the desk asked why I was staying there. When I booked it, I thought I was booking a nicer place because it was a little more expensive (by about $4) and the picture looked quaint and it seemed to be more like a "guest house". When the shuttle dropped me off I was standing in front of a small car park with several Asians outside cleaning some cars. I tried to ask one if this was Valley Verandas and she motioned to a door. Inside the small reception room/desk an Asain man checked me in (I'd already paid! no turning back now) and handed me some sheets, sold me a towel ($2), and showed me to my room, which I was sharing with a girl from Japan, a girl from Korea ("South Korea?" I ask, "no, north, ha, ha, ha, you don't like North Korea, ha, ha, ha" she ended up being from South Korea), and another Asian girl (I haven't met her yet). WHAT DID I GET MYSELF INTO!?!?! I just had to laugh as the reception guy showed me around the place (after I asked him where everything was). There is one shower and two toilets on each of the two floors. They are not very nice. Several Asains were milling around as I did some laundry. None are really scary, just Asian. Around 4pm I decided to walk around to see the area I was staying in. Surprise, surprise, I'm a block away from Chinatown! I got some wonderful green curry vegetables for lunch/dinner and then walked back the hostel. I popped my head into the TV room to see if I could watch "Home and Away" at 7 pm (it was 6:30 ish) and one of my roommates was watching Simpsons and she said "but I watch Simpsons" and I said, no, at 7, and she says "Oh, okay" (this story is better when you give all the Asians the Asian accent when reading what they say). "Simpsons my favorite". When I went back in to watch TV there was a Scottish guy in there. I could have hugged his neck! We both laughed about this place being over-run with Asians and he said that he's been there a while and there used to not be so many, that there were Canadians there as well. So, we hung out, while a few of the Asians would silently pop in and out of the room.
This morning (Tuesday), I woke up early to go to a yoga class down the street. It was great (despite the few moves that stretched sunburned areas)! Now, I'm just using the internet before I go out for the day.

October 19-21

Wind.
For my last day in Wellington, I decided to go on a “easy” 3 hour Red Rock Volcano walk. It is about 2Ks from the city centre, so I thought I’d add that on instead of taking a bus. I set out on the walk along the coastal highway to see these volcano rocks and a seal colony. Oh my goodness, the wind. Melbourne was nothing compared to this. I think I know what it’s like to be in a hurricane or tornado. I later found out that I walked along the windiest part of the area and that it was warning level winds. The whole way out I kept thinking, oh it will have to get better for my walk back. What? No! What I didn’t think about was the fact that walking out I had the wind to my back, so on the way into town it was blowing at me. If wind could knock over Al Roker, it certainly could take me out. I was seriously worried I would be blown away. Until you experience it, you may think I am exaggerating. I was seriously clinging to street signs until I felt I could make it to the next one. Most of the walk I didn’t see anyone else out walking which would worry me, but towards the end, I saw several runners out. I don’t know how they were running. I really wanted to stop one of them and ask them if this was normal and if it was safe to be outside in such wind.

Annoyance.
I woke up at 4:30 am New Zealand time to get to the airport for my 7 am flight. I was so out of it I went to the New Zealand Air line and it wasn’t until I got to check-in I realized I was flying Quantas. When I got all checked through Quantas on my flight to Cairns (via Sydney), I went and waited to board the flight. As I was boarding, they called me over the loud speaker and told me I would actually be flying to Cairns via Melbourne but that my Melbourne-Cairns flight would be business class. I was totally excited about a chance to experience business class, but I was also feeling very inflexible about them changing my flight since I know the Sydney airport and your have to get your bag and go through customs before you can get on a domestic flight and I was worried about having time to do that on the Melbourne flight which ended up being delayed (because they were transferring my bag over). Well, getting into Melbourne was a little stressful, because I thought I had about 30 minutes to go through customs and all that business before the flight to Cairns left. I made it because that flight ended up being delayed, but business class was fun, even though the stewardess guy was a little snooty, I thought. Then when I got to Cairns, my hostel was supposed to pick me up (they advertised free airport pick up), but they weren’t there and I took a shuttle instead (which wasn’t free). Then when I got to the hostel the check-in office wasn’t open and wouldn’t be open until 4:30 pm (it was 1:30 pm at this point). This was frustrating because I just wanted to put my bag down, change into hot weather clothes, etc. This hostel is definitely not my favourite, the set-up is awful, you have to walk through the main area (kitchen, TV area, laundry) to get to the bathrooms and showers. I managed to freshen up a little (mom- thanks to my Crabtree and Evelyn citrus wipes and B-freshJ) and change and decided to make the most of my time and walk into the city. Cairns is small and very easy to get around. It is just a grid of streets, with the coast on one side. I walked down to the esplanade, which is the street closest to the beach and booked a snorkel trip for the next day to go see the Great Barrier Reef. I didn’t shop around at all, I just went with the first one I found, which isn’t really like me, but I’m sure they are all pretty similar. I walked around town and then came back and checked into my hostel. I went to bed super early, because I was so tired.

Sunburn.
I woke up early to walk to the wharf to find the boat I would be joining for the day. It was a huge catamaran and there were about 40 people on board. I met a nice Irish couple and two surprisingly enjoyable German guys and alternated hanging out with them through out the day. The three hours out to the reef I went out on the front deck to lay out and got some fresh air (I was even feeling slightly sea-sick with all the rocking). Even though it was deceptively cloudy I put my 20 SPF on my face nearly every 15 minutes and on the rest of my body when I started feeling burned. I also got to live out my dream of wearing a white tunic on a sailboat like SJP on "Failure to Launch" although I don't have any pictures of it because I didn't feel like asking some one to take my picture while I posed in the breeze with the tunic on, but I totally should have.
We went to two locations on the reef. Most people on the boat chose to dive, but I was not interested at all in diving. I have this irrational fear (and have had since I was on some river in Florida tubing over dark grass and possibly alligators) of the water above anything other than sand (or rocks I guess). So even when I was snorkelling I was squealing the whole time about being so close to all the coral and marine life (the squealing did nothing to help keep water out of my mask or snorkel). But I must say, the Great Barrier Reef is AMAZING! There is more marine life than I’ve ever seen. It’s like Finding Nemo or Little Mermaid (minus the mermaid) but real. You know those huge clams? Huge, like the size of a small refrigerator. They actually exist, and I saw several of them. I also saw so many different amazing looking fish. Also, the coral is all amazing and different looking. After seeing a sting ray, I kicked as fast as I could back to the boat, though. At our second location there was a tiny sand island we could swim to. There we saw a huge sea turtle and bright blue star fish. It was really cool. It was when I got back to the boat after the second location (around 3pm) that I realized I was looking burned (with my trademark raccoon face, of course). The sun is so strong here, I usually deserve to get burned because I am not good about putting sunscreen on, but this time I did and I still got roasted (possibly because I bought the sunscreen in Croatia and it is their generic brand). It is probably one of the worst burns I’ve ever had. I hope that when I have skin cancer one day I will be able to look back on my few hours of snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef with fond memories. I went to see the chemist today (Sunday) and I got some Panadol (Tylenol), some cooling/anaesthetic spray, and aloe. It is seriously painful, so I am avoiding the sun today like the plague, which is sad, because what else is there to do in Cairns other than be in the sun? Oh well, I got to see the Great Barrier Reef and it was wonderful!

October 17, 18

My flight into Wellington was uneventful, as was my night I arrived at the hostel. I got in around midnight, New Zealand time, which was only 9 pm Australia time (because New Zealand switches to day light savings two weeks before Australia).
On my first day in the city I "slept in" until about 10 am (but that was like 7 am to me). Then I went to this great cafe next door and had porridge with apples and saltanas (raisins) and a cappaccino. It was great! Wellington is known for it's cafe's, so I had to give one a try (I'm starting to think that everywhere claims to be known for their food in one way or another). Wellington is the capital of NZ and located on the southestern tip of the North Island, facing a cluster of islands in Marlborough Sounds across Cook Strait. It definitely deserves its nickname "Windy Welly. "
I went on a little walking tour of the city: I did the "must-do" attraction, the red cable car. It chugs up a steep hill into the Botanic Gardens and has a great view. I strolled down through the paths back to the bottom. I went to the Te Papa (meaning "our place") museum, which was a really good museum, in my limited experience of museums. It is inspirational and interactive, looking at the country's history (and future) and culture. It would have been an especially cool museum to go to as a kid, with loads of "kids corners", and as I found out, after joining a group of about 5 kids, in a "ride"/interactive activity on a "trip" to New Zealand's future and past. I went to the Embassy Theatre, the largest theatre in the southern hemisphere, where the 2003 Return of the King world premier was held. It really is huge for a movie theatre and the seats have all the character's names on them ("Frodo" Elijah Wood, or whatever). There is a large pedestrain mall, called Cuba Street, that I checked out. And I saw some building my guidebook said to see that is shaped like a beehive. It didn't take too long to see all the major sites and walk down important streets, Wellington isn't a very big city. So, let me get to the real excitement and tell you about today (Wednesday)!
At 8:40 am, I, along with two British sisters, were picked up from our hostel to go on the "Rover Ring" tour, a day-long Wellington/Lord of the Rings tour. Let me preface by saying that I have only seen each LOTR film once, each one with my family, so they can explain them to me. Also, the highlight of the films for me are the 1 minute total of any romance, and maybe 5 minutes of Orlando Bloom (and sometimes Vego Mortenson). So, I would hardly call myself a LOTR fan, but since the film does tend to have quite a following, I knew I would probably be joining a group of die-hard fans, but I wanted an experience. Joining us on our tour, was a girl from Seoul, S.Korea, and a Dutch family (1 boy-10, 2 girls-13ish and 19, and their parents). Our tour guide was a guy in his early 40's (I'm guessing), that actually was Dutch, but had lived in New Zealand most his life. Let me just go ahead and describe all the people on the tour because that's the fun part to me and then I'll talk about the tour itself. Okay, first the guide, he was a nice, friendly guy who has seen LOTR one too many times, he often blurred reality with the movie (I don't know how to really describe that better). His mannerisms totally reminded me of this guy I'm friends with from SMU (ask me names later), but with a perspiration problem. He had a lot of pride in New Zealand and I enjoyed getting him off his rambling tales about some obscure part of LOTR to hear about his country. He tried to speak broken Dutch to the Dutch family the whole day, but the family spoke Dutch and he ended up just speaking English back to them. He had loads of information about the filming, the actors, Peter Jackson (a country hero), and the land, so it really was interesting for the most part (especially when he got to the point or didn't try to act out what he was talking about, well actually when he did that it was pretty funny). Now, the Dutch family. Okay, I hate to say this because I REALLY don't want to sound conceited, but I don't know how else to say it- I think they were fascinated by me. To begin with, as soon as they joined our group they shook everyone's hand and introduced themselves (nice move, nothing at all wrong with that). Then the 19-year-old girl starts asking me if I am alone, as in by myself. Now, usually when people ask me that I'm quick to explain that technically I am alone, but that wasn't the original plan and I didn't really choose to be travelling alone, that's just how things turned out and I explain the whole Sydnee situation. But this was difficult with the girl's broken English, and besides the point with her, because yes I am alone! Then she asked if I whitened my teeth and how they are so white. To which I explained about Crest Whitestrips (to the group at this point). And she said that she doesn't believe in plastic surgery, that you should be comfortable with yourself, and that her teeth are natural, but whitening teeth is all she would ever do. Then she continues to stare at my mouth and starts to comment that they aren't actually completely white, that there is a "stripe" (or something) on them- I don't know what she was talking about at this point, but it would have been embarrassing if I didn't think it was so funny. She also asked some "normal" questions about what it was like to live in Alabama (such a hard question to answer!). I actually like this girl, she was very honest and would ask or say whatever came to her mind in a very innocent way. When I told her that I had actually lived in Texas for the past four years for university she said, "oh, is everyone chic there? they are all rich in Texas, yes?" (where did she get that idea?). Which I was quick to tell her about cowboys and Mexicans (not that those are two poor sub-groups or something, that's just something I thought she might have heard of before) and that not everyone is rich (that idea made me uncomfortable that she thought that). Then her dad asks me if I still live with my parents, and I tried to explain that when in Texas I didn't, so that means you rent?, well, sort of, (so that means you are rich because you don't live with your parents but you can still pay for your own place), well, no. Those questions are just the highlights. Oh, but it was really cute when the girl started singing "these boots are made for walking" when I was explaining cowboy's wearing boots. The other people on the tour aren't that interesting, so I'll move on to the tour itself. We went to "middle earth", "rivendale", "mordor", and some other places whose names I didn't know and don't remember. I rarely knew which scene the guide was talking about unless he showed a picture or used the actor's real names. We saw the set and Peter Jackson's house (no pictures, please, we need to protect his children, besides the house was just a brick house you could see anywhere). We went to the "Chocolate Fish Cafe" where all the cast hung out. I really did enjoy the tour, because I was able to see a lot of surrounding Wellington area. New Zealand really is a gorgeous country. Green, steep hills, rugged coastline, we could even see the south island from one place. I also learned a lot about the enormous production LOTR was. Oh, and check back soon for a picture of me with elf ears on!

October 15, 16

Sunday was pretty uneventful. I went to church in the morning, packed up all my belongings from Gentry's, and went to Sydney. I stayed the night at some random hotel/hostel. I watched CSI before I went to bed and it made the place totally give me the creeps. It was nice to be back in Sydney, though. Then I woke up this morning and I had a few errands to take care of. I took a bag of stuff to the Travellers Contact Point to store for the next three weeks so I don't have to lug it around and so it won't be in Gentry's way (and in case I don't make it back to her house). Then I went to the Camera Service Repair store because I BROKE MY CAMERA!!! I'm so mad at myself. I was using the self-timer feature to take my picture and I perched the camera on a ledge and it fell on the zoom part and bent it out of shape and now it won't take pictures. They said it would cost $330 to fix it and it won't be ready for 7-10 days. I don't know what to do. I already bought a disposable camera as a back up, but it's not the same. After that I had to go to the post office because I accidently took Gentry's key, so I had to overnight that back to her. And now I'm at the internet place where I found out about Auburn and SMU's victories! YEah!!! And I'm about to go get a real haircut (as opposed to the "fake"-$5 one I got in Thailand). Then tonight I am going to New Zealand!!! So that's about all thats going on with me.
Oh, but I'll mention this because I just remembered. It is so hard to find a public bathroom here. Restaurants don't have to have them, I guess. When I'm at this internet place, I have to walk THREE blocks to the nearest bathroom I can use, Hungary Jacks (Burger King), and this internet place is huge and connected to Gloria Jeans (coffee place) and still no bathroom!

October 14

Today we met up at church and we were bussed over to the Plumpton High School, where we would be doing the clean-up and renovation project. None of the girls in Gentry's house went so when I went I didn't really know anyone (they all had choir later and didn't want to go). When I got on the bus though, I met some Australian guy and talked to him a while, but when we got to the school, we has in the other "team" (there were two teams- one for the school and one did a "suburban blitz" to clean up the area). Everyone on the red "team" (all 1500 of us) packed into the gym. It was total chaos. The age range was 12-35, with the median age probably 15 or 16. I managed to find an area with at least a few over-20-year-olds and set to painting some walls. The whole thing was pretty unorganized (at least for random people like me that didn't have any group to belong to). The first half of the day was especially crazy and I had a hard time finding someone to give me a job to do. When undertaking a big project like that it is important to have leaders who can "cast a vision" for what needs to be done. Then around lunch time all the "silly kids" (most of the youth group) got bored or tired and went outside to chase each other and have paint fights (so not productive, but whatever). So that was when I was able to really do something and I really enjoyed the last half of the day. I was able to meet a lot of great people then and we were able to actually get a lot of stuff done. We repainted all the walls, cleaned off graffiti, and other restoration type things. I did make the HUGE mistake while we were cleaning up at the end of the day of asking why didn't we just throw all the paint brushes, paint buckets, etc away (because cleaning up hundreds of paint supplies was going to take hours and make a disasterous mess in the bathrooms- which would then have to be cleaned) and one of the Aussie guys in charge said "that's just like you American's, just throw away perfectly good resources, because you're big enough just to make more" (or something like that). He really didn't mean it mean, it was just a comment back to my suggestion, but that is true. Australia is so big on the environment and I have not been fully "converted" yet, so my American "wasteful" (yet, easier- I think) way of thinking got the better of me. I don't know, I still think if I was in charge it would just have been easier to throw all that away.
I was really lucky to be on the "inside team" because it was the hottest day on record in October today in Sydney (39 degrees Celsius). So, maybe all this global warming stuff has some merit. I think my way of going "green" when I go home is to use reusable shopping bags (if I can remember to bring them with me to the store).

October 10-13

I didn't do too much my last day in Melbourne. I walked around Melbourne University pretending like I went there. I went into the library to use the free internet (when I found out Katie Bibb is engaged, CONGRATS!!!) I was able to use it for quite a while, no problems. Then, all the power randomly went out and it was pitch black dark in there. Since I had only stepped foot on the campus hours before, I was a little worried I wouldn't be able to find my way out. But everyone seemed pretty calm and someone announced that the lights would be on soon. I followed some people out and it was just fine. That night I took a train this time to get to Sydney, just to mix things up, since I rode a bus last time. I would say they were equally (un)comfortable because I didn't spring for the sleeper car. Because there are more seats in a train there is a better chance of being able to find a few unoccupied (I found four facing eachother mid-night which was nice) but also because there are more seats there is a better chance of there being people who think they need to stay up talking all night or crying babies (both of which I sat near). All in all, I made it to Gentry's Thursday morning without any problems. I just napped, grocery shopped, and did laundry until it was time to go up to church for "Encounterfest".
Then all day today we've been up at the church listening to speakers. I went to hear this Zambian guy from South Africa speak who wrote a book called "Leading like Madiba" about Nelson Mandela and he works with Oxfam's AIDS charity, so that was all really interesting to me. Thats about it. Tomorrow we go to a high school to help restore it (or something like that), they are calling it a "social justice project", I think it should be really great.

October 6-9

My weekend.
First of all, sorry it's been a few days, my parents actually called to check on me (this is only about the 3rd call I've gotten since I left June 12th). Although I could say I've been so busy, that isn't my real excuse. The only true excuse would be that the internet at the place I'm staying has to be bought in one hour increments from the hard-to-find front desk worker and then it counts down and it stresses me out to have the time tick down (instead of count up, like it is at the internet cafe I found, where I am now).
So, Friday night some friends of my grandparent's neice picked me up. She and her husband have two boys, 13 and 17, and live about 30 minutes outside of Melbourne. I thought I would just be having dinner with them, but it was decided that I would stay at their house for the night. We went to an Indian restaurant for "tea" (that's what the lady kept calling meals). We had a nice meal and a conversation about the Australian education system. On the way home from the restaurant I got a "scenic" tour that wasn't very scenic because it was dark outside. We did stop a few times to spot a certain bird (that actually isn't an owl, although it resembles an owl) and a furry-tailed possom (much cuter than their American cousins). Once back at their house we "played with" their two cockateels. The birds chirped alot and got little feathers all over the living room. I was brave enough to let one bird pirch on my shoulder and sqwak in my ear, but about 10 seconds was all I could stand. After that excitement, we kicked Andrew (the 13 year old) out of his room and made up his bed for me to stay there. Although it was freezing when I went to sleep, the duvet warmed me quickly and I slept very well.
When I woke up the boys were getting ready to leave for their various activities (gymnastics and tennis). The mom, Eleanor, and I had breakfast and then stood outside and did some more bird watching. I've never learned so much about birds in my life, nor have I ever used a book to help me identify various species of birds- the bronze-winged pigeon, for example. When the birds finished eating our bread crumbs we went to St. Andrew's market (the activity I was hoping for among the other options). It was a nice local market, very hippy-ish (I think you can buy weed there, not legally of course). We wandered around there and Eleanor bought some produce and other grocery items. We kept running into some of here long lost friends, she doesn't go to the market usually, so it was a nice reunion for her. Then we went over to some of family friends of theirs' house and had lunch. This other family had just finished building a new house. They live in this community called Kangaroo Grounds, which is very rural (but you can see the city from the tops of the hills). Both families had over 5 acres of land because the government doesn't want that area to become over developed. And about everyone has a horse. Anyways, before lunch we walked around their land some, so I could see some wild kangaroos. They were very plentiful and they just hopped all over the place! Our lunch was so random- scones, hot dogs, cole slaw, donuts, tomatoes, and cheese. We had to leave their house by 1 pm, because one of their sons had homework to do, so we took Andrew home and we all unloaded the groceries. Then Andrew taught me how to ride his razor scooter. That lesson didn't take too long, I guess I'm a quick learner, so we went inside and looked through every photo album in the house. Oh, and Andrew walked me down to see the Yarra River (the same river that runs through central Melbourne) at the bottom of their property. Then Chris and Eleanor came and picked us up and we went on a drive through the winelands of the area, called the Yarra Valley, on our way back into the city. Then we attempted to window shop, but it's pretty much impossible to do that with such a diverse group, so we settled for a light dinner before I was allowed to be taken back to my hostel. I must say, they were very nice and very willing to have visitors. I was invited to stay with them until I left Melbourne and even that I could use their car if I wanted it to get around. I am very glad I got to see some of the "bush" (the non-urban) part of Australia. It is a really pretty area.
There was a Melbourne Marathon on Sunday (which was the excuse I used to be taken home early Saturday night) which I thought I was going to try to join in, but the start was pretty far away from where I am staying, so I decided not to. I did go to St. Kilda (beach area) which the marathon ran through and I saw some of the action as I was walking around there. I think it was the windiest place I've ever been in. It was so windy that when I walked across this foot bridge I was actually nervous the wind would blow me over the edge. And it was so windy that it would blow my earings and knock me pretty hard in the ear. Needless to say, no one was sunbathing at this beach. It was a cute little area, though. It has a tiny amusement park and a pier (which I didn't go on because I was scared I would blow into the water). Also, I went on Sunday on purpose because there is a market there on Sundays, but it was only a few stalls (maybe the wind blew the rest away?). That afternoon I met up with my "roommate" (this girl from Fiji who is working here in Melbourne for two months) and we went to a church in the city called Power Shakers. It was a lot like Hillsong. I was worried she'd be a little over whelmed by all the jumping around, light show, and loud music, but afterwards she said it was like her church at home and that "everyone goes to church in Fiji". As we were leaving church to walk home we ran into this Malaysian girl who was so funny. She was the epitome of the Asian way of laughing and talking. She had been at church too and we all walked back together (until she had to turn to go to her flat). Walking along with a Fijian and Malaysian in Australia made me feel SO international.
Yesterday, I walked down Chapel Street in Toorak, which is the fabulous, up-scale area of the city. Nice, big, expensive houses; high-end fashion boutiques; chic cafe's. It was fun just to see it all, but I felt a little "scrubby" in my jeans and hoodie (that I have been wearing for about four months now). I was sure to make it back by 7 pm to see my new show of choice, Home and Away, an Australian sort-of soap opera. I was joined for the show and some Thai take-away (red curry, yum) by a British guy that is staying at the place I am. He had some comment about everyone on the show and it was funny.
That's about it, but I should mention a few things about Melbourne. There are trams everywhere and a wonderful way to get around. It is a very international city, more so than Sydney, that seems to just have an Asian influence. Melbourne has areas of various European origin, Middle Eastern, and then of course, Asian. Also, there is always something going on here. It is the live-music and sporting capital of Australia. Just yesterday, while I was looking at a photo exhibit in Federation square, there was also some bagpipe concert going on. And, when I was on a run this morning, I ran past the Melbourne Cricket Ground, and their was a long que to get tickets to an upcoming season opener. So, trams, fashion, sports, music, international, yeah, I think that sums up Melbourne.
And there is one other thing about Australia, I want to mention because I keep forgetting. I think there might be a higher percentage here of what I have termed "crazies" (crazy people). I regularly run into someone that is talking to themselves or has terrets or something that is not normal. It could be because I use a lot of public transportation and walk city streets alot more than at home (a whole lot more than at home), but I still don't think that accounts for all the crazy people I've seen. Maybe it's the convict background?

October 3-5

My first day in Melbourne I was pretty tired because of no real sleep on the bus the night before, but I did manage to walk around the city center some. I went to the Queen Victoria Market- it was chaotic, but friendly. Apparently before it was designated as a market in 1878 it was a cemetery- and 9000 bodies are underneath the car park! There was everything from fruits and cheeses to Uggs (yeah, I'm going to need to get some). I basically just wandered around so I could get a feel for the area, I really don't like being the tourist, pulling out a map, so it helps to find some major landmarks to help get my bearings. I did also walk around the Crown Entertainment Complex, which is definitely not subtle. It includes a luxury hotel, a giant cinema, night clubs, restaurants, high-end boutiques, Planet Hollywood, and of course, a casino.
I had heard there was great shopping in Melbourne, so I did one of my favorite things on Wednesday and shopped. There was good shopping, but not any more than Sydney, I think. I did get a cute pair of leopard or cheetah (some animal) ballet flats (are those still in? I hope so.). While popping in a loads of stores, I inevitably got into some conversation with the store workers because they would want to know where my accent was coming from. While shopping in Australia I have noticed a difference in their style and I really like it. Australian women seem to do the typical conservative suit thing for work, but outside of work they are more funky and I'd say they take more "risks". Maybe I should work in fashion. Anyways. While walking through the city center, I made sure to see the important things like Federation Square, the city's oldest pub, Young & Jackson, St. Paul's Cathedral, a museum with a Picasso display, and Chinatown. Although the shopping was the highlight. I also got to see the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kings Domain, Alfred Park (home of the Formula One race track, Aussie Footbal League field and cricket grounds- they love their sports here) on my morning jogs.
Yesterday I actually went to the Melbourne Zoo, Australia's oldest zoo. I got to see Penguins, Kangaroos, Koalas, Platypus, Elephants, Lions (don't know why they get capital first letter), and many other creatures. It was good, for a zoo, I guess. I'm glad I got to see some native Aussie animals. The low point was using my camera's self timer feature to take a picture of myself in front of one of the exhibits, but no one was around! haha.
Today I called some random contacts my grandmother put me in touch with. I have no idea what to expect, but they are picking me up later for tea. Not sure what I am getting myself into there!

September 26- October 1

So what's new with me? hmmm... I walked around Chinatown some and forgot I was in Australia. And Friday I went to Gentry's house out in Baulkham Hills. I stayed with her through Monday and Monday night I caught an overnight bus to Melbourne, where I currently am.
I changed my flight, so that I am now coming home Nov. 9th, right before the Georgia game, so I get ot see one home game.
I was also hoping to see Sydnee, because she was back in town with Blake (they flew out on Sunday), but unfortunately it never worked out.
Friday, I went to "Powerhouse" with Gentry and her friends and I signed up for this Encounterfest thing at Hillsong which is October 12-14th and they restore a nearby high school. Sort of a Habitat for Humanity thing, I guess, I'm excited about it though. Saturday, we went to a nearby mall for a few hours. Have I mentioned that stores (pretty much all stores, including malls, and many restaurants) close at 5pm? Yeah, they don't stay open late like at home. When we got home, I went on a run and it was the best run I've done in a long time! I was able to run for an hour at a good pace (about 6 miles) and I was like "oh yeah, I've got it back", but now I have no excuse for walking now when I go for a run. Sunday, I went to morning and evening church. Monday, Gentry and I went to Bondi beach before I had to catch my bus. It was a public holiday and the beach was PACKED! Way too much for my liking and the wind was quite chilly, so we didn't stay that long. My overnight bus experience wasn't so bad, but I think I am just geting used to it because it was no better than the overnight bus I took in Croatia (well, and they showed a movie and I moved into a two seats to myself). Now I am in Melbourne, I just checked into this guest house where I am staying. I really like it so far! The free cappaccino machine will save me loads on my morning latte! And they have satelite TV in the TV room, so I got to watch some Fox News during brekkie (breakfast). It is also near the Botanical Gardens here and walking distance to the city center (where I am sitting now). And thats about it!