zoology & geography
so i missed a few days of posting -- sorry about that. it's been a bit hectic.
sunday was a day of excursions. the first to paddy's market - aka chinatown marketstyle. got an adapter plug thingy for my already dead computer after hours upon hours of spider solitaire played to no avail.
we went to the zoo. holy friggin cow! all the animals were so amazing! koalas, dingos, red pandas, echidnas, everything.
sydney harbour is one of the most amazing sites ever. i can't even believe how beautiful it is. the water is so clear, like in cancun, yet it's a westernized city. so very bizarre, yet so very lovely.
i really want to move here. which is probably relatively troublesome to my loved ones...but it's so wonderful. winter isn't depressing - it's quite uplifting and perfectly lovely.
everyone is so friendly and helpful here. For the most part they don't pass me off as a "stupid American" and are really accomodating. it's quite nice.
yesterday we got "oriented" to the library. as if i don't already know how to use a library...but i spend 2 hours learning it "just in case". whatever that was fine. i visted the travel agent on campus, and am filling the role of "group travel agent". haha. i'm taking after my mom already. we're trying to arrange a trip on our "mid semester break" (yes we actually get one) so i'm sort of spearheading hte planning on that.
interesting to see the different levels of travelsmarts amongst my colleagues. i don't think i've really realized how well traveled and worldly i am in comparison and i am truly becoming thankful for all of my knowledge. i also have the ability to smartly budget...where as others don't have money to travel because they are spending $50 every other day on beer and haven't quite figured that out..i'm going to get some amazing opportunities to see a whole lot of the country while i'm here.
today was the first day of class. so very interesting. PLEASE. if you ever get the chance
- read australian history as it's told by australians.
- come to australia
- learn the REAL size of australia, NOT in the common representation we find in north america. it's fricken huge. i mean, it's at it's widest point, about 4000k. it's a 37 hr drive from Sydney to Cairns up the east cost, and they are by no means the southern or northern most cities. this country is HUGE.
- learn more about geography. did you know that Tasmania is NOT a country? i didn't. i totally thought it was a country, and i DEFINITELY didn't know it was south of australia. it totally is. furthermore, it is PART of Australia -- it's an Australian State. Newfoundland is to canada as tasmania is to australia (maybe not....as newfoundland is a bit more of an armpit than tasmania seems to be, but definitely in the sense that they are a state/province that is an island off the coast of the mainland! furthermore, australia is a bazillion islands (i can't remember if she said 30 or 300) all together. it's not just the big one!
- most importantly, i now have internet at home as well as wireless internet at school. i'm perfectly sorted out, now. :)
oh! of course the last bit --- my computer is so smart! it shut down at the library cause it was out of batteries - while i was writing this so i figured it was lost - oh no! it remembered everything!! wahoo. :)
ok kids. i think that's all for me now..i should probably do some homework. i'll write soon, and pictures, i promise!
love,
krysta
add: if you look very closely at the picture of me that I just added, there is a koala buried in the eucalyptus tree. amazingly enough, they camoflouge VERY well! i took that picture 6 or 7 times and when i looked at my camera, i thought i kept missing the bear...but when i got home and zoomed in, he was there everytime hiding. it will probably take a few days for my fotolog to catch up to the zoo trip...i have amazing shots from before that already (already 160shots!) stay tuned!
sunday was a day of excursions. the first to paddy's market - aka chinatown marketstyle. got an adapter plug thingy for my already dead computer after hours upon hours of spider solitaire played to no avail.
we went to the zoo. holy friggin cow! all the animals were so amazing! koalas, dingos, red pandas, echidnas, everything.
sydney harbour is one of the most amazing sites ever. i can't even believe how beautiful it is. the water is so clear, like in cancun, yet it's a westernized city. so very bizarre, yet so very lovely.
i really want to move here. which is probably relatively troublesome to my loved ones...but it's so wonderful. winter isn't depressing - it's quite uplifting and perfectly lovely.
everyone is so friendly and helpful here. For the most part they don't pass me off as a "stupid American" and are really accomodating. it's quite nice.
yesterday we got "oriented" to the library. as if i don't already know how to use a library...but i spend 2 hours learning it "just in case". whatever that was fine. i visted the travel agent on campus, and am filling the role of "group travel agent". haha. i'm taking after my mom already. we're trying to arrange a trip on our "mid semester break" (yes we actually get one) so i'm sort of spearheading hte planning on that.
interesting to see the different levels of travelsmarts amongst my colleagues. i don't think i've really realized how well traveled and worldly i am in comparison and i am truly becoming thankful for all of my knowledge. i also have the ability to smartly budget...where as others don't have money to travel because they are spending $50 every other day on beer and haven't quite figured that out..i'm going to get some amazing opportunities to see a whole lot of the country while i'm here.
today was the first day of class. so very interesting. PLEASE. if you ever get the chance
- read australian history as it's told by australians.
- come to australia
- learn the REAL size of australia, NOT in the common representation we find in north america. it's fricken huge. i mean, it's at it's widest point, about 4000k. it's a 37 hr drive from Sydney to Cairns up the east cost, and they are by no means the southern or northern most cities. this country is HUGE.
- learn more about geography. did you know that Tasmania is NOT a country? i didn't. i totally thought it was a country, and i DEFINITELY didn't know it was south of australia. it totally is. furthermore, it is PART of Australia -- it's an Australian State. Newfoundland is to canada as tasmania is to australia (maybe not....as newfoundland is a bit more of an armpit than tasmania seems to be, but definitely in the sense that they are a state/province that is an island off the coast of the mainland! furthermore, australia is a bazillion islands (i can't remember if she said 30 or 300) all together. it's not just the big one!
- most importantly, i now have internet at home as well as wireless internet at school. i'm perfectly sorted out, now. :)
oh! of course the last bit --- my computer is so smart! it shut down at the library cause it was out of batteries - while i was writing this so i figured it was lost - oh no! it remembered everything!! wahoo. :)
ok kids. i think that's all for me now..i should probably do some homework. i'll write soon, and pictures, i promise!
love,
krysta
add: if you look very closely at the picture of me that I just added, there is a koala buried in the eucalyptus tree. amazingly enough, they camoflouge VERY well! i took that picture 6 or 7 times and when i looked at my camera, i thought i kept missing the bear...but when i got home and zoomed in, he was there everytime hiding. it will probably take a few days for my fotolog to catch up to the zoo trip...i have amazing shots from before that already (already 160shots!) stay tuned!