Getting caught up

Man oh man - it has been a couple weeks since I updated everybody on my random meanderings in Australia, but thanks to Renato, I was reminded to write on my blog today - and what a perfect day to do it, since it is the close of the week (Sunday) and I am not feeling my best. Being sick is no fun, especially when I have no idea really what my insurance here covers. But lucky for me, my excessive sleeping today has seemed to calm down my sore throat, stomach ache, body ache, and random chills/hot spells I have been suffering today. I slept all the way through till 3 in the afternoon, only awake to grab some breakfast, and then some lunch, and then hit the bed again. I am pretty sure this has come from staying up late and being rundown, but yesterday all of us in the dorms took an awesome tour in the swan valley which I am sure didn't help as well. Now this tour, I am sure you are wondering, was a wine, cheese, chocolate, and beer tour. Mmm. So, the mixture of alcohol, plus HOT sun, plus not enough water I am sure helped make me feel not so great today, but it was totally worth it. We started off at a couple of wineries, and although I have been to both before with my dad, it was fun to experience it with a group my age. The cheese was amazing, as was the chocolate (you had to eat it very quickly otherwise it would melt in a puddle in your hand), and rose wine is always a favorite. One of the perks, I guess, of being in Australia is that the drinking age is 18, so we can enjoy a drink with dinner (at a restaurant, as Notre Dame is a dry campus, and therefore dry dorms as well), but by the time I am back in the states, my 21st birthday will have come and gone, so I will have the experience of going out to the bars in the states to look forward to!

I am getting into the swing of things - balancing homework with beach time with work with my social life, but summer is coming to an end here and I hate to see it go (maybe not the 100+ degree F days, but there's just something about summer that is wonderful)! My accent has been mistaken for being Irish twice at work and it always cracks me up. Irish. Hmm...not quite American, but hey, I like accents, so I take it as a compliment. On St. Patty's day all of us from the dorms went down to the local Irish Pub, Rosie O'Grady's and enjoyed the festivities there, which were going on all day, as I work two doors down and watched a flock of people meander that way throughout the day.

I have learned to play net ball, which is similar to ultimate frisbee and basketball. In the sense of ultimate frisbee, you are not allowed to run with the ball (at all), and like basketball because you shoot in a hoop (with no backboard). It's a tricky game but very popular here in Australia. There is no dribbling of the ball either. It was fun being a 'shooter' in the dorm vs. dorm game, although the dorm I am in, Port Lodge, lost.

I have been able to spend a few weekend here with my "family" and it is great having them around. The kids have taken to calling me Auntie Mimi, as the youngest can't pronounce Megan and instead says Mimi...I saw my first wild kangaroos with them last weekend, although it's like seeing deer in Colorado - not that exciting apparently. But I was excited! Gina - I will have to work on becoming good friends with one so I can ride in it's pouch....

Back in Colorado, there was daylight savings time, but not here in Western Australia, so now I am only 14 hours ahead...it still makes Skyping people tricky, as I have to be on in the late morning so it is evening there...

I've already taken one field trip for my Natural Resource Management class down to a National Park in Jarrahdale, which was beautiful, and have another tomorrow at 7:30am. Makes me glad I live right on campus so I don't have to wake up early to catch the train. I've had one paper due, and I am nervous to get it back, but I just have to remember the grading system here is different...no As, Bs, or Cs. It's HD (High Distinction), D (Distinction), C (Credit? I think...) and so on...C being the most common, and HD being very hard to get. My friend told me C is for cookie, and that will make me feel better, as a C here is better that a C in the American system, but not by the looks of it.

We are doing an Iron Chef competition for each cooking group, and my group one the first round, which means we are off clean-up duty for this next round! Whoohoo!!! We have had some excellent dinners and deserts made, one of my favorites being dirt cake with gummy worms!

It is really nice having the campus chapel merely 40 steps away from my back door, but the other week I made it to St. Patrick's Basilica for a daily Mass. Although I was the youngest there, it is always refreshing to go to Mass and I always leave with a smile on my face. I have yet to find a group nearly as good as the St. Tom's community, so if y'all wouldn't mind praying that I find a group like that here, that would be wonderful. The Basilica is absolutely gorgeous, and as there are no kneelers in the chapel, it was nice to be down on my knees. There are some difference is the Mass, but none that are drastic. There is, however, no requirement to fast from meat here in Australia on Fridays (I don't know why), which is a good thing as a few weeks it has slipped my mind.

In two weeks time it will be Eater break (we get the whole week off plus Good Friday) and I am ready for a relaxing week, plus time to get caught up on all my work. As I was not feeling good today, I left my laundry undone, and my errands around town unchecked on my to-do list, but I promise postcards are coming...

Time to do some ethics reading on St. Thomas Aquinas so I can get to bed at a decent time tonight. Maybe there'll be more dreams of Boulder...

Miss you all!
Meg

joey!

feeding a baby kangaroo at Caversham Wildlife Park

Tim Tam Slam

It has been nearly a month since I have been in Australia and time has flown by! Besides getting situated in my dorm, hanging out with the Americans, and meeting people in class, I now have to get down to business and STUDY. Yikes. School here is very into independent learning, as we have an essay and a final in all my classes, and really no homework. Having Wednesday and Thursday off in the middle of the week is like a little weekend, but I have found a job to take up one of those days. I now work at Healthy Byte Cafe and Catering, making sandwiches in the morning and serving customers up front during the lunch time. It was a little stressful learning how to work a cash register during the lunch rush hour, but hopefully next week will be easier. But hey, cash in the pocket is something to have here!
I am slowly picking up on the Australian sports, and so far enjoy watching footy (Australian Rules Football) and even cricket! I am learning to play net ball, which is similar to ultimate frisbee.
A favorite midnight snack has become a Tim Tam Slam. Soooo good. Tim Tams are similar to the E.L. Fudge cookies we have back home, but they are chocolate covered. When you bite of opposite corners and drink milk through the "biscuit" like a straw, you have a Tim Tam Slam! So good!
Yesterday I joined all the study abroad students in a day trip to Caversham Wildlife Park where we got to enjoy a day of Koala and Kangaroo petting! I am still waiting to see one in the wild, though, but they are oh so cute and very soft! I wish I could take a joey (baby kangaroo) home with me!
Well, it is time to enjoy the nice weather outside! It has been much cooler this week than last (being in the 80s), but is expected to be back in the 90s real soon. Perfect weather for the beach!