Missionaries in Wollongong

On Sunday, when I was walking from Madeline's soccer game back to uni, I ran in to some unexpected people.  As I was walking, a guy in a black jacket and dress clothes walked toward me and eagerly said "Hello!"  I looked behind me, thinking he was talking to someone behind me... but nope, he was definitely talking to me.  He walked up to me and introduced himself as "Elder ..." (name withheld for confidentiality... because I'm not sure if it's appropriate to flash a missionaries name all over the internet in some random girls blog).  He continued to tell me about Jesus's "Plan of Salvation" and how he knew that there was truth in the plan because he had discovered it himself.  We talked about the meaning of life for a few minutes... actually... and then I asked him a few questions about Mormonism.  Come to find out, he's staying in Australia for 15 months (all the way from England) and he hadn't started uni yet, so he must have been about 18 years old or so.  While we were chatting, another missionary came up to talk to us.  This second missionary had completed a year of college in Arizona, but stopped to go on a mission in Australia.

I appreciated talking to those two missionaries so much I asked to take their picture.  After a brief moment of awkwardness, they obliged. 

And so to document my first encounter with missionaries.

Smiling Saves Lives

Here's looking at you, George : )

"The Dining Room is named to honour George Matchett, a resident of Campus Easy in 2010 and 2011 who tragically drowned on 23 March, 2011, aged 21 years.  A smile can save a life."

My friend Anthea (the one singing in the video a few posts below) wrote and sang this song for George shortly after he died.  George's family invited her to this song at this funeral and she also sang it at a campus event.  The picture in the video was taken from a Campus East candlelight ceremony we had on the beach the day he died.

Glow Worms, Soccer Games, and BBQ's

Over the past week I've been doing a lot of fun things!

To start, last Tuesday I went to a "family dinner" in some of my friends apartment.  Once a week, they invite over a bunch of people to cook and eat a meal together.  This past week, I'd say the theme was Australian barbeque... complete with sausages, steak, and hamburgers.  My friends, Wado and Anthea, were the chefs this week; Anthea made an awesome potato with cheese dish (similar to au gratin potatoes) and Wado made pavlova, a signature Australian cake-like dessert.  Anthea told me her family often eats this dessert on Christmas... as they all sit on the beach.  Huh... much different than Christmas in 'ol CNY.

The pavlova Wado made looked really similar to this (see link below for a wonderful description of this scrumptious dish).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pavlova_(food)

On Thursday night, my roommate Madeline, my other friend Gabby, and I went to Exeter, a town approximately two hours away from Wollongong.  Madeline told me a few weeks ago there was a really great glow worm dell in Exeter... so we took a little over-night trip to go see them (see post from NZ to find out what a glow worm dell is).  We took the free shuttle bus to the train station where we would catch a bus to Exeter... however, things got a little tricky when we saw the bus we were supposed to be riding stopped at a red light (after we had gotten off the free shuttle, and were standing on the sidewalk).  So the three of us were standing on the sidewalk, motioning to the bus driver (stopped at the red light in the middle of traffic) that we needed to get on the bus driver.  The driver must have been having a good day or something because he opened the door to talk to us... "Where are you guys heading to?"  "We need to go to Exeter!!"... and after a few moments of thinking, "Well you better hurry up and get on the bus!"  So we crossed a busy lane of traffic to hop on the bus after it had already left the station... thank God for that bus driver!  Probably could have gotten fired for doing that.  Anyway, two hours later, we got off the bus at Exeter... a tiny town in the middle of miles of Australian farm land.  The town population is actually around 400; they have one post-office and one general store.  C Square doesn't seem so small anymore, does it?  Madeline's dad is from Australia, so she has a ton of family here.  We walked to her aunt and uncle's house (who live in Exeter); she also has two cousins who live there (a boy and a girl, approximately Collin's and my age, respectively).  As soon as her aunt opened the door, I knew it was going to be a night well spent.  Her aunt was wearing an apron and the smell of beef stroganoff wafted out the door.  Deni, Madeline's aunt, busied herself at the counter cutting carrots and broccoli for our dinner; she was so welcoming and friendly.  Madeline's uncle, Matthew, was also very welcoming.  We all talked around the counter as dinner cooked and continued to talk as we ate dinner (which was like heaven in a bowl... I forgot how good food is not from a dining hall).  Matthew drove us to the glow worm dell around 9:00 p.m. and for 45 minutes, Gabby, Madeline, and I walked down to the dell and looked at all the glow worms.  Peak glow worm viewing time is from December to February (the Australian summer), but there was still a ton of glow worms to look at.  While we were waiting for Matthew to pick us back up, we saw a wombat running across the road and into the bushes!  My first wombat sighting!  It looked like a small, but really thick-muscled, dog.  Apparently, according to Matthew, they could really mess up a car if you ran in to one.  After arriving back at their home, we drank apple cinnamon tea and ate cupcakes.  Get cuter Harden family.  We went to bed and got up the next morning at 6:00 a.m. to catch the bus back to Wollongong.  And yes, we made it on time.

Wombat.

Yesterday, Saturday, I went to the UOW men's soccer game.  There's actually three teams (an A, B, and C team), so we watched most of the B and A team games.  I went with Madeline and my friends Robbie, Will, Justin, and Zach.  After watching the soccer game, we went back to Robbie's apartment and made dinner--an Aussie style bbq again!  However, in addition to hamburgers and steak, we had shrimp!  Not that I'm a big shrimp lover... but we literally did "throw some shrimp on the barbie."  Turned out really delicious.

Today, I went to Madeline's soccer game.  She's on the girls B team.  She was so excited that I came to her game!  But that's what good friends do, right? : )  Besides that, I've been studying for a Spanish exam that I have tomorrow.

For some reason, the internet isn't working very well so I can't upload any of my photos to my blog... so I'll do that soon when the internet is working again.

Tengo estudiar para mi examen de espanol.  Espero que mi examen esta facil.  Felicitaciones si usted cuenta de lo que esto dice.   

Wonderful Weekend

First off, I'd like to apologize for not blogging for a few days!  Second, hope everyone back in the U.S. is doing well : )

This past Friday I had a physics test... and I pretty much showed it who's boss.  Or at least I think I did; we'll see when I get it back!  I was so tired from studying so much, so pretty much of all Friday afternoon I enjoyed several episodes of Season 7 of "House."  I finally learned how to stream movies on the internet here so I took full advantage on Friday (Dad, let's catch up soon!).  On Friday night I went to a local bar with a bunch of my friends... one of my friends describes it as "a room that sells beer."  I played some pool and enjoyed people watching... seemed like all of Wollongong's working class was there.  I met an Irishman at the bar--I think that's the first person I've met who lives in Ireland currently (outside from maybe two family members)!  After that, a bunch of my friends and I went to Aldi's (yes, the same one that we have in the U.S., but not as wide of a food selection) to get food to cook for dinner.  We headed over to Koolabong, which is another residential university area, although all the living spaces are like small apartments.  We made TONS of chicken fried rice, actually more all of us could eat. 

On Saturday I went to the beach for the first time in several weeks!  I know, you'd think Australia is hot all the time... but that's a sad misconception. It was probably 70 or 75 degrees, which is much hotter than it has been lately.  It was nice to lay on the beach, but in no way did I get a tan or step foot in the cold water. I did work for part of the afternoon and watched a movie at night with a bunch of my friends in the "Projector Room."  The projector room is like a mini-movie theater, although fit with big comfy couches instead.  We watched "Shutter Island"-- awesome movie!  Mostly because Leonardo DiCaprio is in it, but also because it's one of those psycho-thrillers that you just need to watch again (knowing the information you learned in the end). 

Sunday was also just a really enjoyable day.  I did a lot of homework in the morning and then at 12:30 I headed over to the "International Food Fair" that Campus East held in one of our huge parking lots.  All day Saturday and part of Sunday, teams of students took over the dining hall to cook food for their respective country. Total, there were 23 teams each cooking food from different countries.  So at the food fair, there were 23 booths with about 3 delicious dishes each.  I'd say I tried food from about half the countries... my favorite was definitely India by far.  They had butter chicken and naan... mmm, so good!  I had pad thai, which is Thai food, and fried rice from Malaysia.  I had crepes from France and kangaroo meat from Australia.  Needless to say, everyone was stuffed by the end of the fair.  There was also some cultural performances, including an Indian dancer and two of my good friends actually who've written some of their own songs.  After the food fair, I played soccer with about fifteen of my friends... also an enjoyable experience : ).

Two of my good friends, Jessie and Jesse, cooking the chicken fried rice.

Jessie and I!

The food fair--almost everyone from campus went!  Or at least I think because there were so many people there.

Indulging in some Australian "fairy bread"... buttered bread with sprinkles on top.  That's all you got Australia?  Who am I to complain... I love bread and butter.

Team USA!  Reppin' buffalo wings and peanut butter cookies.

I liked the Indian food so much I felt it necessary to take a picture of the students in front of their booth.

Team China and Team Sweden come together.  My friend from Sweden, Isak, is a pro motocross racer in his home country... sweet.  Or should I say svede?

This isn't actually a picture of the Indian food I ate, but pretty much an exact replica.  You can never go wrong with some butter chicken and naan.

Today, I've been in the library most of the day preparing for a psychology examination I have tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

My friends, Anthea and Wado, singing one of George's favorite songs, "If I Die Young."  The third guy (playing the guitar) was just an addition only for this song.  Actually, my friend's name is Sam Wade, but Australians add "o" to a lot of things they say... so instead of being called by just his last name, "Wade," it's been transformed into "Wado."

National Campaigns

When I went to Cairns a few weeks ago, I noticed that all along the highway there were signs warning people about driving while tired.  Several signs pointed toward pull-over areas... there were even billboards with sad, tired looking men, telling drivers to "Pull over before you crash."  One night, when were driving at 3:00 a.m., we tried desperately to find one of these pull-over areas, but it was to no avail.  Right when you want to sleep, you can't find a sleep area, right?  I think I noticed these signs the most in Cairns because that's one of the only times I've been in a car here; usually I take a train or bus to get from point A to B.

Take note of the "mate."  This billboard DEFINITELY came from Australia.

Another "national campaign" of sorts is one regarding the protection of people against UV rays.  We're closer to the equator here in Aussie Land, so it's pretty important to keep protected at all times.  A slogan they have here is "Slip, slap, slop"--slip on a shirt, slap on a hat, slop on some sunscreen.  Clever, huh?  Below are some advertisements, found at your local pool and beach.

Another campaign they have here is one against smoking; almost all cigarette packages have grotesque pictures of the negative effects smoking has on your body.  According to a local newspaper, "As part of the toughest antismoking legislation in the world, which is expected to go before parliament later this year, all packets would be the same colour – an ugly olive green – and will come plastered with graphic health warnings including pictures of diseased eyes, rotting teeth and young children in hospital."  The article where this quote came from dates April 2011, and I'm almost positive I've seen of these cigarette packages around already.  Actually I'm sure I have, or else I wouldn't have been prompted to look up this information about smoking.  With a government that provides most everything for everyone, they're bound to take the tax payers dollar and put it toward anti-smoking campaigns.  That was pretty harsh actually... but you get my drift.

Aussie Music

This is my favorite Aussie song!  Actually I just looked up the band on Wikipedia and they're from England, but this song is pretty popular in Australia.

I first heard this song on "Triple J," Australia's most popular radio station.  "Triple J" is broadcast nationally; it plays all sorts of Aussie band music.

http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/

And just for kicks, here's my new favorite song... by the one and only Lady Gaga ("The Edge of Glory").

More About Australian Culture

Remember that post I wrote about the conservation efforts in Australia?  Well I have another effort by UOW that cuts down on pollution... they offer free parking to students driving cars carrying three or more passengers.  Usually once or twice a week, one of my Aussies friends, Alice, drives me and another girl to uni because we're all in the same Spanish class.  So there you have it, Australia rewards those who car pool.


Another thing about Australia that's different... no one says "God bless you" after you sneeze.  I can't tell you how many times I've sneezed in class, in the dining hall, or in the library, and NO ONE around me acknowledged it with a "God bless you."  The other day, for the first time, someone said that to me after I sneezed at uni.  I was immediately surprised because I though, "Oh my goodness, Australians do acknowledge sneezes," but then I remembered that guy might not have been Australian.... he could have been from anywhere around the world.


The other day I said to my roommate "It's ten of 3" and she had no idea what I was talking about.  Apparently they only say "It's ten to 3."  Also, Australians only say "It's ten past 4," not "It's ten after 4."  We both speak English, but the language barrier continues to persist!

One of my good Australian mates, Andrew Griffin, or "Finn" as many of my friends like to call him, walked in while I was writing this post (he looks like the character "Finn" on the show "Glee).  Finn is one of the most athletic Australians I know; he plays tennis, footie, and rugby--the three main sports played here.  I promised Finn a shout-out in my blog--so here's to you Finn!

And Life in Aussie Land Goes On

Not too much has been going on down here in Wollongong.  On Monday, a few of my friends and I went to a local bar to play some pool and socialize with other people who go to UOW.  My friend Megan and I entered ourselves in a pool tournament; we won the first game by default (the opposing team hit in both the white and black ball on the same turn) and lost our second game.  The rules of Australian pool are the same as American pool (I'm like 95% sure) but the balls are different colors.  There's no stripes or non-stripes; the balls are red and yellow.

On Tuesday, I had uni from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. and the rest of the day I did school work at uni.  Tuesday night, a bunch of my friends and I went to trivia at a local restaurant/bar, Towradgi.  Every Tuesday night, Towradgi hosts trivia; usually about 50 people show up.  The host of trivia, this half-Australian, half-British man, is actually one of the most obnoxious people I've ever met.  There's no shortage of swear words in the air when the host speaks--fun game, but I'm not so keen on the host.  When I went last week (that was my third time going), there was a huge group of us, almost all American.  About half way through the game, the host realized we were an "American" team and 'boo'ed' us every time we got an answer right.  So much for American love, right?  Actually his 'boo'ing' made us cheer even louder when we got an answer right... just so we could prove how smart our team was!  In the end, we came in second place (we lost by one point), so we were the lucky recipients of a free bottle of wine.

On Wednesday, it was my friends birthday--Jessica, another girl who goes to Colgate.  Megan and I went to Weerona College to celebrate her birthday with a few of our other friends.  Weerona College is very similar to Campus East, it's a place where students who attend UOW live.  I had the option to live in Weerona before coming to Australia, but I chose Campus East instead.  Weerona is closer to uni and the center of Wollongong, but the residency is all dorm style at Weerona (so all the rooms are doubles and whole halls share one bathroom).  It looks and feels like a freshman dorm at Colgate... which is not what I wanted to experience as a third-year college student.  Anyway,  we had a fun time celebrating her birthday!

Yesterday, Saturday, I didn't do much; mostly just lounged around.  Megan and I watched part of a movie and I did some homework.

Today, I accidentally woke up pretty late (11:00 a.m.--I think that's a PR) and have been doing homework ever since.  I also went running for an hour, which felt really good.  I'm really going to miss running on the beach when I go back to the U.S.; its so nice to hear and watch the waves while you run along the sandy shoreline.  I actually like running on the sand sometimes because it's more of a work out--you have to run harder because the sand is so soft, you sort of sink into it with every step.  I'm thinking of investing in a pair of "Five Finger" shoes...  they're better for your feet.  I'm going to read more about the benefits of running with pretty much no padding on your feet (unlike modern day running shoes) in the book "Born to Run."

Colgate Goes to Sydney

This past weekend the Colgate group went to Sydney... and Colgate paid for almost everything!  Thanks Colgate : )  On Saturday we caught the 9:30 a.m. train to Sydney; we arrived around 11:00 a.m. and went to our hostel.  After dropping our bags off at the hostel, we headed to Taronga Zoo, Sydney's biggest zoo (Sydney has two, but apparently the other one isn't as good as Taronga).  The zoo was huge!  We were there for four hours and didn't even see the whole thing; well actually we only missed a few exhibits.  Saw some really great animal shows (sea lions and giraffes) and some really interesting animals only found in Australia.  For example, I saw a real, live platypus!  It was surprisingly small, not as big as you'd think. 

Later that night we went to a Thai restaurant.  On Sunday we went to street markets, all very wonderful.  And then at 2:00 p.m. we went to a matinee performance of "The Fellowship of the Ring."  It was absolutely wonderful--I explain more in detail with the pictures below.

In front of the opera house!  This was the view from our hostel.

Welcome to Taronga Zoo!  We had to take a Ferry from Sydney Harbor to the zoo.

This is the ferry we took to the zoo... not our exact ferry but an exact replica.

The view of the Sydney Opera House from our ferry!  Beautiful.

This wasn't actually an exhibit in the zoo; these spider webs were on a few trees just outside the zoo entrance.  However, they could have been an exhibit!  In this picture there's 5 I believe; the spiders here are huge!

Not every day you see an elephant and a palm tree in the same place.

Giraffes and zebras... found in your typical American zoo.

Peacock that was chilling in the middle of the walk way.

Shorter than the average baby giraffe.

Baby hippopotamus.

The Colgate group at "Sailer Thai"!  Actually there's about four people missing from this photograph.  The restaurant we went to just had one long table in the middle, so actually the people sitting to my left and in front of me were total strangers.  This was the second time I've had Thai food and it was delicious!  Curry always comes out on top as my favorite, but the duck and pork belly I tried were also delightful.  Yeah, be proud mom and dad, I tried duck and pork belly.  My professor, Ken Segall, is sitting across from me.

An Aboriginal man playing the didgeridoo on a walkway right near Sydney Harbor.  Really cool music.  I learned that depending on the density and size (width) of the didgeridoo, the sounds it produces are different.

Inside the Sydney Opera House!  Fun fact of the day:  The architect of the opera house was inspired to design it (as the way it stands today) when peeling an orange.  When viewed from the side especially, you can make out the triangular pieces of orange slices.  The Sydney Opera House has two concert halls and one restaurant, so three buildings total.

Inside the theater!  We saw "The Lords of Rings:  The Fellowship of the Ring."  The movie played on the screen, but all the music was played live by the Sydney Symphony orchestra and two choirs (about 100 singers total).  At first I was skeptical (Lord of the Rings? Come on.) but I actually think it was one of the most wonderful shows I've ever seen.  Maybe it's because I absolutely love listening to orchestras and live vocal performances, or because I've never seen LOTR before, or because I was in the SYDNEY OPERA HOUSE, but I fell in love with the whole thing.  The music was so clear; you could actually see different instruments entering and exiting the pieces as the music progressed.  Unbelievable, absolutely stunning.

The Sydney Symphony!  No big.

All in all, great time had by all.  I'm going to go back to Sydney probably one or two more times before heading back to America.  Can't wait to go back again!

Cultural Oddities

Since coming to Australia, I've noticed just how much Australians conserve everything from toilet water to non-reusable bags.  Below are some photos which demonstrate how much Australians, or rather the Australian government, likes to push conservationist policies.  (Or maybe these are just small things the U.S. doesn't do, which makes me think Australia is so much more sustainable than the U.S.)

The toilet in my bathroom.  Every toilet in Australia, and New Zealand for that matter, utilizes these two buttons to flush.  The one on the right (half grey, half white) is for a half-flush--only have as much water is used to flush your business.  Conversely, the button on the right allows for a full flush... for those days when your food just isn't sitting right.  So every time you flush, you're saving gallons of water.  Although I guess the whole water conservation thing is optional, because the option is there to be wasteful. ALSO!  Common misconception:  When flushing, the water in the toilet bowl DOES NOT flow around the bowl in the opposite direction.  The water just rushes down the hole in a flurry of aquatic excitement. 

These are the re-usable bags UOW has given me since arriving three months ago (minus one). FOUR BAGS, all for free!  Excessive much? 

Not on the topic of conservation, this is the entrance to Campus East...

Always a reminder of my Australian home!



New Roommate!

About a week and a half ago, my roommate Ehsan moved out of our room.  He moved to a different part of campus that was cheaper to live in for the semester.

Just three days ago, a first-year named Matt moved in to Ehsan's room.  It'll be interesting to have a new roommate half way through the semester! 

Matt, Madeline, and I played soccer this afternoon with a bunch of other people who live in Campus East, two of them, Mike and Zach, being some of my friends from Colgate.  It felt so good to run around and kick a ball; I forgot how much I enjoy playing soccer... and how good it makes me feel physically and mentally.  Definitely a great time!

Surprisingly Delightful

I had my best uni day today; I saw and went to many things that couldn't help but put a smile on my face.  Lucky that I had my camera today, so I was able to capture all that made me happy... and I hope they make you happy too : )

An Australian Magpie eating a piece of bread I gave to it.  According to Wikipedia, " The male and female are similar in appearance, and can be distinguished by differences in back markings. With its long legs, the Australian Magpie walks rather than waddles or hops and spends much time on the ground. This adaptation has led to some authorities maintaining it in its own genus Gymnorhina. Described as one of Australia's most accomplished songbirds, the Australian Magpie has an array of complex vocalisations."

Local ponds ducks eating bread I gave to them.  I don't know what types of ducks these are, but they're pretty, right?

 
What looks to be a grandmother and her granddaughter eating lunch near the pond on campus.  I was sitting near them, thinking about much I would like to have lunch with my grandmas at a pond on a sunny day : )  Love you GMags and GPat!  Again, how can you not smile at this lovely sight?

A bunch of guys playing my favorite sport--soccer.  At around 1:00 p.m., looked like they were playing a pick-up game; I really wanted to jump in but that may have been weird.

A small "carnival" of sorts going on in the middle of uni.  A fashion show was taking place in the center, surrounded by several booths with prize give-aways.  I was the lucky recipient of a free apple.

A milk bar on wheels!  Those who know me well know that milk has always been, and always will be, my drink of choice.  So a whole bus dedicated to this delicious drink, in three flavors (chocolate, strawberry, and banana) felt a little like heaven.  (P.S.- Bananas and milk should never be mixed.)  Also, this truck is not an everyday thing... special occasion at UOW today!

A stamp I bought today at uni, purely because it has William and Kate on it.  Celebrating love on a stamp... genius.



Australian Things

I've going to start a new segment in my blog called "Australian Things."  Creative, I know, but I couldn't think of a better name for things I love, that can only be found, in Australia.  Actually, some of these things may be found outside Australia, but they will forever remind me of Australia.

Magnum:  the best ice cream bar you will ever have in your life.  This one, "Ego Caramel," is my personal favorite--regular vanilla ice cream coated in hard chocolate, but another layer of caramel and hard chocolate on top of that.  Heaven on a stick.  There's several other flavors; "Peppermint" is an especially rare Magnum species, but always enjoyable when you do find it in your nearest petrol (gas) station.

 

Pump/Super Pump:  your regular water bottle but with a convenient nozzle for casual sipping.  There's just something about this water bottle brand that always makes you want to drink water out of it.

Shapes:  brand of crackers in every flavor and shape possible.  Our dining hall sells these by the box, but they can also be found in your neighborhood grocery store.  My person favorites are "Chicken Crimpy," "Cheese," and "Barbeque."  Of course, each of those flavors comes in its own specialized shape.  A perfect snack for traveling on the road... my friend Keith here is modeling "Shapes" on our road trip to Cairns.

Hungry Jack's:  the Australian equivalent of Burger King.  I haven't actually been to a Hungry Jack's, but I hear it's as good as the 'ol BK... minus chicken nuggets/tenders.

Starburst "Babies" candy:  fruit chews in the shape of babies.  I guess America is alright with fruit-shaped fruit chews, but not baby-shaped fruit chews... Cannibalistic?

Milo:  the most delicious, versatile chocolate substance known to man.  "Milo" comes in powdered form, a cereal, and a candy bar... that I know of so far.  You can make chocolate milk from the powder and the cereal, hot chocolate from the power, chocolate Milo bars dipped in chocolate milk made from Milo powder... the possibilities are endless.

Tim Tams:  the most milk-dipping conducive cookie I've ever eaten.  "Tim Tams" are Australia's most popular cookie, or biscuit as they say here; they come in nearly ten different flavors.  Two biscuits with a cream layer in the middle, surrounded by a thin layer of chocolate.  If you bite the two opposite ends off, you can dip it in milk and use it as a straw.  The result:  an hard outer core of chocolate with a soft cookie inside... also heaven in a package.

Wow, almost all the things I wrote about are food!  Sweets nonetheless.  Australian 15?