Australia

No, I haven't fallen off the bottom of the earth. I'm still here. I've just been a bit busy, and also rather lazy, when it comes to my travel blog. I am, in fact, now exactly one month behind. But don't despair! I have every intention of catching you all up fully. But not just now. Now I am doing research for one of the many papers I need to write. I have three major papers (all worth 30% of my grade in their respective subjects) due in the next two weeks.

But in the meantime, if you are missing my smiling face, here is something to tide you over.

That's me with La Trobe. We're buddies, and we often like to hang out together outside the state library.

Well, I'm doing better since my last entry, which was not so happy. I still definitely have my downs, but I also have my ups. Overall, I'm on the up. So that's good. But anyway, it's time to get back to chronicling my life.

So the 18th was last Sunday and it was hot, so we decided to go somewhere where someone else would pay for our AC. So we went to the Southlands Shopping Centre. And we stopped by Myers and Pippi said I needed to buy another bathing suit so I would have one to keep at her house. So I did. After shopping a bit, we went by my Aunt Susan's house in Frankston. Mark, James, Stacey, and Phillip showed up, so it was a party. Though Phillip wasn't there for very long. But that's okay.

Here I am in my new suit in Sue's pool:

While there, we talked about how McDonald's is gross. Here, they have this new healthy happy meal for kids that's this Animal Zoo Pasta, and it's pretty much the worst thing ever. Or at least it looks like it would be.

So anyway, on the way home, we went to McDonald's! It was like 9pm and I hadn't had anything and I was hungry. So then I attempted to take some pictures to show how here, you go through the drive through the other way around! Since you drive on the left and all. But they were really bad pictures, so use your imagination.

And that was that day. Yes.

The 19th was my last day before O Week activities at uni. So we did exciting things like filing my Working With Children Card application, which I needed so I could do my student teaching at uni.

We also went to Coles. Now, for the week previous I had been on the search for coat hangers. We'd ended up buying about 50 in total, all in various locations, because there were just hard to track down. And I brought a lot of clothes and I like to hang most things, so I needed quite a few! But it was this day, after we had finally tracked down all that we needed, that we were greeted by this site:

Coat hangers as far as the eye can see! It was a bit sad.

Tuesday the 20th was my first day of uni orientation! It was also my first day of work at the local primary school. I left the house at about 7:15am and walked to the primary school (it's about a ten minute walk) to do before school care from 7:30am-9:00am. I ended up just playing Uno with a bunch of kids for almost the entire time. So that worked for me.

I then walked back home and met up with Eloise. She was going to take me to uni, since I had no idea how to get there on the train/tram. To go to uni, we have to walk ten minutes to the Balaclava train station, ride the train to Richmond, change trains and get on the city loop train, get off that train at Melbourne Central, and then catch a tram to uni. I feel like such a big city girl doing this now, hehe.

When we got there, I went to a general sort of "Intro to Your Degree, It's So Cool You Want to be a Teacher, Teachers Rule" sort of thing. After that, we split up into host groups, so I was with about ten girls who are doing my degree, and we were led by a second year girl, and she just basically showed us around campus and gave us tips and stuff like that. I ended up talking a bit to one girl. She told what her name was but said I would probably forget it. I did. Oh well.

Afterwards I met up with Eloise again and we went to lunch at some Italian place that her mom and dad went to a lot when they were in uni. After that, Eloise explained what I needed to do to get home (catch a tram to Flinder's Street and then the train to Balaclava) and I did it all by myself!

Later my mom came over for dinner at the Porters. Pippi joined us too after Rotary. And that sums it up.

Well, I won't lie; I'm not doing super great at the moment. The past two weeks have been like some wonderful vacation. I'd wake up, call my mom and Pippi, and they'd whisk me away for some fun daily activity. I'd stay with them for most of the day, and then they'd drop me off and I'd go to sleep. But I had to say goodbye to my mom last night, so the vacation's over. Now I have to figure out what my life here is actually going to be.

There are just so many uncertainties. I have no idea how I'm going to fill my time. I don't know what I'm going to eat. Who my friends will be. What my classes will be like. What sort of family life I'll have now. There are just so many unknowns. Too many. It's overwhelming. And a bit terrifying.

I, of course, have much from the last week to update you all on, but I'll save that for when I'm feeling better. I'm not sure when that will be. I keep thinking that I want my mommy, but I guess I have to try to be a big girl now. But it's really scary and I'm not always sure I know how.

Today.

Today was a pretty quiet day since it was 38 degrees. That's about 100F. So it was kind of hot.

Actually, it's funny. People keep asking me about the heat, how am I coping, does it ever get nearly this hot in TN?? And I sort of laugh inwardly, because I think it gets much worse in TN. We don't have many 100 degree days, but a 100 degree day in Melbourne in bearable because it's not very humid. The nice ocean breeze helps as well. In TN, it's very humid and we all cry.

The flip side of that is that many houses here don't have central AC. Or heating for that matter. It's just seen in many cases as a waste and not needed. So it can still get hotter indoors than I'm used to. But it really hasn't been that bad.

But today was kind of sad heat wise, so we had a slowish day. We did laundry.

That was a semi new experience in that the Porters, along with many other Aussies, don't have a dryer. Another wasteful unneeded expense I think. So I had my first experience with hanging up clothes on the line.

Here I am with my clothes.

And here's an "action" shot.

We eventually went out to go look at some Op Shops. That's short for Opportunity Shops, and they're basically like Goodwill. You see, it seems that since like July or August, I got some hips or something, and now all of my skirts that I've had since I was 13, 14, 15 have stopped fitting me. It's sad. So we went to look for more.

Then we went to Judy's house. Judy is my uncle David's sister. And they had a pool. So we decided it would be good to go. On the way I passed a weird billboard, so I took a picture.

After that, my mom, Pippi and I went back to Pippi's. Pippi has air conditioning! She doesn't usually use it, but a day such as today rather requires it.

My mom ran down to the Fish and Chippery and I had another burger and chips. And I watched Mean Girls, because it was on channel Ten. After dinner, I started typing up these blog entries!

And so there we are, up to date! Hooray!!

• throws a party*

The 16th is kinda hazy. I know we got my TFN! Well, not really. We went in and applied and I got a receipt for it. It will come in the mail in 28 days.

Then we went to visit André...his place is pretty nice and close to uni, so that's good.

Then we were really hot so we decided we had better go for a swim again.

There was a storm in the distance, though it never reached us. But it made for a neat photo.

Here's me going into the water.

Here's me swimming!

Here's me coming out of the water.

Here's some other people who were also enjoying the beach.

More me!

Here I am contemplating life. With a storm raging in the background. Very poetic.

Seagull footprints! I thought they were cute.

And that does it for Friday. Which just leaves Saturday! I am almost up to date, hooray!!