Song of the Day: O.A.R. - Hey Girl - Live from MSG
Here is a photo of me and a penguin at St. Kilda Beach. Most of them are hiding in the rocks, but this one decided to venture down under the walkway.
life down under
I don’t know where to begin. I arrived almost 2 weeks ago and it has been amazing so far. I was staying in a hostel the first week while looking for a place to rent while I am here and was able to come across a place a bit north of the city in a nice neighborhood close to a lot of shops, cafes, and more importantly, the tram. I am living with two German exchange students and then a guy from China in the second year of his Master’s program.
My first week was spent meeting a lot of the international students and exploring the city together. BBQ’s are quite popular here since the city has electric grills placed all over the city including along the river and throughout the parks. One of the reasons why I love Melbourne so much is because of all of the parks/greenery it has along with the area along the river. Anyway, a couple of the International Office workers through a BBQ for us since most of us arrived early to either look for places to live or settle in before orientation and such. I was able to try kangaroo which was actually really, really good. I tried the ‘roo steaks and burgers. It reminded me of venison but much more flavorful and tender.
The rest of the week when we were not at orientation or enrolment, most of our time was spent at a beach. We went to the St. Kilda Beach which is quite popular in Melbourne since it is right there and if you walk to the end of the pier, you can see the penguins! It was neat to see the penguins in person up close. On Saturday, four of us went and checked out this surfer’s beach that we had been recommended to see. At first, we just hung out in the MASSIVE waves and then we decided to get surf boards…that was interesting. Surfing is a lot harder than it looks and we would just get slammed by the waves, but it was fun. I think the onlookers also enjoyed watching us surf.
A few of us also learned how to play Aussie Rules Football which is a lot of fun and is a much faster pace game than the American Football. When the season starts up, we will be able to go and watch some professional games nearby. We are also planning to check out a cricket game while here. There is a big formula 1 race here in a couple weeks that some people are going to, but I just have never been a fan of racing or could really get into it.
In the next few days I will post some more about the trip I planned for Spring Break and then the event I have been convinced to do at the end of the semester, but for now, I am off to bed since I have 6 hours of lecture to look forward to in the morning.
Cheers.
Nick
Photo of the Day: Yes, I fell asleep at dinner while waiting for the food. My good friend jetlag and I do not get along. Looks like more will be coming as I am getting ready to head to the airport to take off for Australia tonight! (or morning for you folks back in the States)
Food of the Day: Pineapple fried rice. This is very common around Thailand. Normally they serve in on the street with the top of the pineapple cut off and you just use a fork and go at it. This is from a restaurant so they cut the pineapple in half so everyone at the table can share.
Thai Style Movie Theaters!
After dinner one of the nights, we decided to go see a movie. I was in for quite the surprise as far as the set up of the movie theaters in Thailand. After you purchase your tickets and snacks, you proceed to this lounge room that has electronic massage chairs and various other seating arrangements. The waitress comes around and takes drink orders and then alerts you when the movie is about to start. Throughout the movie, the waitress brings/refills your drink for you and brings you cookies. The chairs in the movie theater are INCREDIBLE!! They come with a quilt and pillow on the seat and they recline fully so you are essentially laying down and they are the most comfortable chairs I have ever sat in, especially for a movie. And yes, I did fall asleep for part of the movie, but then again, who wouldn’t in these chairs?
Here are a couple photos from when I took a hot air balloon ride in Luxor, Egypt on my last day. The balloon ride was at sunrise so I was able to see the sunrise over the Nile. Simply GORGEOUS and very peaceful. Nothing like being 2,900 feet in the air in a basket. Definitely something I would recommend everyone to do and I would love to do again, but first I would like to sky dive before a 2nd balloon ride.
A couple photos from the elephant show. They had the elephants riding a trike, playing soccer football, painting, bowling, basketball, and giving massages among a few other things.
Photo of the Day: the smiling elephant. Maybe it is just me, but the elephant looks as if it smiling for the photo.
