A Small Update

I was told that a big fan of mine was very upset I hadn't updated and was checking daily.. so here is an update as far as I can go right now. (I'm staying at a hostel in Surfer's Paradise on the Gold Coast, it's our mid-semester break, but I probably won't write about that for another week!)

Okay so back to my sequential order:

February 21, 2008
I got my classes sorted out and I'm a very lucky lady: only Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday. This will give me time to get a job, because I will definitely need the money! The minimum wage here is around $15/hour, and most people in college get about $20. After mid-semester break I'll start my search. My classes are good - Banking Financial Management, Applied Corporate Finance, Introduction to Film, and Sociology of Relationships.

When I was working on the computer lab in the international office, a guy named Adam recognized my Texas shirt and got very excited. He's a post grad from Dallas. It's so crazy meeting all these people from home!

Heather and I got lunch at the Quad Food Court on campus. It is SO NICE. Every type of food, reasonably price, and the staff are so sweet. It's already very packed and school hasn't even begun. I got a cheeseburger, which here all burgers have beetroot on them (gross!). They also don't use ketchup, but you can ask for "tomato sauce". Ketchup is much better, but you can only get it at McDonald's. Most places make you pay extra for sauce too!

Heather and I went to her uncle's Bikram Yoga studio for our first real lesson. It was GREAT! I am not flexible and awful at things like yoga, but the 90 minutes flies by. You get totally sweaty, which feels wonderful, and it's a challenge every minute.

That night we were going to the Fringe Bar in a very gay part of town to celebrate Daniel's birthday. Alexandra (they are both German) surprised him with a cake and we had cocktails. It was a 2-for-1 special and STILL $7.50! Alcohol is very expensive here.

When we were going to leave, a guy who recognized my accent called me over. He is doing the kid's Dinosaur tour in the states and LOVES Dallas! I chatted with him and his actor friends for a good hour or two. They all had very funny opinions about the states. They were mostly gay so we spoke about Australia fashion and why they think it's going to trash. They also asked if there was a gay fraternity and how they could join it.. very humorous. One of them offered to take Heather and I around to the "cultural" parts of Sydney, so we'll try to do that soon.


February 22, 2008
Got up and went to 5-0's with Heather for $5 steak. It was DELICIOUS! Then we headed to the beach, did yoga that evening, and found a cheap fruit stand in Bondi Junction which is SO EXCITING.

It's Daniel's birthday today, so I met a group at Coogee Bay Hotel to hang out. I had trouble finding the bus to get there, and ended up going to a junction to go back to Coogee (which is close to the monastery). On the way to the junction, my bus got in an accident! The bus driver hit another car and broke off it's mirror. It just kept going, but when it finally pulled over a bunch of guys got on board and cussed out the driver. They fought for about 10 minutes. I was a little scared because I was right in front. The bus driver didn't have his license on him, so it became even more heated... finally we got off safely.

At Coogee Bay Hotel I met one of Daniel's friends, Royce. He lives in Decorah, Iowa (where my uncle, dad, and cousin all went to school) and also has an aunt and uncle who live in Albany, Illinois (a tiny town where my aunt and uncle live!) We just started laughing when we realized how small of a world it is. All of us had a great time.. I'm so happy to already have good friends here.

February 23, 2008
Heather and I checked out a costume volleyball competition on Maroubra Beach that was pretty humorous. Every team dressed up in different themed outfits and were very into it!

Then we took a bus to Bondi Beach to see the Vans skate competition. Apparently it was a big deal, but we didn't know what was going on. We just hung out on the beach all day and enjoyed the weather. Bondi Beach is VERY popular and quite famous, so it's crazy to be here.

After soaking up sun the Texans went to Coogee beach for a picnic on the cliffs. It's so beautiful to watch the sun set! It got a bit chilly, but still great.

I spent that night with the Texans in Maroubra - I needed to get out of the monastery for a bit. On the bus ride there, a security guard got on board and rudely questioned a lady who was resting her eyes at one of the stops. It was very bizarre... I asked the guy behind me if it was normal and he looked shocked and said no. The guy I was talking to came off at the same stop I did, and we chatted all the way home. His name is Andy, and he's a student at a Bible College here in Sydney. He is actually from South Africa and a very nice guy! I asked him about churches, and he agreed to meet me at a bus stop the next morning to take me to Hillsong, a huge church in Sydney. I'm really excited!! It's funny how God puts you in the right place at the right time.

Ok I'll try to put up another small post tonight... miss you all!! Sorry I'm so behind! I would just skip days, but I feel that every day is so important that I'd hate to forget about it.