Brainstorm is complete.
Here is how I will organize the next few blogs: I will separate everything I have yet to show and tell about and title it “THEN” from what is current and important to reiterate before I forget it (because I have a minor case of Alzheimer’s) I will title as “NOW”. Okay. Also, I'll just include the major trips and events I took part in!
THEN
So I left off talking about the end of our stay in Sorrento, Victoria. The last few photos (there are too many, I know - I will organize them better from now on!) are about the boat ride that we were taken on to get fish and chips and see the dolphins. So beautiful. Along the way, Kendal told us about heaps of different trips we could think about planning throughout our four month stay in Australia. SO helpful, because I have done about 50% of them by today. Somewhere along the ride, an argument broke out about the boatman's son/daughter and we couldn't agree on whether this precious child was a boy or girl! I insisted it was a girl, but everyone was against me saying otherwise (there's a photo in the previous blog of the child with LONG blonde hair, with huge blue eyes and long eyelashes). Whatever the gender, the kid was drop dead adorable!
That was our last night in Sorrento, and a few of us traveled down the street to the short and went to the gazebo one last time to say goodbye. We'd be leaving early after breakfast in the morning.
On the bus ride back to Melbourne, a song came on: Send Me On My Way by Busted Root. A perfect fit as the adventure continues! Coming into the city, we passed by a field of men playing Collingwood, a senior rugby/football team and they were currently training in their pre-season. Also about to pass the Yarra River in Melbourne as well where this is a rowing school that has an intense well-known team! (Later in the day, as we were looking for bikes to hire, we stood in front of the rowing school as everyone rushed around in order to scope out a way we might sneak in on the fun and pretend to be a student just to go rowing! This proved to be unsuccessful.)
Compulsory to wear: Helmets AND seat-belts in Australia, wherever you go. You don't want to know HOW many times I forgot the latter.
We stayed in what seemed to be a 5-star hotel called Mantra on Jolimont Street, where each "room" made for 3 people had about 5 rooms! An apartment basically. We only stayed for one night but it was simply exquisite haha. I roomed with Alli and Lauren. After dropping our bags off here, we went on a city tour of Melbourne with Kendal and Katrina (Arcadia guides/"Mom and "Dad", as I will be referring to them often).
During the day, after exploring the city (see photos!) a bunch of us went to the pool and tried to figure out our classes schedules; one of our "assignments" by Katrina was to know what we were doing for the Uni's (our group had students going to University of Wollongong, University of Sydney, and University of New South Whales). It was a bit complicated but we finally figured it out and rewarded ourselves with a nice hot tub experience! While in the hot tub, we felt bad for intruding on a middle-aged couple but they insisted we join them. After talking to them for a while we found out they were from New Zealand! How exciting! Little did I know right then that I'd be doing a stop over in New Zealand on the way home. They told us the best places to go, and I asked about Nevis Bungee jumping and the prices and best places to stay and such. They seem to be avid travelers who know what they were doing! No children, just a couple in love, not even married just sharing a life together travelling around the world and learning. Ahhh, how refreshing.
The nightlife was SO much fun, I look back and I wonder now why this ended up being my only visit to Melbourne. We ended up splitting in two groups, and the girls I was with (Erin, Steph, and I) could not decide which group we wanted to follow so last minute we turned around and ended up running SO far barefoot just to catch up. The other group was going to one club they heard about and the group we joined with in the opposite direction was going to a bar/hangout rooftop place. Mind you, this place ended up being about 2 or 3 miles away by the way (whoever directed us to this place I'm still angry at!) and then to a club. Let's just leave it at that. Moral of the story was I learned the hard way (the embarrassing way) that the capital of Australia is Canberra and not Sydney...
Oh and I was also quizzed thoroughly on all the territories of Australia, which I got right so HA there.
I wish not to relive that moment so please if you see me refrain from mentioning it thank you! At least now I'll never forget it. Considering getting the above tattoo after that night actually... Just kidding mom and dad! The person that made fun of me for not knowing (HIII I've only been in Australia for literally 2 days at this point) got what was coming to him, and "that's all that I have to say about that" - Forest Gump.
I'm getting bored of this (go figure) so let's just add in a few fun facts I've learned about Australian locals:
- Everyone is so friendly and so intelligent here but the majority talk so fast!
- Lays chips as we know them in the U.S.A. are IDENTICAL to the bags of chips here called "Smiths" (not sure if they taste identical, I have not tried them).
- Food is much more healthy here/organic tasting, which is not what you would picture being an isolated island that pretty much relies on imports...but I guess the land/soil is fertile here! All except for iron, there is a deficiency in Australia and some people choose to take supplements.
- My favorite thing to make (since I live in an accommodation that we cook for ourselves) is guacamole! Everyone that tries it loves it and I have considered selling it many times in order to make more money haha.
- Vegemite is a brown, salty spread (tastes like a mixture of soy sauce and beer) they put it on basically everything, not just bread. Personally I thought it was the most grotesque tasting thing but I know plenty of people who are obsessed with it! It's a 50/50 love/hate situation.
- The most interesting nights are the ones you share "Australian ways" vs. "American ways" with some new friends you made.
- Australia may or may not be 3 years "ahead" of America when it comes to fashion. That's how it seems to me! (Had this discussion with one of my Australian friends, Tilly)
Many more exciting new snippets to come!
- B
So I left off talking about the end of our stay in Sorrento, Victoria. The last few photos (there are too many, I know - I will organize them better from now on!) are about the boat ride that we were taken on to get fish and chips and see the dolphins. So beautiful. Along the way, Kendal told us about heaps of different trips we could think about planning throughout our four month stay in Australia. SO helpful, because I have done about 50% of them by today. Somewhere along the ride, an argument broke out about the boatman's son/daughter and we couldn't agree on whether this precious child was a boy or girl! I insisted it was a girl, but everyone was against me saying otherwise (there's a photo in the previous blog of the child with LONG blonde hair, with huge blue eyes and long eyelashes). Whatever the gender, the kid was drop dead adorable!
That was our last night in Sorrento, and a few of us traveled down the street to the short and went to the gazebo one last time to say goodbye. We'd be leaving early after breakfast in the morning.
On the bus ride back to Melbourne, a song came on: Send Me On My Way by Busted Root. A perfect fit as the adventure continues! Coming into the city, we passed by a field of men playing Collingwood, a senior rugby/football team and they were currently training in their pre-season. Also about to pass the Yarra River in Melbourne as well where this is a rowing school that has an intense well-known team! (Later in the day, as we were looking for bikes to hire, we stood in front of the rowing school as everyone rushed around in order to scope out a way we might sneak in on the fun and pretend to be a student just to go rowing! This proved to be unsuccessful.)
Compulsory to wear: Helmets AND seat-belts in Australia, wherever you go. You don't want to know HOW many times I forgot the latter.
We stayed in what seemed to be a 5-star hotel called Mantra on Jolimont Street, where each "room" made for 3 people had about 5 rooms! An apartment basically. We only stayed for one night but it was simply exquisite haha. I roomed with Alli and Lauren. After dropping our bags off here, we went on a city tour of Melbourne with Kendal and Katrina (Arcadia guides/"Mom and "Dad", as I will be referring to them often).
During the day, after exploring the city (see photos!) a bunch of us went to the pool and tried to figure out our classes schedules; one of our "assignments" by Katrina was to know what we were doing for the Uni's (our group had students going to University of Wollongong, University of Sydney, and University of New South Whales). It was a bit complicated but we finally figured it out and rewarded ourselves with a nice hot tub experience! While in the hot tub, we felt bad for intruding on a middle-aged couple but they insisted we join them. After talking to them for a while we found out they were from New Zealand! How exciting! Little did I know right then that I'd be doing a stop over in New Zealand on the way home. They told us the best places to go, and I asked about Nevis Bungee jumping and the prices and best places to stay and such. They seem to be avid travelers who know what they were doing! No children, just a couple in love, not even married just sharing a life together travelling around the world and learning. Ahhh, how refreshing.
The nightlife was SO much fun, I look back and I wonder now why this ended up being my only visit to Melbourne. We ended up splitting in two groups, and the girls I was with (Erin, Steph, and I) could not decide which group we wanted to follow so last minute we turned around and ended up running SO far barefoot just to catch up. The other group was going to one club they heard about and the group we joined with in the opposite direction was going to a bar/hangout rooftop place. Mind you, this place ended up being about 2 or 3 miles away by the way (whoever directed us to this place I'm still angry at!) and then to a club. Let's just leave it at that. Moral of the story was I learned the hard way (the embarrassing way) that the capital of Australia is Canberra and not Sydney...
Oh and I was also quizzed thoroughly on all the territories of Australia, which I got right so HA there.
I'm getting bored of this (go figure) so let's just add in a few fun facts I've learned about Australian locals:
- Everyone is so friendly and so intelligent here but the majority talk so fast!
- Lays chips as we know them in the U.S.A. are IDENTICAL to the bags of chips here called "Smiths" (not sure if they taste identical, I have not tried them).
- Food is much more healthy here/organic tasting, which is not what you would picture being an isolated island that pretty much relies on imports...but I guess the land/soil is fertile here! All except for iron, there is a deficiency in Australia and some people choose to take supplements.
- My favorite thing to make (since I live in an accommodation that we cook for ourselves) is guacamole! Everyone that tries it loves it and I have considered selling it many times in order to make more money haha.
- Vegemite is a brown, salty spread (tastes like a mixture of soy sauce and beer) they put it on basically everything, not just bread. Personally I thought it was the most grotesque tasting thing but I know plenty of people who are obsessed with it! It's a 50/50 love/hate situation.
- The most interesting nights are the ones you share "Australian ways" vs. "American ways" with some new friends you made.
- Australia may or may not be 3 years "ahead" of America when it comes to fashion. That's how it seems to me! (Had this discussion with one of my Australian friends, Tilly)
Many more exciting new snippets to come!
- B
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