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

Happy Easter!

 

(Photo Courtesy of www.cokesbury.com )

        Happy Easter! Today marks my first (and last) major holiday over here. I haven't done anything too exciting to celebrate but the Easter bunny did visit our dorms and I scavenged together a makeshift Easter dinner for myself! I had chicken legs, steamed veggies, and brown rice all deliciously cooked with a microwave! It wasn't too bad, just not up to par with past Easter dinners!

 

 

        Last Friday night we had the fire alarm go off at 2 AM. It was horrible! For those of us that were here, we had to evacuate and sit outside with the swarms of mosquitos for about a half hour until the firefighters showed up. If Hutton House really was on fire, I'm pretty sure it would have burnt down before the firefighters arrived!

 

        On Tuesday night, there was Blood moon/ lunar eclipse. We could see it pretty clearly here but we didn't see it turn red. Some of us endured the mosquitos and sat outside and watched it from the wide open University campus lawn! On Tuesday this week, there is supposed to be a meteor shower that is supposed to be pretty fantastic from about 8 PM to early hours in the morning. I can't wait for that!

 

**At the end of the eclipse

        On Wednesday, I thought that it was about time that I treat myself to some Domino's pizza! It was a typically beautiful Australian afternoon when I set out for the two mile walk to the nearest Domino's. I got my pizza and started my walk back when it started drizzling out. It was one of those type of rain showers where the sun was still shining. I didn't mind it too much until it started down pouring! So here I am walking back to campus with a pizza in the rain. By the time I got on campus to a covered picnic bench, I was drenched and my pizza box was a flimsy cardboard mess. One, it was the wrong day to wear a white t-shirt and two, I should have put on bug spray. The mosquitos were fighting me for the same dry space and apparently they are really attracted to the smell of pizza! So I did what any seemingly intelligent college-aged girl would do.... I ate the whole large pizza in under ten minutes. So.. much ...regret. It was about another 20 minutes before the rain let up enough for me to waddle back to my dorm and let me tell ya, it was quite painful. But on the bright side of things, I saw a beautiful rainbow on the way back! I will not be indulging in any pizza for a while after that episode.

 


        On Thursday, I went on my weekly grocery run to Stockland's and finally tried a meat pie. Ever since I first arrived in Brisbane, I had seen countless billboards advertising "The best meat pies around" and heard many people talking about their favorite meat pies. Because of a friend's recommendation, I decided to try a steak and cheese pie and it was delicious! Super messy, but yummy! I'm pretty sure normal people eat it with a knife and fork but I wasn't given any so I made do with my hands and a couple dozen napkins haha.

 

      On Friday, I experienced my first mid-term exam here and did awesome! I got a 92 out of 100. I and a couple other girls spent countless hours during the past couple weeks in the library studying for this mid-term. My study guide alone took me 13 hours to complete. (I really like to make study guides ha). It all paid off and I'm feeling pretty confident with my classes.

 

       Today, I think I'll go for a walk and fill out some more postcards. I love walking to the university grounds and enjoying how pretty it is while I'm writing! I hope everyone has a fantastic Easter and eat some chocolate for me!

 

Adios!

 

Tina

 

 

 

 

Studious Tina!

          This week mainly consisted of me doing what I came here to do- studying hard! I realized this week how much I had procrastinated homework-wise during break week. I thought I had accomplished quite a bit last week but.... let's be honest, I could have done a lot more. :P I think I have spent more hours in the library during this last week than all the other weeks of this term combined. But good news is that I finished homework that isn't due for a while so I'm ahead of the game for all of my classes! Woohoo!

           Last Saturday morning I woke up to find that my food that I keep in our communal fridge had been raided by a few hungry, drunk people the night before so I decided to take a trip into town to restock! Rather than carry the grocery bags like I normally do for the almost two miles between my dorm and the nearest grocery store, I emptied my school bag and headed out! It was a beautiful day (as usual)  so I didn't mind at all! There's a food market that I really enjoy where I can get my fruits, vegetables, and homemade bread. I love it! Since coming here, my eating habits have drastically changed. Because it's still sort of "in-season" natural foods tend to be quite a bit cheaper than junk food regardless of where you go. Instead of spending $5 on a bag of Dorito's, I can buy about a dozen apples. Yum! One of my friends has gotten me hooked on fruit-infused water. So I usually purchase lemons and limes to cut and add to my drinking water throughout the day! I also add green tea bags to make it even more delicious!

           On Sunday I had the chance to Skype with Jess for the first time since she dropped me off at the airport. It was really nice to catch up and hear all about her jobs and such. I think that we've decided that I will live with her this summer and work at The Corn Palace and Subway when I return. Even though I will be paying rent for a place in Aberdeen, I will get a lot more hours in Mitchell and be able to save so much more money rather than essentially wasting a couple weeks when I get back trying to find a job in Aberdeen. I'm very excited to be back in the States! 

         In the same weekend I was able to connect with my friend Tonya from school as well. It was awesome hearing about all of my friends back at school and how they're doing! I also have been Skyping with Dylan as well periodically since I've arrived here. We try to Skype about every three days or so. It's very comforting being able to talk with him and always a blast! He has helped me so very much with adjusting to my life here! Also, he sends me pictures of Taco John's every once in a while to help me through my withdrawals.  

        So throughout the week my friend Marina (a fellow exchange student from the States) have just spent a ton of time in the library. We have a few classes together as well so it's great having someone to discuss and complain about homework with!

 

*Marina & I during our weekly trip to the local shopping center.

 

            Today, during my Outdoors Pursuits class, we surfed/ stand-up paddle boarded for the last time! The waves were fantastic and the largest that I've surfed on so far. This made it way easier! It took quite a while for me to actually learn how to surf well but I achieved it nonetheless! Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures of me surfing but a friend did snap a few of me paddle boarding. The beach we traveled to was gorgeous and was a very picturesque way to end our surfing adventure!

 

 

 

**Ben (US), Marina (US), Me, Julie (Canada), and Jill (France)

 

 

         I think that pretty much covers the highlights from this week! Not too much has happened and I'm predicting that next week will be even less eventful because I will be studying for my mid-term exams that take place on Friday!

Until next time,

Tina   

Break Week!

        Hello all- this week's post may be a bit short because I had just posted a couple days ago! This past week has been break week! Many of the international students took advantage of this week by traveling to Melbourne, Sydney, and Cairnes, etc... but I along with a few others stayed on campus and enjoyed our week off! I ended up accomplishing a lot more than I had planned. :) I did boring things like register for classes, finalize on an apartment in Aberdeen, finally got my bank account here, paid residence bills, and lots of workouts. I also had some quality Skype time with different friends back home! Yay for technology!

        Yesterday (Thursday) I decided to take a trip to Yeppoon and to have a nice beach day. Yeppoon is a beautiful town on the coast with a wonderful downtown full of little shops and art galleries. It was great playing in the ocean, enjoying some delicious beachfront café food, and chatting with locals. I wish I could experience that more!

**An old church converted into an art gallery showcasing local artists.

 

 

**Lunch! A grilled chicken, avocado, and feta cheese wrap with fresh fruit.

 

**An intersection in downtown Yeppoon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

         This week, classes will resume and I'll return to my routine! It's crazy to think that I've been here for about seven weeks already. Time is flying by so very fast and Rockhampton is quickly becoming another home to me. Last week was a tough one for me in terms of homesickness! A friend of mine posted a quote on Facebook recently and it really struck a chord with me and how I was and am feeling. "You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place." - Unknown. As I'm getting closer to friends here, I know that it will be extremely tough for me to leave when the time comes. But, that's a ways away still- I'm enjoying every day "down under"!

 

Until next time,

 

Tina