Kangaroos and Class

Hey everyone!!
Sorry it has taken me so long to send another update! Things have really been busy here, so I haven't sat down long enough to tell about everything. Last Thursday and Friday, I went on a quick post-orientation trip! It was really fun. There were about 40 international students going from all over the world. First off, our tour guide Matt was hilarious. He would just say the most random stuff, and was a constant source of entertainment. Even if the trip hadn't have been so much fun, I think we all still would have had a good time just listening to him. I also met a lot of great friends- some I'd met before, some completely new- so if only for that, the trip was a success.

We went to a Reptile Park first (which actually had mostly mammals). This was amazing, because we saw so many Australian animals: koalas, Tasmanian devil, wallabies, a wombat, kangaroos, dingoes, cassowaries, emus, crocodiles, and lots of other really sweet animals. The coolest part was that we could pet most of them! The kangaroos and emu weren't really even in a cage- they had a section where people couldn't go (so they could escape the tourists and schoolkids if they wanted), but they pretty much just wandered around the central area. We could feed them, pet them, whatever. That was REALLY fun. I love animals, so it was awesome to get to touch some of them!

Next we drove through the Hunter Valley, and stopped at three wineries along the way. At each one we had a wine tasting (and cheese tasting at the first one). It was a lot of fun- people's tastes varied greatly on what they liked. We got the point where we could predict who would like what before we even tasted it. But pretty much none of us liked port. Gross. haha. At the last one, we tried other things too, like various kinds of schnapps. The last one was called Dragon's Breath- chile schnapps. The guy leading the tasting made us all wait and drink it all at the same time, which made it fun to look around at everyone's reactions. It was super spicy! In a way that you wouldn't expect a liquid to be. I actually liked it, but only is very small doses. :) It was also beautiful to drive through the countryside between the wineries- hills and fields, lots of vineyards, incredible skies.

We spent the night in Port Stephens, which is apparently in the middle of nowhere. So instead of going out to dinner or to a pub that night, we ordered in pizza and had a "family party." Matt made this drink he called elbow. Why is it called an elbow? Because it's stronger than a punch. (This guy was hilarious, I'm telling you.)

The next day we went on a three hour whale watching tour. The weather wasn't great- cold and a little rainy, with choppy water- but it was still fun. We did see a whale, and followed him around for a while. Despite following him with my camera for nearly 45 minutes, I missed the money shot when he flashed his tail. Oh well. :) We also saw seals hanging out on some rocks by the shore, and for about 10 minutes dolphins swam alongside our boats. They were so playful! Also the shoreline in general was beautiful- rocky and kind of rustic. We passed a couple islands that people aren't allowed to go on, to preserve the habitats for animals.

That afternoon, we went sandboarding. Going in we were all wondering if it would still be fun (or even possible) because it had rained all morning. But apparently that made conditions better. And it was amazing!! I wish we had sand dunes in my backyard- I would go sandboarding every day. You sit on what looks like a skateboard with no wheels. There's a lip where you put your heels, and you stick your hands behind you in the sand for balance and a tiny bit of control (not much, though. haha). The hill was RIDICULOUS. We drove up around the side, and seriously this thing had to be about 80 degrees at some parts. We were all a little intimidated by the angle. But the guide just talked us through it (picked someone to demonstrate how you sit) and then just pushed him down, and that was it. So we all tried it and LOVED it. It may have been my favorite part of the trip.

Also, there were camels there, so we petted camels too. Just a random note. This past weekend I went to the Australian Museum. The coolest part about that was that in Australian museums you can touch pretty much everything. Dinosaur bones, stuff animals, aboriginal artwork... they're pretty laid back about it all. I love it. There was a really cool exhibit on Australian animals, which had a special section on the ones that could kill you. There was even an interactive touch-screen table that looked like a shoreline that had about 8 things that could kill you regularly found at the beach. Most were smaller than your head too- jellyfish, bugs, etc. Sweet. Australia is also home the 10 most poisonous snakes in the world. Just a cool little tidbit for all of you who were already nervous about me coming here. :)

There was also a really interesting exhibit about Aboriginal history. There was stuff on their history and culture before Europeans came, colonization (or 'colonisation' as they spell it), marginalization, and how things are now. Unfortunately we only found it 15 minutes before the museum closed, so I didn't spend as much time there as I would have wished. But it was really fascinating- hopefully i'll make it back.

I also went to Hillsong church this weekend, which was awesome. Hillsong is the really huge church that i've heard of before because some musicians i like have come from it. But they have a location that's a bus ride away from me, so a friend and i checked it out on Sunday. I loved it. It was like intervarsity on steroids kind of. Unless I meet some friends who go somewhere else, I'll probably keep going there.

This week has been exciting because I started classes! I've now been to all my classes once, and so far i'm really excited. I'm taking an Australian literature, Australian theatre and film (technically it's actually an education class), Aboriginal history, and a psychology class. (See? There is something that actually counts towards my major. haha) They all seem like really interesting classes, and most have really great professors/teachers. Well, all except the history class- which could possibly the most interesting material, but has the most boring teacher ever. I'm also meeting some Australians in my classes, which is awesome.

An update on my flat! Its great, i love it. I keep meaning to take pictures and put them up for you to see my tiny room. I will soon. Also, there are more people living here than i realized. There are 6 bedrooms, but will be 8 total. I've spent the most time with Pete, who is from Germany. He's a journalism student at UTS (another university). Then there's Jordi and Carlos, both Spanish film students. Laura is also Spanish, not sure what she's studying. Then there's another Spanish guy who i haven't met yet, and an American named Nick (i think? I've only met him once.). Plus there's an empty room, so another will be coming soon. The reason i don't really know my flatmates is because they're mostly on holiday (vacation). All but Nick are students, but I'm the only one who goes to Sydney Uni, so they're on different school schedules. But I think everyone is home next week and so we'll really get to know each other then. I've spent the most time with Pete, he's really cool, and whenever he has people over invites me to hang out with them. I think it's a really good set up. Also, because i'm trying to cook instead of going out for meals all the time, any quick/easy recipes or meal suggestions would be really helpful! I have access to a grocery store/fridge/stove/everything i need, just have to cook stuff. :)
To close, I'll give you some amazing animal facts that i learned at the museum and the reptile park:
- Dingoes eat children. Despite looking to me like a regular dog, they are not safe animals. The sign on their cage at the park said "do not feed fingers to the dingoes." Great. They have been known to 'befriend' families camping in the bush, and then lure the youngest kid away from the rest of the family, then eat him. Yikes.
- This is taken from a sign in the museum. I did not make this up. This is why i love wombats. "When threatened, a wombat can run very fast and dive into the nearest burrow or other suitable hole, blocking the entrance with its rear end. Its bum has a solid, square bone which is an effective shield against any attacker. If an attacker gets into its burrow with it, the wombat can crush the intruder against the burrow roof. Bizarrely, wombat poo is cube-shaped." Hahahahaha so good. Okay, that's it for now. This weekend I'm going to surf camp! That will be fun. We'll see how my amazing coordination holds up on a surf board.

Love from down under, Emma