TimTams!!!!

AUSTRALIA

Okay, I'm thinking it's time for a bigger update. I'll try to fill in the gaps from my last couple of entries.

I'll start first with my apartment. I live in what I call a boarding house. Everyone has their own bedroom and bathroom, but we all share a large kitchen and community area. The kitchen looks like a kitchen from a restaurant. We have this huge walk-in fridge and freezer, and we all have our own pantry cupboard with our room number on it. In the fridge and freezer we have our own bins with our number on them so we can keep our stuff separate from everyone elses'. There aren't any issues with people borrowing food from others, so it's nice that I don't have to worry about that.

Me after I got a little settled in to my room- not used to the heat!

Our community area has tables and chairs, as well as microwaves and toasters with all the dishes below them. Beyond that is two big rooms with couches and chairs and TVs. Our landlord-manager dude ordered the Olympics on TV so we can watch them. It's really cool to watch that in a different country, especially when you live with Canadians, Germans, and Aussies. I think the USA-Canada hockey game is on today, so I definitely want to try to watch that.

The building I live in is on this INSANE hill. Yes folks from Eau-Claire, it is WORSE than your hill at school. In all seriousness. I'll take a picture to prove it. Plus, there are trees growing out of the road... strangeness.

I'm not very far from the beach(es) so it's nice to be able to walk to them and just hang out all day. It's still a bit of a trek though. The waves are really intense here. It's cool to see all the surfers and body-boarders though. I think I'd like to try body-boarding one of these days. Maybe surfing when I feel I have balance. :) I've been to Newcastle beach and Nobby (Nobbie?) beach. I like Newcastle best so far. Nobby is on a point and the waves are a little rougher. Newcastle is a little more sheltered, plus has ocean baths nearby so you can swim in a calmer, enclosed area with ocean water if you'd like. They have lifeguards on duty sometimes, which is nice because it gets really intense and it's good to have someone watching. They usually have flags put up, and the best spot to swim is between them, because that's where they're watching. Plus they make announcements if anyone is outside the flags, caught in a rip, or just too far out. It's kind of cool.

You can see the flags here!

So there's this absolutely amazing ice cream place near Newcastle beach- I've gotten ice cream there twice. It's called Kiwi, and they make their own waffle cones. Plus they have the option of getting a hot waffle with ice cream on top. Sounds really good, but super filling, so I might have to make that one of my meals for a day. :)

Kiwi Ice Cream! SO GOOD.

Here's a picture of the beach!

Newcastle Beach- beautiful!

You can see in the picture that the waves are really intense. My plan is to make it to Bar Beach, where apparently the water is GORGEOUS and it's really nice to swim in. It's a little further away- like a 20 minute walk, so maybe I'll save that for a day excursion.

I'm registered for classes, though I'm still trying to figure out how exactly my schedule works. I know I only have class three days a week- Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, but I think the lecture times aren't assigned, which is strange to me. I'm going to talk to someone about it when I get the chance.

I have had the chance to experience some of the nightlife here, and I think it's definitely a big part of the culture. My favorite place so far is the Brewery, which is a bar that's right on the water. They play a lot of techno though, which isn't really my thing. But I love that it's on the water, and there are always people there- plus it's free to get in, which is nice. Wednesday nights are 'Uni Night' so that's the big night that students go out on the town. The prices are cheaper apparently so that's what draws them out.

As far as food goes, it's relatively the same. There are things that I miss- ketchup for one. They call it tomato sauce, and that's pretty much what it is. I miss ketchup. And popcorn. I need to find some popcorn. One of the guys from ISU had some, and now I crave it a lot! But other than that, I've developed a love for Tim Tams. They're these incredible chocolate cookie things that are just unbelievable. The caramel ones taste like Twix. So good. I'll try to bring a pack back to the US, though I heard they sell them there. :)

I can't think of much else to add at this time, except that I miss everyone from home, and that it's still weird to me to think that I live in a foreign country. There are a lot of similarities between here and America, but a lot of differences too. Feel free to drop me a line guys- I miss you all!

Shoutout to my sister who says I need longer and more frequent blog updates- this one is for you! :) :)

Me on my balcony- you can see the freckles! :) :) (Gotta love self-timer eh?)