End of May...early June. Nearing the end.

Ashley, Lauren, and Mel studying at The Loft

The last two weeks have been so busy. School work definitely slowed down after turning in my last essay of the semester (which I did not do too well on. Oops.) I have been trying to look at lists I got from some lovely friends, Tina and K.C, and fit in seeing all the cool places there are to see around Perth and Freo and check off everything I put on my bucket list at the beginning of the semester. Tai and I finally made it to the Pickled Fig. It turned into my new favorite cafe. It is all open between the inside/outside portion and right on South Beach. We have spent numerous hours there reading and hanging out, and more recently studying for finals. It is about a 30-40 minute walk from Cleos, but so worth it once you get there. The walk back at sunset isn't too bad either. Another new favorite hang out that we just discovered is The Loft. I went there the other night with Mel, Ashley, Phil, and Lauren to study ethics. We got some cider and frites and studied the night away. It was a really cool place to just go hang out with comfy couches and board games just laying around that you can play. 

Cleos (the smallest of the 3 study abroad halls) showing some pride
Black out at the 3rd all halls competition

Putting a puzzle of Australia together to get
the next clue

Last week was the third and final Hall Competition between Cleos, P&O, and Port Lodge. The first was the Bather's Beach Triathlon which we came in 2nd for; the second was the Bake Off, we got 1st. This third challenge was a relay race type thing where each hall was represented by 10-15 people and we had to accomplish tasks like eating different Australian foods including Vegemite and  Weet Bix (super dry 'cereal bars' that you're supposed to eat with milk...but they had to be eaten dry at the competition), shooting baskets, dribbling a footy ball back and forth across the gym, answering Australian trivia, 3 legged race, balancing an egg across the gym...and the final challenge was to use our bodies to spell the word 'koala'. Cleos won the challenge as well as the overall semester competition. It was a big win for Hotel Cleopatra because they haven't won in like 8 years or something ridiculous. 

Another thing that was on my to-do list for the week was to walk to the Lighthouse at Bather's Beach. Tai and I took a break from studying on night, got some wine and went to watch the sunset at the lighthouse. It was a really ugly and boring lighthouse compared to those that I have seen on the Oregon Coast, but it was just nice to get out of the house and relax for a bit. 

what better place to spend a 20th birthday than the Orient?!

It was really fun celebrating my 20th birthday in Australia and being able to go out to bars and clubs. Friday night before my birthday I went into Perth with Stephanie, Phil, Lauren, and Tai and we went to the Mustang which is supposed to be a country bar and resemble an American bar...which it didn't do a very good job of. It was still really fun though. They had rugby and footy on tv and a dj and dance floor. Everyone made sure I had a good night by provided several different types of shots with inappropriate names. On Monday, the 28th, I had class alllllll day. It was also the day of my final theatre performance. Sooo I got to dress up as a man and go fail at acting first thing in the morning. Later that night though I went out to dinner with a bunch of people in the house to La Porchetta. After that we went across the street the the Orient for a little birthday gathering. Annie booked the backroom and had beer pong set up. There were a couple Australian guys who decided to join the party and learn how to play beer pong, which they had only ever seen in movies. Phil and I ran the table all night of course. Until Jason and Andrew beat us...but we had already won enough games by then. The night ended with tequila shots with my good friends from Port Lodge, Cory, Brendan and Jess! 

a little drunk dancing...

a little bit of beer pong...

First tequila shot. happy birthday from Corey, Jess, and Brendan! 

 MARGARET RIVER RETREAT 

Canoeing in Margaret River

Witchedygrubs that we ate

This last weekend was our Cleos Retreat down south at Margaret River. This trip was led by Maddie and the campus minister, Tom Gannon, who is from Portland also but moved to Australia 8 (?) or so years ago to lead campus ministry here at Notre Dame. We left Friday afternoon around 2:30 and it took about 4 hours to get there. That first night we just went grocery shopping and made a family dinner and just hung out together in the hostel playing board games, then went for a walk and Tom led a reflection on the beach. The next morning we went canoeing in the Margaret River and got to see the first house that was built along the river, but unfortunately burned down in a bush fire 6 months ago. For lunch we got to try some 'Australian' foods (not that all Australian's actually eat it...). We had kangaroo, emu, crocodile, and turkey. We also tried a witchetygrub, which is basically a caterpillar. Had I not been in Australia and had been on some weird touristy tour I don't think I would have ever tried it, but I didn't want to miss out on any cool experience in Australia...I think I would have been alright passing on that one though. It does NOT taste like peanut butter like we were told it does. Canoeing was really fun. I was in a boat with Tai, Lauren, and Phil. Phil was the brains in the back of the boat steering, Lauren and I in the middle for muscle, and Tai in the front for...looks? (kidding Tai, i love you haha). We also went into a cave that people used to live in. There were different 'rooms' in the cave and in one of them some archaeologists have found baby teeth and bones so it is believed it was the kids' room. You have to crawl through a TINY space to get to the different rooms and we got to crawl through it. It was so small you had to army crawl through the space and be careful not to hit your head on any rocks sticking down. After crave crawling and canoeing back to where we started, we rushed back to the hostel to change clothes and head over to a winery for a wine tour. The vineyard was called Leeuwin and owned by a man named Dennis who happened to be there and tag along on our tour. We saw where the wine was made and learned about the different processes of fine wine making. This particular vineyard only makes a tiny percentage of Australian wines, but has won many awards and whatnot, so I guess it's pretty good! We got to try a couple different whites and reds. This stuff made me realise the $5 bottles we've been buying all semester at Cole's is pretty nasty. (Other than Passion Pop, a personal favourite, AND it's only like $6/7) But the wines here were actually really good! 

Lauren, Tai, and me wine tasting 

The next day Tom took us the same journey he took his wife on the day he proposed to her. We first went to the lighthouse at the most southwestern tip of Australia. You could see where both the Indian and Southern Oceans meet. After being there we drove to two different beaches, one being the Indian Ocean, and the other the Southern Ocean. It was cool to be able to go in two different oceans in the same day. We hung out at both of these beaches for a little bit because some people went swimming at each other them. I forgot to pack a swim suit, or any shorts soooo I missed out on swimming in both oceans. Next we went to Mammoth Cave where we got to walk through it. It was huge, hence the name, and had icicle looking structures hanging down from the ceiling and poking up from the ground.

Mammoth Cave

The most southwestern tip of Australia where the two oceans meet

At about sunset, we were slit up into pairs and walking along the beach discussing some questions that Maddie and Tom made up for us. They were just things to reflect on about our whole semester and time in Australia. I got to walk with Hannah and while we had a great conversation, we were interrupted by two dolphins swimming right alongside the shore. Other than in Monkey Mia, where the dolphins are notorious for hanging out and it being a super touristy area, I had yet to see wild dolphins just hanging out in ocean water that I could have been swimming in. It was so amazing. This was the beach where Tom proposed to his wife Liz, asking her if she would 'walk with him forever' and presenting her with a toe ring. Classic Tom.

After our long day we went back to the hostel, ate some pizza, and stayed up late again playing Scattegories and Pictionary. 

The next morning we got up and started making our way north back towards Fremantle. We made a couple of stops on the way to different sites. We went to Serpentine Dam in Jarrahdale and some other National Park. They were both just quick spots to take a look and keep going...Our last stop was a park where we fed some birds. They are called 28s(?) and were bright green. I hate birds, but again, gotta get the full experience, so I sucked it up and fed the stupid birds. I was going fine with the one that landed on my hand and was eating sunflower seeds, but when another one landed on my shoulder and touched my face I freaked out and started crying. Naturally, everyone made fun of me. So then since I was embarrassed that a little 6 year old could manage a few birds landing on her and eating out of her hands, i had to try again. Second time was a success, no tears...but i still hate birds. 

It is now Sunday night of finals week and my exams start on Tuesday. I have Ethics and Children's Literature this first week of finals and Theatre and Australian History next week. Luckily, I finish finals on Tuesday and have a couple days to relax, hang out, pack, explore...do whatever before leaving early Saturday morning. I cannot believe there are only two weeks left. It feels like I have been here forever and I miss my friends and family more than ever right now. I have missed so many things like Katie's birthday, my great grandma Yellow Grandma's 90th, and I had to say my last goodbye to my grandpa earlier than I had expected. It has been really tough being away from home during times like this but I know how much you all want me to enjoy my last couple of weeks here in Australia.

I love you Papa and miss you so much. Keep an eye on me from heaven  (: 

Australian Sports and Shenanigans with my Favorite Aussie

I'm in the middle of week 12 in school right now, with 4 1/2 weeks left here in Fremantle. At the beginning of the semester I made a little bucket list with about 20 things I wanted to do while being here, and there are still a bunch I've yet to do. One thing I really want to do is get on the train and get off at every stop between Freo and Perth. So far I've been to Claremont (a favorite spot for Thursday nights), West Leederville (where the Dockers play), City West (Harbour Town Shopping Centre...naturally), North Fremantle (Leighton Beach), Cottesloe (a favorite beach, also where we do run and swim with the Bakers and friends on Sunday mornings). That probably leaves about 10 more stops and places to check out in the next couple of weeks! 

Last weekend I went to an AFL game for the first time. Western Australia has two AFL teams, the Dockers and the Eagles. The Eagles seem to be the favored team among Australians that I have gotten to know, but we went as a house to see the Dockers play Adelaide. The Dockers, who don't have that great of a record came out with a Win, so it was a fun game to watch. Tai and I were sitting front row and got to meet Johnny Docker(:

Lauren, Tai, and I went over to the Baker's and had a BBQ. They made some sausages and lamb on their Aussie shaped BBQ. We got to meet one of Martha's older sisters, Gabby, and her husband Simon. We watched an Australian movie called Red Dog, which just came out about a year ago. It's about a dog who hung around one of the mine sights and how he became a town hero...it's a true story, I can't do justice explaining it. It's so good! We also started to watch Priscilla Queen of the Desert, but didn't get to finish it. I definitely will before I leave though. It is about 3 drag queens who go on a road trip through the desert...and that's about as far as I got, but as you can image, with 2 drag queens on a road trip, something funny has got to happen. In the morning, Mumsy made us egg and soldiers for breakfast. It was the best feeling to be in a home with such an amazing family. The Bakers are the greatest people I have met here in Australia and I'm so blessed to have them taking care of me while I'm away from home (: Martha is leaving tomorrow for America! She had a going away party at her house with some friends and family. We got to meet some of her Aussie friends and have pizza cooked in the famous fire breathing dragon pizza oven. We also played a game called Goon of Fortune. It involved pinning a wine bag to the clothesline and spin it; whoever the bag landed over had to drink from it as long as the could...and you just keep spinning til the bag is gone. Mumsy even joined in and it was hilarious. I can't wait to see Martha in August when she comes to Portland to stay with Tai and me for a couple weeks!

We said our last goodbyes to Martha last night. We met up with her and some of her friends from the Norfolk at the Orient for some drinks and just hanging out. She stopped by Cleos while I was in class today, but I had just missed her):

Last weekend, Friday I went to the Attic (our favorite coffee shop to do homework at) for a couple hours, then went shopping in City West with some of the girls before Martha's going away party. On Saturday all of Cleos went over to the Campus Minister, Tom Gannon's, house. His wife Liz and him, both being from Portland, had us Northwesterners over to celebrate his favorite holiday; the anniversary of Mt. St. Helens erupting. We had a BBQ and a fire in the backyard and all just hung out for the night. Sunday I went to my first Rugby game! I thought footy was exciting, but rugby was just as intense. We went to see the Western Force, but they lost to the Melbourne Rebels. Footy and rugby were kinda similar, and just so different than sports I'm used to watching. I've never sat at any sort of sporting even and not understood what was going on (thanks Dad), and I felt so awkward not knowing what was going on or what calls were being made. I can't even say I got it all by the end of the game. My favorite part about rugby is when the players lift each other up on throw-ins (or whatever the call them...). It was just so graceful and I was caught so off guard when I saw it the first time. Both rugby and footy made American football look sort of lame.

Yesterday I turned in my last essay of the semester! It was a research essay for Children's Literature. I'm so glad to be doneeeee, until finals...
Today, Children's Literature lecture was cancelled, and instead we had to go see Morris Gleitzman speak. He is an Australian children's lit author, and happened to be the author of one of the books I chose to analyze in my research essay, so that was pretty cool to get the chance to see him speak in person.

Oh, and shout out to OKC for defeating the Lakers today...I miss watching basketball. Now cheering on my boy Patty Mills and the Spurs, reppin Australia in the NBA.
And thank you Mom for the lovely package, the chocolate covered berries were a nice touch. And Em for the surprise letter I got in the mail today. You guys are the best and I can't wait to be home! (In my new house with Erin Flynn of course!)

I feel like I always leave so much out of these blogs...buuuuut, here is my to-do list for the next week or so in case I forget:
Go to Cottesloe and get fish'n'chips to eat on the beach at sunset.
Walk to the lighthouse that you can see from Bather's Beach.
Go to the Pickled Fig cafe near South Beach, and explore South Terrace.

Anzac Day, Uni Ball, Cinco de Drinko, and moreee!

 ANZAC Day

25 April 2012

King's Park Anzac Day Memorial
Sunset during the Dawn Ceremony 

ANZAC Day (Australian New Zealand Army Corps) is celebrated in Australia in memory of the fallen soldiers from World War I. A ceremony is held in every city throughout Australia at a memorial site. A group of us decided to go into Perth and attend the dawn ceremony at King's Park. We took the 12:15 am train into the city and wandered around for a couple hours before walking to King's Park. We were the 2nd group of people there and got a spot right along the gate in front of the monument. The ceremony began at 4am with a video/documentary/slideshow of Australian soldiers at Gallipoli. Around 6am the actual ceremony began and many veterans were present. Throughout the ceremony the sun was rising over the city in the background. It was gorgeous! About 40,000 people attended the ceremony at King's Park and it is the largest ceremony held throughout Western Australia. It was really amazing being able to be a part of this Australian ceremony and  see how the Australians remember and honour those who are have and are currently serving their country. 

On Anzac Day Eve (a new holiday started by Cleos this semester), the Quad made an Australian meal for the whole house. With the help of Ian and Nicole we made damper bread(slave bread), kangaroo meat pies, anzac biscuits, and sticky date pudding. I'm not really a fan of meat pies, but overall it was a success. 

Uni Ball at the Esplanade

Clara, Me, Elliot, Cat, and Ashley at the Ball

Later that week the University held a Ball at the Esplanade Hotel. It's a short walk from Cleos, however, it was POURING down rain. We all ran through the flooded streets in  our dresses with rain jackets over them, and were soaked by the time we got there. We had a constant flow of beer, wine, and champagne before, during, and after dinner. Naturally, Phil and I got the dance party started before desert was even served. I met a lot of people that night, some Americans and domestic students from the other dorms, as well as some Australian nursing students. We had a fantastic time dancing all night and enjoying our 'free' alcohol. By about midnight the part ended and we all headed to the Metros, a club not too far away. The after party didn't last long for some of us. Kelsey got a glass dropped on her toe and had to go to the hospital for stitches, and most of us just left pretty early. 

CINCO DE DRINKO!
The holiday only Americans celebrate...

The Quad outside the Mexican Kitchen

Our Cinco de Mayo started out very nicely. We went to The Hillary's where the Aquarium is and spent an hour or so there, then explored the shopping center right around there. The Aquarium was super cool. My personal favorites were the jellyfish and the blue ringed octopus, both of which I guess are super poisonous. So other than the little jelly that stung me at Cottesloe earlier in the 

semester, hopefully I won't run into any more. After the Aquarium we went out to lunch and shopping for a little bit. We had lunch at 'Grill'd' which is the best burger place I've ever been to. In the spirit of Cinco de Mayo I got the 'Hot Hombre' chicken burger. After that I got myself and early birthday present, a little pearl necklace. Broome is known for their pearls and that's where this one came from. 

Later that night, most of Cleos went out for a Mexican dinner. The one and only Mexican Restaurant in all of Freo is the Mexican Kitchen, located on the Cappuccino Strip/Liquor Lane. Tai and I shared a quesadilla. It wasn't bad Mexican food, but waaaay over priced and the portions are not like back home. Although I HATE tequila, we wanted cheap drinks and it's the only proper way to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Walking around Freo with a sombrero was super fun. None of the Australians even know what Cinco de Mayo is so I looked a bit out of place, but I think I pulled it off pretty well. Outside of the Mexican Kitchen we met a group of European people who were probably the only other people in Freo celebrating.

After dinner, Lo and I went out to the Newport. Saturday nights in Freo are not always hopping. We were hoping since it was a holiday (or so we thought), that people would be out partying. We ended up running into some creepers and leaving pretty early. 

Sunday Beach Run/Swim with the Bakers 

Before the swim

We did it! 

Tai and I have made good friend with an Australian family, the Bakers. They go to Church at the Notre Dame chapel every Sunday and that is how we met them. We heard about a Sunday morning group Jack put together many many years ago. His family, some of his army buddies, and other Australian families from Freo meet at Cottesloe beach every Sunday morning to walk/run and go for a swim before going to coffee and catching up about their week. Jack and Martha came to Cleos Sunday morning to pick up a group of us to join them. It was a cold, windy, rainy morning, but that didn't stop (some) of us from jumping in the ocean! It may have been cold, but it was actually really refreshing. After the swim we drove  to Bookcafe, a nearby coffee shop and just hang out for an hour or so chatting. I'll definitely be going every Sunday from here on out til I leave. 

Random...

Some more things I love about Freo...
I have found the place to go when feeling a bit homesick-Gloria Jeans. It is a coffee shop on High Street on the way to Cole's (the grocery store). Tai and I went there about a week ago. We've been trying a different coffee shop every Friday afternoon. There are so many in Freo that we have been able to try a different one every week since being here. Gloria Jeans is nothing special, however, it tastes just like Starbucks. None of the other coffee shops use any flavourings and the coffee is much stronger and not very sweet. But Gloria Jeans tastes like home and we love it.

A couple weeks ago while out with Martha, Tai, Kelsey and Rachel...we were walking down the Capp Strip towards the Clink and heard some music coming from an alley way. The alley led to a restaurant that happened to have like 10 belly dancers in the middle of it. Rachel and I found the need to run into the middle of the dancers and join them. We were a big hit, the diners all loved us, I don't really remember but I'm sure we got a standing ovation.

I was invited to play Netball with Ian and his team again, and we won! This is the first victory we've had with me playing...success. 

Things I forgot to mention...

So after returning from our trip up North, all 3 study abroad houses got to do a Torchlight Tour of the old Fremantle Prison. This prison was running for about 100 years and just shut down in 1991. This was not just an ordinary historical tour, but a dark, scary, haunted tour. We got to see the prison cells with everything intact, the recreation yard, the kitchen, and the gallows. 44 people in total were executed within the prison and the 1 female of the 44 was named Martha. Martha murdered her children by making them gargle hydrochloric acid. Martha has been known to haunt many buildings around Freo. What a coincidence that the ghost of Cleos was given the name Martha within the first week of the semester...The tour was a really cool experience. I got a good laugh (and scare) out of the actors who jumped out at you and gave a 'personal' account of what it was like being in the prison. Our tour guide Pete, ended the tour by asking why he hadn't seen any of us American students out at The Orient (the bar across the street from our dorm)...clearly we don't like hanging out at places with 50 year old men (sorry Dad). So instead of seeing him at the Orient, he stalked us at The Newport two nights later. Creepy.

walking into the prison tour; either Cat is a good photographer or the ghosts were after us on our way in...

Earlier in the day before going to the prison tour, all of the study abroad students took part in raising money for a Leukemia foundation. One of the Port Lodge students shaved him head and everyone donated a few dollars. Most of the Cleos kids died a streak of their hair and also got everyone to donate a few dollars. Overall our group raised about $220.

Thursday and Friday were fun nights out. Thursday we went to the Claremont. The upstairs part where we usually hang out was closed, but we made our own dance party on the main floor. Friday night my Australian friend Martha came out with us and we went to The Newport and the Clint for a little bit. There was a slight casualty involved being taken down out of a cubby hole in the wall by an intoxicated friend, and an injury along with it, but all is well, nothing too serious.

Brendan, Cory, Tai, and Cat at the Claremont.

Tai Georgia and I, drinking at the beach before headed to the club!

The girls in Cleos before going out.

Me, Phil, Rachel and Tai. I'm not ticklish at all...

Catching Up

BROOME: Broome has definitely been one of my favorite experiences since being here. The week was filled with so much learning about the Aboriginal people and getting a first hand experience of their culture. Colin and Maria Morgan are an amazing couple who have dedicated their lives to teaching anyone and everyone who is willing about their culture. We learned about things ranging from health care, politics and rights, to cultural aspects like the Dream Time stories and Aboriginal ways of life.
The colors of the outback are unreal. The red dirt in the desert, and the blue ocean is beautiful. 

We had two days between Broome and our North Excursion for Autumn (Spring) Break. Nursing students didn't have that week off, so I had class and tutorial on Tuesday and had to take our 2nd exam before leaving Thursday morning. The only exciting thing to happen in these 2 days was going to see the Titanic in 3D with Shane Burke, best history teacher ever.


SPRING BREAK: Thursday we were up and ready to leave by about 6:30 and walked to the train station to wait to be picked up by our tour guide. An hour late, the bus pulls up driven by Adam, our tour guide for the next 4 days. He was under the impression that we were a group of 16 Canadian nurses...so we just went with that. On the first day we drove for houuuuuurs. Only about an hour in we almost hit an emu running across the road. Our first stop was the Pinnacles, which is a desert full of pointy rocks sticking out of the ground. Nobody really knows how they got there or why they look like they do, but Adam's theory had something to do with fossilized tree roots...After the Pinnacles we kept driving for a while until we got to North Hampton where we stayed for the night. We stayed at a farm owned by our new friend Reg. There were also two Australian guys staying at the same place, so we taught them how to play King's Cup. It was a rough night for some, and I got to practice my nursing skills a bit... but overall a good night. We woke up (never had made it to sleep) at 4:00 the next morning to start driving to the next stop. We stopped along the way at Pot Alley and other look out points to take some pictures. We made it to Kalbarri National Park by about 10 and went for a nice hike through the park. Some people chose to go abseiling which I did not, but it was fun to watch. There was a beautiful stream running through the park once we had hiked down quite a ways. It was so hot so we took a break here before heading back up. We also got to see Nature's Window which is a big rock arch that looks out to the water. Then it was back in the van for a lot more driving. We made it to Monkey Mia but sunset. A wild dolphin came swimming right up to those who were standing in the water. After dinner, we met up with an Aboriginal man named Capes who took us to a sacred camp ground and taught us more about the Aboriginal culture. This particular land is called 'Gadhaagudu' which means 'land of two waters' in his language. This was probably my favorite part of the north excursion. I got the experience of throwing fresh fish on a campfire and cooking them for the group-they turned out delicious. I never knew you could just throw a whole fish on some coals, peel back it's scales and go for it. Capes taught us about medicine wood (sandalwood) and how it is used to ward off bad spirits as well as protect you from mozzies. He also told us the Turtle Dream Time story which tells us how turtles came to have the pattern on their shells. One of my favorite fun facts from the night was that in Aboriginal culture, a shooting star symbolizes one of their ancestors returning home. Day 3 was Shark bay, Stromatolites, and Reg's Beach House. Shark Bay was a short stop where we went to an 'aquarium'  and got a tour. Basically we drove all day with a couple short stops. When we got to Reg's house, he was ready to party. He knew how good of a time we had had two nights earlier at his other property. Another tour group was staying at his beach house as well. We went down to the beach after dinner and had a bonfire and everyone was drinking and having a good time. The next day we went to a wildlife park where we got to feed kangaroos, emus, horses, donkeys, rams, and all sorts of other animals. We got to hold a joey and play with dingos! The dingos were by far the best part. If i could bring one home with me and have it as a pet i would. Ending the trip at the wildlife park was ending on a good note. We made it back to Fremantle by about 7:30 Sunday evening. Back to school Monday morning, and back into the normal routine. 
Since the North trip, I've just been catching up on school work and hanging out in Freo. I can't believe I'm halfway through the semester already. I'm jealous of everyone back home who is just about finished with their semester. At this point, the weather in Portland is better than here in Freo some days. I'm afraid the beach days are dwindling. I'm missing friends and family back home! 2 more months and I'm back in Portland for the summer. I'm going to enjoy every minute I have left here in Freo (: 

Happy Easter!

There are a lot of trends in Australia that I have noticed, and yet to share with everyone. First of all, so many guys here have rat tails. The best are the bleached rat tails...lookin' good. I don't get it, its not attractive, at all. Also, guys' shorts are just that-short. At first I thought this was weird, being able to see guys' knees and thighs, but I've gotten used to it. I guess we're just much more conservative in the States, especially the girls. The shorts and skirts are super short. Everyone dresses cute everyday. I have yet to see an Australian girl wearing sweats or athletic shorts to class. I have definitely picked up on this and become so much less of a scrub. High buns and pony-tails are another big trend, when I don't feel like doing my hair, a high bun is usually what I go with. It's a little more put together than my "I just got out of the pool bun", but not much. 

As for what I have been up to this week...I have tried to manage my time wisely and get homework and studying in along with having some fun. Sunday afternoon some of us walked over to a Didgeridoo shop in Freo and got an hour lesson on how to play and the history of a didgeridoo. We were more into playing and less into learning, so really the only thing I learned is that didges are made out of branches of wood that have been hollowed out by termites and they come from the Northern parts of Australia and are used in ceremonies.

 The big Australian History paper was due Thursday and I pretty much had it finished by the weekend, so I spend some time at Bather's Beach on Wednesday. Later that evening our Australian friend Martha came over and we watched an Australian classic called Castle. It's a really dumb/funny movie (Dad, I think you would like it haha). After the movie Tai and I went out with Martha all around Freo. We weren't expecting a big night out but started at the Orient and ended up at The Newport, then the Click when Newport shut down. I survived my first experience of the Clink, and it really wasn't as bad as I've heard it to be, but thatm might just be because it was full of the American Study Abroad students. Thursday Tai and I went into City West where the outlet mall is and did a little shopping. I'm loving the summer sales and stocking up so I have a summer wardrobe when I come home to summer in June (: After shopping we took the train one stop to North Fremantle and walked to Leighton Beach. It was a beautiful beach, but extremely windy. 

Friday Tai, Georgia, and I did our typical coffee shop studying. This week we went to Breaks Cafe and spent hours studying. I was working on my Theatre paper that I just finished. 

We leave for Broome this Wednesday, so all our assignments for the week have to be turned in by Tuesday afternoon, so this weekend has been pretty hectic. On top of getting ready for Broome, we had our big Easter Celebration in Cleos since we will be gone over the holiday. We had a massive feast, and ten or so guests over. We also revealed who our secret bunnies were. I guess mine right, Hannah gave it away with her nursing references. My gift was a Joey pouch purse with a travel coffee mug and a coupon to go have a coffee with Hannah sometime (: Afterwards some of us went over to the Chapel for Palm Sunday Mass.

Within the last week and a half, I've been doing endless amounts of homework and being lame. Last week on Thursday a group of us went to see the Hunger Games; it was fantastic as expected. 
Friday was a pretty low key day. I had Australian History in the morning and we had a meeting about Broome. After that we watched a movie called "Rabbit-Proof Fence" which was really eye opening to a bit of Australia's past and I learned a bit about the Stolen Generation and what that was all about. It was really interesting; really sad but a good thing to be aware about. Later in the evening on Friday I went on rounds with Maddie. While we were in Port Lodge a couple of the boys were singing and playing the guitar, practising for their busking they would be doing the next morning. I fell in love with a French boy named Jeremy. I wrote him a love letter and gave it to him the next day while he was busking at the markets. Going into this, I knew he had a lady friend, but I was still pretty excited about professing my love for him. I got a nice rejection text, but I had a witty comeback and am now pretty famous among the other dorms. 
Saturday night we went out in Perth. It went to Northridge I believe...to Aberdean street? The club we went to was called The Dean. It was really big and had many different rooms. Besides there being a weird amount of older men there, it was a pretty fun place. We had a good time dancing and hanging out as our Cleo's group. Cat and I ventured upstairs for a while and found some couches to relax on outside the "oldies" room. The first song I heard up there was Shania Twain, I Feel Like a Woman...so that was pretty fun! A random guy came up to us asking about some advice for his mate. After that convo he told us about Greek gods and how each finger represents a different god and what that can tell you about a person if they wear a ring on that finger. Later we ran into our Port Lodge friends and took the train back with them at the end of the night. 
We started an Easter "Secret Bunny" thing around Cleos and we all picked names for our bunnies. We are supposed to do kind acts for a our secret bunny throughout the week, and on Sunday we are exchanging gifts during our big Easter Brunch! I am going to make Magga's cranberry marshmallow salad because it is one of my favorite things ever and will remind me a bit of home since I won't get to celebrate Easter with the fam this year. 
The weather is starting to get a bit cooler, but no complaints about that because it is still very pleasant! Tomorrow is supposed to be a little warmer that its been the past week or so and I'm hoping to go to the beach for a bit since I haven't been in a while. I'll probably just take the play I have to read for Theatre or some other reading and just go relax. 
I got a letter from Erin today and it absolutely made my day (: I really appreciate everyone who has been keeping up reading my blog and sending me emails and letters. I can't wait to see you all when I get home! Time is flying by and I never imagined it would go this quickly.