Sunday, August 12, 2007

Cold, Wet, Muddy, and Ecstatic

So as usual, much has happened in the last week. Went to Hilda's Ball this past Wednesday, which was kind of a bust, despite the fact I managed to look good in an outfit that was 90% borrowed. The highlight of the week thought was probably my trip to Phillip Island with the ISOP group through the University of Melbourne. Phillip Island is a small island just south of Melbourne. It is best known for the little blue penguins that come to shore every night to sleep/nest when it's warmer. The penguins are really tiny, only slightly bigger than an average size tissue box. Once it gets dark, they roll onto shore on the waves, kind of like the unicorns in the final sequence of "The Last Unicorn." Then they swim around and waddle back and forth, trying to decide whether or not they actually do want to come onto shore. It was a pretty cool experience, despite the fact I was soaked from head to toe and covered in mud. Unfortunately, you're not allowed to take pictures of the penguins because it blinds them, but here is a picture off of Google so that you can get a sense of what I'm talking about (I also highly enjoy the expressions of the people in this picture):

But before I go on too much about the penguins, let me start with the beginning of the day. Carissa and I woke up around 8 after a night out at Perseverance (best club ever- 90s night every Friday) and went down for breakfast. Unfortunately, breakfast didn't start until 8:30. I had ordered a lunch the night before, so I wasn't going to leave until I got my lunch. We were due to meet the group at Uni (which is about a 20 minute walk) at 8:45. So, we go down with the mindset of having a quick breakfast and basically grabbing our lunches and running to Uni. The lunches weren't made yet. So we tell the kitchen lady that we need lunches, she says okay, and we sit and have a quick breakfast. 8:40- no lunches yet. We hover. Kitchen lady is cutting rolls for dinner. We say, "Hey, we sort of need to go... now... can you make us lunch?" She says, "Okay." 8:45. Kitchen lady is JUST starting to make our sandwiches, and is taking her sweet time about it. Meanwhile, we're trying to figure out how on earth we're going to get to Uni before the van leaves at 9. 8:50. She gives us our lunches, I call Cheese and beg him to drive us to Uni, which he does because he's awesome. So the day begins with us nearly missing our ride, and we're already frantic and ready for adventure. We both essentially pass out on the van because we are still tired from the night before. But once we get to Phillip Island we immediately feel better and are really excited for the day. The first thing we see: giant pelicans. Huge, man eating pelicans. Here's the photo to prove it:
The pelicans were followed by a visit to the koala sanctuary, where I saw the most emo koalas ever. Didn't get to hold any because they were all napping, but Carissa and I did get a photo with a massive, rather possessed looking stuffed koala for the reversed stereotypical koala holding photo. Here is a picture of us with the koala, and an additional photo that will amuse my family:
After the koalas, we had lunch in nearby Cowes, which reminded me of LBI in the winter time- all of the ice cream places were closed, but you could tell it was definitely a family summer hot spot. After lunch we went to feed giant kangaroos. Carissa and I got brutally attacked because we were not feeding them promptly enough. We're covered in bruises and it was moderately terrifying, but I thought it was the greatest thing ever. I was hopping with kangaroos and jumping in puddles and having a wonderful time. Mind you, it was raining all day, so by the end of this part of the trip we were covered in mud and basically soaked. Luckily I wore my rain boots, which gave me a huge advantage over everyone else since at least my feet didn't get wet (although that quickly changed when we went to the ocean and I, really excited about being able to go in the ocean before everyone else, ended up having a wave splash into my boot. It was definitely worth it though.) The ocean is absolutely gorgeous, even though it was grey and wet. There are two boys that I met a few weeks ago, twins from Colorado, who had never seen the ocean. They were frolicking just as much as I was. The entire day I felt like a ten year old in that I was just so excited to be there and see things. The weather was secondary to my mood. To give you a sense of how gorgeous it was, here is a picture from the Nobbies. I'm really excited now to go to Great Ocean Road, because it this is just what it's like at the island, I can't wait to see the rest of the coast!:

The day concluded with the penguin parade, which I've already discussed. I'm really glad that this was my first real trip in Australia, since it's definitely motivated me to make some active decisions in my travel plans. I am currently hoping to spend my spring break visiting my friends in the country around Melbourne and then going to New Zealand. Later on I am planning on visit Queensland, Sydney, and maybe the rock if Kevin decides to come to Australia after all.

On another topic, my social life has been pretty good. I am so thankful for the family- I have had a tough time for some reason emotionally (I can't really explain it, but it is some combination of homesickness, apathy, loneliness, hormones, anxiousness, and guilt). I have really high highs and really low lows. In all honesty, I will probably need to utilize my Bryn Mawr therapy sessions when I get back. But they have all been really good in terms of putting things into perspective for me and helping me realize that all of my worries are pretty dumb but entirely justified. I am really glad that I have made friends with dependable people and not just the "party" people that the other Americans have been hanging with.

Speaking of parties, however, last night I went to a resident's 20th birthday at his GIANT AUSTRALIAN MANSION. The experience was unreal. He had a cinema, and a spa, and a pool. We ate home cooked food on fine china and drank champagne. Absolutely amazing. I spent way too long in the sauna and am suffering a bit of dehydration today, but the experience was worth it. I am definitely more laid back than I am at home- although I'm not sure if that's more just being abroad or if it's a uniquely Australian state of being. According to Marty (a guy from UPenn who was at Whitley last semester) the attitude remains when you get back home, so I guess we'll see. I do feel as though I don't do as much reading as I should, but when it comes to tutorials it doesn't seem to matter. I guess we'll see how much that changes after I start writing my first paper (which I should probably be doing this week.... maybe....)

One thing I must say though is that I highly prefer doing things with the Australians and not the Americans. Several of the Americans on the Phillip Island trip were just downright stupid and annoying, and for that reason I am thinking of not doing any sort of traveling with agencies that cater to American students. It may mean that I see less of the touristy attractions, but it also means that I'll have had a better insight into Australian culture/life, and in some ways I think that that is much more important. Anyway, I should probably do a little bit of reading, but hopefully I will post soon with more random ramblings and photos.
Oh! I had a wine and cheese party last Monday, Dad. It was pretty fantastic- and apparently wine and cheese parties aren't too common here, so it was a cool experience for my Australian friends as well. Here are a couple photos of us in my room engaging in one of my favorite activities:

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