1 month left :-(

Well everyone, I know, you’re all amazed that I actually posted something. No excuses, life just got super busy. I have 1 week until finals start and I will be spending that entire time studying what I should have learned all semester.
But for those of you keeping track, today marks one month left of my great Australian adventure. I cannot believe how fast the last 18 weeks have gone. What a great adventure it has been too. I’ve found myself reflecting on it lately (mainly as a way to procrastinate), of all the things I’ve seen and all the things I’ve learned about another culture that is so similar and yet so very different to our own. And most importantly I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned about myself, how I’ve changed, and who the person is that will be returning to her old life in 4 weeks.
Anyway, enough of that. Because I really do have to study and can’t afford a proper update, I’ve pasted below a list of things I’ve been marking down all semester about things I can’t wait to get home to and things I don’t know if I can bear to leave behind. It’s a work in progress, but enjoy! Also- if you could please get the weather to cool down at home, that’d be great, because I don’t know if I can stand coming home to 90s and humidity. yuck.


Things I can’t wait to get back to:
Pier 1 first bloom candles
Haribo gummy bears & Reese’s Pieces
OAR/ Pat McGee
Friends… real and the tv kind ;-)
Real time OC
Living on Diet Coke
Hokies
Hokie football
Driving down 460 on cold b’burg nights
Driving .period.
O’Charlies
Wal Mart and Target
Beamer (the cat and the coach)
Movies that don’t cost $15 a ticket
MAC cosmetics
The drillfield, Williams Hall, I almost even miss the math empo… almost
Mill Mountain
Barnes and Noble to study
Seeing Hokie-gear everywhere
Wintergreen Livesavers
Caramel Hershey Kisses
Quiznos
Hokie Grille
Subway for under $10
TCVC
Richmond
Chinese food
Mexican food
Starbucks on every corner
BAGELS and the bagel bakery
5 malls within 30 minutes w/ clothes I can afford
Not having to defend American culture
Exams that only count for 25% and not 80%
rain (haven’t seen it, or a cloudy sky for that matter, in over 2 months)
Paying under $30 for a CD
Cheap books
Talking on the phone
AIM
Saying St. Maarten or St. Croix and people know where you’re talking about
No sneaky speed cameras
a population of more than 20 million and with more than 6 big cities
Washington D.C. (never thought I’d be homesick for the sight of the Washington
Monument)
Caribou Coffee
Place where I can say ya’ll and not be instantly labeled a redneck
Where the concept of sweet tea is understood
My dog and the South Run dog park
My enormous cat
my double bed
my room
my friends
my family
home

Things I’ll miss from Australia:
Cockatoos, magpies, galahs, and parrots in my backyard
Tabatha following me everywhere I go
Lamingtons
Being able to take the bus anywhere I want to go
People saying “How ya goin’” “darl” “love”
The obvious lack of SUVs everywhere
Kangaroos on the way to Uni
Calling Uni instead of school
2 weeks of reading time for exams
Free incoming calls on my mobile
Gum trees
the smell of eucalyptus
Having dreams about man-eating spiders (well, maybe I won’t really miss this)
a country where you can travel hundreds of miles without ever crossing a town
The lack of green and the abundance of red
bakeries and cafes on every corner
Australian Rules Football and tipping every week
Adelaide Crows
Being able to name all the states on two hands
Princess Mary
Where being named XXXXX the second will get you made fun of
Dolphins surfing with the humans
Being fiercely possessive over our actors and singers
Roasting in February and freezing in June
Good News Australia bibles
Cheese and bacon rolls from the campus bakery
Iced chocolates at Sullie’s
The hours spent at Hancock and Chifley libraries
Telstra tower always following me wherever I am in Canberra
Being able to drive 2 hours to a gorgeous beach
Tim tams, milk arrowroots, Anzac biscuits, Kingston, caramel crowns, the list goes on
and on
Saying “biscuits” instead of cookie, bench instead of counter, footpath instead of
sidewalk, jumper instead of jacket/sweatshirt, ring instead of call, barrack instead of root, etc etc etc
Being 4 hours away from Sydney
Bilbies, emus, crocodiles, kookaburras, bettongs, most poisonous snakes and spiders on
earth, koalas, banksias, acacias, wombats
Small country towns that people actually still live in and visit
Towns with names like Wee Waa, Poowong, Burrumbuttock, Mullumbimby, Suggan
Buggan, Boomahnoomoonah, Waaia, Ewlyamartup, Jiggalong (from Bill
Bryson’s In A Sunburnt Land)
Australian bands and comedians
Getting my hair cut and highlighted for $60
Hearing the ‘bloody Poms’ (Britains) insulted
Meeting wonderful warm people who have traveled all over the world
Toilet not being a rude word
Driving/walking on the left
Turning on outlets every time
Nature parks and reserves
hot drinks at ‘tea’ (in fact, just using the word tea instead of dinner)
Crying when the exchange rate goes above 0.75
Going bush
Aboriginal culture
Living in a culture that only takes themselves seriously sometimes and won’t hesitate to
call you out on your stupidity
Corrupting everyone to the OC
Convincing people that American’s really aren’t all as bad as we seem
Frangipani, eucalyptus, and lanolin lotions
SHEEP!
passion fruit flavoured things
English spelling
Laughing at Australian politicians
John Howard’s floppy mouth
Australian beer
Hanging out clothes on a line
Living in a community very concerned about its environment
Not working
British and Aussie TV
Australian gardens and the plants in them
Saying thank you to bus drivers
Everybody (almost) being polite
Saying g’day and no one laughs
Where the way you use your cutlery can be offensive ;-)
Giant concrete structures (banana, sheep, mango, beer can, lobster, koala, etc)
The Great Barrier Reef (it really is every bit as good as they say)
Calling everyone by their first names
Not tipping or adding tax
No $0.01 coins
Getting and sending real mail
Yellow and Green
The Aussie flag
Everyone thinking Waltzing Matilda is the national anthem
Saying you live in Canberra and people saying “why?”
Clear star filled skies… every night
Southern Hemisphere constellations (Southern Cross)
my friends
The Sanders
Lauren
Australia

Adelaide

Okay, I really shouldn't be posting right now, but since the network are down at the ANU and I literally can't do any work, I've decided to post anyways.

First the Adelaide trip, as much as I can remember now.

Saturday 16/4. We left bright and early from Canberra and set out North through the city towards Gundagai. We decided to break the 17 hour drive to Adeliade up into 3 days of travel and stop and see some things along the way. The first place we stopped is about 90 minutes out of Canberra. The rest stop is well known and lies 5 miles outside the town of Gundagai is and is embedded in Aussie culture. There are several versions in songs and poems that go along with the rest stop and its statue of a dog on a lunchbox. One version of the dog's role in pioneering times is that the dog was guarding its master's tuckerbox (lunchbox) and other possessions while he sought help from being bogged at a river crossing. The master, a bullocky or driver of a bullock team, never returns but the dog continues to guard the tuckerbox until its death. The story of the faithful dog is possibly a romanticised version of the truth. The refrain from the supposedly original poem about the dog was:

Then the dog sat on the Tucker Box Nine miles from Gundagai.

But it's been said that in the "actual" original, it wasn't "sat" that the dog did. (Think of a one-syllable word starting with "s" that rhymes with "sat" that puppies often do ;-) ) Haha, anyways, that's why everyone stops there. Also, if you drop a letter in the postbox it comes with a special postmark. Lauren and I sent postcards to each other, but we couldn't really make out the postmark when it came. So much for that idea! Some of the pictures on my photo site are of us making out the cards.
After an hour break at Gundagai it was off to Narrandera. Narrandera is this teeny tiny little town in New South Wales that we decided to stop and spend the night at. It literally consists of one main 'downtown' street and little suburbs off this main avenue. But it's really pretty because it looks like one of those town out of old Western movies, with ornate iron on the buildings and incredibly wide streets. We stopped at a lavendar farm (www.lavende.com.au) first. They grow their own lavendar and harvest it to make their own line of products as well as shipping it around the world. It was beautiful and the smells were delightful- you could literally smell the lavendar in the air. We asked the owner for some ideas on where to go next and she pointed us towards a koala reserve in town. After driving a little ways, we found the koala regeneration reserve, where 20some koalas were released into a large (we're talking huge, actually) enclosure to help regenerate the local population. You walk through a gate and suddenly you're in the Australian bush. It's hard to explain without actually be there, but its so quiet and you can smell the eucalyptus in the air. We walked around for quite a long time searching for koalas. Eventually Lance spotted one right above us, sitting on a branch in a gum tree that reached across the path (look at Shuttefly pictures). He was quite a grumpy guy, didn't really want anything to do with us. We walked to the edge of the enclosure and looked out over the river. Then on the way back we saw a hare (which has special relevance to me in that I had to write an essay on them), some kangaroos in the distance and another koala nesteled high in a tree, spotted by Lauren Emma. That night we had dinner at the Returned Servicemen League (RSL- almost every town has once, usually have a small gambling area and a restaurant) and turned in for the night.


Going to have to pause for the moment, but will hopefully finish at some point ;-)

And still more pictures

Hey

just added about 30 more pictures, plus some of ANU!

click here

Lo

Pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay ya'll, I'm too tired to type up Adelaide. I'll do it tomorrow when I'm procrastinating writing my essays about kangaroos and burrowing bettongs. Yes, that's right, thats my essay topic, hahaaha I love Australia. Anyway, here's the link with 42 pictures from the Adelaide trip.
Click "View Picutres" then click "View as slideshow" next to the pink arrow, NOT THE BLUE BAR, look to the right of the pictures under the menu and click that view as sideshow. Then enjoy! They go in sequential order from our trip from Canberra --> Gundagai --> Narranderra --> Hay --> Tooleybuc--> Adelaide and the wedding. It'll make more sense after I post the story ;-)

Pictures

Lo

P.S. HAPPY 21st CHRISTEN!

Melbourne

Melbourne update at long last!!!!!!!!!!


It was so much fun!!!!!! We
left early on Saturday morning (April 3) and caught a plane to Melbourne. From there we got a taxi into the city (about a 25 minute drive) and checked into our hotel. We stayed at some place called the Global Village which was about a 12 block walk to the centre of the city. Lauren and I split from Kayelene and Lance (her parents) and walked about 5 blocks to the Old Melbourne Gaol. The weather was pretty warm, up in the high 80s, but there was a good breeze so at least it wasn’t stifflng. The gaol (pronounced jail, they just spell it weird) was really interesting. It’s 3 stories and is the sight of a lotof hangings in Australia’s history. It’s most famous for the hanging of Ned Kelly. We walked around for a little while and then they had a free drama production of the capture and death of Ned Kelly right under the actual gallows where he was hung. It was very well done, 2 actors who played about 4 different parts each over half an hour. After the show we went into some of the cells. Most of them were open to the public and had displays set up about other famous criminals who spent time there.
After the gaol we caught the City Circle Tram, which is a free old fashioned tram that runs around the city every 20 minutes or so. We got off at the Hard Rock Café. One of the theatres nearby is getting ready to put on a production of "Dirty Dancing" in June on stage and they had all sorts of famous sayings from the movie up in the windows like "Nobody puts baby in a corner" and "I carried a watermelon?". So I took lots of pictures ;-) Then we ate lunch. The
Melbourne one is on the smaller side, with a relatively similar menu as home.
After the Hard Rock we walked down the CBD (central business district or downtown) and went into some of the big department stores and did a little shopping. Then we were kind of hungry again so we went to the Pancake Parlour (same place that we went to in Civic) and had a really cute waiter waiting on us. He saw us pouring over the guide book trying to find something to do that night and told us about the Melbourne Comedy Festival and gave us directions. So we wandered around for a bit and eventually found the theatre. While we were standing there, looking lost again and trying to figure out how it all worked, people started coming up to us and giving us fliers and offering us free tickets to go and see some of the comedians. The festival has about 4 venues and a different Australian comedian on every 90 minutes or so over the course of a week. The district where it’s held is really beautiful at night, all lit up. So we bought two tickets because we had been given the other two for free. We’d never heard of the comedians we were going to see, but since we had nothing else to do, we figured we’d give it a go. The first guy was alright- very funny, but used a lot of profanity that really was unnecessary for his show. The second guy we went to was really funny though. He put on a bit of a historical production about the gold rush and siege that had happened in New South Wales. He played several characters during the production. It was really entertaining and contained a ton of Australian culture and history which was really good. Unfortunately the theatre was unbearably hot and by the end of the 90 minutes we were melting. Keep in mind that we had been on the go since 8 am and its now past 11, haha. Good and tired after this we grabbed a taxi back home ( a little too late and too far to walk when we weren’t really sure where we were going). The hotel wasn’t very well air conditioned unless you were in the main room, so it wasn’t a very comfortable nights sleep!

The next day we all got up around 9 and took our luggage back downtown to store in the train station lockers while we were at the game. Then we walked up over the bridge and into the Telstra stadium. The Aussie Rules game was the Adelaide Crows versus the Collingwood Magpies. Collingwood is a Melbourne team, so it was their home game. Evidently, everyone hates Collingwood. Doesn’t matter who you barrack (remember, you never ever ever say "root" for a team. You barrack or cheer) for, you just automatically hate Collingwood. Anyway, we bought a "footy record" (a program) and then were handed sign boards to cheer on our team! We had about an hour or so before the game started so we grabbed some lunch and then meandered up to our seats on the third level. We could choose where we wanted to sit on this level and because the oval is fairly small, it didn’t really matter where we sat. We watched the Crows come out for their warm up. I sat next to Kayelene so she could explain the game to me, although I was properly warned by Lauren not to talk to her once she gets in the mood because she can be sort of violent. Not really, of course, but she gets fired up over her team! It wasn’t a very exciting game as far as AFL games go, evidently, but in the fourth and final quarter we were neck and neck with Collingwood and scored a goal to win the game! After the game we went to the Members Meeting where we got to see and meet a couple of the players, which was really cool. Kayelene was in heaven! Then we walked up to the Casino (a fair distance) which is HUGE, much bigger than the one in Sydney. We had dinner there and then caught a taxi back
to the train station to get our luggage and catch our plane back home. The taxi ride was interesting because our driver was a hippie from the 70s and drove at about 120kms an hour (speed limit is 80!!!!) and got us there in about half the time! It was a little scary! But all in all, a fantastic trip!
I’ll post the rest of the pictures on my website eventually ;-)

Adventure's in Sydney! :-D

Well, I made it back from Sydney!!! Here's the adventure!

Friday
We were on the train at 6:37 am!!! So early! The train ride up really isn't that bad though... the train is pretty comfy and because it's so early you get to see a lot of kangaroos out the windows having their morning brekky. Plus you get to see a lot of the country side that you would normally miss out on. We arrived into Sydney Central Station at around 10:45 and dragged our enormous luggage(Laurens are not known for being light packers) to the taxi stand and caught a taxi to the Pacific International Suites on Kent Street. We had gotten a pretty good deal and the hotel was wonderful. I'd definitely stay there again. It's a very narrow building with about 27 floors that's tucked away on Kent. It's about two blocks from Darling Harbour, 2 blocks from the Town Hall Train Station and the Queen Victoria Building and a medium length walk to Circular Quay (Opera House, the Rocks, Harbour Bridge, etc) and to the Central Train Station. Our suite was really nice, with a fully equipped kitchennette, lounge and bedroom, plus a balcony with a wonderful view of... the building across the street.. hehe oh well! After checking in we wandered over to Darling Harbour.
Darling Harbour is really pretty (pictures to follow) and its definitely one of my favorite places on Earth. The Imax theatre, Sydney Aquarium, Maritime Museum, Harbourside Shopping, and the ferry docks among other things are all there, and it looks gorgeous at night! We decided to head towards the aquarium and passed a travel agent on the way, noticing a sign about a day trip to the Blue Mountains. We went in just to ask about it, and it turns out that for Saturday only they were running a half price deal. So we booked a tour for $50AUD for the next morning and headed on to the aquarium. Although it was pretty unimpressive from the outside, it was a different story inside. They have a really great Barrier Reef and Shark exhibit in particular and of course... a finding nemo exhibit, hehe! After the aquarium we stopped in Starbucks (of course) and then wandered around the shopping centre. For dinner we were tryign to decide where to go and Lauren suggested fish and chips and I told her that was fine, that I had never tried it before. You would've thought I had told her that I had never drank water the way she stared at me. Classic reaction! Evidently this was quite a sin and so we quickly found a fish and chips take away place to rectify the situation. And it was pretty good! Even though we have battered fish at home, it just takes better from a real fish and chips place on the harbour in Sydney, Australia. Yum! After this we went back home and crashed out.
Saturday
The next morning we were up bright and early to find our pick up point for our tour to the Blue Mountains. It was gorgeous because it had been raining that morning and as we walked down the street there was a huge rainbow over our heads. What a way to start the adventure! The Blue Mountains is a range to the west of Sydney where the mountains really do look blue. And I know, you're thinking, yes but all ranges look blue from a distance (hence the Blue Ridge, etc) but these mountains are blue even when you're right in them. This is because of the sunlight reflecting off the eucalyptus oils in the air. Anyway, the bus ride was about 90 minutes but it passed quickly because the driver was an excellent tour guide and provided a lot of interesting information about Sydney along the way. Our first stop was a lookout over Wentworth Falls where we had an hour to explore and have brekky. Of course Lauren and I promptly wander off and start hiking down some trail, lose track of time and have to power walk back to the bus just in time. And we missed breakfast! So, the next stop went a bit smoother with a quick stop at Govett's Leap where it's a legend that Govett and his horse dove off the cliff to escape a bushranger and their bodies have never been found. Regardless it was beautiful! Then we went to Scenic World, where we saw the Three Sisters (a rock formation with an Aboriginal Legend behind it) and rode the world's steepest railroad directly down a cliff and wandered through the rainforest at the bottom. Simply beautiful. Then it was back to Sydney, by way of the Olympic Park and a ferry ride back to Darling Harbour. We were pretty tired by then so we relaxed for a little in the hotel and then went back out to get dinner. We ate at a really good italian place on the water and then ventured over to the Star City Casino. Because we signed up for some membership deal, they gave us $10 credit for free, which went a long way on the .02 machines! I actually won about $23AUD! Beginner's luck ;-)
Sunday
we started by going to a church service at St. Andrews Anglican church. We actually found the church in the phone book of all places and it turned out beautifully because it was about 2 blocks away and a gorgeous old renovated church, complete with bells and spires. Then we made the trek over to Central Station where we caught a train for the Sydney Royal Easter Show. Basically it's a big carnivale held in the Olympic Park, but it was a lot of fun. they had barns full of horses, cows, dogs, and cats. We watched some of the horse show jumping competitions in the main arena and then wandered around the show grounds for awhile. We also looked around the Show Bag Pavillion which is basically where you can purchase goodie bags chock full of candies or toys or whatever. So many people there! After that we went back to the main arena to try and get seats for the rodeo, but all the seats were taken. We eventually got into a queue to be seated when they became available, but people kept cutting in front of us and we ended up standing for two hours through several presentations. I was a bit cranky and dehydrated at this point, so we bought some Krispy Kremes (a novelty for Canberrans) and dinner and headed home. We got back around 11 so it was a pretty full day!
Yesterday
we went to Bondi Beach after checking out of the hotel. Australian beaches are nothing like the ones at home. Even the nontropical ones have deep blue and turquoise water and soft sandy beaches. Because it was a public holiday it was decently crowded. We laid out on the beach for a little, although it was really too cold and we eventually went for lunch and to walk around the town. We found a great little patisserie for dinner and then caught the bus back into central sydney.The funniest part of the trip was that we then had to drag our huge suitcases up a fairly steep incline to get the train station from the hotel. We must've looked a mess, all windblown and sunburnt dragging our bags, hahaha! But eventually, after a few near mishaps getting onto the trains, we made it back to Canberra around 10:30 last night!All in all, a great weekend in Sydney!
And now it's time to start cracking down on all the work I need to get done! I miss everyone at home and I hope to hear from everyone soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love
Lo

Wow, long time no update

Wow! Sorry again for the huge delays in updating. Things have been busy!
This weekend had been good. Lauren and I are house-sitting at the Treddinicks, the family whom we babysat for. What that means is that we’re actually living at their house while they’re on vacation at the coast. Hence it’s been a bit difficult to get to the internet! But overall so far its been very relaxing and time to catch up on some much needed work. Yesterday (Sunday) in particular was nice because the weather was gorgeous (low 70s) and I spent most of the day lying on their huge trampoline getting a tan and reading for developmental psychology. Also spent time playing with Lucy, their golden retriever and envying her life and the huge backyard she has to play in! (Pictures to follow).
Today (Monday) was a public holiday in Canberra. Evidently it used to be celebrated on the 12th of March to commemorate the day when the Governor General’s wife opened the envelope that gave Canberra its official name way back when it was first settled. But due to Canberran’s love of the long weekend, Canberra Day is now celebrated on the third Monday of March… sounds a bit like home with our holidays! Anyhow, most Canberran’s go to the coast so the town has been pretty quiet. I was very fortunate, however, and today I got a private tour of the Australian National Botanic Gardens! The Sander’s are friends with a retired couple, Pat and Warwick Wright, who volunteer at the Gardens and give tours. Stephany, Anna and I met them at 10 and spent two wonderful hours walking around the gardens. Unlike most national gardens, the ANBG houses (for the most part) only native plants. They were originally planted schematically, putting all acacias in one area and gum trees in the next, but the more recent plantings have been done according to ecosystem. We saw more plant species than I knew existed (the ANBG houses 1/3 of Australian species) and learned a lot about the Aboriginal culture and how they used plants. One sort of interesting example was a purple pea plant that the Aboriginal men used to drop into muddy fishing holes. This reduced the oxygen content of the water, temporarily stunning the fish and causing them to rise to the top to be easily captured. Another example was a lily plant that produced fermented nectar and when the birds drank it, they became ‘drunk’ and allowed for easy capture. Aboriginal’s were the original conservationists.

updated 24/3- Sorry for the long time between updates again! Unfortunately I haven't gotten to finish this entry because I'm off to Sydney in 6 hours! But I'm really missing everyone from home these days, so no worries, none of you are forgotten!

Updates when I get back on Tuesday or Wednesday! Happy Easter!

Lo

Week 5

Hello all! I've now been in Canberra for 5 weeks, and i'm still loving it.
Before I update on what's been going on here, I have to give a quick scold to many of the Hokies who I have not heard from much! :-(I feel a little unloved guys!
Okay anyway, enough of that. Things are going really well and I'm still in love with Australia. School has gotten really busy lately hence the longer time in between updates. This past weekend was a blast however! Friday night we went to a Brumbie's game. To explain it a bit better, 'football' in Australia can mean one of the three things. There is the AFL, which I don't really understand but I will surely get a full education as the Sander's are huge Adelaide Crows fans. Then there is rugby, divided into Rugby League and Rugby Union. As far as I can tell, Rugby Union is extremely similar to American Rugby but its on a much bigger scale here. Anyway, the Brumbie's are Canberra's Rugby Union team and they have quite a decent following. We got there a little late (their stadium is on the North Side, about 30 minutes from where we live) and had to scramble to meet up with Thiru (Lauren's boyfriend) and find seats. It was a group of 6 of us- the two Laurens, Thiru, Thiru's friend Alex, Aaron (who stayed with me at Christmas), and Anna, my friend from Australearn. The game was so much fun! The boys had to explain it from the beginning but by the end I think I had mastered most of the rules. The stadium holds about 30,000 people, maybe a little less, and on Friday there was a crowd of about 23,000. That's pretty good considering we were playing a team from South Africa! I got to try Australian beer finally, which I'm pretty sure tastes the same as most American beers, but for some reason tasted much better while watching a rugby game in that stadium ;-)
after the Brumbie's won we all went to O'Connor (another suburb) to Au Bar Nun, a local bar. It was quite noisy and a Rugby League game was on. None of the girls were drinking so we only stayed for 40 minutes or so before leaving. Anna stayed the night, which was a good break from dormlife for her. The next day anna and I went Lauren's parents to Tuggeranong to drop Lauren off at work. Then we went to do some grocery shopping for anna and met her parents to come home. Later that afternoon Anna and I went into Woden to go shopping (Lauren was still at work). We had just over an hour before we had to catch the bus home, and of course we missed the bus by about 15 seconds, literally. So we took advantage of the extra half hour and walked over to Goodberry's so Anna good try their delicious ice cream. When we walked up, however, I saw that the sign above the door now read "JigSaw" which really threw me because I just been to Goodberry's a week before. Strange. Evidently they're all changing the names, but its still the same store inside with the same yummy ice cream! Thank goodness! Then we caught the bus back home. Anna was so funny because she hadn't really been off campus that much and it was her first real taste of Australia. And if you haven't seen it before, Canberra is gorgeous. That night we stayed home and watched the Notebook. Can't get enough of that movie.
Sunday we dropped Anna back at ANU, well fed and chock full of groceries :-) That evening we went again to Belconnen (in the north) because Thiru had injured himself playing Rugby and Lauren wanted to go visit him. So we dropped her off at his place and then the Sanders and I went to the nearby lake. It was GORGEOUS. We grabbed tea at Subway and ate by the lake. There were black swans and cute little black ducks everywhere. The lake was fairly nice, although you wouldn't want to swim in it, but at sunset it looked amazing. Water always has that relaxing effect. I took a fair few pictures that I'll post at a later date, but it was a really nice evening. Unfortunatly the weather is getting hotter (up near 90) for the next couple of days and then its supposed to cool off dramatically. I hope so, ya'll know how I hate the heat!
This week is going to be super busy, so if I don't update much, that's why. I got slammed with three out of four tutorials in one week, so needless to say I'll be on campus late this week. fortunately i don't think this happens again this semester. This weekend we start housesitting for the people we babysat for. I'm so excited, of course about the dog ;-) But we'll be staying at their place all next week. Then that weekend we go to Sydney for the 4day Easter weekend. The weekend after that is Melbourne for an AFL game and to see the city and two weekends after that we leave for Adelaide for David's wedding! So some awesome and busy times coming up!
Thanks again to everyone who has emailed/sent cards & letters. I miss you all so much!
AJ- long email coming soon, I promise! :-)
Lo