A hodge podge of stories

Hello everyone!

Classes still have not started and I am therefore still living my vacation life. I went to the beach with my friends Gabi, Evan, and Jeff the other day and it was beautiful out - a perfect beach day! Don't worry, I apply a ton of sunscreen and have yet to get sunburned. I did, however, get annihilated by a wave. I was just chilling out in the ocean, trying to catch up to Gabi and Jeff who were pretty far out (if anyone has seen me swim, it's like watching a black lab..no good) but I couldn't make it out to them, so I started talking to the people next to me and made friends with them for a little while. Two of them were trying to teach me and another girl how to body surf, so I decided to give it a go. Well a giant wave is approaching (which we all know my silly fear of waves) and they tell me to get ready. I completely misjudged the wave, it crashed down on top of me, I went tumbling underneath the water, and got salt water up my nose and in my mouth. The people all around me were cheering and laughing at me. I then decided to give up on body surfing and I went to go lay back down on my towel. Hopefully my surfing experience goes slightly better than my body surfing one. Only 3 more weeks until I go to my surfing camp! Also while we were at the beach, these 3 guys from China approached Gabi and I and asked if they could have a picture with us. It turned out to be about a ten minute photo shoot with 5 different cameras! Gabi and I were laughing the entire time, it was very bizarre. I got a few pictures of it on my camera; I couldn't let that moment go undocumented!

That night, a bunch of us went out to Kings Cross (which is sort of downtown..but not really) to a few clubs. This night turned out to be the most epic night we've had here so far. While we were at a bar, me, Gabi, and our friends Cliff and Arjun lost the other people we were with and had no idea where they went so we just decide to go out on the dance floor and have fun. Well the bar is playing alternative 90s music and we had no idea how to dance to it. Everyone around us all have their arms around each other in a circle while swaying to the music. After a while, Gabi and I decide to go sit down at a table and as soon as we sit down, a guy behind us throws his cup in the air, which means that we got beer all in our hair. We were pretty pumped. After a while me, Gabi, Cliff, and Arjun decide to leave. So we leave the bar and cross the street to try and catch a cab to get home. While we are trying to hail a cab, a guy right behind us starts having a seizure and none of his friends are calling an ambulance and are telling everyone to go away (Gabi and I think the seizure was drug related since all of his friends were acting a little sketchy). Cliff calls for an ambulance and it took forever for it to show up! I think he was on the phone with the ambulance for 10 minutes and then it didn't show up for another 10 minutes after that (in which the guy had 2 more seizures during this time). It was a little ridiculous. Finally, the ambulance shows up, the guy's friends stare us down, and we flee the scene to make sure we don't get beat up. So yay! We did a good deed and perhaps saved a guy's life.

After walking a few blocks, we continue trying to catch a cab (which is a very difficult task). One finally pulls over and while we're getting in the cab, this crazy Australian chick comes running towards us screaming and swearing and freaking out about how we stole her cab. I'm already in the back seat buckled in, Gabi's in the front seat, and Cliff and Arjun are still standing on the curb. This crazy chick opens the passenger door and tells Gabi to get out (with a lot of curse words thrown in there). Cliff is handling the situation and telling the girl to calm down and that there will be another cab in a few minutes. This girl is not having it and is continually screaming at us and mocking everything we say to her. Finally we just tell Cliff and Arjun to get in the cab and as they are getting in, this crazy chick punches Gabi in the arm and slams the door in her face. So yeah, Gabi got punched by a crazy Australian chick and had a giant bruise on her arm. So ridiculous and so funny! We still laugh about it all the time. That girl was insane. And that concludes the epic night.

The next day Gabi and I went down to Darling Harbour and walked around. It was absolutely gorgeous, I don't even know how to describe it (just check out some of the pictures..which doesn't do it justice). We went into a really cool marine museum, walked around the entire harbor, and went into a few shops. In an ideal world, I would live in the amazing apartment complex right on the harbor.

That night, we told Marco we would meet him for dinner and drinks so we went back to go get ready. We were both so tired from walking around all day that we really didn't want to go out, but since we said we'd meet up with him, we got all dressed up to go out anyway. Right before we were about to meet him, we realize we are going to be 45 minutes late by the time we take the train to where he's going and so we just decided it wasn't worth it. Marco was totally fine with it, so we took a rain check for dinner and drinks. However, Gabi and I were really hungry, but also very lazy and didn't want to change out of our dresses. So we go and eat at this very low key bar/hotel across the street in our fancy dresses and order the most manly meal ever (our waitress even called us out on it). We ordered the supreme meat lovers pizza with a side order of french fries. The pizza was a mountain of ground beef and other meet with cheese flowing all over the place. It looked disgusting, but it was one of the best meals we have had so far! While we were walking back to my apartment, I fell down in the middle of the street and it was really embarrassing! I completely just ate it. Gabi was dying laughing and could hardly walk since she was laughing so hard. I'm the world's clumsiest person. Then we just came back to my apartment, changed into sweats, and went to the common lounge area to watch TV. We ended up finding a movie that was in German with English subtitles and it was the most depressing movie I have ever seen! These two twin sisters get separated at the age of 4 at their dad's funeral, one grows up Jewish, the other grows up German (this is during WWII), the Jewish girl's fiance gets killed in a concentration camp, the German's husband gets killed in the war, the sisters hate each other, and then they die at the end. Talk about an upbeat film. After the movie was over a really weird dating game show came on and it was super awkward, I don't even know how to describe it. I don't know why anyone would ever go on that game show. Apparently The Biggest Loser is the most popular show in Australia and it's on every night. So You Think You Can Dance is also a very popular show. So Dad, I'm sorry to tell you that you will not be able to escape these shows even if you flee the country.

Tonight Gabi and I (yes, we spend every second together) went to the movie "He's Just Not That Into You." We absolutely loved it! It's a total chick flick and leaves you very giddy and happy. If you haven't seen it, you should probably stop reading this blog and go buy a ticket to the movie. After the movie, we went to go meet a bunch of people at a Scruffy's (it's a bar close by). While I was dancing at Scruffy's, a guy came up to me and told me I was a very good dancer...I died laughing. Looks like people over here love my flailing dance moves.

I've continued to meet a lot of people from around the world as well as Australians. All the people here are so nice and welcoming. I love listening to them talk, but sometimes I have a hard time understanding what they're saying to me and I have to ask "what" a lot and then I feel really dumb. Sometimes I just go with the smile and nod method so I'm not asking "what" every two seconds. There were these two guys at a club one night who told me they were in Sydney for a back party. I, naturally, had no idea what a back party was so I asked. The guy gave me the weirdest look and said in a really slow manner, "Well two people get married and all the guys get together and go out." I replied, "Oh, you mean a bachelor's party!" He responded, "Yeah, that's what I said, a back party." Then he thought I was really dumb. Oh well, I guess I need to get used to them abbreviating everything.

Classes begin on Monday and I'm pretty nervous about it. I'm sure it will be fine though, once I actually figure out when my classes are and where they are (just a few minor details). I'll let you know how it all goes!

Love,
Whit

I suck at posting pictures

So I suck at figuring out how to put pictures on this blog, so I created a Photobucket account where I have uploaded all of my photos for you to enjoy! It seemed a little easier to do it this way. To see all of my pictures, follow this link:

http://s666.photobucket.com/albums/vv23/wnjohnson10/

I'll keep posting new albums so you can all see!

"It's Whitney in the city!" - Marco

Hello again!

I'm sure you're all thinking I'm the biggest slacker on the planet for not updating my blog in the past week. Sorry to keep you all anxiously waiting for the latest development in my journey.

This past week we had orientation at the University of Sydney. One would imagine that going through 3 days of orientation would clear the air and make everything more comforting and not as daunting. However, it did quite the opposite. We all walked away from orientation ten times more confused as we did going in. I don't know if they messed up on explaining things or if all the students didn't do a great job of following the information, but none of us have any idea what's going on as far as figuring out our classes and schedules go. I'm sure we'll figure it all out soon. Besides the fact that I have no idea how to arrange my schedule and where any of my classes are, orientation was pretty fun. We got to know the campus a little better (I can now walk around without getting too lost), got free food, and met a lot of people from around the world. Gabi and I met three people from Holland with whom we have become good friends - Marco, Emilie, and Jente. We met them the first day of orientation during morning tea and have been hanging out with them ever since. I also won a free wine tasting tour in Hunter Valley at orientation. STA travel drew my name out of a box and I won! I was super excited. I haven't decided yet which weekend I am going to go on this trip, but I'll let you know all about it when I do.

There have been a lot of events going on for us newcomers this past week - mainly BBQ parties. Unilodge (the apartment complex that I live in) hosted a BBQ party on the roof on Wednesday. There was free food (though it wasn't that great), a live band, and prizes. Campus organizations have also been throwing BBQ parties for us to get to know more people and the campus a little better. Thursday night was the international party, where all study abroad students went to the bar on campus (yes, there is a club in the middle of campus next to all the classrooms), ate for free, and danced on the dance floor. I met my first Australian friend at this party named Stefan! I also met a lot of other people from other countries. I'm all about the free food, I think they should just keep hosting these things all throughout the semester so I don't have to buy food ever again...maybe I'm just being greedy.

I am 100 percent settled into my humble abode and have been out and about the city of Sydney. The rain has finally subsided and the sun has finally come out which, in turn, allows me to happily wander around. I have yet to go to downtown Sydney (with the bridge and opera house), but I intend on doing that sometime next week. So far, I've been getting acquainted with the areas around campus and central station. Yesterday, Gabi, Allison, and I went to Oxford street and went in all the little shops.

Since it has been so nice out lately, I have been able to go to the beach! Thursday, Gabi and I met up with our friends from Holland and we went to Bondi Beach. It was here that I finally had the realization that I am in Australia. The beach was beautiful, the sand was soft, there were people surfing, and there were large rocks that we climbed so we could have a better view of the ocean. I think a bunch of us are going to go back on Sunday.

Culture shock set in a couple of days ago while I was eating a bag of Skittles. As you all know, the lime skittles are my favorite. I open my bag of skittles, pour some into my hand, stick a green skittle in my mouth, and as I'm chewing it I realize that it is not lime; it is green apple. I was thoroughly disappointed. Don't worry, I ate the bag of skittles anyway (though I don't think the green apple tastes right with all the other skittles). Also, if it's 2 am and you are wanting an inexpensive late night snack, do not go to McDonald's. I know this is the hot spot in Dinkytown (besides Mesa of course), but it is not in Sydney unless you feel like paying $7 for a McChicken. So yeah, I paid $7 for a usually $1 McChicken. I guess some things you just have to learn the hard way.

Now you are up to date on my latest happenings. Right now I'm basically on vacation - sleeping in every day, wandering the streets of Sydney, going to the beach, going out to eat with friends, then going out to the clubs with everyone. It's going to suck when classes start and I'm actually going to have to do something.

I miss you, I love you, I'll update you soon!
Whit

My first few days in the Land Down Under

Hello friends and family!

My apologies for the delay in beginning this blog; everything has been pretty hectic and I haven't had much down time. Due to my lack of time/motivation the past few days, this entry will be rather long but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Cheers! (my attempt at being Australian).

After 22 hours worth of flying and missing a day of my life, I have made it safely to the opposite side of the world! I have experienced so many amazing things, met a lot of great people, and finally got settled into my rather tiny apartment. I will take you through my journey thus far.

I arrived in Cairns (pronounced "cans") on Tuesday, February 10, which would have been Monday for all of you, for our week of orientation. Upon arrival, we had hardly any time to relax and get settled. We actually only had 45 minutes for all six people in the room to shower and get ready to be on time for our meetings and dinner (and yes, all six girls in my room made it on time). We stayed in a backpackers resort (similar to a hostel) that turned into a club scene at night, so after the meetings and dinner were over, we all walked downstairs and went to the club. I didn't stay out too late the first night since I was pretty exhausted from flying and we had to get up at 5:30 the next morning to go to the Great Barrier Reef. While at the club, the DJ began a game of Simon Says, in which I did not participate for good reasons (though I did take some great pictures). This was not an ordinary game of Simon Says, it was actually Simon Says - sex positions. The DJ would say a sex position, and the team (all the teams were 2 guys for some reason) who did not get in the position the fastest was out. Yeah...Australians are crazy, but very entertaining.

On Wednesday, our group got to go see one of the natural wonders of the world. On the 45 minute boat ride out to the reef, nearly everyone got sick, even after we all took the seasick pills. I was fortunate enough to not fall victim to actually getting sick, but I really thought I was going to at one point and walked around with a white paper bag (I'm not really sure if I was actually seasick or if I was just nauseated by everyone else getting sick all around me). Once the boat stopped it was a lot better and we all got to put on our scuba gear on. So yeah, I got to scuba dive and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef! It was one of the most amazing things I have ever experienced. I was really sad that I didn't get to see a sea turtle (a lot of people in my group did), but I did see a baby shark, a stingray, a sea cucumber, a TON of colorful fish (including Nemo and Dori!), a giant clam, and of course coral. I accidentally backhanded a fish while I was swimming through the reef. I felt kind of bad, but I'm sure it's fine...or at least I hope it is.

On Thursday we went to Rainforestation, which is a touristic rainforest experience (or so I have deemed it). There were many activities here with a very tasty buffet lunch - I have never had better fruit in my life. We rode on Army Ducks throughout the paths and rivers of the rainforest, watched an Aboriginal performance, fed/pet/took pictures with kangaroos, and took a picture holding a koala bear. After the performance, the Aboriginals taught us how to throw a boomerang (I was no good - it went straight up, hit a tree, and then came right back down) and they also taught us how to play the didgeridoo (again, I sucked. Sorry to disapoint you, Nate).

After we got back from Rainforestation, a bunch of us went out to a club down the street having ladies night with free champagne, which was right up my alley! It was our last night out in Cairns, so nearly everyone went and it was a lot of fun. It was here that I lost my camera (or moreso it got stolen, though it was completely my fault). My friends, Gabi and Alison, and I asked a guy to take a picture of us. After the picture, us three girls started talking and forgot to get my camera back (very responsible) and I'm assuming the guy just walked off since we couldn't find him or the camera anywhere. Luckily I uploaded all my pictures right before we went out. So surprise...I am now on camera #5!

We left for Sydney Friday morning and arrived in the late afternoon. I didn't really see much of Sydney the first day since I was trying to get situated in my apartment. I did go across the street to K-Mart, along with everyone else, to buy everything I needed for my room. So my first day explorations of Sydney consisted of me walking across the street to K-Mart and back...so exciting. My apartment is pretty small, but I don't have roommates so it works out well. It's a two level loft apartment; the desk, TV, bathroom, and kitchen (which consists of a sink, mini fridge, and microwave) are on the main level, then there's a spiral staircase that goes up to my bed and closet. The spiral staircase looks really cool, but I've found it to be quite dangerous. They're really narrow and steep and I will most likely fall one day and break something, so just be prepared for that situation to occur. So far I've been safe and haven't injured myself, but i'm not ruling out the possibility.

I went out and explored a little bit of Sydney with my friend, Gabi, on Saturday. We went to lunch and walked around all the shops on the streets near our apartments. While we were in a boutique, the girl who was working was talking with us for a while and then gave us her number and invited us to go out with her for the night to downtown for a "no boys allowed" anti-Valentine's Day party. We called her up and attempted to meet up with her, but we went to the wrong bar and then couldn't get into the bar she was at because it was full. We still had a ton of fun and ended up finding people through our study abraod program at another bar with a live band that played all American 90's music. It was like I was at a middle school dance again - it was great. Apparently the bars don't close here. I was waiting for the bar to close and for all of us to get kicked out, but 4:00 am rolled around and everyone is still dancing to the music and clearly not stopping any time soon. We all finally decided to go home and go to bed around 4:30 am.

Today, which is Sunday, a bunch of us went out to lunch and then went to explore the campus. It is absolutely beautiful (for my fellow Harry Potter fans, it looks like Hogwarts!) and absolutely huge. I'm going to get so lost walking to my classes. Hopefully I'll be able to figure out where they all are and memorize it before classes start on March 2. It sounds like an easy feat, but I'm not so sure. Gay/Lesbian Mardi Gras started today, so a bunch of us went to that festival, but we didn't last too long since it started down-pouring. The festival goes on until March 7, so there's still plenty of time to experience it. This evening/night, we all went on the roof the apartment complex, and it is a huge BBQ area with a fantatsic view of downtown. We stood up there for hours talking, eating, and sipping on wine while looking at the skyline. I'm sure I'll be spending a lot of nights up there, it really is an incredible view.

So that has been the past 5 days of my life. It's crazy to think of all the things I have already done. Hopefully the weather will clear up pretty soon - it's been raining in Sydney since we've gotten here - so I can go explore more of Sydney and go to the beaches! We have 3 days of orientation at the University this week and then we have free time until classes start. I haven't seen any spiders nor large bugs lingering around my apartment. When I was helping Gabi unpack and get settled into her apartment, there was this bug of some sort crawling up her wall. It was really fast and it flew whenever we tried to kill it. We, of course, were screaming the entire time and were really freaked out. Don't worry though, Gabi killed it and we were not injured in any way.

I'll keep you all posted as I continue on my adventure! I hope everything is going well for everyone back at home!

Love,
Whit

P.S. To answer the question you're all dying to ask: No, the toilets do not flush the opposite way. I have yet to see a toilet even swirl when it flushes; they all just shoot straight down. Sorry for that disappointing answer.