So, I'm in Darwin...

As you know, I am on exchange in Darwin, Australia! I am greatly enjoying my experience so far and the fun doesn't seem to have an end in sight! I thought I would start this blog so that those who don't have facebook can see what I've been up to and all the neat things I've done. I e-mailed my Dad some pictures of my trip and it took forever as I had to send 4 separate messages! That experience has inspired this blog as it seems like it will be much easier. This way I can contact more people that I'd like to tell about my trip without having to spend all day in front of my computer!

I had a 13 hour layover in Sydney, so I decided that would be the perfect opportunity to have a look around! First stop was, of course, the Opera House and then I took a ferry to Darling Harbour where the Sydney Aquarium is. I had great fun meandering about the city and being on my own. I was the only person there wearing a tank top, whoops! I was like a glowing beacon that said, "TOURIST!"

 I didn't really mind too much though, after my 15 hour flight from LA the fresh air was a welcome treat, even if it was a bit chilly!

I arrived in Darwin in the middle of the night and ended up having to take a taxi to the dorms as my complimentary ride from CDU was nowhere to be found...but I made it and was met by a very sleepy Resident Leader (RL) and shown to my room. I slept for almost the whole next day! I had about 4 days completely to myself because the dorm I'm staying at, NFIH, didn't have any events planned till then...even thought they told me the activities were supposed to start 2 days before I got there. I suppose, for once in my life, I'm glad I wasn't on time. By the time they had an activity planned I was desperate to meet anyone! I was so lonely!!! But, I did make fast friends who were as desperate for human interaction as I was and all turned out fine of course!

 This is of me at Mindil Beach for the Beercan Regatta! It's an annual event completely unique to Darwin where people form groups (some people were just friends, others were businesses or church groups) and they build a small float out of, you guessed it! beer cans! This beach also hosts a local market every Thursday and Sunday commonly known as the Sunset Market because this place, by general consensus, has the best sunset view in Darwin. The actual race was quite comical as half the boats sank without making it too far offshore! The Mindil Market is also where I tried kangaroo for the first time!!! It came grilled on a skewer from a stand called Roadkill Cafe, their slogan was "You kill it, we grill it!" and they offered crocodile, and a few other animals that were not quite as enticing as kangaroo! The meat kind of reminded me of moose in that it was a bit gamey, but not really that tough. It was lean and very flavorful...but I'm not going out of my way to have kanga steak anytime soon!

This is Sarah (right) and Jessica (left), we became fast friends and have had all sorts of adventures together! Sarah is quite busy with school now, she's in the nursing program and is having to take an extra class this semester, so she doesn't have as much time to make mischief as she used to. But that doesn't stop Jessica and I! Oh, I should probably mention that Sarah is from Calgary, Canada and Jessica is from Sweden (I can't spell or pronounce the town's name...)

Interesting face! They have ants here that have transparent green hind ends! They creep me out, but as long as they stay out of my room...I don't kill them.

I found Waldo whilst discovering Darwin City! He was spray painted in a random spot at the top of a long set of stairs. Really long set of stairs! I like to attribute him with the motivation I needed to make it the rest of the way up!

This is a picture of the sunset from campus taken from my iPod with a fun camera app. It makes me feel artsy!

We went to an Australian rules football game!!! This form of "football" is completely unique to Australia and isn't like any football I've seen before. If I tried to explain it, it'd be soccer mixed with rugby. The guys who play are amazingly fit head to toe as they crash and smash into one another fighting over what looks like an American football, but more rounded. Darwin doesn't have a huge fan-base for AFL as they don't have their own team and are quite far from any other towns in Australia. The teams that played came from the East coast, and I heard that we were quite lucky to be able to see a game as they probably won't come to the Norther Territory again anytime soon.

 The last Harry Potter movie came out while I've been here, but I hadn't met any other HP enthusiasts yet so I was a bit bummed. Jessica came to my rescue and said that even though she wasn't really into Harry Potter, she'd gladly go with me. So I put on my HP themed shirt, got the special 3D glasses and thoroughly enjoyed our date! As neither of us have a car and the bus stops running around 9pm, we had to walk to the theater since we couldn't make the earlier shows. The theater is in the shopping center that's about a 15-20 min walk from the dorm, so it's not too bad...in the light. On the way back home, however, we were continuously frightened by wildlife! I saw a bat fly right over us who's wing span was almost as large as my arms! I thought it could have been a dragon flying up behind us!! Then Jessica saw what she thought could have been a possum or large rat scurry across our path. The sidewalks are lit, but the trees surrounding the sidewalks are not trimmed...so they block the light about half the way! In the end, worth it! For me at least, I'm not sure about Jessica!

I decided I was already too hot, so I cut off my hair! I instantly felt better and cooler! Of course, now I'm considering growing it out for the rest of my stay because I miss my long hair so much...and I think it'd be cool to come back home with long hair! We'll see how long I last once the wet season kicks in and it's even hotter and exponentially more humid!

I haven't eaten at McDonald's (called Macca's for short here) in years! Well, I mean...not a burger anyways. I've had their salads, wraps and an occasional breakfast. Jessica and I were absolutely starving after having to wait more than an hour at the bank just so they could tell me that my card hadn't come it yet, so we were desperate and stopped in the first place we saw! I also think it's quite comical that I traveled all the way across the globe to eat American fast food, and the worst kind! We'd been walking so much that we figured we could afford a few (hundred) extra calories that day! My stomach totally hurt when I was done. Let's just saw it'll be a few more years, if ever, I eat a double quarter pounder with cheese meal again!!

This is just a fun picture of me (and friends in back) at the beach next the university! I played with the color a bit so that my new Aussie towel is the only color...I think it looks neat!

So, I think that'll be quite enough for now and I haven't even gotten to the best part!!!

 Thanks for reading!!!