Sunday, April 27, 2014

Balancing Act

       Week 10 of my little adventure has just flown by! A huge thank you goes out to my Aunt Angie, Aunt Monica, Uncle Wayne, Rebecca, Justin, Andrea Mayrose, and Bri Breske for taking the time to send letters/ packages! I love hearing about home and how everyone is doing. I appreciate each letter very much and it's just so wonderful getting snail mail! I found out this week that I gave Dylan the wrong address and so we have a package "missing in action". Sometimes I wonder if I'll ever grow out of this whole "blonde thing" but I think I'm beginning to think it has become a part of my personality now! Oh well, it keeps me on my toes.

      Since it was Easter weekend, we didn't have classes on Monday. Luckily, the professors were kind enough to record themselves giving lectures. HA. I have a few major assignments due this week that I have been and will continue to labor over for the next couple of days. Hopefully the work will pay off!

   A lot of people forget to tell high school students the single most amazing thing about college. Naptime. Every day. Regardless of what school you go to or what country you're from, nap time is enjoyed by everyone! It's kind of funny how quiet and deserted campus will get around 2 or 3 PM everyday because we all religiously adhere to our napping schedules. I only mention this because it is a real struggle when homework interferes with naptime. It can throw off my whole day! A bad part about adulthood is that naptime is terminated. It's quite depressing to think about!

      On Thursday, I found out that McDonald's (or Mecca's) sells ice cream cones for 30 cents! What a bargain right!? The cones are a vivid orange color and taste a bit like plastic but I'm not complaining! I love ice cream!

       Friday was another holiday here in Australia called ANZAC Day. ANZAC stands for "Australian and New Zealand Army Corps". ANZAC Day not only a remembrance day marking the start of the first major military action taken by Australia/ New Zealand in WWI, but it is also a remembrance day for all veterans who gave the ultimate sacrifice. In communities all over Australia, there are several different events held throughout the day to commemorate the holiday. First, is a dawn service that starts exactly at 4:27 AM on April 25th. That is when military forces first engaged in combat against the Ottoman Empire in 1915. An interesting fact about this holiday is that it originally was only observed by veterans who returned from the war. To honor the men that they had fought with in battle, they would travel to the different military cemeteries where their friends were buried and would hold a dawn vigil. The military didn't organize this or ask soldiers to do this but instead it was small groups of soldiers who independently did this all on their own with no idea that many others were doing the same thing. Of course, as the years went by and the men kept returning to hold these small masses, word spread of what was happening. Soon, widows and families joined. And eventually the dawn vigils kept attracting more and more people who wanted to pay their respects. In 1927, every state in Australia observed ANZAC Day as a national holiday. Today, it has grown to include memorial services, veteran marches, reunions, and games in addition to the dawn services. This year, a few students organized a bus that traveled to the bus stop that would take us to Rockhampton's Botanical Gardens where the dawn service was being held. At first I didn't know why we had to take public transport to the gardens but once we got there I realized exactly why. It's because of how many people attend the dawn services! I was shocked when I saw the hoards of people who had gathered. Hundreds and hundreds. Everyone from veterans to students to just everyday people had come. It seemed like every single person from Rockhampton was there. I tried to take a couple pictures but I wasn't very successful because one, it was 3:30 in the morning when we got there (complete darkness) and two, because no one was on their phones. I can't really describe the feeling in the air. It was a vary somber affair. The only other time that I had felt such a heaviness in the air was when I had visited the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. It was remarkable. Even though I am not Australian and I know very little about their military, I still felt a sense of mourning during this service/ mass. Because unfortunately, another thing that makes us all alike regardless of nationality, is the effects of war. We all know someone who has died in combat and has made the ultimate sacrifice. We are all bound by the very thing that splits us apart. The sense of unity I felt at that dawn service is something that I'll always keep with me.

**The ANZAC memorial
 
**A small end corner of the crowd. There were people all the way behind the light in the corner.
 
Anyways, on to other news! On campus, we had another sighting of a "red belly black" snake. This one was between 5 to 6 feet long. It was seen right outside Hutton Hall right by our clothesline. Guess who was hanging up their bed sheets 10 minutes before this snake was seen? Yup. This girl. I didn't see anything but I think that's because I wasn't looking for it and our grass hadn't been mowed in a while haha. I don't have a picture for that one but it reminded me of another snake that I saw by the vending machine a month or so ago. This picture was taken by someone else but it was too good not to post!
 
 
Last night, there was another party on campus. This one was themed "The Wild West". It was quite entertaining to see everyone dressed up and such. There was a mechanical bull that kept everyone pretty entertained! Yes, I did give it a try! I'm not sure how long I stayed on but when I eventually fell off, I ended up knocking heads with the thing haha. I'm completely fine but I hit it pretty hard apparently! The party was a lot of fun and afterwards a group of us went clubbing and it's safe to say that going to clubs is not my cup of tea haha. The drinks are expensive, the guys are creepy, and there's no food. It was a fun time but I'm definitely more of a staying in sort of girl!
 
(L to R: Mika (Germany), Ashley (Canada), Julie (Canada), Pauline (France), Dain (Australia), Me, Marina (US), and in the center is Ben (US).
 


       Today has been a lazy day for me! I haven't really done.... anything actually haha. Writing this has been the one and only accomplishment of my day! But with tomorrow being Monday, I'll be right back to the hustle and bustle of every day life! I hope everyone is doing fantastic and that you're enjoying the warmer temps!

Have a wonderful week,

Tina

1 comment:

  1. I love this blog! Great job! Looks like you had a great time!

    ReplyDelete