When Life Throws You Lemons, Make Lemonade!

About a week ago, I noticed these bumps that appeared all over both of my shins and knees. They looked like big mosquito bites that just did not itch. It was then that I noticed both of the inside of my ankles were extremely swollen that I could not even put on a shoe. I thought that it was just a rash that developed and was not a big deal, so I just ignored it and hoped that a couple days later it would go away. On Monday, I realized the bumps were increasing in number and getting bigger and bigger. My ankles were so swollen that it was beginning to hurt when I walked. I thought that it was kind of weird that the bumps stung and did not itch. I showed a couple of my friends, and no one could figure out why my legs looked like they got attacked. I hate going to the doctors, but my legs were looking worse and worse each day. I finally decided to make an appointment to see a doctor, just to see what the problem was. All I wanted was a cool story like an extremely rare Australian bug bit me, or I walked into a poisonous Australian plant on the way to class. I did not care what the diagnosis was, I just wanted a cool story to tell. Of course, I had to take pictures, but it is still hard to tell how big the welts actually are and how many there are!

This morning I went to the doctor, and she took one look at my shins and ankles, and knew exactly what it was. She told me I have Erythema Nodosum, which is an inflammation of fat cells under the skin. Erythema Nodosum is an immunologic response that can be associated with a bunch of different things. The doctor asked me if I have been sick with a sore throat or anything in the last couple of weeks, and I told her I got diagnosed with mono about 2 months ago, and still am recovering. She said that this is how I contracted Erythema Nodosum in response to the mono. Supposedly it is not common, but it definitely is not uncommon. Even though I couldn't walk out of there with a cool story, like I contracted it from a kangaroo or something, I was happy it is not serious. The doctor said she rarely sees what I have, and wished that a medical student was working that morning to see it. I asked her if she wanted to take a picture, but said that I needed to shave my legs first since I have been unable to with a million bumps all over my legs. I also wanted to make sure that it had nothing to do with bed bugs, because all my guy friends told me it was bed bugs, and of course I believed them. She laughed and said it has nothing to do with bed bugs. WHEW! The doctor gave me a prescription to take daily to reduce the swelling and size of the bumps, and said that a fever sometimes develops so to take Advil too. They are supposed to go away in 6 weeks, but I am hoping it is sooner! She also said to elevate my legs and stay off of my feet, so I decided the best way to fix both of these problems was to go to the beach this afternoon!

My friend and I took a ferry to Manly Beach, which is about a 30 minute ferry ride away. The ferry starts off from Sydney Harbor at Circular Quay, and goes straight to Manly. It was honestly the most beautiful ferry ride I have ever been on. The whole way there and back was a view of the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Bridge, and all of downtown Sydney. There were sailboats everywhere and other boats out on the water because it was such a beautiful day.

 The ferry ride was perfect because it gave me a chance to look back at the amazing place I have been living at for the past month. All the memories, all the moments, all of the experiences and learning that have taken place and will continue to take place filled my head. I did not want to think at all about leaving yet, but I kept that picture in my mind and knew that when it is time to go, I will am going to miss Australia more than anything.

Once getting off the ferry, we ate our lunches at a little side beach, and then proceeded to go to Oceanworld. Oceanworld is a mini aquarium with different animals that are native to Australia. They had sharks, and even the world's deadliest fish! It honestly looked like sea weed or something, and was the ugliest fish I have ever seen.

We got there at the perfect time, because they were feeding a few of these mini sharks. They were being fed octopus that was chopped up with the head cut off.

Oceanworld is not very big, but it is well-known because they have a special tank that you can swim with sharks. I asked them how many people have been eaten or bitten, and they said none. There is a 2 hour introduction where you learn how to scuba dive, and then you swim with the sharks for 30 minutes, without a cage! It sounds like an awesome thing to do and a once in a lifetime experience, but I will have to recruit a friend or two to come with me. I will let you know if I decide to do it, but bungee jumping and sky diving comes first!

After going to Oceanworld, we walked to Manly Beach, which was only about 5 minutes away. It was another beautiful Sydney beach with soft sand and cliffs surrounding the water. 

I still cannot believe how much warmer the ocean in Australia is compared to California! It honestly felt like a warm bath tub. When I get back to America, I am going to have such bad reverse culture shock (I am not sure this is the right word to use, but you get the point) because the ocean is going to be so cold!

By far, the coolest thing I have ever seen invented are these feet fountains they had at Manly Beach. What these fountains are, are these shots of water coming up from the ground that clean your feet off from the beach. There is a drain below, so there is no mess. It looks nice, and gets the job done. I am going to import them to America!

It was an amazing day even though I will have these bumps and swelling on my legs for another 6 weeks. When life throws you lemons, make lemonade! If the doctor says stay off my feet, she should expect me to me off my feet while relaxing at the beach :)

Heaps of Love,

Heidi

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Sorry I have not posted in a couple of days, but I have been busy planning trips! This weekend, I am going with a club called Unimates, which is for International and Australian students, to the Blue Mountains! It is a day trip on Saturday where we will go to Wentworth Falls Lookout, Leura Village, Echo Point, Three Sisters, and then bushwalking along the cliffs. We end up at Scenic World where we will be taking a steep aerial cable car ride. I hear the mountains are amazing and is a great opportunity for pictures! 

In two weeks, from April 7th-11th, I am going to Melbourne with 7 of my friends! This will be my first trip outside of Sydney, and I am super excited. I hear that Melbourne is an amazing city with a lot of character and different things to do. We are going to stay at a hostel in the center of the city near an amazing market that everyone talks about. 

I am then going in 4 weeks to New Zealand from April 20th- May 2nd for the mid-semester break. I will be spending from April 20th- 23rd in Auckland, and April 24th- May 2 touring the South Island. I have been researching out the best place to go bungee jumping, and my friend George promised he would do it with me. The other 5 of my friends going are all too scared to go. I guess they do not know how to live it up!

In 5 weeks, right after New Zealand I will be going from May 6th- 8th with my roomate Clair to her hometown in Bathurst. This is about a 3 hour drive away from Sydney, but I am super excited for this experience. I will get to meet her family and get the true Australia adventure of being with an Australian family for the weekend. 

Next, from May 12th- 16th, I will be going to Tasmania with 2 friends for the weekend! My friend Jessica knows some girls who are studying abroad there, so we are going to go down and explore Tasmania for a couple of days. I think I am most excited to see a Tasmanian Devil (I hope they spin in circle like the cartoon!). 

I am in the process right now of planning a sailing trip around the Whitsundays, which are a group of 74 Islands right off of the Great Barrier Reef. The trip is 3 days, 2 nights and you explore a couple of the main islands. When we sail, it is on a pontoon boat which sounds like a lot of fun. I hear the sailing trip is magical and I will be snorkeling for 2 days! Right after that, I think all of my friends and I will head down to Cairns, which is the Great Barrier Reef. Since I have another "study break" from June 3-12, we were thinking of doing both Whitsunday and Cairns since it is right next to one another. 

On top of all this, I still want to go to the outback for a couple of days, which will probably take place before I travel with my family for two weeks from June 24- July 9th! I may also try and fit in a trip to the Gold Coast, but there are just not enough weekends in the semester to do all of it.

I know this sounds like crazy traveling, but as Mark Twain once said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” These are memories I will have for a lifetime and this experience only happens once, so I am going to live it up!

On Friday, I went with a group of 9 friends to Bondi Beach for the day. Bondi Beach, which is one of the most famous beaches in Sydney, is only 0.6 miles from one end to the other. The beach is surrounded by beautiful cliffs, houses, and apartments. Around Bondi there is a downtown area with a lot of shopping and places to eat, which reminded me a lot like Downtown Huntington Beach. The sand at Bondi is really fine, which is the opposite of what I am used to. The whole time I kept putting my feet in the sand because the sand was so soft!

The weather was really good on Friday, and believe it or not, I actually did not get sunburned! We were there for a couple hours, and right when we left it started to rain, which was perfect timing. Supposedly there is a television show called Bondi Rescue, which sounds like it is a lot like Baywatch. While we were laying out on the beach tanning, the film crew came by to start setting up to film. Unfortunately we did not see them actually film, because it started to get cloudy and begin to drizzle. Overall, it was a great beach day and I got more tan which is always a bonus.

On Sunday, I had my second field trip with my Sports and Learning in Australian Culture class. We went lawn bowling, which was so much fun! Lawn bowling was in North Sydney, so we had to take a 10 minute train ride to get there. When we arrived, it looked exactly like a country club. There were retired aged men all sitting around, some bowling, while drinking beer and hanging out wearing white jerseys. 

 Lawn bowling is a sport in which the objective is to roll a slightly asymmetric weighted ball as close to a smaller white ball called a "jack". The ground you roll the ball on is on very well-taken-care-of, grass that almost looks too perfect. This is necessary so the ball can roll smoothly.

There is a dot on one side of the ball that shows which side is weighted. This is important to know so the person playing knows which way to curve the ball to get close to the jack. There is a gutter behind the jacks that is full of sand, so if you throw it too hard, it will land in the gutter. You have a team of about 4-5 people, and play against another team. Each team has a colored set of balls so you know whose is whose.

We practiced for about 5 minutes, and then it started to POUR! I do not mean rain, I mean POUR! My class waited inside for about 30 minutes until it cleared up, and once it did, the sun came out and the weather was perfect. It reminded me too much of Boulder weather how it could be 20 degrees and snowing in the morning, and then 70 degrees and sunny by the afternoon. Once the rain went away, we broke up into teams and played in a tournament. I am not exactly sure how the scoring works, but the team who gets their balls closest to the jack gets the most points. Out of about 12 teams, my team was the only team to not score any points. I guess lawn bowling is not our thing, but I definitely did improve by the end. A couple of times I actually hit the jack, which could be good and bad depending where the other balls land. At the end, they had finals for the winners bracket and the losers bracket. The winner in the winners bracket got a trophy with a cup on it, and the losers bracket winner got a horses butt trophy. I had such a fun day though and a great experience lawn bowling. If I lived in Australia, I would definitely take it up as a sport.

I am excited for what is in store for me. With a bunch of trips planned and exciting new things to do and see, focusing on schoolwork is hard! Do not worry mom and dad, I am getting it all done! Check back on Wednesday for another posting!

Heaps of Love,

Heidi

Under the Sea to Up in Space, all in one Day!

Today, being explore Sydney Wednesday since I do not have class, my day started out with going to the Australia National Maritime Museum with Adam and Andrew.  Australians are closely linked to the sea through commerce, defense, exploration, adventure, sport and play. The oceans and waterways have influenced Australia's development and who they are. The museum captures these artifacts and explores everything from the beginning of people immigrating to Australia and beyond. I even got a picture with the fastest boat in the world!

There were many replicas of the types of boats that people traveled on to come to Australia. The museum displayed everything from water defense to water sports. Outside was an actual war ship and a submarine that you could go on, but we did not have time for that.

It was actually really interesting, but I think the museum was having a baby and mom's day today. I am not even kidding, there were hundreds and hundreds of little babies and infants all over the museum, so it was hard to go through it all. If you ask me, it was not a place for an event like that to happen. I will definitely have to go back again when something like that is not going on.

We then headed to get some ice cream before heading into the IMAX Theatre. Andrew has never been, and Adam and I wanted to go again. This is a picture of the theatre, which is hard to tell how big the screen actually is.

We saw Hubble 3D, which was about the actual Hubble that went up into space. The movie is about "walking" with astronauts as they attempt some of the most difficult tasks ever undertaken in NASA's history. The movie shows the power of rocket launches, and actual 3D footage of Earth from the vantage point of space, along with images of the universe. The screen was so incredibly clear that I actually felt like I was up in space with them. The view from space onto Earth was unbelievable and made me realize how amazing mankind actually is. I am now obsessed with the IMAX Theatre, and want to keep going back again and again!

I have many plans for this weekend including a trip to Oceanworld and Manly Beach on Friday, and going to see lawn bowling on Sunday with my class for a field trip. Keep checking back!

Heaps of Love,
Heidi

Trying New Things and Leaning another Language

This week has so far been a week of trying different Australian foods and specialties. Starting with the kangaroo meat on Monday, I decided to take a step down and try Vegemite last night. My Australian roommate Clair told me she HAD to make it for me before I left to go back home, and I guess last night was the night. It started out with a piece of toasted bread, then she smeared a ton of butter on the bread, followed by this "amazing" spread layered on top that Australians think is the best thing ever invented. The closest thing I can describe Vegemite to is a thick spread that looks like chocolate (but tastes nothing like it) followed by tons and tons of salt. When I took my first bite, immediately all I could think about was taking a gulp of the ocean. It was SO salty tasting and nothing I have ever eaten before. I decided to be adventurous and take a second bite to see if it got any better, which was a bad idea. Immediately I spit it out because the saltiness was too much for me to handle. I think Clair was a little upset with me not liking it, but I am proud of myself for trying something new.

Since I have gotten to Sydney, all I have heard about was that I need to Tim Tams. This is a biscuit, composed of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of chocolate. I went to the grocery store and bought a package for everyone to try. Let me just say, it is 100 times better than Vegemite and absolutely amazing. If I have room in my suitcase, I will try and bring some back to America for everyone to try! 

Enough with the food already, as I am sure I am making all of you hungry! Today in one of my tutorials, which is a small class with about 15 students, we were learning about referencing and ways to reference different pieces of literature. My tutor, the teacher, was calling on people to come to the front of the class and write on the board an example of how to reference a book. I got selected, and walked to the front of the class and started to write my answer on the board. In-between writing my answer, I would explain what I was writing and why I wrote it that way. For example, I would say that the format requires you to put the authors name, followed by the year of publication of the book, and then I would continue to write the answer. My tutor stopped me and said I needed a "pause," which I found kind of weird of him to say. So I continued and said, "Next you need to put the place of publication..." and then I paused for about 10 seconds looking at everyone else. Then I continued, "followed by the page numbers used." My tutor stopped me and asked if I was confused because of the way I stopped and looked around before writing the page numbers down. I said no that he told me to pause, so that was what I was doing. Immediately, he started to laugh. This is when I learned that a "pause" in Australia is a comma, not an actual hesitation in a sentence. One of these days, which probably will not be until the end of my stay in Australia, will I understand their language! I asked him other differences so I did not mess up again, and he said that they call a "period," which for us is the point at the end of a sentence an "end stop," or something like that.

Little differences in the way different cultures and countries speak actually do make a difference. Now I am sure he is going to go home and tell his whole family about the American girl in his class thinking a pause was a hesitation, not a comma.

Heaps of Love,

Heidi

Kangaroos are Meant to Hop, not be Eaten!

Thursday night was Saint Patrick's Day, where a group of my friends and I went to an Irish Pub. Being 21 for only about 3.5 months, I got my first Irish Pub experience on this famous holiday. Unfortunately, there was no green beer being sold, but there were many Irish beers that they did sell. Everyone was dressed up, and throughout the night they played Irish music, which was pretty cool listening to on Saint Patrick's Day.

Last night, my roommate Adam, the one from New York,  told me that he went on a camping trip last weekend and they served him kangaroo for dinner. He said that it was actually really good and had the consistency of steak. Since steak is really expensive here because there are not many cows, everyone in Australia eats kangaroo. Adam continued his story and told me that he went to the grocery store last night and actually bought kangaroo! I told him I would disown him if he ate it and that he could not keep it in our refrigerator (obviously kidding). He said that kangaroos are overpopulated and it is normal to eat kangaroo because everyone does it in Australia. I opened up the refrigerator and there it was, the poor little slices of kangaroo all smashed into a little package that read: Kangaroo Filet. I could not believe what I was looking at, and Adam kept saying that I HAD to try it while I was in Australia. I do not know how, but somehow he convinced me to try a little tiny bite of it. I told him even if I did like it, I would never support the people who kill the innocent, cute, kangaroos that are meant to hop around. Adam cut me up a little piece of his kangaroo meat, and gave me a bite of it. The second I put it in my mouth, all I could think of was little joeys jumping around and their cute little faces. Believe it or not, I ate the entire bite without spitting it out. I thought it tasted a little bit like a hamburger, but it is something I will NEVER have again. Going abroad is meant for new experiences and trying new things, which is why I tried it, but it will not happen again. I promise :).

Last night, 4 of my friends and I went to this chocolate shop called Max Brenner Chocolate Shop. All I can say is when walking in, it looks exactly like something out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. All this place serves is chocolate drinks and desserts. 

We ended up splitting between the 5 of us fondue with fruit, bread, and marshmallows, a chocolate waffle with ice cream, bananas, and strawberries, and a chocolate pizza! The chocolate pizza was a pastry crust with chocolate sauce, corn flakes, marshmallow, chocolate chips, and so much more. Everything was so rich, but it was so worth it! Here are some pictures so you can see what we enjoyed!

I also have BIG news! Yesterday, I booked my first trip over our mid-semester break to NEW ZEALAND! There will probably end up being about 8 of my friends and I going, which will be an amazing trip. There are two islands that make up New Zealand, which include the North and South Island. My friend Adam and I are going to fly up earlier than everyone to Auckland on April 20th, which is in the North Island and explore Auckland and the surrounding cities for 3 days. We are then going to fly to Christchurch on April 23rd in the morning and meet everyone else. Since Adam and I do not have class Wednesday or Friday (and I am skipping my Thursday classes), we decided to go up early to see the North Island since we had the time. From April 24th-30th, all of us are doing a 7 day tour of the South Island where we will be with a tour group for those 7 days. We end on a Saturday, and then get to go out by ourselves from April 30th at night when our tour ends to May 2nd to explore the South Island even more. I am SO excited for this 12 day trip to New Zealand! We are going to book our flights on Monday, and then it will be 100% set!

The weather has been rainy and overcast all weekend. I wanted to go to the beach now that my sunburn is gone, but I guess that will have to wait until next weekend. I miss you all!

Heaps of Love,

Heidi

Koalas, Kangaroos, and Sharks... Oh My!

Sidenote: I learned how to import pictures onto my blog, so click on them to enjoy!

Since I do not have class on Wednesdays, this is my day to explore Sydney and get more and more familiar with the city. This Wednesday, my friend and I went down to Darling Harbor and went to the zoo and aquarium! We started off at a place called Wildlife World, which is an indoor zoo with animals not only found in Australia, but around the world. There was a special section that had the most dangerous snake in the world because Australia has the most venomous snakes in the world. Now I know to be on the lookout for these snakes!

The zoo also had the biggest crocodile I have EVER seen in my life. I have been on swamp tours many times in New Orleans, and I still have never seen a bigger crocodile in my life. At first I thought it was not real, but then it moved and I realized that it most definitely was real. Here is a picture of the crocodile:

My friend and I were walking along the zoo, and all of a sudden I looked up to a sign that read, "Koalas and Kangaroos this way ----->." I probably looked like a little kid who was told she was going to a candy store. The first stop was the koalas, where a zoo keeper was standing next to them. About half of the koalas were sleeping, and the other half were eating. I asked the zoo keeper everything from A to Z about the koalas, including a place that I can hold one. She said that in the state of New South Wales, where Sydney is, that it is illegal to hold the koalas. The government made it illegal because koalas sleep 20 hours a day, and when they do not sleep, they get very sick. If people are holding them throughout the day, they would never get any sleep and can actually die because the eucalyptus leaves do not provide them a lot of nutrients. All my life I thought it was because they were mean animals! She also told me that since the eucalyptus leaves do not provide much energy, the koalas have smaller brains because the bigger the brain, the more energy it takes to make the brain work. The zoo keeper explained that in Cairns, which is near the Great Barrier Reef, you can hold the koalas there because it is not illegal in that state. I think when I land in Cairns, I will have to head straight to the zoo to hold one! My roommate Clair who is Australian also told me before going that Australians hate when people call them koala bears, instead of koalas, because supposedly they are not bears. All my life I thought they were actually bears! Here are some cute pictures of them and me next to them:

Of course, the next stop was the kangaroos! This was my favorite part of the zoo by far! Immediately when I walked up to them, I fell in love. Unfortunately, there were no female kangaroos in the zoo because if females are mixed with males, the males tend to get more aggressive. Because the strongest male gets to mate with the females, the zoo is afraid that the kangaroos may get out of control. Also, the female kangaroos can have up to 3 joeys (baby kangaroos), so the zoo does not want the enclosure to get too crowded. Of course, I went to the talk about the kangaroos, where I learned so much about them. When the female kangaroos are out in the wild and get pregnant but realize that there is not enough food or water around at the moment, the females can actually hold off on having the fetus develop. Once the kangaroos reach a place where there is an abundant amount of food and water that can not only support the mom, but the baby as well, she will kick start her pregnancy again. I also learned that it only takes 33 days from when the female gets pregnant to when the joey is born. When the joeys are born, they will stay with the mom for a year, and then go off by themselves into the wild. Since it only takes a female 33 days to have a baby, the mom can have one joey who is 2 months old on one nipple in her pouch, another joey who is 4 months old on another nipple in her pouch, and a 6 month old joey by her feet. The joey is usually not allowed to be in the pouch anymore after about 5 months, because it gets too big.

The best part of the seeing the kangaroos was that I got to pet one and actually touch it! If I had to leave Australia at that second, I would be somewhat okay with it because I got to touch a kangaroo which was on my bucket list! The fur was actually a lot softer than what I thought. Here are a few pictures of me falling in love:

After we finished with the Wildlife World, we went to the aquarium, which was right next door. The aquarium was definitely cool seeing, but I liked Wildlife World a lot better. There were a lot of different fish and different things in the aquarium that are only found in Australia. One of the things that is found at the Great Barrier Reef is glowing coral!:

The aquarium is known for having a huge shark exhibit, where about 4-5 sharks were displayed in a huge tank. The largest shark ever caught was about 7.2 meters, and the teeth were displayed in that aquarium!

We finished off our day going to Paddy's Market, which is a huge market where you can buy fresh fruit and vegetables at a cheap price.

The day was absolutely amazing, especially because I got to see koalas and pet a kangaroo. Do not be surprised if I try to come back with a baby joey in my suitcase! Look out for another blog post this weekend!

Heaps of Love,

Heidi

What is Peanut Butter and Jelly?!

Since being here in Sydney, I have been picking up on some of the differences in the way Australians talk and Americans talk. Let me just say, there are many differences in what they call something and what we call something. There have been many times already where I have said something, and all my Australian friends have looked at me like I am crazy, and then I have had to explain what I really meant. Let me give you an example:

The other night, two of my Australian friends were in my room and we were talking. I brought up how I went to the grocery store and found that there is no such thing as jelly, just jam. I explained to them that I did not understand the difference because it looks the same. This is when I brought up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and I said how much I love them. My two friends looked at me like I was crazy and had a disgusted look on their face. Jelly in America is what Australians call jello, and jam in Australia is what we call jelly. So when I said how much I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, they thought I eat peanut butter and jello on bread. This is when it really hit me. My Australian friends asked me what peanut butter and jelly (or jam as they would call it) sandwiches were. WHAT?! Isn't it what every child got in their lunch boxes growing up? Isn't it what parents would pack in the car because the sandwiches did not need to be refrigerated? Isn't it on almost every kids menu in restaurants across the America? My mouth dropped and I did not believe that growing up these people never ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I then asked them what they ate instead, because there had to be something that was similar to the amazing sandwich every American enjoys for lunch. Both of them said that everyone in Australia eats Vegemite, which supposedly is healthy for you, but really high in sodium. The way you make a Vegemite sandwich is get a piece of bread, spread a thick layer of butter on the bread, and then put a thin layer of Vegemite on top. Well, there goes the healthiness, right?

Since I was in such shock, I immediately whipped out my peanut butter, jam, and bread, and made them a sandwich. My friend Ziggy did not like it at all, but my friend Clair thought it tasted like a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. I was a little confused since there was no chocolate anywhere near or on the sandwich. In return, one of these days when I am feeling up to trying something that is supposed to be healthy, but sounds disgusting, they said they will make me a Vegemite sandwich.

Even the simplest things that each person in every country has growing up and survives on, others may have no clue what it even is. Now I know to never ask for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in Australia, and that Vegemite is claimed to be a healthy meal, even with the load of butter smeared on top.

Heaps of Love,

Heidi

Looking like a lobster, feeling like a superstar

This weekend has been absolutely amazing, and has confirmed that Sydney is one of the greatest places in the world. Thursday night a group of us went back out to World Bar where we danced all night long. Friday night a bunch of my friends and I went out to a bar called Scary Canary, which is my favorite bar I have been to yet here. Scary Canary is famous for their drinks which are served in a sand pail (yes, the kind you build sand castles with!). All I know is that the drink is bright blue and tastes amazing. I love this bar too because not only do they have these amazing drinks served in pails, but every night of the week there is something big that also goes on in the bar. For example, Friday night they had Twister, and whoever won the game got 10 nights and airfare included to New Zealand. I really wanted to play but some people jumped ahead of me and got to play. I guess next Friday I will have to go back! They also have a beer pong tournament Wednesday nights and a pool table tournament some other night. Everyone in the bar was dancing like there was no tomorrow, even the security guards and bartenders. I turned around at one point to see a huge 350 pound security guard doing moves on the dance floor I never thought were even possible for a man that size. By the end of the 4.5 months here, Scary Canary will know me by first and last name, and hopefully I will be their #1 customer.

On Saturday, my friends and I decided to go to Luna Park which is right next to the Sydney Bridge and across the way from the Sydney Opera House in the Sydney Harbor. Luna Park is this amusement park that has all kinds of rides found at a fair. The way the people who built this amusement park made it had some serious talent behind them. When you walk into the park, there is a huge clown with its mouth open, and you walk right through the mouth to enter. Each ride is uniquely built with many details put into it, making it look like the amusement parks you build on Roller Coaster Tycoon (a computer game where you build your own theme parks). The coolest part about the park is it is right off of the harbor, so you can see everything from it. This was my first time being right on the edge of the harbor, which made me realize how lucky I am to be studying abroad in Australia. I literally stood at the edge, 5 feet up from the ocean, looking out and seeing ferries, yachts, boats, sailboats, and of course, the bridge and opera house. My favorite ride at Luna Park was the ferris wheel, because it jetted out from the land and went over the water, with a magnificent view of the harbor. We were lucky enough to get on the ride during sunset, which was a view I cannot describe in words. It was one of those things that you would have to be there to understand why my mouth was down to the floor the entire ride. We stayed until about 9 p.m., and therefore got to see the harbor and bridge lit up in lights. It was an absolutely beautiful view that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Today (Sunday), I woke up at the crack of dawn to go on my first field trip with my Australian sports and culture class. We went to Maroubra Beach, which is one of many famous beaches in Sydney. It takes about 45 minutes to get there by bus, and probably about 15-20 minutes by car. The reason why we went to Maroubra Beach was because every Sunday in the morning, there are a group of 500 kids from the ages of 5-12 years old, who participate in something called Nippers. For those of you who live in Huntington Beach, it reminded me of Huntington Beach Junior Lifeguards. I think that Nippers is a lot better than the program back at home because it is strictly run by volunteers. These volunteers do it not only because they have community spirit, but they did nippers as a young child and want to give back to others. The purpose of Nippers is to get these kids confident in the ocean and learn what to do if they are ever in trouble in the water. Since Australia is surrounded by ocean and the majority of the people live on the coast, it is really important for all kids to learn how to swim and be comfortable with the ocean. For example, one of the parents told me that they pour buckets of water on the kids heads (the 5 year-old group) to get them comfortable before going out into the ocean. The mentality of Nippers is that everyone is a winner and is meant to be fun. All of the parents come out and cheer the kids on, which makes the children want to continue with Nippers up until the age of 12. The goal of the program is by age 12, these children can go out by themselves into the ocean and "ride the surf" while being perfectly safe.

The field trip lasted from about 9:15-10:30 in the morning, and they I decided to stay at Maroubra Beach and have my friends Adam, Andrew, and Alan meet me there to hang out for the day. I learned today that each of the beaches in Australia are rated on a scale of 1-6, with 6 being the most dangerous beach. Maroubra beach is rated being a 6, but honestly it seemed less dangerous that the beaches back at home. There is a reef right near the beach, causing rip currents, which could be why the beach is rated so high. It was really pretty with cliffs surrounding the beach, and today was probably the best weather Sydney has had so far while I have been here. The sun was out the entire time, and it was never too hot or too cold, making a perfect beach day. Something that I learned and now I will definitely keep in mind even more is that right above Sydney there is a hole in the ozone layer. This means that the rays of the sun are much more intense than anywhere else. Even though I reapplied sunscreen 3 times throughout the day, I am SO burnt! I was out in the sun from 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. straight, and had to leave my friends early because I did not want to get even more burnt. Even though I look like a lobster right now, the beach was perfect. The water temperature of the ocean here seemed a lot warmer than back in Huntington Beach, which was a nice change. The weirdest part about being at the beach today was thinking that when I looked out, WAY out there was America and the other side of the Pacific Ocean.

I am excited for what this week brings to me. Stay tuned for more exciting experiences in Sydney!

Heaps of Love,

Heidi

Lolli Shop

Today I had my first comedy show experience in Sydney. My flatmate Clair told me about a comedy show going on today and said I had to come with her. Let me just say that about half of the time I was sitting in my seat confused because I did not get the Australian humor. Luckily, there were a few jokes that I understood, but overall the experience was great.

I also learned another Australian term today. Instead of calling a candy store a candy store, they call it a lolli shop. I think in America we should switch over to calling it a lolli shop because it sounds so much better.

That is it for now, because I am going out tonight in the city. Miss you all!

Love,

Heidi

Teapots and IMAX Theatre Experience!

Last night, me and a couple friends decided to go out in Sydney to the bars since I have not been to any yet and wanted the experience. I only have class Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, so going out on a Tuesday night may be a weekly tradition for me. We ended up going to downtown Sydney to a bar called, The World Bar and Club. It is the coolest and most awesome bar I have ever been to in my life (which has not been long since I have only been 21 for 3 months). The big thing to order at this bar is a drink that is literally made in a teapot and you drink it out of the teapot (the drink is cold, not hot). Since I still cannot drink yet because of my liver and mono, I did not order one but tried a sip of one of my friends (don't worry mom, I am still alive). All around the bar are teapots that are hung up. What the bartender does is takes down one of the teapots and makes a drink that tastes like fruit punch. You are not supposed to drink straight from the spout of teapot, but a lot of people do. The bar also had karaoke and a huge dance floor. It was such an amazing experience and a bar I definitely will keep going back to.

Today, since I do not have any class, a friend and I went to Darling Harbor and went to the IMAX Theatre. This theatre is the biggest IMAX Theatre in the world. When we bought our tickets, the person working pulled out this huge map to show us where we were sitting. Yes, it is actually that big that you need a map to navigate around the theatre. When we walked into the theatre, I was taken away by how big the screen actually is. Standing at the bottom of the screen and looking up actually hurt my neck to do because it was gigantic. We ended up seeing Titanic 3D, but it was not the actual titanic movie. The movie was shot 10 years ago and was about a group of scientists who went down to the very bottom of the ocean where the actual Titanic sunk and filmed what the ship looks like 90 years later. They would show the film of what it looked like now, and then show a model of what it looked like back then. I really enjoyed the movie and the experience of being in the biggest IMAX Theatre in the world. There is another IMAX movie coming out about outer space that I want to go back and see one day.

Australia is definitely living up to my expectations and beyond. I told the taxi driver last night that if he wants I will send him back to America and I will take his spot being in Australia.

Keep checking back :)

Love,

Heidi

What instrument do you play?

School started last week (February 28th), but as you know, I was sick and came late so I started this week. Let me just say, after having 3 days of classes, Australian college is so much different than American college. In Australia, their senior year in high school is learning about how to transition to Uni (college), learning how professors will lecture, and exploring what they want their profession to be. In America, senior year is about ditching class more than going to class, partying, and messing around before college starts. They have no general education classes to take, because when they enter college, the students know exactly what they want to do with their life. Therefore, if you are studying psychology, it means you will grow up to be a psychologist. In Australia, they only go to Uni for 3 years, instead of 4 like America, because they do not have the general education classes to take.

With that said, lets just say when I entered my first class on Monday I was in for a big treat. I was planning on taking general education classes and one psychology class abroad. One of the requirements I need to fulfill back in Boulder is something called literature and the arts. In Sydney Uni, it was very hard to find a class that would fulfill this credit back in Colorado, but I found one class out of about 20 I tried to get approved form Boulder. This class is called, Music in the Classical and Romantic Eras, and is located in the Music Conservatory which is right next to the Sydney Opera House. I was extremely excited Monday morning knowing that I have a class right next to the famous Opera House. The class description online stated that it would cover the history of music in the classical and romantic eras, which seemed like a class I was capable of taking. I walked into the class on Monday, and the professor handed out a thick packet that had music notes written all over it. I am not even kidding, I thought it was a foreign language and I was in another class. I even turned to the person next to me to make sure I was in the right class. This music class was a 2 hour lecture, with a 5 minute break in between the hours. From the second I sat down until the start of the break, I honestly have never been so confused and in a state of mind that thought I was in outer space. The professor would read some of the music, then play the piano for about 10 minutes, then the class would discuss what he just played. People had their instruments out and some of them even played along. At the break, I went up to the professor and asked him if you needed some music background and if I was in the right class. He asked me a few questions about music, what instrument I played, and what I was studying. I told him back in Colorado I am doing psychology and integrative physiology, wanting to be a physical therapist, never have picked up a musical instrument in my life, and I could not even tell the difference between a trombone and a saxophone. This guy gave me a look that was comparable to the lady at the turkey counter, with the expression of WHAT?! This is when I looked at him and said I have no music background and I am going to drop the class because I feel like I am sitting in a foreign language class in which everyone knows the language, except me. 

Since that music class was a complete failure, I went to the international office to ask them what I should do since I was a week late in the process of adding and dropping classes. My flatmate Adam told me he is in a class called Sports and Learning in Australian Culture. In this class, you learn about Australian sports and then travel to these sporting events to watch them being played. It is an awesome class that seems like something I will really enjoy, unlike that music class. This weekend we are going to one of the beaches to watch swimmers compete, since swimming is the biggest sport in Australia. Since I am in love with sports, this class will be one of those classes in which I look forward to going to. I am also taking a history class and a psychology class about social work. In my history class, we had to introduce ourselves to the class and say a few things about yourself. When it was my turn I said, "Hi my name is Heidi," and literally everyone in the class interrupted me and said, "OH MY GOSH I LOVE YOUR ACCENT!" I laughed and told them I do not have an accent, they do. I am starting to think being the only American at Sydney Uni will make me a lot of friends quickly.

One thing I do not like about Australian University's is that the professors sit in front of the class and just read off of a piece of paper. There are rarely any words on the power point slides, so you have to write down the important things that the professors say. This is going to get taking used to, but I am not too worried about it since I only need to pass the class.

That is it for now, I will be posting another blog soon about my first bar experience and the IMAX theatre!

Heaps of Love,

Heidi

A Kilometer is not a Measurement for Turkey

Yesterday I went to the grocery store for the first time because I have to cook for myself this semester. I decided that I wanted turkey to make sandwiches, so I went over to the deli counter to get it fresh. When I walked up, I realized that in Australia their measurements are different than ours. For example, they do not use pounds and ounces, they use kilograms and grams. They do not use miles, they use kilometers. Of course I remember learning about all of this back in the 5th grade, but when you have to use it in a real life situation, it gets completely dropped from your memory, or at least mine. Therefore, when I was standing at the counter, I had no clue how much a kilogram of turkey compared to a pound. I decided to stand at the counter for about 2 minutes, listening to other Australians order and see what they said. To tell you the truth, even after listening to other people order did not make a difference to me or help me one bit. I decided to order 1/4 of a kilogram, and I really did not want to mess it up when I ordered. I probably said it over and over in my head... "1/4 of a kilogram, 1/4 of a kilogram, 1/4 of a kilogram, 1/4 of a kilogram, 1/4 of a kilogram." When it was my turn to order, of course I messed it up. "Can I please get 1/4 of a kilometer of turkey?," I said. The lady looked at me like I was from outer space. I repeated myself because I thought she did not hear me clearly. "Can I please get 1/4 of a kilometer of turkey?" The lady at the counter started to laugh and told me that a kilometer is a measurement for distance, not for turkey meat. I was so embarrassed I did not know what to say, and told her to just cut me up an amount of turkey that people usually order. At this point, if I got 5 pounds of turkey or 2 pieces of turkey I did not care. I just wanted to get out of there and save myself from any more embarrassment. 


When I got back and told my flatmates my horrific story, they laughed for about 10 minutes and said that they will make me a table with all the conversions so this did not happen again. This may be a present that is better than anything I have ever received before. On that note, I have some re-learning and some brushing up to do for my next grocery store experience.


Love,
Heidi

Exploring Sydney and MARDI GRAS!

Yesterday, March 5th, I explored Sydney from front to back. Adam, one of my flatmates, joined a group called Unimates when he first got here which is a club that is for international students. Australian students that go to Sydney Uni can join the club too and meet other international students. Adam told me that the club was meeting yesterday to go on a scavenger hunt around Sydney, which would also let us explore the city. We both decided to go, and met the group that was part of this club in front of one of the most amazing buildings I have seen yet in Sydney. It looks like something right out of Harry Potter, and Adam said he has a class inside of that building. I will definitely get a picture of the building and post it on my facebook for you all to see. What the scavenger hunt was is we got a clue, and had to figure out what the clue said then find the place in Sydney that was answered the clues question. We had a couple Australians in our group luckily who knew their way around Sydney.


I had such an amazing time doing this. The scavenger hunt lasted from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. and we probably walked about 8 miles minimum. My group started out going to this outdoor market that is a market on the weekend and a school during the week. They sold a ton of different things there including different types of food that is made in Australia. We then went to the Sydney Fish Market which is this huge indoor fish market that is right off of one of the harbors. Supposedly it is famous in Sydney because each morning the fishermen bring back everything they caught that morning and people come and get their sea food fresh daily. I have never seen so many different types of fish and sea food in my life. There were displays that contained fish that were probably 400 pounds laying on a sheet of ice. After we spent time at the fish market, we went to Darling Harbor, which is a huge harbor that is close to Sydney Harbor. This is in downtown Sydney and is where the world's largest IMAX screen is. It is also where an aquarium and an indoor zoo is with kangaroos and other animals. Needless to say, I am definitely going to all of these places eventually. The next place we went was Hyde Park. It was an extremely pretty park with these huge pathways that were covered with trees. I can definitely see myself laying around the park and "studying" for my classes. After Hyde Park, we went to the Botanic Garden. This is where I saw something that I will NEVER FORGET. As we were walking through, someone from Australia pointed up to a tree and said to look up. This is when I looked up and saw about 100 bats sleeping up at the top of the tree. These bats hang from their feet upside down and wrap their wings are their body like a blanket. Some of the bats were awake and flying around, but since they are nocturnal the majority of them were sleeping. I hate bats and seeing hundreds of bats up in the trees reaffirmed my thoughts that I still hate bats. The last place we went was Sydney Harbor where the Sydney Opera House and bridge are! Walking right up to the Opera House on the harbor was breathtaking and unbelievable. The Opera House is not as white as you see in pictures, but it is still amazing. Eventually I am going to take a tour of it and I really want to climb the bridge on the harbor!  I was so glad that Adam and I ended up doing this scavenger hunt because I got to get a glimpse of places in Sydney and know where to come back and spend more time exploring.


Right when we got back from our day, we had to get ready for MARDI GRAS! Something I did not know but now I definitely know is that Mardi Gras is HUGE in Sydney. I am not sure if it is always on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday or what, but it was yesterday. People from all over Australia and New Zealand fly in for this parade. There were thousands and thousands of people. All I can say is it is definitely up there with Mardi Gras in New Orleans. All my friends and I got ready and headed to downtown Sydney (which is a 15 minute bus ride away) for the parade. The parade started at 7:15 p.m. and lasted for hours and hours. We wanted to get there early so we could get a good spot to see the parade, because supposedly if you do not get there by 4 p.m. you have a hard time seeing everything. The second I got off the bus, I was amazed and in amazement of what was going on. I have not been to Mardi Gras in New Orleans since I was probably 10 years old, so I forgot what it is like. I cannot fully describe my Mardi Gras in Sydney experience to you in words because it is the kind of thing you would of had to be there to see it all. Pretty much I have never seen so many gay people in my life dressed up in clothing that would never be allowed in public, except for Mardi Gras. Somehow we found a way to see the floats up close and see some of the people who were in the parade before it started, which was pretty cool. Mardi Gras in New Orleans from what I remember is exactly the same as to what we went to last night, except for one thing: BEADS! In Sydney they do not throw beads off of the floats, which was very disappointing! Other than the beads, I had an incredible time and was so happy that I got to go to a Mardi Gras parade. It is something that I will always look back on and definitely remember.

Yesterday was definitely an extremely fun and full day of excitement. I cannot wait for what is up next!

G'day,

Heidi

In heaps of Love with Sydney

So you know that question I was asking about when it would finally hit me that I was going to Australia for four and a half months? All I can say is as soon as I stepped onto the plane at LAX and the flight attendant said, “Welcome aboard mate,” I knew my adventure had started. As soon as I heard those words, I could not stop smiling because I was thinking about what the future held for me. 

With that said, I AM FINALLY IN AUSTRALIA! I landed two days ago, but I have not had time to update my blog. Luckily the 16 hour plane ride was a breeze because for 8 of the hours I had three seats to stretch out on and sleep. I made a deal with a random girl I met on the plane that she could get the three seats for 8 hours, and then it was my turn for the next 8 hours. Since the plane was not very full, it worked out perfectly. When we first boarded the plane, they gave us an itinerary of when meals would be served and when they would hand out certain snacks. This is when I realized that when I write my first paper here, I am in for a big treat. Even though the people here speak English, they do not spell things the way we spell things. For example, yogurt is spelled yoghurt and while is spelled whilst. This was just the beginning of learning a whole new language and learning to pronounce things correctly. On the plane, we were served dinner right when we took off at midnight. I had a lot of trash from the meal on my tray table when a flight attendant walked by. He looked at me and said, "You have heaps of rubbage!" I looked at him really confused and told him I didn't understand what he was saying. This was when the girl sitting next to me said, "What he means is you have a lot (heaps) of trash (rubbage)." Needless to say, I was quite embarrassed that I did not understand this extremely good looking Australian guy with an amazing accent.

After I landed I was picked up by a shuttle and was on my way to where I am staying. The shuttle pulled up to the curb and I walked around to where our passenger door would be to get in. The shuttle driver came around and started laughing and said, "Mate do you want to drive or something?" I turned bright red and forgot that in Australia they drive on the wrong side of the road and their drivers seat is our passenger passenger door. There were many times during the ride that I thought I was going to die because I kept forgetting that the roads are opposite and their turns are different from ours. This is something that is going to take getting used to!

I am staying in a village that is right next to campus. It is made up of about 6 buildings with about 20 apartments where 5 people live in one apartment. I am living in an apartment with 4 other flatmates (this is what they call roommates), making 5 of us total. There are two guys and three girls in my apartment. One of the guys is from Thousand Oaks, California and the other guy is from New York. For the girls, one of them is from Australia (about 3 hours south of Sydney), and the other is from Singapore but is a full time student at this university. I absolutely love my flatmates and really lucked out. Since they have all been here a month already, they have been showing me the ropes. The girl from Australia is awesome and is teaching me about everything and teaching me how to say different things here. One of the many things I have learned is that a couch is calling a lounge. She also taught me that they call college "Uni" and not college or school. This is something I am going to have to get used to because I keep saying college and she tells me that people are going to think I am in high school (college is their high school). The guy who is from Thousand Oaks (Adam) has saved my life by showing me EVERYTHING. From the second I landed, he has taught me things like make sure you look right instead of left when crossing the street and how to use the bus system.

The first day I met a ton of new people and explored the area around where I am living. I am falling in love with Sydney more and more each day. Even though I have not seen any kangaroos or koala bears yet, I knew eventually my dream will come true to touch them! 

Check back soon when I post the next entry!

With heaps of love,

Heidi