Oi, Sydney!

I really love self-proclaimed vacations. They really truly are the best, especially when you know all of your friends are stuck in class, whether that is in Australia or back home in the US. While they were all doing that, I was traveling to Sydney for 6 days with Hamish and Holly.

Courtney and the 2 H's. Speaking of "H" Australians pronounce "H" like "HAY-CH". It might be the oddest thing about them. Saying it the way they do doesn't even make sense. I'll give them "Zed" cause that sort of makes sense.... Except, why must they change all the sounds of the letters? Honestly. Regardless.

Sydney was amazing. We stayed at a 4 star hotel right in the CBD, about a 10 minutes walk from the harbour. We were able to afford it because we said there were only 2 adults in the room, and we then snuck Holly in. We almost got caught a few times, but we were able to drunkenly sort that out, though I don't really remember how we were able to do that...

It was Hamish's first time on an airplane before, by the way. Crazy stuff! Anyway, the first full day was spent doing touristy things. We went up the Sydney Tower and got an awesome view of everything from the harbour to the airport and even the SCG (Sydney Cricket Grounds). Then we went down to the harbour and walked up to the Opera House and part way over the harbour bridge. It was beautiful and we were loving the gorgeous weather. Later in the day, we met up with Stephen at a bar in Coogee Beach where he lives, and saw him play his guitar at a pub. We also hung out at Bondi for the afternoon.

Holly and I at Bondi

It was so great cause I got to see both of my cousins, as well as 2 of my friends from High School who moved back out to Australia with their family after being in the US for 7 years. Also, made a few new friends through Stephen, and of course saw Joel. We spent a lot of time down at Darling Harbour, which was beautiful and my favourite spot in Sydney. We also did a harbour cruise, which gave us awesome views around the city, and climbed the pylons on the bridge, which was the cheaper alternative to climbing the bridge. Also took a few trips on the awesome monorail! We went to Oxford Street, the gay part of town, and partied there, and also went to a pub in the city, and utilized our awesome hotel for some pre-drinking awesomeness.

Stephen, Me, and Holly at Darling Harbour

We had a few hilarious experiences. Firstly, Anzac Day was amazing. Besides the fact that we woke up early thinking things would be open to shop and wasted a few hours walking around, it was one of the best days. After meeting up with Joel and Andrew, we all wandered around for a while trying to find a pub that wasn't overflowing. Anzac Day, for the Americans reading this, Anzac stands for Australia New Zealand Army Corps. On this day, they celebrate the fallen, and celebrate by getting drunk and playing 2-up. 2-Up is apparently illegal on all other days except Anzac Day. So as one can expect, its a huge party day. We ended up at a pretty chill pub, and watched the Footy game (COLLINGWOOD VS. ESSENDON- YEAH MAGPIES!)... After a few drinks, we were all feeling pretty good and decided to head out. On the way out, we ran into group of people made up of a woman my mothers age, a man older than my father, and 3 young hot army guys. We figured they knew each other, but it turned out, the older man was a stranger to all of them, but like true Aussies, they bonded over beer. The woman and man were both drunk, and the 3 younger guys kept apologizing to us for their behaviour. We had a long conversation with them- the man is a pilot for Qantas and flies the A380! Stephen and I got excited and we thought he might have been our pilot on the day we flew here, but he checked his schedule and he wasn't flying that day. Oh well. Anyway, the woman's son was in Afghanistan, so she asked us, as awesome Americans, to say something to him on video. It was funny. Then, the best part.... The man opens his wallet up and hands me 5 bucks for a drink. The woman calls him cheap, and then the young army guy opens up his wallet and hands me 20 dollars. Feeling cheap, the old guy hands me another 5. We ended up with 30 dollars... and then the weird questions started coming about what ELSE we would do for money.... we promptly left before it got any weirder.

Pre-drinks at the hotel with Hamish, Steve, Holly & I.
P.S. Holly curled my hair <3

The second hilarious experience was Holly and I were sitting at the Opera house. Some Chinese tourist who spoke little english came up to me and said "picture". Assuming he wanted me to take a photo of him, I stood up and was promptly told to stand in place. Holly as well. Then his friend took his camera and snapped a photo of us 2 Americans and the Chinese guy. He didn't get that we weren't Australians... so I am now in some tourists photo album. Wonderful.

Sydney Harbour

Another last funny thing, was that I really wanted to use the word "Oi" in a text. Aussies says Oi all the time, and seem to use it in whatever context. So I decided to be Australian. And in a text message I wrote, "Oi, me too". Which in the context, made absolutely NO sense. And Hamish, my Australian friend, laughed at me for it. But it's fine, I was drunk. A perfect excuse for anything and everything.

All in all it was a great trip. Sydney's weather was gorgeous. I love Melbourne, though, and it was great to be back!

For the Good Ole' Collingwood!

Last night, Laura and I went to the MCG for a Footy game: Collingwood Magpies vs. Hawthorn Hawks. This was the first Footy game I went to at the MCG, though I went to a pre-season game at Etihad Stadium earlier in March. The MCG is an amazing stadium: holding close to 100,000 people. Last night's game had an attendance of 67,000 people. Let me tell you, the roar of the crowd was crazy.

MCG on a different day (Sold out!)

As I was sitting there with Laura, I thought about the population of Australia: 22 Million. Therefore, if you were to make 220 MCG stadiums, you could fit the entire country into them. How rediculous is that! It's so crazy that a country with such a large land mass, can have so few people.

Anyway, Laura and I made a decision to be Magpie fans, since her roommate barracks for the Magpies, and my friend Hamish does too. It was a really good game, and the Magpies kicked the Hawks asses. Footy is one of my favorite sports to watch- I mean, how did I live without this sport for so long? They wear no protective gear, only a mouthguard and probably a cup. But, it is so violent, with guys getting hit and injured all over the place. Last night, one guy got hit so hard that he was knocked out cold for a good few minutes. They brought out the stretcher, and he was carried off the field. This is a common occurance in Footy.

Getting the crowd excited!

For those of you who are from back home, here is a glimpse into Footy. Footy is NOT rugby. It is known as Aussie Rules Football, and it's like no other sport, though it could be like a mix between American Football and Rugby, but a million times better. Check this video out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_hqosNvv5E

At the end of the game, they play the team theme song. Laura and I vowed to learn the words by the time we go to the next game. It makes me want to dance every time I hear it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2bKb6pF24s

There is the link for your entertainment. Anyway, it was a great sober night, and we got some bubble tea after in Chinatown, and watched some street performers do a duet on the guitar. Absolutely beautiful.

A non-Sober Day in May at the Footy- Laura and I

The rest of my weekend will now be spent procrastinating, which is what this blog entry is a result of, and attempting to write a Behavioural Economics paper. I have 700 words out of approximately 3,000. We shall see how far I get into it, but it must be done by Wednesday morning, since on Wednesday night my friend Hamish and I are going to Sydney for 6 days! I am super excited. More to come later, plus photos from my trip, soon!

Bogans, Kangaroos, & Keep to the left!

It's been a great trip around Southern Australia with my parents. Left Tasmania after a lovely time with Sue and Gordon. We explored lots of where they live- in Primrose Sands- like the beach, an the Tasmanian Devil Park and Port Arthur, the old prison. We also had a huge family reunion with long lost relatives who lived in Tas! I will definitely have to go back there before I go home in July- or when I move back! It was gorgeous and so relaxing.

Mom, Dad, and I at Port Arthur

After Tasmania, we flew to Adelaide- which was really nice. It was a cute, quiet, laid back city and we did a lot of walking around. We went to an Aboriginal museum, Ayers House, and did some tourist shopping. My Mum's eye was bothering her, so we went to the ER and turns out she had pink eye! There is something weird about my family and pinkeye, because we get it all the time!

Anyway, we had some delicious meals in Adelaide- and I got to have some crocodile, kangaroo, emu, wallaby.... I think that about covers it. The first night we ate at a pub, and my parents were all weirded out because we ordered the food at the counter- which is something that isn't really done in the U.S at a place where you are going to eat dinner. But the food was amazing and it was really fun. We ended up walking back from dinner and saw a nighttime art display, of some artwork being projected onto a building. Pictures to come.

The next night, we as we were walking to dinner, we stopped along an overpass, on the sidewalk. My Mum was taking photographs, and I stood next to her, looking down at the traffic passing below us, and the tram tracks. I decided to check my phone, and reached into my purse.... grabbed my phone.. and then it accidentally slipped out of my hands... and FLEW off the overpass! I watched it land SMACK onto the cement, on the tram tracks, about 30 feet below. I couldn't believe I had just dropped my beloved blackberry off an overpass! I bounded down the stairs to down below, and went to pick up the pieces of the phone- everything was all in one piece, but the battery and back of the phone had come off. Luckily there was no tram coming, and I put my phone back together. The whole time my Dad was saying "There is no way this is going to work again"... and he was waiting for my "tantrum" to start.... well, to everyone's disbelief, my phone WORKED! I have had no problems with it... it's very confusing, considering when I dropped it 2 feet onto the bathroom floor last summer it broke... I guess I was just very lucky!

Anyway, after Adelaide, we headed to Kangaroo Island, on a dinky little 33 seater propeller plane. The flight was only about 25 minutes, and turned out not to be bad at all. I had never been on a plane that small, but it was pleasant. We rented a car on Kangaroo Island and drove to the otherside of the island, away from Kingcote and got to our hotel, which was gorgeous and was set back in the bush. There was wildlife all around! We went through the national park and saw lots of seals! We also stopped at a wildlife park where we saw all the native animals, and I fed lots of Kangroos. One slobbered all over me! But it was cute. Also had a conversation with a parrot. That night, at our hotel, we were sitting at dinner on the enclosed veranda- and the resident kangaroo hopped in and started sniffing around the table!

The next day in Kangroo Island, we headed to Kingscote and stopped along the way at a Sand Dune, which was totally awesome but felt out of place. It was a huge Sand Dune and people were sledding down. I wanted to, but I didnt have a sled and cardboard didn't work.

Me on the top of the Sand Dune

Later on, we made a surprise stop at Sandra's Bed and Breakfast. I had met Sandra on the wine tour up in the Yarra Valley, and was told of her B&B- so my parents and I headed over to her place. It was so nice to see her- I'm so glad we got to stop by. After that, we stopped at a honey/bee producer and had a little tour and taste of honey. Delicious. Only a few kms down the road, was our hotel and we checked in and quickly headed to see a Pelican feeding at the harbour. Later that night, we went on a penguin tour!

Pelican Feeding

Overall, Kangaroo Island was great- we saw SO much wildlife. Wild Koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, gowana (huge lizard thing), seals, lots of birds! It was so wonderful to experience it all. We flew back to Adelaide on the dinky propeller plane, through Kingscote Airport- with no security. We got to the airport early (As my mother always is early) and nothing was open yet. It was hilarious.

Arrived in Adelaide yesterday but rented a car and drove out to the Barossa Valley. It is a beautiful wine region, that specializes in the production of red wine. We went to Peter Lehmann, Jacob's Creek and Penfolds. My favorite was probably Jacob's Creek, which we visited this morning at 10am. It was a nice morning boost. After staying overnight in a cute cottage accommodation, and trying wine at Jacob's Creek at 10am, we headed down to Mt. Gambier.

Jacob's Creek, Barossa Valley

From Mt. Gambier we drove back along the Great Ocean Road, stopping at all of the main attractions, which I had seen on my first trip out there. It was particularly windy and cold that day, so our stops were brief. We did a Treetop walk, which was totally awesome- the metal walkway is elevated in the treetops. So neat.

All and all, it's been a great tip. We've done so much, seen so much and had quite a few laughs, particularly about my parents new vocab word: "bogan," in which they enjoy using freely and in the wrong context.

After we arrived back to Melbourne, we had a few touristy days together. Mum and Dad went off to explore while I had class, and then when I had my Tuesday off, we went to the Melbourne Gaol (pronounced Jail), which was super cool and was the site of the execution of Austalian's version of Jesse James. After experiencing what it would be like to be arrested, we headed off to the MCG where we took an hour and a half tour of the stadium, getting to see the locker room and upscale bars that we wouldn't normally be able to see. We also got to sit on the players bench.

Us at the MCG!

It was amazing being able to see my parents!

I Am Descended From a Convict...

One upon a time, many years ago, my long lost relative who is dead now, stole a calf.... To feed his hungry family in England. He got busted... and as punishment, along with thousands of other convicts, got shipped off to paradise...errr, Australia. I wish my parents would ship me off to Australia as punishment (Oh wait, is that what this semester is?)...

Anyway, today I learned that my great great great (great?) grandfather was a convict. Totally awesome, right!? Indeed. Apparently, it is something to take pride in here in Australia! Of course, the crimes were petty, so, no I'm not boasting about a murderous relative. I am officially, therefore, 1/16th Aussie. TAKE THAT. After this relative had children, his children went over to New Zealand, and started the Lindsay family, which my mother came from.

Here's my relative arriving in Australia... kidding.

My parents arrived in Melbourne on Thursday morning! I surprised them by meeting them at their hotel and it was so exciting! We walked around the city and went to the QV market and then I showed them where I live. We ate dinner on Lygon Street at an Italian Restaurant that convinced us to eat their by offerring a free bottle of wine and Bruschetta. YUM!

Yesterday morning, we left Melbourne and flew to Tasmania. Gordon met us at the airport! Gordon and my Mum have been friends for 40 years- when they both lived in NZ. Gordon married Sue and they moved to Tassie recently. They let us stay at their place, which is in Primrose Sands, about an hour outside of Hobart in the countryside, but on the beach. Absolutely gorgeous. After exploring the area yesterday, we woke up bright and early and drove into Hobart for the Salamancia Market, a famous market, HUGE, in Hobart. They sell the most amazing things- all locally made, and yummy food too. It was a great time, and lots of money was spent on gifts... then we all hopped in the car and drove out to the countryside to a pub, where we met up with my Mum's long lost cousins and other relatives. There were about 30-40 people there- all of whoom I am related to. Mostly people older than my parents, but some younger children as well. I had 2 Tasmanian ciders and fish and chips, very much Aussie. It was great. Had some amazing meals cooked by Sue the last 2 days, and it's been so amazing. Its been chilly, between 14-16 C (around 60) but its gorgeous.

Learned yesterday that there are these ants, and have been seen in Sue & Gordon's front yard, that can jump up, bite you, and kill you. Talk about wild.
So far, I am alive.

Gorgeous Landscape, Primrose Sands

One more day in Tas, then to Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and the Barossa Valley. So excited and wonderful to be with my parents.