Are happening to me. A LOT. I am now living in Queen’s, I have my awesome new room, and I am going to meals in the college. Most of my stuff is here now, I do have to go back and get more though. I also need to pay a termination fee for my contract, so they can advertise my UniLodge room online. Some people need to get better at emailing, * cough cough parents* so that I know what I should do with all the stuff that I bought for cooking or heating my room that I no longer need now. I think I may see if I can return my heater, actually. It would be pretty big to ship back home, and I don’t have any reason to have it back home.
ANYWAY
My thoughts keep wandering all over the place because there is so much happening to me and so much I think I need to take care of. Bleeaaggghh. I guess it’s good that I have a lot to do, though, I still feel a little loner-ific with the Queens folks, because I am still new and I don’t really know anyone other than Olivia. Like I went to this netball game this morning, which I guess is a sport here (by the way it is SO early. Like 9:30 right now. I woke up at 7… that’s how dedicated I am to meeting Queens people and becoming integrated into friend groups etc, etc) and on the walk back, I was pretty much alone, because Olivia went off to work out at the gym. So I walked back to Queens on my lonesome, with a big group of Queeners (yes, they do call themselves that) ahead of me and a couple stragglers behind me. So yeah, still feelin a little awkward here. I did just move in though. I have to keep that in mind. I have this need to get to know everyone and make friends, but I still have a lot of time. Just gotta take it slow.
You know what’s the best invention EVER in the history of the WORLD?!?!
I present to you: BENTLEY’S BOX. It is a magical place on the Queens internet network where there are television shows and movies galore that you can just download to your computer and it only takes a minute! And you have it forever! HUZZAH!!!!! I just downloaded 3 episodes of United States of Tara, 3 of Weeds, 3 Flight of the Conchords, 4 Wallace and Gromit movies, and 3 Angry Beavers episodes. (don’t judge me on the Angry Beavers, I loved that show as a kid!!) I plan on downloading more. Bentley’s Box goes in and out sometimes, like sometimes you can’t access it, so I am making sure to stock up in case of trying time ahead. I’ll have to move on to movies now. :D
YEAAAAGGHHHHH GIANT DISNEY COLLECTION!
I was just glancing, just now, and I came across it. Ah, sweet, sweet life.
Ok so, where did I leave off? Oh, I have to tell you guys about the formal dinner! And the turn! And Australian “dancing!”
Alright, my first night here was Wednesday night, and I came to the Queens office after they called me and Olivia a couple times to try and tell me I could move in that day. My phone was on silent, so once I actually checked it, I had like 3 voicemails and 3 texts. Sheesh! Ok, so I ran over to Queens at about 4, skipped my Aboriginal Writing class, because I found this a wee bit more important, and filled out my forms and got my key! And I went to my room right then! And then I ran over to UniLodge, packed a 2 dresses I could possibly wear that night for the formal dinner and some heels, and all my bedding so I could stay the night there. And that was it. Bedding takes up so much space!!! It pretty much filled my suitcase! I wanted to bring more so I wouldn’t have to later, but there was no space. But then I ran back to Queens and dragged my suitcase up a flight of stairs to my room.
Then I super quickly put a dress and tights on for the formal dinner, because I had to be there in ten minutes. But then I found out I wasn’t seated at a table with Olivia (they told me I had been, but for some reason they switched it) so I had to go to a “coffee party” with the people from my table. I thought I had to go to dinner at 6, but really I had to go to a “coffee party.” I didn’t hear it called a coffee party til later in the night, but Olivia was trying to explain to me what to do, and she said “so you go to this guy’s room and meet all the people you’ll be sitting with and drink! Then you walk to dinner together!” I was like… this will be majorly awkward for me, won’t it? Then, in a stroke of luck, I heard the people down my hall! Hooray, neighbors! Hooray open-door policy! Now, the floor I’m on only has like 5 people on it. It’s the East Mezzanine, which I guess means it’s a little tiny floor that doesn’t really connect to anything else. And it’s much quieter because of that. I can’t tell if that will be a good or bad thing. With the floors that have 15 or so people, like Olivia’s, it’s always kind of busy and everyone’s doors are open. But I guess I will be visiting a lot.
Ok, so I just grabbed life by the balls and I went into my neighbor’s room. I did the whole “I’m a new Queener! And American! Help me and be my friend!” speech, and of course they were super nice. Andy Cam (I think that’s his nickname…?) lives across the hall from me, and Jennifer (Jen?) is two doors down. They were both hanging out in her room, getting ready for the dinner. Andy offered to help me find where to go for my coffee party, because I have no idea how to get around, especially from the mezzanine, so I put my shoes on and he took me up to the room. !!!! but then the room turned out to be very close, and I realized they put you in that person’s room for a reason. They choose someone from each table that’s really friendly and probably knows everyone so that no one feels awkward showing up at their door. I showed up at Tom’s door. And Hellooooooo, Tom!! DREAMY. Super dreamy. So I felt a little bit better about my situation, haha. But I was the first person to show up, so it was a little weird. Luckily Andy was really sweet and introduced me and all that. Everyone here is so very nice. Tom was really nice, obviously, if he was the coffee party host, or whatever. And then more people showed up, and he always introduced me to them, because I am a newb, and they were all nice too. I don’t remember any names though, except Tom and Lucy. Errggghhh I feel bad because I really liked some of the people whose name I forgot! It’s ok, I will just be super apologetic when I ask them their names again. Oh, and you definitely don’t drink coffee at coffee parties. Just beer, wine, or soda. I guess whatever the host (Tom) has. But he had a lot, so…
Ok the dinner! Oh, by the way, you have to wear a robe. Or they call them “academic gowns” here. It was like Harry Potter. But then after all the people sitting at the head table walk in and sit down, you can take them off. Really, pretty pointless. Some people left theirs on, though. Maybe they like to wear them. I guess if I could pretend I was at Hogwarts, I would totally like to wear the robes. I should fashion myself a wand from a stick to hide under my robe. Dinner was good, they actually serve it for formal dinner, instead of buffet style. Oh and this was “black-tie” by the way, so people had to actually dress up, guys had to wear suits and black ties. It was cute, seeing as guys look nice in tuxes.
After that, there was a turn! Turn means dance. Or party. I’m not really sure, maybe it means both. Maybe “themed party with dancing.” Because that is what it was. The theme was “what you want to be when you grow up.” I had no idea what to wear, because I just brought my bedding, toothbrush, and 2 dresses, not knowing which one to wear to formal dinner. One dress was black though, and I had black tights, so I went as a spy. I borrowed Olivia’s black sweater and Simon’s black fedora. He’s a really nice guy that lives on Olivia's floor.
*side note: all the guys here have girlfriends!!! Agh, it’s so annoying! But it does mean that they’re not skeezballs. But it also means they are all taken. Womp wooommmp.
So yep, spy outfit complete! Haha, no spy would wear what I was wearing. But it was black, so that works out. Olivia went as a hippie, with a tie dye shirt and headband. People LOVE dressing up for these things, by the way. It’s not like a Mean Girls thing, where all the girls will “dress up” by wearing a black spandex body suit and ears and call themselves some kind of animal. People will dress up. Let’s see, that night I saw a MILF, a surgeon, a dinosaur, lumberjacks, construction workers, a rich and successful Arts graduate (Ha!), a librarian, and a pyrotechnic with a GIANT flame lighter. It was really fun! Ten bucks to get in, though. But the awkward Australian dancing happened again! I get so into it, but they do their shuffle head nodding and look at me funny. It’s just so sad, to see a good song wasted like that.
Then that night I slept at Queens! It was nice. My new home.
And yesterday, I had a whole lot of class, like I always will on Thursdays, and last night I brought over more stuff from UniLodge to Queens. And then Olivia and I went to Pugg’s to check out if anything was going on. We went to Dan O’Connell’s first, which is supposed to be the place where all the Queens folk go on Thursday nights, but no one was there! So we ended up at Pugg’s, which was fun. There was this guy singing songs from the nineties who was really good and a DJ upstairs. It seemed like an event, but maybe it’s just a big college night because there are discounts on drinks. So the DJ was really, really good, but that meant that I want to full on dance my booty off, but I couldn’t! People stare at me! So Olivia and I finished our $4 pints and danced to one song, “Get Low” by Ying Yang Twins and Lil’ Jon. And then we couldn’t tell if people were making fun of us or pointing at us, and then this photographer started taking our picture, so we took that as a sign to leave, haha. We got back relatively early, so we could wake up early today, and then today I just went to the game and am now downloading tons of movies and tv! It’s awesome. I can’t wait to watch all of it. I just skyped Margaret, which was really nice, as always, and I think I’ll go to lunch soon. I want to get the rest of my stuff from UniLodge today, and I think I’ll go to the Queens footie game. Other than that, I kind of want to relax. My brain and my body both need a break.
I love and miss everyone! Please do leave a comment or send me an email anytime! I love hearing from home. xoxo
Thursday, August 5, 2010
How Are You Going?
... is a phrase they say here. Instead of "how are you doing?" It really messes me up actually, I always have to pause and figure out what they mean.
Anyway, I am super busy right now, and it is late at night on a Thursday, and Olivia wants to go to this really early netball game tomorrow (I don't know what the heck netball is, I hear it's like basketball, but sorta pansy, like it's a no contact sport... :/) and I have had NO time to update you all, but I promise I will tomorrow! So much has been happening! I really have no time to process it, but it's all good, I think. :)
So I will update tomorrow! I looooooove love love and miss everyone!!!! I wish I could give you all giant hugs! Goodnight!
P.s. Australians don't know how to dance, REALLY. It is so annoying. They play all of this American music and can't dance to it!!! Sheesh. Anyway, I'll explain tomorrow. Goodnight!
Anyway, I am super busy right now, and it is late at night on a Thursday, and Olivia wants to go to this really early netball game tomorrow (I don't know what the heck netball is, I hear it's like basketball, but sorta pansy, like it's a no contact sport... :/) and I have had NO time to update you all, but I promise I will tomorrow! So much has been happening! I really have no time to process it, but it's all good, I think. :)
So I will update tomorrow! I looooooove love love and miss everyone!!!! I wish I could give you all giant hugs! Goodnight!
P.s. Australians don't know how to dance, REALLY. It is so annoying. They play all of this American music and can't dance to it!!! Sheesh. Anyway, I'll explain tomorrow. Goodnight!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
HOLY COW
I CAN MOVE INTO QUEENS TODAY!!!!!!!!!! RIGHT NOW!!!!!!! OH MY GOD I'M SO EXCITED!!!!
Now this formal dinner thingie, what's that about? ...
:D
Now this formal dinner thingie, what's that about? ...
:D
Time is Passing
Sorry. I couldn't think of a good title.
It’s Tuesday night now, I am about to watch A Room with a View after doing a lot of reading for tomorrow. I chose A Room with a View because I have never seen it before and I think it’s supposed to be really good. It has great reviews on Netflix. It was also put in the “feel good” category, which I always like. I have to get up early, I have a ten am lecture. This is the one I feel I have to go to, because it’s Contemporary Art, which is a tough subject, and I think the professor requires us to come, but I can’t really tell. …
I skipped my lecture this morning. It was at nine am, and it was Australia and America, so I feel like I can skip the lecture alright and still figure stuff out by the tutorial, which is on Thursday.
Today, I went to Woolworth’s a couple times, actually, because I just needed some things and I wanted a couple breaks between reading. My classes are really super reading based, I have come to find out. But really today, all I’ve done is eat and go to Woolworth’s, and read. And talk to my mom and Margaret, Ellen, and Anthony on skype. That was really nice. Each time, I just happened to be online while they were. It’s nice to just talk, not planned or anything. And it’s strange to me to have such a strong need to know what’s going on in a friend or family member’s life. I guess I just feel so far away here, I really want to know what’s going on there.
Last night, Monday night, I went to Turf with Olivia, Andrea, and Cassie, a girl I didn’t know before. But it was so fun! I think that was a really good group to be with. On Monday nights, Turf has like a ladies’ night, I think, because they have all these silly drink deals for women. $1 glasses of champagne, for instance. Haha. I’m not sure I have had champagne before coming here, but it’s really nice. It’s fun to drink and not bad tasting, which is how I find most alcohol.
Anyway, Monday night at Turf seems to be a pretty big deal, because tons of people showed up a lot later than us. A lot of them were from RMIT Village, the student housing building, which is actually right next door to Turf. So I got to see a couple different people that I did Melbourne Welcome with! That was nice. I never see those guys anymore.
People were dancing, too, which I can’t tell if it only happens when American students are around, or if Australians dance on their own volition, but the girls and I danced our little heinies off. It was kind of weird, because we felt fine dancing like Americans, which means sort of provocatively and much more fun than how Australians dance, so at one point the people around us just backed away and stood there while we were dancing. We must have made a spectacle of ourselves! Yeah, I’m really not surprised. It is very hard to keep me from getting my groove on if I am in a mood to get my groove on, if you know what I mean. As it is for the other girls I was with. I danced with this guy, Andy, a couple times too. He was in my welcome group. He is also American, I think he goes to school on the East Coast. He’s really funny and fun, though, I hope I get to hang out with him again. He’s like one of those people that you know you will have a good time with if you go out together. I’m not interested in a romantic way, if any of you are thinking that. He’s just a cool guy. I gotta meet some Australian guys before while I’m here, not American!
Oh, and there’s not much news on the moving-to-queens front. I need to fill out forms and get my money moved from UniLodge to Queens. I spoke to the UniLodge people yesterday, and the guy was like “it looks here like your payments haven’t even come through.” I was like “… ummmm, no, that is wrong.” But I guess if they haven’t come through, that means Oxy doesn’t have to get the money from UniLodge to Queens, they can just send all of it to Queens from Oxy.
Oh my goodness, I talked to Monika though, the girl who moved out, and she said they wouldn’t give her back what was left of that month’s rent that she had already paid, even though she wasn’t staying for the rest of the month! That was about $450!!!! That is not okay! And not legal, I don’t think. They have to give her her money back. My god, the people here. I still can’t tell if I am actually giving rent to some sketchy organization that doesn’t keep financial records, or something.
Well, time to watch my movie. I need to go to bed early so I can get up tomorrow. Uggghhh early class. Gross. It was so, SO good to talk to my friends and mommy today! I love and miss everyone! G’day!
oh, p.s. sushi here is AWESOME. There is a place on campus that has $2 rolls that are muy bueno, and the sushi place underneath the UniLodge building has rolls for $2.50 that are also muy bueno!!! And they are good sized rolls! Nom nom nom I will be buying a lot of sushi while I'm here. :)
It’s Tuesday night now, I am about to watch A Room with a View after doing a lot of reading for tomorrow. I chose A Room with a View because I have never seen it before and I think it’s supposed to be really good. It has great reviews on Netflix. It was also put in the “feel good” category, which I always like. I have to get up early, I have a ten am lecture. This is the one I feel I have to go to, because it’s Contemporary Art, which is a tough subject, and I think the professor requires us to come, but I can’t really tell. …
I skipped my lecture this morning. It was at nine am, and it was Australia and America, so I feel like I can skip the lecture alright and still figure stuff out by the tutorial, which is on Thursday.
Today, I went to Woolworth’s a couple times, actually, because I just needed some things and I wanted a couple breaks between reading. My classes are really super reading based, I have come to find out. But really today, all I’ve done is eat and go to Woolworth’s, and read. And talk to my mom and Margaret, Ellen, and Anthony on skype. That was really nice. Each time, I just happened to be online while they were. It’s nice to just talk, not planned or anything. And it’s strange to me to have such a strong need to know what’s going on in a friend or family member’s life. I guess I just feel so far away here, I really want to know what’s going on there.
Last night, Monday night, I went to Turf with Olivia, Andrea, and Cassie, a girl I didn’t know before. But it was so fun! I think that was a really good group to be with. On Monday nights, Turf has like a ladies’ night, I think, because they have all these silly drink deals for women. $1 glasses of champagne, for instance. Haha. I’m not sure I have had champagne before coming here, but it’s really nice. It’s fun to drink and not bad tasting, which is how I find most alcohol.
Anyway, Monday night at Turf seems to be a pretty big deal, because tons of people showed up a lot later than us. A lot of them were from RMIT Village, the student housing building, which is actually right next door to Turf. So I got to see a couple different people that I did Melbourne Welcome with! That was nice. I never see those guys anymore.
People were dancing, too, which I can’t tell if it only happens when American students are around, or if Australians dance on their own volition, but the girls and I danced our little heinies off. It was kind of weird, because we felt fine dancing like Americans, which means sort of provocatively and much more fun than how Australians dance, so at one point the people around us just backed away and stood there while we were dancing. We must have made a spectacle of ourselves! Yeah, I’m really not surprised. It is very hard to keep me from getting my groove on if I am in a mood to get my groove on, if you know what I mean. As it is for the other girls I was with. I danced with this guy, Andy, a couple times too. He was in my welcome group. He is also American, I think he goes to school on the East Coast. He’s really funny and fun, though, I hope I get to hang out with him again. He’s like one of those people that you know you will have a good time with if you go out together. I’m not interested in a romantic way, if any of you are thinking that. He’s just a cool guy. I gotta meet some Australian guys before while I’m here, not American!
Oh, and there’s not much news on the moving-to-queens front. I need to fill out forms and get my money moved from UniLodge to Queens. I spoke to the UniLodge people yesterday, and the guy was like “it looks here like your payments haven’t even come through.” I was like “… ummmm, no, that is wrong.” But I guess if they haven’t come through, that means Oxy doesn’t have to get the money from UniLodge to Queens, they can just send all of it to Queens from Oxy.
Oh my goodness, I talked to Monika though, the girl who moved out, and she said they wouldn’t give her back what was left of that month’s rent that she had already paid, even though she wasn’t staying for the rest of the month! That was about $450!!!! That is not okay! And not legal, I don’t think. They have to give her her money back. My god, the people here. I still can’t tell if I am actually giving rent to some sketchy organization that doesn’t keep financial records, or something.
Well, time to watch my movie. I need to go to bed early so I can get up tomorrow. Uggghhh early class. Gross. It was so, SO good to talk to my friends and mommy today! I love and miss everyone! G’day!
oh, p.s. sushi here is AWESOME. There is a place on campus that has $2 rolls that are muy bueno, and the sushi place underneath the UniLodge building has rolls for $2.50 that are also muy bueno!!! And they are good sized rolls! Nom nom nom I will be buying a lot of sushi while I'm here. :)
Monday, August 2, 2010
Something I Should Try to Remember
"Tough times never last, but tough people do." - Robert H. Schuller
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday Night
...is a night people go out here. Really. Not Friday or Saturday, but Sunday. :/
You know, meeting people constantly is really great and fun and interesting, but it really makes me miss my friends at home.
Last night, I had a really fun time, after sort of a slow start, when I went to Pugg’s, a local bar, with some girls and Olivia and Andrea, the other girl that goes to Oxy. But being with them made me realize why I’m friends with my friends. Some groups I just don’t really get, like I don’t understand their dynamic, and I don’t enjoy being around them. And that’s how it was with the girls last night. They all knew each other because they all go to Holy Cross College in… wherever it is in the US. So we were all American. Except for one girl who sounded European.
I went to dinner earlier with Olivia, Andrea, and Monica and Jackie, two girls Andrea knew. We went to this place on Lygon Street that Olivia and I actually went before. It was very good, so we went again so we could try their delicious looking desserts (and they were totally delicious!) Monica was Mexican, I think, and living in RMIT Village. She said it was like a frat house there, which is funny because Monika who moved out of UniLodge never mentioned that. Jackie was living in another college on campus, I can’t remember which one. They were both very nice, and dinner was fun. We ordered wine with dinner, which was a new experience for me! I felt very classy. ;)
Then we split off from Monica and Jackie, thinking we would meet up again later in the night because we all wanted to go out to a bar or somewhere together. But we didn’t see them again that night.
Then Olivia and I went back to Queens, where she wanted to change before we went out, and Andrea went to Newman, where she lives on campus, to meet up with the other American girls who live there. The Holy Cross girls, I mean. Then Olivia and I went over to Newman to hang out with them before we went to Pugg’s. It was one of the girls’ birthday, Lizzy, so it was like a celebration for her. Seems like they didn’t really do anything special, though. They put a sign up on the wall that said “Happy Birthday Lizzy!” But while we were there, I just got this sense that they had absolutely no interest in getting to know me whatsoever. Which is kind of a feeling that really brings you down. I am much more used to people being polite and asking me where I’m from and what I study, you know the typical questions. They didn’t even do that. Olivia and I spoke about it later, and we thought it was funny that they were saying how they didn’t want to be like a clique and only hang out with people who live in Newman, but I felt like they were doing just that. They were acting extremely exclusive. Maybe I am just not used to people acting like that. I feel like, on the West Coast, people are generally friendly and nice and polite when you first meet them. Maybe they don’t feel a need to be like that, coming from wherever they’re from.
After hanging out there for what seemed like too long, we went to Pugg’s, where Olivia and I ordered drinks (we both tried Southern Comfort with lemonade, on a recommendation. :D) All the girls from Newman, including Andrea, all just went to the bathroom together. It was like, they all had to travel together. If one of them went, all the rest went. That went on for the night. All of them went and got drinks at the same time, and then sat down with us, all together. Then, when one of them met an Australian guy who came and sat with us, he told us about a house party he was going to and invited us. That sounded fine to me and Olivia, we had no plans for anything specific that night, so we were going to go with them. Then this guy sitting at a table across from ours came over and started talking to us, so Olivia and I just chatted with him while it seemed like we were waiting to go to the house party with this guy. But suddenly, everyone but Olivia was gone, and we were just talking to this guy, Jason. Those girls had left us! Including Andrea! I expected a little better from her. Seriously. Even when people are drinking a lot, they know to wait for the whole group when they leave, unless some of the group lets them know they want to stay behind.
And they walked off down the street, without us. It’s a good thing Olivia realized that they were actually leaving, or else I would have thought that they were just waiting outside for us or something. So we ran off, quickly saying goodbye to Jason, and went outside to try to follow them. Now, I couldn’t tell one group of people from the rest, because everyone seems to wear a black winter coat here, but Olivia spotted the group so we ran after them. They didn’t wait, they didn’t look back to see if we were behind. Olivia called Andrea a couple times, but she didn’t pick up. We caught up to them just as they were reaching the “house” where the “party” was.
HOW EXTRAORDINARILY RUDE of them to just leave us. No warning, no telling us where exactly they were going. I couldn't believe it. I would NEVER do that. Even to someone I just met. When I went to Turf, I went with Phillipa, who I had just met. But Monika and I made sure she wanted to stay later and was okay to get home on her own. Because you don't just leave two girls you came with.
I believe, though I’m not sure, that the one girl that met the Australian guy at the bar, her name was Simone, just wanted to get with the guy, so she would have followed him wherever. And then of course the rest of the girls would just go with her. They also might have thought the “house party” would be kind of like a house party at college in the states, with lots of young people and loud music.
…
No, that is not a house party in Australia. At least, that’s what the guy called a house party. We walked in, into an apartment building, into a small apartment, where there were 3 guys hanging out, and then us, a big group of American girls, and the guy leading us. Olivia looked at me and said, “They were playing video games before we got here.” And they were. Their tv was still paused on a game, and they were all in the living room, they had just gotten up off the couches. One guy was very nice and introduced himself to us right away, but I was automatically like, let’s get out of here. Now. I had been in situations like this before, at Oxy. You go to a party, thinking it’s going to be fun because this guy trying to impress people talked it up, but really it’s a couple guys playing video games and maybe a couple girls standing awkwardly in the kitchen. So, Olivia and I left. Easy peezy lemon squeezy. I wasn't going to stay just because some girls we came with who later ditched us were staying. Screw that.
And then the night got better. Olivia said she wouldn’t last much more of the night unless she got some food, so we went to this pizza place to get her a slice. The pizza guy was really funny and friendly. When he heard our accents, he asked where we were from, what we were doing in Australia, the usual. Then Olivia and I went back to Pugg’s. I felt kind of bad for leaving Jason so suddenly, and I also felt the night shouldn’t end with a piece of pizza. Though those kinds of nights can be good too. ;)
Back at Pugg’s, we sat at the table we were at before, because I didn’t actually know where Jason was sitting before he came to talk to us, but he came right over. When he came over the first time, he said he had to come talk to us because we were “being creepy.” Hahaha! I think that was my fault. (I kept staring at everyone in the bar, trying to scope out any cute Aussies…. Oops. I don’t want to get into the “creepy” zone when I am trying to meet people… haha.) So Jason came back over, then another friend of his came over. His name was Phil, though we didn’t figure that out until much later. We all talked about a lot of things, because Phil was actually born in New York, and then moved to Melbourne, and Jason had visited the States a little while ago and actually knew St. Mary’s College, where a couple of my high school friends go! REPRESENT!!! That was a funny coincidence.
So the night ended with me, talking to Jason in Pugg’s, and Olivia kissing Phil outside of Pugg’s. Haha! He was cute, I don’t blame her. Not anything serious happening in the night, just meeting more and more Australians. Which is a good thing. Maybe I shouldn’t have started my night out with a bunch of American girls. Maybe that was my problem. Anyway, it ended well. I gave Jason my number, though I am not that interested in him, he’s just a nice guy, and Olivia had a good time with Phil, and we got a ride home, because Phil had a car and was a designated driver that night (as was Jason).
So, to sum up the night, Australian guys are still easy to meet and are very kind and friendly, and maybe I shouldn’t go out with American girls, because they can be very catty and judgmental and clique-ish, and I hope they aren’t feeding into some American stereotype, but I will have to try my best to oppose that. I mean, I’m in Australia, why should I go out with a bunch of Americans? I should go out with Australians! Pschhh. Oh, and I am so very grateful for my friends back home. When I saw how all those girls acted together, and I thought of how I act with my friends, I was so grateful for my girls back home! These girls just try to one up each other, and they act kind crude, and their jokes can be mean. That’s not real friendship.
Oh, and update on housing: I emailed the really nice woman at Queens about moving in this week, before my room at UniLodge is filled. Because really, I won’t be living there anymore, so why wait for someone to fill my room? I might at well just leave. I just have to figure out the payments. Hooray! Life is good. I spent some time there with Olivia today and I just like it more and more. We went to a footie game, Queens College versus Trinity College, and it was really fun until it started raining. Everyone is so friendly! I know I keep saying that, but they truly are. We talked to this one cute guy who didn’t even know Olivia yet, but that didn’t matter. :) And then Olivia and I were just hanging out in her room and like, 4 people came in to just hang out with us. So nice.
So I am going to go to bed tonight, dreaming about the magical place called Queens, where I will soon live and make a bajillion Australian friends, and have meals cooked for me, where I will actually talk to the people I live with. Siggghhhh. I just can’t wait. :)
Goodnight! Well, good morning, to the West Coast! I love and miss everyone! xxxooo
You know, meeting people constantly is really great and fun and interesting, but it really makes me miss my friends at home.
Last night, I had a really fun time, after sort of a slow start, when I went to Pugg’s, a local bar, with some girls and Olivia and Andrea, the other girl that goes to Oxy. But being with them made me realize why I’m friends with my friends. Some groups I just don’t really get, like I don’t understand their dynamic, and I don’t enjoy being around them. And that’s how it was with the girls last night. They all knew each other because they all go to Holy Cross College in… wherever it is in the US. So we were all American. Except for one girl who sounded European.
I went to dinner earlier with Olivia, Andrea, and Monica and Jackie, two girls Andrea knew. We went to this place on Lygon Street that Olivia and I actually went before. It was very good, so we went again so we could try their delicious looking desserts (and they were totally delicious!) Monica was Mexican, I think, and living in RMIT Village. She said it was like a frat house there, which is funny because Monika who moved out of UniLodge never mentioned that. Jackie was living in another college on campus, I can’t remember which one. They were both very nice, and dinner was fun. We ordered wine with dinner, which was a new experience for me! I felt very classy. ;)
Then we split off from Monica and Jackie, thinking we would meet up again later in the night because we all wanted to go out to a bar or somewhere together. But we didn’t see them again that night.
Then Olivia and I went back to Queens, where she wanted to change before we went out, and Andrea went to Newman, where she lives on campus, to meet up with the other American girls who live there. The Holy Cross girls, I mean. Then Olivia and I went over to Newman to hang out with them before we went to Pugg’s. It was one of the girls’ birthday, Lizzy, so it was like a celebration for her. Seems like they didn’t really do anything special, though. They put a sign up on the wall that said “Happy Birthday Lizzy!” But while we were there, I just got this sense that they had absolutely no interest in getting to know me whatsoever. Which is kind of a feeling that really brings you down. I am much more used to people being polite and asking me where I’m from and what I study, you know the typical questions. They didn’t even do that. Olivia and I spoke about it later, and we thought it was funny that they were saying how they didn’t want to be like a clique and only hang out with people who live in Newman, but I felt like they were doing just that. They were acting extremely exclusive. Maybe I am just not used to people acting like that. I feel like, on the West Coast, people are generally friendly and nice and polite when you first meet them. Maybe they don’t feel a need to be like that, coming from wherever they’re from.
After hanging out there for what seemed like too long, we went to Pugg’s, where Olivia and I ordered drinks (we both tried Southern Comfort with lemonade, on a recommendation. :D) All the girls from Newman, including Andrea, all just went to the bathroom together. It was like, they all had to travel together. If one of them went, all the rest went. That went on for the night. All of them went and got drinks at the same time, and then sat down with us, all together. Then, when one of them met an Australian guy who came and sat with us, he told us about a house party he was going to and invited us. That sounded fine to me and Olivia, we had no plans for anything specific that night, so we were going to go with them. Then this guy sitting at a table across from ours came over and started talking to us, so Olivia and I just chatted with him while it seemed like we were waiting to go to the house party with this guy. But suddenly, everyone but Olivia was gone, and we were just talking to this guy, Jason. Those girls had left us! Including Andrea! I expected a little better from her. Seriously. Even when people are drinking a lot, they know to wait for the whole group when they leave, unless some of the group lets them know they want to stay behind.
And they walked off down the street, without us. It’s a good thing Olivia realized that they were actually leaving, or else I would have thought that they were just waiting outside for us or something. So we ran off, quickly saying goodbye to Jason, and went outside to try to follow them. Now, I couldn’t tell one group of people from the rest, because everyone seems to wear a black winter coat here, but Olivia spotted the group so we ran after them. They didn’t wait, they didn’t look back to see if we were behind. Olivia called Andrea a couple times, but she didn’t pick up. We caught up to them just as they were reaching the “house” where the “party” was.
HOW EXTRAORDINARILY RUDE of them to just leave us. No warning, no telling us where exactly they were going. I couldn't believe it. I would NEVER do that. Even to someone I just met. When I went to Turf, I went with Phillipa, who I had just met. But Monika and I made sure she wanted to stay later and was okay to get home on her own. Because you don't just leave two girls you came with.
I believe, though I’m not sure, that the one girl that met the Australian guy at the bar, her name was Simone, just wanted to get with the guy, so she would have followed him wherever. And then of course the rest of the girls would just go with her. They also might have thought the “house party” would be kind of like a house party at college in the states, with lots of young people and loud music.
…
No, that is not a house party in Australia. At least, that’s what the guy called a house party. We walked in, into an apartment building, into a small apartment, where there were 3 guys hanging out, and then us, a big group of American girls, and the guy leading us. Olivia looked at me and said, “They were playing video games before we got here.” And they were. Their tv was still paused on a game, and they were all in the living room, they had just gotten up off the couches. One guy was very nice and introduced himself to us right away, but I was automatically like, let’s get out of here. Now. I had been in situations like this before, at Oxy. You go to a party, thinking it’s going to be fun because this guy trying to impress people talked it up, but really it’s a couple guys playing video games and maybe a couple girls standing awkwardly in the kitchen. So, Olivia and I left. Easy peezy lemon squeezy. I wasn't going to stay just because some girls we came with who later ditched us were staying. Screw that.
And then the night got better. Olivia said she wouldn’t last much more of the night unless she got some food, so we went to this pizza place to get her a slice. The pizza guy was really funny and friendly. When he heard our accents, he asked where we were from, what we were doing in Australia, the usual. Then Olivia and I went back to Pugg’s. I felt kind of bad for leaving Jason so suddenly, and I also felt the night shouldn’t end with a piece of pizza. Though those kinds of nights can be good too. ;)
Back at Pugg’s, we sat at the table we were at before, because I didn’t actually know where Jason was sitting before he came to talk to us, but he came right over. When he came over the first time, he said he had to come talk to us because we were “being creepy.” Hahaha! I think that was my fault. (I kept staring at everyone in the bar, trying to scope out any cute Aussies…. Oops. I don’t want to get into the “creepy” zone when I am trying to meet people… haha.) So Jason came back over, then another friend of his came over. His name was Phil, though we didn’t figure that out until much later. We all talked about a lot of things, because Phil was actually born in New York, and then moved to Melbourne, and Jason had visited the States a little while ago and actually knew St. Mary’s College, where a couple of my high school friends go! REPRESENT!!! That was a funny coincidence.
So the night ended with me, talking to Jason in Pugg’s, and Olivia kissing Phil outside of Pugg’s. Haha! He was cute, I don’t blame her. Not anything serious happening in the night, just meeting more and more Australians. Which is a good thing. Maybe I shouldn’t have started my night out with a bunch of American girls. Maybe that was my problem. Anyway, it ended well. I gave Jason my number, though I am not that interested in him, he’s just a nice guy, and Olivia had a good time with Phil, and we got a ride home, because Phil had a car and was a designated driver that night (as was Jason).
So, to sum up the night, Australian guys are still easy to meet and are very kind and friendly, and maybe I shouldn’t go out with American girls, because they can be very catty and judgmental and clique-ish, and I hope they aren’t feeding into some American stereotype, but I will have to try my best to oppose that. I mean, I’m in Australia, why should I go out with a bunch of Americans? I should go out with Australians! Pschhh. Oh, and I am so very grateful for my friends back home. When I saw how all those girls acted together, and I thought of how I act with my friends, I was so grateful for my girls back home! These girls just try to one up each other, and they act kind crude, and their jokes can be mean. That’s not real friendship.
Oh, and update on housing: I emailed the really nice woman at Queens about moving in this week, before my room at UniLodge is filled. Because really, I won’t be living there anymore, so why wait for someone to fill my room? I might at well just leave. I just have to figure out the payments. Hooray! Life is good. I spent some time there with Olivia today and I just like it more and more. We went to a footie game, Queens College versus Trinity College, and it was really fun until it started raining. Everyone is so friendly! I know I keep saying that, but they truly are. We talked to this one cute guy who didn’t even know Olivia yet, but that didn’t matter. :) And then Olivia and I were just hanging out in her room and like, 4 people came in to just hang out with us. So nice.
So I am going to go to bed tonight, dreaming about the magical place called Queens, where I will soon live and make a bajillion Australian friends, and have meals cooked for me, where I will actually talk to the people I live with. Siggghhhh. I just can’t wait. :)
Goodnight! Well, good morning, to the West Coast! I love and miss everyone! xxxooo
Friday, July 30, 2010
Shopping and Jazz Clubs
Alright, friends and family, it is about time I get out of this hellish place called UniLodge. So a few days ago, the light in my bathroom wouldn’t turn on, but they fixed it a couple days later, but now it doesn’t work again. So they just posted a sign on the door saying to use bathrooms on other floors where the light does work, because they can’t get someone to fix it until Monday.
-__-
So, coming back from this jazz club tonight, I walked past the bathroom, saw the sign, then took the elevator down one floor to use their bathroom.
Oh guess what? This bathroom’s pretty much flooded! The floor is completely covered in water. They had to make up for the fact that the lights weren’t broken, so they messed up the plumbing. Not to mention there was no toilet paper in the stall…
Really??? Really!!! What the heck is going on with this place??? My lights won’t work, there’s a whole in the hallway window, downstairs the bathroom’s flooded. I wonder what’s wrong with the other floors. Monika said when she lived here her fridge smelled like a decomposing body, so that’s a start.
You know, earlier today, I felt sort of weirdly bad for leaving UniLodge, like I’m giving up or something and it could be some great learning experience to stick it out here blah blah blah. Like I just met this guy this morning in the elevator, who was extremely friendly and I feel like I would like to know him better, but I doubt I will ever see him again if I leave UniLodge. So I felt sort of bad for leaving. Like, awww, now I won’t know this one friendly guy. Well, now I don’t feel bad. :)
Maybe in the next couple days of me still being here, I will see the guy again, I think his name was Hugh, and we will become biffles (best friends forever, for you older generation folks) and then we will make sure to exchange numbers and hang out all the time even after I leave. Possible. Not probable. Too bad.
So now I am holed up in my room, as far away from the extreme discomfort I get near the bathrooms or kitchen (though the discomfort is seeping in… the handle fell off of one of my drawers. !!!), in my jammies and slippers, with my heater on and the rest of my Mint Crush Tim Tams, and I will tell you about my day.
* side note: the handle of my dresser drawer! Like, oh my God! The place is crumbling down around me! I HAVE to get out!!! *
today I did a lot of things. I first dropped off a copy of my original housing application at Queens, came back a while later so they had a chance to look at it (luckily I listed Queen’s as one of my top 3 colleges I wanted to go to) aaaaaaaaand they officially ACCEPTED MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOO I LOVE THE WORLD!!!!! I think the whole housing application process thing was a bit of a formality, because the Vice Master seemed to really like me, and I really liked him, and they really wanted to fill the room. So I ran back to UniLodge and I was like “FILL MY ROOM ASAP” and they were like, “okay, okay, calm down” and I ran off singing show tunes.
I have actually had some funny songs stuck in my head these past couple of days. Songs that fit my situation. Like “Part of you World” from Little Mermaid, and “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths, and “I Want You to Want Me” by… whoever that is.
After that, I skyped with my daddio to let him know the deal, and then Olivia and I just went into the city to sort of waste time and do some shopping. The first shopping I’ve done here! Which would seem like a feat for me, but here in Australia, the fashion is different. Not in an obvious way, but when I look at clothes, most of them don’t attract me right away, because they’re just not quite… there. They’re just different. And I am also quite the bargain hunter, so most things are just too expensive. I might have to get used to that, though, because lost things here are more expensive than they would be in the States.
Olivia is still having a bit off a tough time here, because she gets homesick pretty easily, so I just hung out with her the rest of the night. We went to dinner at Queens, where I met more people who I told I would be moving in with. They were all very excited for me! And all congratulatory that I got in. Maybe they feel it is pretty exclusive to live there. Well, the Vice Master said the Australian students are “sent through the ringer” when it comes to applying and getting in. The international students don’t have it so bad, but there still was no room for me on campus originally, so…
Anyway, we went to dinner, then hung out with the people on her floor. It is actually AWESOME that they all hang out in the hallway. Because then you can just go out your door and say hi or sit down and chill out. A bunch of people tonight were going to a 21st birthday party for someone in Queens. I guess 21st’s are a big thing here too… even though they don’t mean anything… it’s kind of weird. I think they just like an excuse to all dress up in theme. The theme for tonight’s was Arabian. The boys looked HILARIOUS with makeshift turbans that matched their ties and/or pants. One guy was wearing slightly see-through pants, because they were flowy and Arabian-ish, like Aladdin pants. Or MC Hammer. Either way, they were all really interested in meeting me and were excited for me to come and were all fun and easy to talk to. I spoke to more guys than girls, I think, which was interesting. I’ve always been more of a girls’ girl.
Those guys all went to the birthday party, which Olivia wasn’t invited to because she didn’t know the girl all that well. Then I convinced Olivia to go the jazz club that a couple people were going to, including this one guy, Ray, who was on her floor and who was very nice and wanted us to come. I just thought Olivia needed to get out and have something take her mind off of missing home. I’m not sure if it worked, but at least it was something to do. Olivia tends to not think in the present, so she will think about how long it is until she goes home, or until her parents come to visit, or if she might be able to leave early, stuff like that. That’s really detrimental, I think, to her having fun here. You can’t just be counting down to going to home all the time. You won’t be able to appreciate what you’re doing here.
The jazz club was … interesting. Haha I’ve never been to a jazz club, I don’t think, but it was sort of just what I expected. It was dark and small; everyone got quiet and watched the performers when they were onstage. I felt a little awkward because I didn’t have a scarf or thick-rimmed glasses. Soooo hipster. I saw many little bobbing hipster heads in the audience. Seriously, the guys there had that sort of fancy trimmed facial hair, like a goatee or thin beard outlining their jaw. They looked like Collin Farrell on a really bad, bad day. Not quite so attractive, though. I think the people from Queens who we came with went because a girl living in Queens’ brother was playing saxophone.
Olivia and Kirsten (another “Queener” as they would call her) and I all went back at the little break between sets they took. I just came back to UniLodge, because I can’t quite move into Queens just yet, and Olivia and Kirsten went to Queens. I’m thinking I will pack up some things tomorrow, even if I don’t get a call that they’ve filled my room. I’ll just be prepared when they do call. :)
And I think Olivia and I will go to St. Kilda tomorrow. Which is supposed to be this really pretty beachy place near the shore somewhere.
Oh, and I got my concession card today! Which means my tram tickets are half price. Awesome. So yep, I need to go to bed now. I am almost over this cold, it is almost gone. So I just need to get good sleep and take some more vitamin C and work it out. Goodnight! Or g’day! Whatever. I love and miss everyone a TON! xoxoxo
-__-
So, coming back from this jazz club tonight, I walked past the bathroom, saw the sign, then took the elevator down one floor to use their bathroom.
Oh guess what? This bathroom’s pretty much flooded! The floor is completely covered in water. They had to make up for the fact that the lights weren’t broken, so they messed up the plumbing. Not to mention there was no toilet paper in the stall…
Really??? Really!!! What the heck is going on with this place??? My lights won’t work, there’s a whole in the hallway window, downstairs the bathroom’s flooded. I wonder what’s wrong with the other floors. Monika said when she lived here her fridge smelled like a decomposing body, so that’s a start.
You know, earlier today, I felt sort of weirdly bad for leaving UniLodge, like I’m giving up or something and it could be some great learning experience to stick it out here blah blah blah. Like I just met this guy this morning in the elevator, who was extremely friendly and I feel like I would like to know him better, but I doubt I will ever see him again if I leave UniLodge. So I felt sort of bad for leaving. Like, awww, now I won’t know this one friendly guy. Well, now I don’t feel bad. :)
Maybe in the next couple days of me still being here, I will see the guy again, I think his name was Hugh, and we will become biffles (best friends forever, for you older generation folks) and then we will make sure to exchange numbers and hang out all the time even after I leave. Possible. Not probable. Too bad.
So now I am holed up in my room, as far away from the extreme discomfort I get near the bathrooms or kitchen (though the discomfort is seeping in… the handle fell off of one of my drawers. !!!), in my jammies and slippers, with my heater on and the rest of my Mint Crush Tim Tams, and I will tell you about my day.
* side note: the handle of my dresser drawer! Like, oh my God! The place is crumbling down around me! I HAVE to get out!!! *
today I did a lot of things. I first dropped off a copy of my original housing application at Queens, came back a while later so they had a chance to look at it (luckily I listed Queen’s as one of my top 3 colleges I wanted to go to) aaaaaaaaand they officially ACCEPTED MEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! WHOOOOOOOOOOO I LOVE THE WORLD!!!!! I think the whole housing application process thing was a bit of a formality, because the Vice Master seemed to really like me, and I really liked him, and they really wanted to fill the room. So I ran back to UniLodge and I was like “FILL MY ROOM ASAP” and they were like, “okay, okay, calm down” and I ran off singing show tunes.
I have actually had some funny songs stuck in my head these past couple of days. Songs that fit my situation. Like “Part of you World” from Little Mermaid, and “Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want” by The Smiths, and “I Want You to Want Me” by… whoever that is.
After that, I skyped with my daddio to let him know the deal, and then Olivia and I just went into the city to sort of waste time and do some shopping. The first shopping I’ve done here! Which would seem like a feat for me, but here in Australia, the fashion is different. Not in an obvious way, but when I look at clothes, most of them don’t attract me right away, because they’re just not quite… there. They’re just different. And I am also quite the bargain hunter, so most things are just too expensive. I might have to get used to that, though, because lost things here are more expensive than they would be in the States.
Olivia is still having a bit off a tough time here, because she gets homesick pretty easily, so I just hung out with her the rest of the night. We went to dinner at Queens, where I met more people who I told I would be moving in with. They were all very excited for me! And all congratulatory that I got in. Maybe they feel it is pretty exclusive to live there. Well, the Vice Master said the Australian students are “sent through the ringer” when it comes to applying and getting in. The international students don’t have it so bad, but there still was no room for me on campus originally, so…
Anyway, we went to dinner, then hung out with the people on her floor. It is actually AWESOME that they all hang out in the hallway. Because then you can just go out your door and say hi or sit down and chill out. A bunch of people tonight were going to a 21st birthday party for someone in Queens. I guess 21st’s are a big thing here too… even though they don’t mean anything… it’s kind of weird. I think they just like an excuse to all dress up in theme. The theme for tonight’s was Arabian. The boys looked HILARIOUS with makeshift turbans that matched their ties and/or pants. One guy was wearing slightly see-through pants, because they were flowy and Arabian-ish, like Aladdin pants. Or MC Hammer. Either way, they were all really interested in meeting me and were excited for me to come and were all fun and easy to talk to. I spoke to more guys than girls, I think, which was interesting. I’ve always been more of a girls’ girl.
Those guys all went to the birthday party, which Olivia wasn’t invited to because she didn’t know the girl all that well. Then I convinced Olivia to go the jazz club that a couple people were going to, including this one guy, Ray, who was on her floor and who was very nice and wanted us to come. I just thought Olivia needed to get out and have something take her mind off of missing home. I’m not sure if it worked, but at least it was something to do. Olivia tends to not think in the present, so she will think about how long it is until she goes home, or until her parents come to visit, or if she might be able to leave early, stuff like that. That’s really detrimental, I think, to her having fun here. You can’t just be counting down to going to home all the time. You won’t be able to appreciate what you’re doing here.
The jazz club was … interesting. Haha I’ve never been to a jazz club, I don’t think, but it was sort of just what I expected. It was dark and small; everyone got quiet and watched the performers when they were onstage. I felt a little awkward because I didn’t have a scarf or thick-rimmed glasses. Soooo hipster. I saw many little bobbing hipster heads in the audience. Seriously, the guys there had that sort of fancy trimmed facial hair, like a goatee or thin beard outlining their jaw. They looked like Collin Farrell on a really bad, bad day. Not quite so attractive, though. I think the people from Queens who we came with went because a girl living in Queens’ brother was playing saxophone.
Olivia and Kirsten (another “Queener” as they would call her) and I all went back at the little break between sets they took. I just came back to UniLodge, because I can’t quite move into Queens just yet, and Olivia and Kirsten went to Queens. I’m thinking I will pack up some things tomorrow, even if I don’t get a call that they’ve filled my room. I’ll just be prepared when they do call. :)
And I think Olivia and I will go to St. Kilda tomorrow. Which is supposed to be this really pretty beachy place near the shore somewhere.
Oh, and I got my concession card today! Which means my tram tickets are half price. Awesome. So yep, I need to go to bed now. I am almost over this cold, it is almost gone. So I just need to get good sleep and take some more vitamin C and work it out. Goodnight! Or g’day! Whatever. I love and miss everyone a TON! xoxoxo
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