Yesterday I shocked myself when at work when I actually thought at one point, I really like this job. It was crazy busy all day long and I had gone to bed at 5 in the morning the night before so I was basically dead, but the people were really nice and my managers were happy because they were making so much money! I also somehow did even better than usual while sleep deprived, so maybe that's the answer! But I had the most amazing table of I think about 9 people. They immediately noticed my accent and asked all about me and where I was from and what I was studying and such, so I told them I was studying pre-veterinary science. The littlest girl there, who might have been 7 years old, thought that was FASCINATING and kept trying to think of an animal question to ask me. She finally thought of one, ran up to me, and said "Can you feed rabbits pellets?", so I told her if you get them at the pet store and it's specially marked with "Rabbit", then it's safe, to which she got this huge smile on her face and replied "Thank you doctor!!" It was the most adorable thing I think I've ever seen in my entire life!! The table ended up staying for a good hour, which really made my night as they were so incredibly nice and ended up tipping me! They're the kind of people that make me have hope in the world again.
Even my managers were nice yesterday and told me I was doing a great job, and when they had a really important friend of theirs come in, they told me only I was to go and take their order and talk to them because they didn't want anything to go wrong! Definitely a good day! And now I don't have to work again until next Sunday because in two days I'm leaving for Brisbane!!!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Day 79
I have internet in my apartment!!! Knock on wood, because it is most likely going to die when I leave for work today, but it was the best present to wake up today! According to my friend who lives here and called the internet company, everything that could have gone wrong with the internet, went wrong. They basically had to replace the entire system, so our one repair guy was working until 11pm at night every day to get it fixed. Now I feel bad for complaining, but it was superrrr inconvenient!
However, as a result of not having internet, it actually forced me to go to the libraries at uni and get my work done which made it get done 100% faster, so now I am officially DONE! I can enjoy spring break finally, and I could not be happier!! I also got out of work early last night (10pm!) so I was able to hang out with my friend who lives at RMIT. But as soon as I went to go let them into the building, I saw tons of people in the lobby including another friend of ours who lives a different building from me in college square and 2 firetrucks with multiple fireman running around. Apparently there was a legitimate fire in his building because they made us wait out in the lobby for a good half hour-45 minutes for the smoke to clear. I feel so bad for whoever started it because not only did their stuff probably get burned, but it costs 2000 dollars or something crazy like that to call the fire brigade. The last person who set it off started crying. I am 95% sure I definitely would too.
Now I have one more day of work today and then I'm done for two weeks! I couldn't be happier!
However, as a result of not having internet, it actually forced me to go to the libraries at uni and get my work done which made it get done 100% faster, so now I am officially DONE! I can enjoy spring break finally, and I could not be happier!! I also got out of work early last night (10pm!) so I was able to hang out with my friend who lives at RMIT. But as soon as I went to go let them into the building, I saw tons of people in the lobby including another friend of ours who lives a different building from me in college square and 2 firetrucks with multiple fireman running around. Apparently there was a legitimate fire in his building because they made us wait out in the lobby for a good half hour-45 minutes for the smoke to clear. I feel so bad for whoever started it because not only did their stuff probably get burned, but it costs 2000 dollars or something crazy like that to call the fire brigade. The last person who set it off started crying. I am 95% sure I definitely would too.
Now I have one more day of work today and then I'm done for two weeks! I couldn't be happier!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Day 77
Yesterday was the first day that actually felt like spring break!! My friend and I went decided to have a completely free day (except for the tram) and go walk around Melbourne exploring the docklands and the beautiful gardens that were around. I went back to Carlton Gardens with my camera this time and realized just how freakishly beautiful it was. There were so many big trees surrounding these dirt pathways and big stretches of the greenest grass I've ever seen. It would totally be the best place for a date ever, which is what one of my friends did and I can totally see why now! Now I just need a date. Huh. Bout that.
But afterwards we took the tram down to the casino, which everyone has been too (even the parents that have come here) except for me, but of course it was about noon so we didn't go in. Apparently all of the slot machines are really confusing and not at all like the movies where you just put in a corner and pull down the lever. I'd probably sit there confused for a long time and then give up, so maybe it's good that I'm not a big gambler... But then we went to the royal botanical gardens, which I hadn't been to since we did the aboriginal walk there in the Melbourne Welcome orientation. It was MISERABLE then, since it was raining and cold and I had been walking everywhere so I was tired. This time, it was absolutely gorgeous! We spent a good 2 hours or so walking around all of the gardens and looking at all the plants. About half of them were poisonous, but hey, in Australia, everything will kill you. We also walked through King's Domain and other various parks that had very strange statues with no explanations about them.
We ended up on the other side of Melbourne and the Yarra River from Carlton and got completely lost, which was kind of the point of this little adventure. It was a good thing I had my Melbourne book because I was being a complete tourist that day, so we had a huge map that we eventually found our way back to Federation Square. From there, we headed on the tram down to St. Kilda, a big beachy area about 40 minutes south of Melbourne to have dinner with our other friend and her parents at their rented apartment. We got there a few hours early, so we spent that time walking in the sand and reminiscing about beaches in New England (we both come from New Hampshire and Maine). Once we got to the main shopping area of St. Kilda, there were a MILLION amazing looking pastry shops and gelati places so we had to splurge and buy gelati. Best. Decision. Ever. So. Delicious! Then we walked to the St. Kilda gardens and found a lifesize chess board that we wanted to place so badly, but there were these two old men playing so we just found a swing set that we sat on and glared at the men from a distance.
When we finally ate dinner, it was so amazingly delicious! It was nice to finally not eat cereal and spaghetti all the time, but instead we had salad and cheese and crackers and this pasta with feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. Absolutely delicious! And such a fun day!
But afterwards we took the tram down to the casino, which everyone has been too (even the parents that have come here) except for me, but of course it was about noon so we didn't go in. Apparently all of the slot machines are really confusing and not at all like the movies where you just put in a corner and pull down the lever. I'd probably sit there confused for a long time and then give up, so maybe it's good that I'm not a big gambler... But then we went to the royal botanical gardens, which I hadn't been to since we did the aboriginal walk there in the Melbourne Welcome orientation. It was MISERABLE then, since it was raining and cold and I had been walking everywhere so I was tired. This time, it was absolutely gorgeous! We spent a good 2 hours or so walking around all of the gardens and looking at all the plants. About half of them were poisonous, but hey, in Australia, everything will kill you. We also walked through King's Domain and other various parks that had very strange statues with no explanations about them.
We ended up on the other side of Melbourne and the Yarra River from Carlton and got completely lost, which was kind of the point of this little adventure. It was a good thing I had my Melbourne book because I was being a complete tourist that day, so we had a huge map that we eventually found our way back to Federation Square. From there, we headed on the tram down to St. Kilda, a big beachy area about 40 minutes south of Melbourne to have dinner with our other friend and her parents at their rented apartment. We got there a few hours early, so we spent that time walking in the sand and reminiscing about beaches in New England (we both come from New Hampshire and Maine). Once we got to the main shopping area of St. Kilda, there were a MILLION amazing looking pastry shops and gelati places so we had to splurge and buy gelati. Best. Decision. Ever. So. Delicious! Then we walked to the St. Kilda gardens and found a lifesize chess board that we wanted to place so badly, but there were these two old men playing so we just found a swing set that we sat on and glared at the men from a distance.
When we finally ate dinner, it was so amazingly delicious! It was nice to finally not eat cereal and spaghetti all the time, but instead we had salad and cheese and crackers and this pasta with feta cheese and sundried tomatoes. Absolutely delicious! And such a fun day!
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Day 75 -- Am I actually on spring break?
Today I'm coming to realize that I cannot relax even a tiny bit if I know I have a paper due that I should be doing. This is ridiculously frustrating when I'm on vacation but all I can think about is writing my papers! However, as a result, I am completely done with my two lab reports, my philosophy essay, and 1/3 of my human-animal interactions paper so all that is left is 2/3 of my paper! Hopefully after I complete that I'll finally get into vacation mode and be able to relax a little! I definitely at least will when I head to Brisbane in EXACTLY ONE WEEK! We actually finalized all of our adventures a couple days ago so it should make for a fabulous trip that I will talk all about when I come back!
Working has also become less of a hassle now that I'm really getting second nature at taking orders and have basically memorized the menu by now. Last night I took a table of at least 15 people, and besides the fact that they were really strange people and wanted their cake before their meal (and even weirder was the fact that everyone in the restaurant watched as they dug their hands, not cutlery, into the beautiful cake and hand fed everyone at the table. I really hope they had washed their hands...), everything else went smoothly! Of course after 2 hours of them sitting at their table and ordering countless plates of food, they could not afford a five dollar tip to the waitress that made it all flawlessly happen, but I guess that's just Australia. But now that everyone in Arcadia seems to be trying to save money and not go out on weekends or anything anymore, I actually might keep my job until the end of the semester. It's a REALLY nice feeling having an extra 200-300 dollars in my pocket every Sunday and I could actually come back to America with some money. Or just use it all on souvenirs and more trips while I'm here. We'll see which actually happens!
Working has also become less of a hassle now that I'm really getting second nature at taking orders and have basically memorized the menu by now. Last night I took a table of at least 15 people, and besides the fact that they were really strange people and wanted their cake before their meal (and even weirder was the fact that everyone in the restaurant watched as they dug their hands, not cutlery, into the beautiful cake and hand fed everyone at the table. I really hope they had washed their hands...), everything else went smoothly! Of course after 2 hours of them sitting at their table and ordering countless plates of food, they could not afford a five dollar tip to the waitress that made it all flawlessly happen, but I guess that's just Australia. But now that everyone in Arcadia seems to be trying to save money and not go out on weekends or anything anymore, I actually might keep my job until the end of the semester. It's a REALLY nice feeling having an extra 200-300 dollars in my pocket every Sunday and I could actually come back to America with some money. Or just use it all on souvenirs and more trips while I'm here. We'll see which actually happens!
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Day 73
This is a continuation of my hate of my apartment's internet. It is still not working after about 2 weeks of this nonsense and the effect of "Oh I'm away from the internet, this feels nice" is starting to wear off. All I want to do is be able to look up an article for my lab report and then realize I can't, and have to walk 20 minutes to be able to do so. SO ANNOYING. As a result today, I almost missed submitting my philosophy paper, but luckily remembered an hour before it was due so I was able to run over to uni and get online.
Now I'm at uni and the strangest things are happening. For one, about 5 homeless people have passed me inside the physics building searching through the vending machines for forgotten food or spare change. I have never seen homeless people inside a physics building before. Huh. It's definitely interesting even seeing homeless people in the first place, since Durham and Wooster have none that you see on a regular basis. That definitely is a change from a small town to a city. Just on my walk to work down the street I pass by at least 5 different homeless people asking for spare change. But sometimes it can actually set the atmosphere a little bit, as some of them draw crazy artwork in chalk on the ground, and another guy plays the fiddle really well.
Not speaking of homeless people, I finally found Pavlova today at the supermarket!! I bought just the meringue base and then added fruits and whipped cream on top as instructed by my Australian colleagues and it was SO DELICIOUS. It is for sure something I am going to make when I'm back in America.
Now I'm at uni and the strangest things are happening. For one, about 5 homeless people have passed me inside the physics building searching through the vending machines for forgotten food or spare change. I have never seen homeless people inside a physics building before. Huh. It's definitely interesting even seeing homeless people in the first place, since Durham and Wooster have none that you see on a regular basis. That definitely is a change from a small town to a city. Just on my walk to work down the street I pass by at least 5 different homeless people asking for spare change. But sometimes it can actually set the atmosphere a little bit, as some of them draw crazy artwork in chalk on the ground, and another guy plays the fiddle really well.
Not speaking of homeless people, I finally found Pavlova today at the supermarket!! I bought just the meringue base and then added fruits and whipped cream on top as instructed by my Australian colleagues and it was SO DELICIOUS. It is for sure something I am going to make when I'm back in America.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Day 71
For how much I pay for internet, it would be WONDERFUL if it would actually work. We're in the middle of our millionth consecutive internet outage at college square, which is absolutely ridiculous. I'm especially upset since I had a GB of data to use up by today before it expired, but since the internet wasn't working, I now have lost it. Now I'm back on campus during my spring break to use their internet. I call shenanigans.
But my last couple of days have been so much fun! On Thursday I went out to eat with 8 Arcadia people at this restaurant called Universal.
It was this adorable place on Lygon St that my friend had a coupon for 30% off, so he actually treated us all to dinner there. I got this GIANT plate of ribs and chicken wings and chips (very healthy, I know) for only 14 dollars! It was so nice to eat meat...it's so expensive to eat meat I just have basically become a vegetarian again like I usually do at Wooster (although at Wooster it's more about the meat just not being edible). But it was so good! Afterwards we got dessert at Brunetti's, also one of the absolute best cafe's I've been too. They sell these tiny cakes that are just beautiful, so you don't have to buy an entire cake to get your fix. So delicious. All of the cakes looked like pieces of art.
Yesterday was also a ton of fun, I actually was super productive in the afternoon and got the first and second drafts of an essay due on Monday done in two hours, so I was able to go out to dinner with my friend at the Pancake Parlor. We had a buy one get one free coupon, so we both got a big serving of pancakes for only 5 dollars each! To make it even better, while we were eating, we both got called by our work and was told to not come in that night. I think it was my good karma for getting so much done that day and going to class (which no one else seemed to do!) So to celebrate, we took our other friend out to a place called Perseverance, where it was 90's night and they were playing a bunch of 90s songs. I couldn't even leave to go to the bathroom all night because I wanted to dance to EVERY SINGLE SONG. Which we did, and ended up dancing until 3 in the morning when they closed. So much fun!
Lastly today I switched up the pace by heading out with my roommate and her two friends to go to Carlton Gardens, the gardens in my suburb, since they apparently were having some sort of farmers market. The farmers market ended up not happening, but we had fun just walking around the absolutely beautiful gardens and found this cute diner down where our orientation hotel was. Now I'm just waiting until I work tonight, which hopefully is a while so I can help pay for my trip to Brisbane (which i leave for in a week and a half!!).
But my last couple of days have been so much fun! On Thursday I went out to eat with 8 Arcadia people at this restaurant called Universal.
It was this adorable place on Lygon St that my friend had a coupon for 30% off, so he actually treated us all to dinner there. I got this GIANT plate of ribs and chicken wings and chips (very healthy, I know) for only 14 dollars! It was so nice to eat meat...it's so expensive to eat meat I just have basically become a vegetarian again like I usually do at Wooster (although at Wooster it's more about the meat just not being edible). But it was so good! Afterwards we got dessert at Brunetti's, also one of the absolute best cafe's I've been too. They sell these tiny cakes that are just beautiful, so you don't have to buy an entire cake to get your fix. So delicious. All of the cakes looked like pieces of art.
Yesterday was also a ton of fun, I actually was super productive in the afternoon and got the first and second drafts of an essay due on Monday done in two hours, so I was able to go out to dinner with my friend at the Pancake Parlor. We had a buy one get one free coupon, so we both got a big serving of pancakes for only 5 dollars each! To make it even better, while we were eating, we both got called by our work and was told to not come in that night. I think it was my good karma for getting so much done that day and going to class (which no one else seemed to do!) So to celebrate, we took our other friend out to a place called Perseverance, where it was 90's night and they were playing a bunch of 90s songs. I couldn't even leave to go to the bathroom all night because I wanted to dance to EVERY SINGLE SONG. Which we did, and ended up dancing until 3 in the morning when they closed. So much fun!
Lastly today I switched up the pace by heading out with my roommate and her two friends to go to Carlton Gardens, the gardens in my suburb, since they apparently were having some sort of farmers market. The farmers market ended up not happening, but we had fun just walking around the absolutely beautiful gardens and found this cute diner down where our orientation hotel was. Now I'm just waiting until I work tonight, which hopefully is a while so I can help pay for my trip to Brisbane (which i leave for in a week and a half!!).
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Day 69
I am officially finished with my midsemester genetics test! Two weeks worth of studying came down to today, where I finished the exam in an easy forty minutes. It wasn't exactly centered on what I had expected, but I was right to think that I should memorize basically everything she taught us down to the examples. Now I don't want to think about lac operons or whether GAL4 is a recessive activator or a dominant repressor until finals! Which luckily enough, I don't have to!
This is just a continuation of my good days that I've been having. Last night I was able to go out to dinner with a family friend and it was so much fun! (And i'm not just saying that because she will without a doubt be reading this at some point haha). I'm so glad I discovered the hidden gem of Los Amantes in Fitzroy, especially now that I know it's so close! My friend and I ended up walking right past it because MapQuest lead us astray into a completely different suburb, adding about 40 minutes onto our walk, but the food was worth it! Apparently it's really authentic mexican food, as told by one of the girls there who spent her summer studying in Chile. Delicious!
As much fun as going out last night was, I cannot WAIT to spend a night in for the first time in a week. I just want to wear sweatpants and watch my amazing Australian television shows and do nothing all night. Which I definitely think I deserve.
This is just a continuation of my good days that I've been having. Last night I was able to go out to dinner with a family friend and it was so much fun! (And i'm not just saying that because she will without a doubt be reading this at some point haha). I'm so glad I discovered the hidden gem of Los Amantes in Fitzroy, especially now that I know it's so close! My friend and I ended up walking right past it because MapQuest lead us astray into a completely different suburb, adding about 40 minutes onto our walk, but the food was worth it! Apparently it's really authentic mexican food, as told by one of the girls there who spent her summer studying in Chile. Delicious!
As much fun as going out last night was, I cannot WAIT to spend a night in for the first time in a week. I just want to wear sweatpants and watch my amazing Australian television shows and do nothing all night. Which I definitely think I deserve.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Day 67
So today started off with me being depressed about life and kind of in a slump, and ended with me feeling fabulous. It's wonders what a best friend can do. I also performed my first mammal dissection ever!! Okay, so it was mice, but I still dissected five of them! We had to cut them completely open and remove the heart, lungs, liver, intestine, etc. whilst measuring everything and taking accurate notes and all that boring stuff BUT while many of the other people in the class became grossed out, I was absolutely fine! My lecturer was making fun of me because I, being myself, talked to the mouse throughout the entire procedure, while my Australian lab partner (who actually is a humanities major) was getting squeamish from all the blood that was accumulating on our dissection board. But this gave me huge hope for the future! If I can open up a mouse and remove its organs like it's nothing, maybe I can eventually open up a cat or dog as well! ...but hopefully I won't be removing all their organs on a regular basis...
On a similar note, I started looking up veterinary internships for next summer and have started writing out essays for a few! I plan on applying to as many as I possibly can, wherever I possibly can, and see what happens. I figure if I apply to 50 I might get 1?
I'm also still sick, so I decided to look up every wonderfully healthy food I could and bought pretty much all of them I could afford. I still have no idea what I'm going to do with a sweet potato with no oven, but maybe I'll get creative.
On a similar note, I started looking up veterinary internships for next summer and have started writing out essays for a few! I plan on applying to as many as I possibly can, wherever I possibly can, and see what happens. I figure if I apply to 50 I might get 1?
I'm also still sick, so I decided to look up every wonderfully healthy food I could and bought pretty much all of them I could afford. I still have no idea what I'm going to do with a sweet potato with no oven, but maybe I'll get creative.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Day 65
Today all I did was study genetics and go to work. Is this really what I came to Australia to do? It seems all I do nowadays is study and work until closing. At least today I made 15 dollars in tips and I am going to make a ton of money when I get the paycheck for this week. I suppose this job is allowing me to do all the trips I didn't think I'd be able to do and more, but it really is a pain having to work every night of the weekend and miss out on doing fun things throughout the semester. Ah well, it could be worse. Tomorrow will be the same exact thing, so I won't even bother posting.
On a brighter note, I tried an Aussie pizza for the first time tonight! It's just a pizza with egg fluffed up on top and topped with ham. I gotta say, aussie pizza is good! It sounds weird from my description, but it looks really cool!
On a brighter note, I tried an Aussie pizza for the first time tonight! It's just a pizza with egg fluffed up on top and topped with ham. I gotta say, aussie pizza is good! It sounds weird from my description, but it looks really cool!
Friday, September 9, 2011
Day 64
Yesterday I felt so sick, as soon as I crawled out of bed for class, I found myself crawling back in it not being able to move. I guess it's natural to get sick at least once during the semester, but I was thoroughly convinced I would never be able to move again. I couldn't make it to any of my classes, and even had to cancel on getting a coffee with an Australian friend. The morning in bed actually proved to be quite helpful though, as I was able to bring my genetics into bed with me and spent the entire day studying for my midsemester exam on Wednesday.
I unfortunately also had to work that night at 6, the first half of it being pretty much my absolute hell since my stomach was hurting so badly I walked at pretty much a snail pace to avoid upsetting it more. Eventually I sat down a bit and was able to close that night without becoming sick at the restaurant. The biggest problem, however, was the THREE different parties of far over 10 people each coming into the restaurant 15 minutes before we closed. The entire back part of the restaurant was completely filled with chairs and people, making it absolutely impossible to get even to the kitchen without asking some people to get up and move. An hour later, all of the parties were still there, and as it was almost 1 in the morning I was ready to just fall asleep where I was standing. Finally once we took even their drinks away from them, they got the hint and left. I don't think we've ever cleaned up the restaurant that quickly before heading home, absolutely exhausted. At least I'm racking up the hours this week, which I'll need for my midsemester break, starting the week after next! I can't wait!
I unfortunately also had to work that night at 6, the first half of it being pretty much my absolute hell since my stomach was hurting so badly I walked at pretty much a snail pace to avoid upsetting it more. Eventually I sat down a bit and was able to close that night without becoming sick at the restaurant. The biggest problem, however, was the THREE different parties of far over 10 people each coming into the restaurant 15 minutes before we closed. The entire back part of the restaurant was completely filled with chairs and people, making it absolutely impossible to get even to the kitchen without asking some people to get up and move. An hour later, all of the parties were still there, and as it was almost 1 in the morning I was ready to just fall asleep where I was standing. Finally once we took even their drinks away from them, they got the hint and left. I don't think we've ever cleaned up the restaurant that quickly before heading home, absolutely exhausted. At least I'm racking up the hours this week, which I'll need for my midsemester break, starting the week after next! I can't wait!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Day 63
Last night I got called into work, which disrupted my genetics studying plans but other than that it wasn't too bad! It was pretty slow, but that was sort of good since we were down one server. Even the chefs had to help out sometimes by bringing food to customers. But I got closer to a coworker that I don't usually talk to, since we were the only two there serving, so it was nice!
The best news of yesterday was perhaps the best news of my uni experience so far. I walked into my genetics class and a new professor was standing at the front. This is pretty common for all my classes, since they seem to switch around lecturers in a department based on who is the most knowledgeable on the subject being taught, but this lecturer began speaking and it was like heaven. He actually was interesting and made me want to pay attention to him instead of fall asleep. The best part was at the very end he made an announcement that he will be teaching the rest of our lectures for the semester. I almost cried I was so happy. The happiness continued today when we started talking about morphogens, the specific example he used being the sonic the hedgehog protein! Even more hilarious is that I learned if there is a mutation in sonic the hedgehog, there's a possibility of becoming a cyclops! Genetics is so crazy!!
Tonight was finished off by finally going out to eat on Lygon St. We had always heard that you can get free food if you walk up and down the street because the places are competing for business so much, so we decided to put it to the test. The first place we pass by, the manager of the place offers us free drinks and free garlic bread. We were hooked. And I'm glad we were, because it was DELICIOUS. My friend treated us all the ice cream ever, and we ended up watching Law and Order, because what else is there really to do on a Thursday night? But it was fabulous.
The best news of yesterday was perhaps the best news of my uni experience so far. I walked into my genetics class and a new professor was standing at the front. This is pretty common for all my classes, since they seem to switch around lecturers in a department based on who is the most knowledgeable on the subject being taught, but this lecturer began speaking and it was like heaven. He actually was interesting and made me want to pay attention to him instead of fall asleep. The best part was at the very end he made an announcement that he will be teaching the rest of our lectures for the semester. I almost cried I was so happy. The happiness continued today when we started talking about morphogens, the specific example he used being the sonic the hedgehog protein! Even more hilarious is that I learned if there is a mutation in sonic the hedgehog, there's a possibility of becoming a cyclops! Genetics is so crazy!!
Tonight was finished off by finally going out to eat on Lygon St. We had always heard that you can get free food if you walk up and down the street because the places are competing for business so much, so we decided to put it to the test. The first place we pass by, the manager of the place offers us free drinks and free garlic bread. We were hooked. And I'm glad we were, because it was DELICIOUS. My friend treated us all the ice cream ever, and we ended up watching Law and Order, because what else is there really to do on a Thursday night? But it was fabulous.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Days...up to 56?
The last couple of days have been filled with too much schoolwork and lots of watching tv with my friends. My classes have suddenly piled on the reading so I actually have to remember how to do work quickly again. I got my big assignment back for my philosophy class yesterday, and found I got an H1! I may actually get a 4.0 this semester without even really trying. I hope everyone else is finding the same with their study abroad experiences!
The schoolwork is actually at a good time because my internet that I pay way too much for is not working! I have to walk to school just to check my email, and lately I've been too lazy to do that on a regular basis and so I've slacked on things like this blog. Good thing my life's not even remotely interesting at the moment! Everyone else's lives here seem to be getting crazy though. Everyone is either mad at each other or homesick or just in a bad mood for various reasons. I think we've officially hit that halfway mark where we just don't really know how to act. It's not all new, and the end seems far from over. I hope everyone cheers up soon; it's not everyday we're in Australia!!
The schoolwork is actually at a good time because my internet that I pay way too much for is not working! I have to walk to school just to check my email, and lately I've been too lazy to do that on a regular basis and so I've slacked on things like this blog. Good thing my life's not even remotely interesting at the moment! Everyone else's lives here seem to be getting crazy though. Everyone is either mad at each other or homesick or just in a bad mood for various reasons. I think we've officially hit that halfway mark where we just don't really know how to act. It's not all new, and the end seems far from over. I hope everyone cheers up soon; it's not everyday we're in Australia!!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Day 52
Today was very very happy! I worked all day (not so happy), especially not so happy because of the customers that came into the restaurant. They were all in terrible moods, but luckily there weren't many of them so the day went by pretty smoothly, despite the coke I spilled on someone. Ah well, can't be perfect. But I had a wonderful end to the evening, with a movie night with some of my best friends on the program, where we watched Bridesmaids and Terminator 2. Can't get more polar opposite, but we definitely had fun!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Day 51
Today was fun! Two of my three classes were cancelled, and I had my first human-animal interactions lab! Not to mention it was absolutely beautiful out. Unfortunately we couldn't actually interact with animals during the prac, but we will next week! The only thing holding us back this week was a lack of pig farms in the area, but now if I ever meet a pig I know how to interact with it! (Important life lesson?) But today was nice just because of how much time I could spend outside just walking around in a t shirt and jeans. It's officially the second day of spring, so the weather should just get even nicer from here on out! Although it is Melbourne, after all, so most likely it'll be raining and cold tomorrow morning, beautiful for the hour that I'll be indoors, and then become a hurricane. Of course.
Tonight at work wasn't too bad either. I took orders for the first time ever and didn't mess up once! Or at least I didn't get yelled at, which was a miracle! It's just nice to be able to order someone a drink without having to ask someone else to put it in the machine for me, especially when it gets busy and everyone's stressed. Time does go by a lot faster too when I constantly have something to do!
Tonight at work wasn't too bad either. I took orders for the first time ever and didn't mess up once! Or at least I didn't get yelled at, which was a miracle! It's just nice to be able to order someone a drink without having to ask someone else to put it in the machine for me, especially when it gets busy and everyone's stressed. Time does go by a lot faster too when I constantly have something to do!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Day 50
Today was fun! My classes all seemed to fly by because I was actually awake in them. And since I was awake, I actually understood completely what was going on so I don't have to worry about them at all. In my 5 break between my three classes, I was able to start copying over my notes for my genetics class into my new word because I have my midsemester exam coming up the week after next. Somehow it's much more motivating to get started studying really early when it's worth about 40% of my grade. I also rewatched an episode of game of thrones with my friend which was SO GOOD because after all, it's game of thrones.
Later on I went to a ball for one of the clubs I'm in! Guys were in tuxedos, most girls were in floor length gowns. I had at least worn heels so I felt fancy enough – or at least in pain enough to be at a ball. The place we had it was beautiful too, with all this gorgeous lighting and in the middle there was this big water fountain. There was a jazz band playing in the corner as well, which made it just seem a lot like Gala at Wooster, except not held in Lowry. We were even able to talk to some Australians and get to know other people in the club, so now I'll actually have people to talk to at meetings! Even better, they had a raffle to win I still don't know what, but I won it! It was really exciting until I went up there and realized they had called my number 3 times, I hadn't heard it, and had just given it to the next person. Oh well, it was still a great night! Unfortunately the night was cut short because my friend wasn't feeling great (she's just getting over a cold), so I took a cab home with her. It was great to get out at least one night this weekend before I have to work every night. And it felt so classy doing it!
Later on I went to a ball for one of the clubs I'm in! Guys were in tuxedos, most girls were in floor length gowns. I had at least worn heels so I felt fancy enough – or at least in pain enough to be at a ball. The place we had it was beautiful too, with all this gorgeous lighting and in the middle there was this big water fountain. There was a jazz band playing in the corner as well, which made it just seem a lot like Gala at Wooster, except not held in Lowry. We were even able to talk to some Australians and get to know other people in the club, so now I'll actually have people to talk to at meetings! Even better, they had a raffle to win I still don't know what, but I won it! It was really exciting until I went up there and realized they had called my number 3 times, I hadn't heard it, and had just given it to the next person. Oh well, it was still a great night! Unfortunately the night was cut short because my friend wasn't feeling great (she's just getting over a cold), so I took a cab home with her. It was great to get out at least one night this weekend before I have to work every night. And it felt so classy doing it!
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