Half way mark

Writing these blogs is becoming more difficult. I'm going to continue writing them because it is nice to reflect on my experiences and my thoughts on everything I am doing. However, as more time goes by, living here feels more and more like it is my actual life. I would compare it to living in Madison... I wouldn't be writing a weekly blog on what I did each week.
So when writing these blogs it feels as if I am writing about what I am doing in my life rather than a once in a lifetime experience. Although I know this is a once in a lifetime experience, I don't actually know because it is my current life and it feels much more permanent. (It's like I know... but I don't really know - if that makes sense).  Anyway, in the end I know I will be happy I continued to write these.

First off, the cyclone was a disappointment in the Gold Coast. It just rained continuously for multiple days but the cyclone didn't make it to our city.

The days during the 'cyclone' felt pretty long because it was just dreary out and not much to do.

Saturday I met Aunt Lori at the airport. Like I previously mentioned, it is very easy to go through security so I decided to go through security and just meet her right out of the gate! It was great to see her. It didn't feel as long as it has been since I last saw her.

That night we checked into the hotel and got some dinner and had our first beer together.

Sunday we explored Brisbane. It was on and off rain which made it a little difficult to walk around but the city is really pretty.

 We did a ferry ride down the river which was my favorite part of Brisbane. It was really pretty and neat to see different suburbs on the river.

Brisbane is very much a walking city and there isn't anything specifically to do so we really just strolled around. In the afternoon we went to a random italian restaurant I found online. It was in a random location but it was really good. After we went back to go on the huge ferris wheel to see the city at night!

 Picture of the Brisbane river on our walk to the italian restaurant. There were a lot of people with fancy cameras out on this hill because the sunset was so pretty with the reflection of the clouds.












On Monday and Tuesday I had class but I met with Aunt Lori in the afternoon to hang out. On Monday it was still on and off rain from the remnants of the cyclone but we still were able to make it to the beach for a bit. Monday night Jenna, Aunt Lori, and I got Thai food for dinner. It was really good.
On Tuesday my Aunt and I went to this restaurant that had $10 chicken Parmesan with chips and a beer! I have been eyeing up this place for awhile now because of the chicken parm and the deal so I'm really glad we went there! It was pretty good and really good size portion. There was also a cricket match on so we watched that for a bit and I explained some of the limited knowledge I had to Aunt O. That night we also played a little cribbage!

On Wednesday I had class and then met up with Aunt O to head to the airport to go to Sydney. When we got there it felt like our hotel was in a slightly odd location... On a busy road and there seemed to be some sketchy people that walked by us. But it turned out that it was really close to the University of Sydney and was just on the outskirts of the downtown. haha our thoughts though initially we were a little worried. We got dinner at a burger place that had burgers from all different countries. I got a fish burger from a random country that had curry on it and it was really good! Afterward we just went back to the hotel, drank some beer, and I beat Aunt O in the card game Charlie.

Thursday we finally got to see the Sydney Opera House! There was a free tram that we could easily get on that took us right down town. We walked around a bit and it was amazing to finally see this in real life.









 We went to Manly Beach around noon and you have to take a ferry there. It was really pretty to see the city from afar and I really enjoyed the part of Manly. It is much calmer and easy going feeling. We got some fish and chips and ate on the beach and then strolled around. We walked a path to Shelley beach and laid out there for a bit. It was very relaxing but around 4pm we had to head back because we had to get ready for our Opera show! Getting back took a little longer than expected because of the public transportation we were using and the busy time of the day. We didn't get back until a little before 6. Our plans went from us both showering to us just taking a body shower to neither of us showering and just changing our clothes and washing our faces because of the time restrictions that we didn't expect. After changing we went back to the Darling Harbour and grabbed a bite to eat. The food was really good. We got to the show around 7:45pm and it started at 8pm. The doors opened at 7 and the seats we had were first come first get so we were initially planning on getting there closer to 7 so we could get the best seats. However, when we got there, we still got the best seats in our section because the show wasn't sold out so we were rushed for no reason!

The show was great and it was called Club Swizzle. I am so glad we went to a show at the opera house! How neat to say that. It wasn't an opera nor really a show that had a plot but it was an entertaining show to watch and was very funny.

On Friday morning we did our morning ritual where we got ready and went down for the free breakfast and coffee. It was really just cereal and bread but it was still free. It was also kind of funny because when we were playing cards the other night we saw them putting out the breakfast AND the juices at 11pm. So those juices sit there ALL night until breakfast is over. Haha I still had some orange juice.

We rode one of those tourist buses that drives you around the city. It was a beautiful day and it was neat to see the city with a tour guide and just sitting and observing.

In the photo is part of the bus and a shot of the opera house. I think this is a pretty picture. 

 Hey
 Oma!
















 There was a cricket game going on between West Indies and South America. The game started at 2:30 but since the games can go for 10 hours we decided to go around 4:30. The game wasn't sold out so we were able to really sit wherever. South America was up first and they were doing so well and it was really entertaining with how many hits they were getting. Then the West Indies were up and they were not getting nearly as many hits.

We stayed for the entire game and South American ended up winning by a good amount. I really enjoyed going to this game. We stayed for about 4 and a half hours and watched the whole game. We looked it up and it turns out that the world cup games are every 4 years and each time it is in a different host country. So it was even cooler to realize that we were seeing such a rare game. 






When there is a wicket or a player hits 6 points fire goes off in the stadium. Haha Aunt Lori and I loved the fire and it was one of our favorite parts. Real fire.












That night we got back we just played Charlie in the lobby and relaxed a bit before heading to bed.

Saturday morning we went to a market which was really neat but had a lot of hipster clothes and neither of us bought anything. Then we went to another market which was in Chinatown and had a lot more touristy things and we bought a decent amount there.

We then had to head back to the hotel to grab our luggage for the airport. Getting back to the Gold Coast was nice because of how much of a rural feeling it has to it compared to Sydney. I greatly enjoyed going to Sydney, but it is not somewhere I would ever want to live or stay for an extended period of time just because I am not a huge city person. I would equate the city to New York City. So if someone loves NYC they would love Sydney. I enjoy NYC when I go for a short period of time as the same with Sydney.

Saturday afternoon Aunt Lori and I got dinner at a restaurant near my school. It was very calm and a good dinner. Afterward we headed back to her hotel and we stayed there.

Sunday was going to be our busy day. We went to a market in the morning which was pretty neat. We both bought an egg and bacon sandwich as well as an iced coffee which were really good and great purchases. I also bought 2 tie dyed tank tops.

Then after that we headed to the wildlife park. The koalas were so cute! Aunt Lori got to hold one and I'm super glad she got to experience something that she has been wanting to do for years (literally). I also got to pet one and on Aunt Lori's camera there are a bunch of great photos of the koalas if you're looking for a better pic.

We also got to pet and feed the kangaroos which we both enjoyed too. We also heard Dingos howling at one another. There were other animals we saw but we decided that the koalas and kangaroos were our favorites.










 Afterward we were waiting at the bus stop to head back but we then saw a rummage sign. We decided to head to our first Australian rummage sale. There was a little Aussie girl outside and she was acting as our salesperson. She was really cute with her accent. We didn't buy anything.

Then we were both really hungry and there was a beach right up the street so we decided to see if there was a restaurant nearby.

Turns out there was this country club esq place and it was absolutely beautiful! It was like a 360 degree window view of the beach and ocean. The food was great and overall amazing ambiance. So glad we found this place and I am definitely going back.








 In the afternoon there was another market we went to in Surfers Paradise. Surfers is much more touristy and it was very busy for a Sunday night. We were able to find some more touristy things to buy in stores but we weren't at the market very long.
That night I helped Aunt O pack up and we played one last game of cribbage and Charlie. I beat her in cribbage and she might have beat me in Charlie... I don't remember... I already repressed the memory.

It was nice to get back to my school. We were going and doing so much it was nice to feel that sense of calm. I had such a great time with her but returning to my daily routines and life felt nice. It was a weird feeling because my "life" that felt so familiar and comfortable was being back in the Gold Coast. It was also odd to realize how independent I have been and that I have only had to be responsible for myself since I've been here.

On Monday it felt kind of weird being back at school because it felt like I was gone for awhile. Tuesday, like most Tuesdays, was my favorite day. I got to see a bunch of friends. At night I played volleyball and then a few of us went to the casino for the drink deal and I also won $50! I'm sure I could have won a lot more but one of my friends made me stop playing.


I read someone elses blog today and there was a quote that said the days at the start of the program, "110. That’s so much time, I thought, until I arrived and suddenly that number has already been halved."

This is such a perfect quote. Where has the time gone. It felt like just the other day I was planning with aunt O to visit me. Now she has already left! It is going to be so hard to leave in 2 months.

However, I have been thinking a lot about certain things that I have been doing here that I want to do or implement in my life when I get back home. First off, I need a new wardrobe. Jk mom. But really, I haven't been very stressed since being here and although school is much easier and I don't have a job.. I still am very relaxed. I do want to find a way to continue this more relaxed lifestyle. I don't know how yet... but I still have some time to figure it out.

There are also so many activities in Madison that I don't attend and I've realized that doing events or being with people is what I enjoy most so I am going to try and participate more in events back home. That doesn't mean put more on my plate and be in more student orgs or have more jobs. Just, with friends go to different events or activities nearby. 

Although I am not in the greatest mood every single day, I think I have been very appreciate of the beautiful days and my ability to experience Australia in the way that I am. Almost every morning when I open the drapes and see that it is nice out I think to myself what a beautiful day and it adds a little positive 'light' to my day.