1/17/2013 (There are pictures!)

Today, I went snowshoeing. See snow shoes below:

I found a small tree that I then promptly fell in love with. There were lots of baby pine trees, but this one had found a nice warm spot in the sun. See small tree:

And these are my friends, Elana and Rob. Elana wore plastic bags on her feet due to her lack of appropriate footwear. Rob orchestrated the trip and the three of us along with 3 atmospheric science grad students went together today.

Overall, I enjoyed snowshoeing. The snow was gorgeous, especially before we ruined it with our footprints and names. It was relaxing and I am always up for a nice walk.

List of Things:
-Tomorrow I go to a conference in Boulder (and its free!)
-I made some killer chocolate chip cookies tonight
-I also made some awful beans tonight
-I'm trying to figure out my living situation for next year
-This is a new favorite song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj0Ha7Xkw7Y

P.S. Mom, have you shared this with Gram?

1/13/2013

January 13, 2013

Today is the fifth day since returning to Colorado after a relaxing, fulfilling break and the third time I have transitioned from home life to the day-to-day on Clearview Avenue. The first wave arrives in the morning following my first night. My system is shocked when I realize that I am not in a basement and do not take my memorized course of trudging upstairs and turning on the tea kettle (unless a beautiful person has the water hot upon arrival). Where is the close feeling of sitting rather silently on the couch with a morning news show on? Where’s my hug? Does no one care how I slept? Solitude, while not altogether unpleasant, takes some getting used to. The second helping of transition is more pleasant. I feel more functional here in Fort Collins. I can walk to tens of excellent restaurants, coffee shops, stores. I feel invigorated and ready to take on new work and studies (most of the time). That feeling is a refreshing one.

For example, last night a friend and I walked in to an amazing place because our original destination was closed. The restaurant is called Ras’ka (which means ‘King’ in Ethiopian) and the owner’s name is Hanna. At first we found out that the place had closed 30 minutes earlier and was hosting a private gathering, but my friend knew someone in the restaurant. This gained us entrance – funny how all of these things just fell into place. The food was especially delicious due to the well-orchestrated spices used in and on everything. Somehow the food was light and hearty all at once. Hanna secured us some of the wine from the gathering and we sat for hours talking to her about sorrow, being in nature, and how people live in other parts of the world. Seeing as the place could only fit around a dozen people in the first place, it is no surprise that when I left I felt very close to the people I was leaving. Not many places wish you well with a hug after dinner.

Some new things I’ve been doing:
-Watching the West Wing religiously
-Complaining about the cold weather (3 degrees? Oh, come on!)
-Making chili (Not too shabby for the first go around – did I mention that Rachel has a crock pot??)
-Been pissed about having to purchase a $60 used Mac charger (definite strike against apple)
-Meaning to write more posts (sorry mom)

I celebrated Christmas today, which was --as always-- eventful and wonderful for the hours between eye-opening and dinnertime. However, the period of lolling about after family leaves and all presents have been opened is odd and empty, as always.

The Awkward Hours of 2012 were spent picking through and lingering in my memory box. A grouping of cards from my time abroad that encouraged my use of a blog to record my day-to-day activities brings me here now, 9:56PM DEC 25 2012.

Now that I am a resident of Colorado (which still gives me shivers down my spine), I often forget that two people in my life, and arguably more, still give a damn about the trivial and embarrassing events that happen in my life. That's you, Mom and Gram. I trust that you will let stories trickle down to the appropriate, desiring audiences.

Secondly, an excellent, new teacher of mine reminded me that writing does not improve if you never do it. Therefore, you might see some early writing about new research in psychology. HOW FUN!

There you have it. I understand if this constitutes reason enough to unfollow me. If not, enjoy.

home is where the bagels are.

I’m sitting here in my own, clean, unpacked room with in my ugly sweatpants that I love but could not bring myself to take along to Australia. I’m sipping some quality home water, on the rocks. And I officially can say that it is time. It is time for the wrap-up post.

Followers- brace yourselves for a flashback and my last blog post, for now.

I left off at finals. I can safely say this was not a highlight of my experience abroad. UQ allots an entire week for study and revision before exams actually start. This may help some people, but I was constantly evading studying while doing nothing else which was a waste of time. While in an exam with hundreds of other students where I was sat right in front of the professor, I realized that he could not even recognize me as one of his students. I thought that was pretty bullshit. Clearly, I was meant for a small college and not a big university. Regardless, my exams went well and I got two 6’s and two 7’s. That’s pretty good for Australian style education.

Next up was our going away dinner with Ann Wadsworth. We went to this pretty swanky Italian place to dine for the last time with our lovely director, give her a nice present, and consume many a joyous/congratulatory bevy. It was a great time and nice conversation was had all around. The ten bottles of wine that Ann got us also helped. After dinner a few of us, even Ann, went out to and danced a bit. Then, Ann turned into a pumpkin and had to leave us all for her husband and kids, and we ended up going home as well. It is not as fun without our fearless leader.



Soon enough…Megan, Liz, Phil, Taylor and I were off to Melbourne, a place I have been looking forward to going to since I found out I would be in Australia. My friend Jordan, who I met at camp, lives in Melbourne and very kindly offered me (and all of my friends!) a place to stay for the duration of the trip. Melbourne was a city of culture, art, and food. It was kind of like New Orleans in that the city has a sense of identity and a flavor of its own. I ate some of the most beautiful food and saw some of the quirkiest street art I’ve ever seen. We went to this trés chic bar with chairs fit for royalty and top of the live specialty drinks. We went to an amazing market place where I was able to complete all of my shopping for people back home…and myself. We also took a walk down the longest shopping street that I have ever been on where I bought a dress to wear on my birthday and stopped at a café with Megan. Best of all, this trip was a vacation for all of us after finals and to celebrate being in Australia one last time and we succeeded in doing both. Thanks again to Jordan who was the best host, a place to stay, recommending that amazing Chinese place, and being excellent all around.

Having Tea at the Galleon Cafe:


Once we got back to Cromwell, it was party time. Thursday night just happened to be the last night out for all of Cromwell. I quickly scarfed down some dinner and I borrowed one last dress from Mussels and I was out the door. It was one of my favorite nights out of all time, because of the dancing but mostly because at midnight it was officially my 20th birthday! My friends bought me a few drinks to down in too quick a time interval, but it was worth it. Birdees is the best.


The next day, my birthday, I woke up and went to get breakfast with Megan and got our usual, flat white for Megan, English Breakfast for me, and some delicious cake/scone-y type thing. Next was lunch with what was left of the Top Cock girls at the pizza place at the Ville. Who new they had such great pizza? If only I had found that place sooner. And, to top the day of eating off, I went to the best Chinese restaurant in all of Brisbane. The place made its own noodles, enough said. That night, my American friends all came together to have some classy beverages before venturing out on the town. Classy turned to barely stable and two of our soldiers did not make it that night. It was a fantastic birthday despite being thousands of miles away from home and Dickinson.




I ended the semester with seeing HARRY POTTER with Liz and finally trying kangaroo at our group barbecue in Southbank.



Luckily, I do not have to recap all the amazing things that I have done this semester right here because I have posted about most of them. It is an experience just to be away from friends and family for 5 months. I’ve had to think about who I am, what I want, and where I’m headed. I have solidified friendships and grown to appreciate many things, especially Dickinson…and bagels. Australia is magical and its people are the best of the best.

This blog is anything but finished. More travel and wandering to come.

Turn Left on Sentimental Street

I have officially finished the first semester of my junior (academic) year. The assignments and finals that have occupied the last week and a half have all been completed. Ten full days left in Australia and eight until my 20th birthday. Hopefully that helps you get an idea of where I'm at right now.

This Saturday our wonderful Mother Duck (Ann) will be hosting a farewell party at a fancy Italian restaurant. Thanks in advance Dickinson. Until then I am will be trying my best to see any of Brisbane that I may have missed, seeing if I can manage a bit of a tan, and getting in some last minute shopping. Monday, the 15th, I will be embarking on my final journey to Melbourne with Megan, Liz, Phil, and Taylor and visiting my friend Jordan from camp! Some of our plans include traveling the great ocean road and seeing the twelve apostles, soaking in the culture of a fantastic city, and celebrating the end of a wonderful semester. The day following our return to Brisbane involves celebrating a very special day on which both myself and Terri Soifer were born.

On the Saturday before we leave, my friends and I have decided to have a barbecue in the traditional Australian tradition. I will finally taste kangaroo and enjoy my last day to drink legally for another year with some aussie brews. To top the day off, Liz and I will be going to watch the next installment of Harry Potter. Feverish excitement begins...now.

I realize this is one of my shorter posts, but that's all I got. Hope you're excited to see me, because I'm gonna need some big hugs to get over saying goodbye to Australia and the wonderful people who live here.

Ultimate Lovers and Cheeky Monkeys

It is a sunny 79° here in Brisbane today, November 2nd. I know it has been a while since I have last posted. So much has happened since I have last made contact!

As I mentioned in earlier posts, two weekends ago I went to the Australian Mixed Ultimate Championships with the Ultimate lovers. After a 13 hour drive down to Bathurst, a few teammates and I set up camp in a cabin in an RV park. I really enjoyed our accommodation because I am quite fond of camp grounds thanks to summers spent camping with my family. We had our own bathroom and kitchen area and the weather was cooler in Bathurst than it was in Brisbane, which I appreciated. We woke up the next morning and donned our brand new jerseys and shorts (which were awesome). That day we played some beautiful Ultimate as well as some fun new spirit games with the other teams. Some highlights of the weekend include getting to play in the rain and the mud, having an amazing group of teammates, eating delicious food supplied by the tournament directors, and getting to support our fellow Queenslanders on the sidelines during their games. Oh, and the party was awesome. My team went dressed as miners. For those of you who do not frequent the frisbee scene, going to a tournament is a full-on experience with lots of bonding and amazing times. AMUC definitely achieved each of those and was even better than I had expected.

The Team:


Spirit Games!


I had my last week of classes after arriving back in Brisbane. I had two quizzes and a take home exam which basically took up my entire week. There was one night where everyone in my AUST1000 class (Phil, Megan, and Liz) came over and hung out in my room to write our take home exams. Although we did manage to complete the assignment eventually, most of the time we just end up goofing around, going to Subway, and having an all-around good time.

That Thursday also marked the last night that all of Cromwell would be around to go out and the last all college exchange. We all went out to Friday's and had a blast. It was a particularly awesome night because they gave out free drink cards to the first few people who had a birthday within a certain time period. One of my friends managed to get me three free drink cards using her card. Score. I spent most of the night tearing up the d-floor or hanging out with the Lockley crew. It was pretty sad though because people kept reminding me that it was probably the last time we'd be out together. The last few weeks have been full of end of the year events. Cromwell had their sports banquet while I was away and I actually got two awards for AFL and basketball! Then there was the Valedictory dinner where we celebrated the people who are not coming back next year. The new executive members have also been elected and soon we will find out who the new RA's are. It is very strange to think that I will not be coming back next semester.

Dickinson Crew:


This past weekend, I had the most amazing time in Byron Bay, the hippie epicenter of Australia. Byron is well known for its great surf and hippie culture. I was lucky enough to be able to experience both of those things. I learned how to surf and was pretty good at it. Actually...I kind of sucked...but I managed to stand up a few times. Later that day we all went ocean kayaking. I've never worked my arms out more than that one kayaking experience. The battle between me and the ocean began as soon as my partner and I attempted to get into the ocean through the waves. Basically, after getting over the first wave, the ocean decided it did not want us and flipped our kayak onto my head and sent us down shore packing. Looking back it is kind of funny, but I was freaking out a bit at the time. We spent the rest of our time in Byron checking out the local pubs (Cheeky Monkeys), visiting the lighthouse on the easternmost edge of Australia, shopping in the cool little stores, and soaking up the sun. Byron had a very Australian feel to it unlike some of the bigger cities. People were friendly, shoeless, and on their way back from surfing.



Me Failing at Surfing:


It is official. I am not ready to go home. As much as I miss my friends, family, and America in general, I am having the hardest time knowing that I have to leave this amazing country in just 19 short days. I don't think time has ever moved this quickly. This week I will be studying for my two final exams. Then I'm off to Melbourne, celebrating my birthday, seeing Harry Potter, and finally getting on a plane to hopefully see all of your beautiful faces.

TMNT Episode 34: Michelangelo Takes On Australia

What I learned this weekend: Australian's really like to party. On Thursday night, Cromwell had their Cultural Dinner. This is basically an awards ceremony for people who have made great achievements in cultural events, such as oratory (speech), chess, and one-act plays. The guest speaker was a comedian who was slightly off-color, but very funny. Most of you know that I love live entertainment of any kind, comedians, singers, bands, all that stuff, so it was especially awesome (And yes Terri, I did laugh so hard that I started kicking my feet). My friend Mussels cleaned up shop in the awards department and came home with 3 trophies! I was very proud. She even managed to make a fool out of herself in front of our president, which was also hilarious. This was mostly due to the fact that the college provided everyone with alcohol. I wish we did this at home, it made the awards ceremony so much more fun. After the dinner, everyone kicked on to a club in South Bank.

Friday night was King's Conclusion and the theme was Heaven and Hell. My friends and I had waited to the last minute to get costumes and had to run out Friday morning to get the supplies. I think I've already mentioned how Aussies get really really into their themes, so I did not want to disappoint by having a sub-par costume. I managed to pull together a devil costume for $3! The party had two sections. Heaven was outside with a great live band playing music and hell was in a carpark with fog machines and strobe lights. It began to downpour about halfway through the night and everyone either went to hell (haha) or decided to dance in the rain. At one point a whole bunch of Cromwellians were dancing together in a circle to some great music while getting drenched to the bone. It was glorious. There's also a group of people called the Red Frogs who come to events where there is heavy drinking and they hand out water and donuts. I thought it was a really neat idea, but I don't think they'd ever bring something like that to America. I ended up getting a free ride home and then took a nice warm shower so that I would not get pneumonia.

Me....drenched.


I woke up nice and early the next morning to begin suiting up for ICC Recovery. Now I have already written a post about Cromwell recovery, but here's the difference between the two. ICC recovery is open to all college students and is held in a field for an entire day. They serve goon and juices, UDLs (mixed drinks in a can), and beer and lunch about halfway through. Music was going constantly. The theme was Incredible Cartoon Characters and Hannah, Liz, Megan and I dressed as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. We made masks out of ribbon and got green briefs to wear. Megan and I created shells out of the package her mom sent her (cough hint hint mom) and then painted our entire bodies green. This was one of our best decisions because had I not put paint all over I would have gotten the worst sunburn of my life, like Phil. Instead I just got a stupid looking burn on my face and the back of my neck. The greatest part of ICC Recovery was the tradition of spitting colored alcohol at each other. Yes, this is disgusting and unsanitary, but it is SO MUCH FUN. You bring colored food die with you to the event and then pour some in every drink you get. Then, you spit. Or pour, or dump out entirely on your friends. It was great, a typical Australian afternoon.







The last few days since recovery I have been trying to get all of the green off of my arms and legs as well as get back into work mode. I allowed myself a day or so to do nothing but sit around and watch movies and let my body re-cooperate. The sun has finally come back out. Elections are going on Cromwell so there are posters literally everywhere for people running for every position. Unfortunately I will not be able to vote. This is because I will be leaving Thursday morning (at 4am- AHH!) for Mixed Nationals in Bathhurst!! It should be a 12-14 hour drive, but we are staying in cabins (not tents thank goodness)! I'm really excited. After that it is the last week of classes and then Byron Bay!

I officially have 34 days left. WHAT