Sending alil love back home! MISS YOU GUYS
Condensed update: Schools OK, I still love my roommates, weather is at about 75 degrees each day its cooling down and becoming "winter" here, I love going into the city and exploring by myself (its such a freeing feeling), time is going fast.. but slow at the same time & I am happy here!
Its not all fun and games here. I do miss home. Its been like an extra long vacation and now its time to go home. But, I'm not even half way.. which is a good thing. At least my parents will be here in less than a week! But again everyone tells me you get even more home sick after they leave.. which I'm scared of because I'm pretty home sick already. My friends here are really nice and I'm super lucky to have such great roommates, but honestly nothing can compare to what I have at home. No one here has known me for longer than a month an a half.. I just really miss the community I have around me at home.
I have definitely came to a new appreciation of the people I have at home. They mean the world to me and I don't know how I could go on without you guys. So I hope that sends alil love back home
Budget-
I am budgeting myself here to around $150 a week spending cash. This DOES NOT INCLUDE groceries, phone bill, internet, housing. It does include transportation from in and out of the city, food when I am out, alcohol, admissions to any events or cover charges into places, shopping.. I usually run out every week but I cant let myself get more money out because I will be out of money before I leave, which would not be fun. This place is making me broke.. I just have to remember that I am only here for a little while and I saved up to come here so its OK to spend money. It was a very hard concept because I am so use to not spending much money at home.
Trips-
My parents will be here this coming sunday morning! We will be in Sydney for 5 days then my brother arrives and we fly off to new zealand for 5 nights, then we will all be in Sydney for another 3 nights all together before my parents leave. Then my brother will be Australia for another week. (My spring break is 2 weeks long here) April 12th-29th. The weekend after break (3rd of May) I plan to go to Wollongong, which is an amazing area from what I heard which is 2.5 hours away from Sydney. The weekend after that I will be going to where my Australian roommate is from (Dubbo) and staying a weekend at home with her (May 10th) in her town there is a zoo and it think it will be great to see what a normal town in Australia is like! Possibly melbourne the next weekend (17th of May). AND then its my birthday weekend and there is an event in Sydney called Vivid Sydney. Its an event where the city is bursting with color and light shows at night. That should be really fun and runs for 2 weekends( May 24th-31st). THEN its the end of the semester! .. well of course then 3 weeks of examinations! But I only have one exam so I am hoping its in the beginning of the 3 weeks or at the end so I can travel for at least 2 week throughout Australia. Again I do not find out when my exam is for another 3 weeks.. so I will plan my flight home and travels based on that. I am hoping to go up the great barrier reef! ... hopefully
As you can see from this point forward I am VERY busy especially with add school and earning my global leadership certificate. Which is call GLP and I have to attend 4 sessions of 3 hours each and a cultural trip before the semesters over.. all I can say is HERE I GO!
I just want to say how much I love the city! I love Sydney it is such a unique diverse place with so much to offer! I am very confident in saying that I want to come back in visit later in life! & I want to live in the city for a part of my life for sure when I get out of school.. or maybe even for grad school... not sure but I fall more in love with the city life every day!
Story-
It was my roommate Christy's birthday this last week. We grilled out on her actual birthday at a deck at the place we live and we ate Pavlov, which is the famous cake everyone has on their birthday over here. It was so good! Its an egg white cake and then you load the top of it with fruit of all sorts! Then on friday we went to celebrate more and went to this beach called Manly. We took a ferry over and bought some food from a local supermarket and grilled out on the beach at night with some music. It was a beach inside this cove where is was quite and there was a light breeze. It was simply amazing. The waves crashing up on shore, our music playing, fresh smell of brats, kangaroo, and corn on the grill, some fresh salad and good friends :) Then we got to take the ferry into the city and you go right past the Opera house and harbour bridge with great views. I am really hoping to do this with my parents when they arrive!
Classes-
STILL have no gotten any grades back.. but I might in the next few days. Its quite scary to think I have no grades and I'm almost half way through the semester!
In one of my classes we have to debate a topic. You get to choose your topic, but not what side you are debating. I chose to be in the gay marriage group and then was put to debate against it. This is horrible and hard. First our group of 3 people established we were not going to even touch the argument of religion. I had to turn a paper in last week about it and it was terrible to find research that is not completely absurd to defend this point. So, I am not so sure about how I did on that paper. In class we were discussing this topic of Gay marriage and my teacher made everyone that was religious raise their hand. I did, but for some reason I felt very alone in raising my hand. I was one of two people in the class of 50+ that was raising their hand. I have never felt so out of place. She then asked each of us what religion we were and if we believed in gay marriage. I said my opinion and left it at that. The class is very discussion based so when I was asked for my opinion and stated it, I felt as if someone was going to attack me for having that belief and opinion. I guess I am just being forced to stand up for what I believe in here.. which is a good thing but very scary at the same time.
Friends way from home!
I got to meet my moms friend from High school that moved to Sydney, Australia right after High school! She was so nice and I also got to meet her kids ages 10 and 5! Her name is Liz and she offered to take me grocery shopping. We ended up just going to a park with her kids and then we all went out to dinner. It was great to meet somebody that has lived here for 30+ years but also grew up with my mom! Also a kid that I graduated with is also coming here to visit his sister at the end of April! So i get to meet up with them in the city and hang out! Its so nice to have people I sort-of know over here!
List
-Landry is $5 Wash:$4 Dry:$1
-Vodka is about 40 dollars a bottle at the cheapest
-People drink in between classes, not to get drunk just as a social thing
-People don't get easter baskets they go to the "easter show"which is just like a huge carnival and they get things called "show bags" thats loaded with candy
-Getting your degree over in the states and then coming here is like having a mega degree over here
- I have a theory as to why everyone dresses so nice every day. All kids growing up have to wear uniforms to school. I have not heard of one person that has not had to in Australia. Anywho they had no decision on what to wear growing up so they think that days that you get to dress yourself are "special" so they go all out... everyday. maybe?
-It's easy to be lazy here.. really easy
-Australians are VERY fit. If its a nice day outside you WILL see at least 50+ runners out and about. Also they have a biggest loser here too and the people on it are about half the size as the people on the american one. HA
- All Australians relate college in America to American Pie the movie. People ask me " So do you guys like really have things call frats?" LOL
- Its completely acceptable to wear a belly shirt here
-You have to drive slow at night on rural roads.. not to look out for deer but to look out for Kangaroos.. but seriously we almost hit one twice.
-I am not sure if I am losing or gaining weight here because I have no scale, there is one in the gym but its in kilo grams.... sooo
-LOL people saying its cold when its 70 degrees and Australians saying that winters coming because its so cold.. LOL
-I am trying to eat as healthy as possible but pasta is the cheapest and easiest.. so lets just say I eat alot of pasta
-I hope to go bungie jumping in new zealand.. or skydiving.. cant decided!
- I am so excited to go hiking with my family!
I am hoping to do "a day in the life with pictures of my room, school, classes, downtown, transportation, for my next post, but because I am so busy I am guessing it is going to take awhile, but look out for it!
until next time...
Love,
Ally Jo
