Blog entries are becoming part of my Sunday routine!! I will try and briefly reflect on the week that has passed:) Can anyone believe that I have been here for exactly a month today!! I feel like I just got here yesterday, but at the same time have been here for a very long time..it is strange.
Last Sunday evening: A beautiful family dinner (all my flatmates) of mashed potatoes, peas, marinated chicken (by Kelsey and I) and dim sum, dumplings and stir fry veggies (from...who thinks my Singaporean roommate..that would be my first guess..but no..from my French roommate)! It was a smorgasbord of of diverse food and flat 39 love!
Monday: A trip to Salvo's (that's right the unique name of the Salvation Army in Australia) to find long-strapped, little bags (to bring clubbing, that won't get lost and still allows dancing to happen). acceptable purse found! Miss-estimated bus timing...missed my class (but no worries it is recorded and put on the web..so who REALLY needs to go to class :). Beautiful part of missing class...Kelsey and I made delicious grilled cheese and soup..perfect on a rainy day :)
Monday Night: Kelsey: "Hey Lauren, there is a Community Chorus in Perth that Murdoch students are welcome to go to, we should go!
Lauren: "That sounds great Kels!"
Acquire Directions, travel thirty minutes on three different modes of transportation (luck was on our side it could have taken an hour), things are looking up, we end up at the University of Western Australia, we find the room, we sit down, people are friendly....
Then with no warm-ups we jump into some baroque classical tunes in German, Latin, and Italian. They have supposedly been practicing them for weeks, but the ladies beside us aren't even singing for most of it. There are two tenors. Most people are over forty.....not my musical scene. But a great experience none-the-less!
Tuesday:Kelsey and I feel ambitious and the sun is out, so we go for a run. Things are going great, my foot is feel good (I hurt it about a month and a half ago). We search for this pond that we were told about and find it quite quickly. It is beautiful and we are starting the loop when.............Yes folks it begins to rain...not just rain pour..harder and harder. Kelsey and I brave it for a while, but when our shoes fill with water and we can no longer see where we are going, we head back. Short-lived and very wet, but a great laugh.
Tuesday Night: Slow night. But we made delicious tacos! I went to my friend Tina's house to watch Shrek and Finding Nemo. We are writing papers on them for our Children and the Media class.
Wednesday: Up early for another day of teaching in Kindy! Today the weather is warm and beautiful! I get to the bus stop just as the bus is pulling up and have a very enjoyable walk to school. I get there on time to speak with Jannine, Carrie, and Alex (the full-prac) about the day and we greet all the students as the get to school. It was Hazels birthday and boy was she EXCITED!!! Bopping all around exclaiming that she is five today!! We started our unit on the sea and will be going to the beach on September 9th! To end our unit on dinosaurs we were paleontologists and gave each child a cup that had plaster and dinosaurs in it. They wore toy hard hats and had little hammers (sans goggles...a little scary) and started hammering away at the plaster and brushing away the dust to find their dinosaurs! So exciting! We had cupcakes for snack and did some painting (which of course I got all over myself)! During free play my favorite child (shh..don't tell anyone else) Adi (a four year old adorable little boy, who I am quite sure has a high-functioning form of autism) was putting together a puzzle and Miss Jannine asked him what the picture was of. He responded with the correct answer "rainbow" and then she asked him if he could read all the letters in the word. For a boy that doesn't talk much and has social and physical difficulty, he stood there and very clearly said R-A-I-N-B-O-W! Need I say more, it was so beautiful :-D Those are the little things that make life wonderful! It was a super day in Kindy!
Then I met Kelsey and we went to some op shops (thrift stores) in Fremantle. Good Sammy's! Is incredible I got a beautiful teal dress for three dollars and found an even better long-strapped purse for two dollars! They are much better stalked here and quite clean!
Wednesday Night: Volleyball with the sustainability club! There were about twenty of us that played. I went with Kelsey even though I am not technically in the club. All of our Australian friends are in it and there were some other random players that we met. It was great fun!
Thursday: Full of classes! Pepresentation and Gender is so interesting! The lecturer is so captivating and knowledgeable; it is extremely good!
Thursday night: Moondyne Joe's again! There were about fifteen of us there to support Keith. It was strange because our Australian friends were there with us and it seems like we have known them for so long, but Kelsey had met them only a week ago in the same place! Kelsey and Keith did a duet!! It was so beautiful! I love open mic nights:)
Friday: pretty uneventful, started one of the three papers that I have to finish by Thursday (because we are leaving for the northwest trip!!!!) It's a challenge because I am not sure how they like their papers done here in Australia! The prompts I have are very broad and quite vague.... I went for a gorgeous run around the lake!!! It was the perfect day; the sun was out and the pond was full of swans and ducks. It is a protected park so there is a lot of foliage and bush vegetation!
Friday Night: Fight Club with my German friend Lisa, some American friends, some Australians.
Saturday: My paper on Home Alone and Finding Nemo!! Very difficult to write, finally got the final draft done today of over eight pages!
Saturday Night: Summer Heights High (ridiculous mockumentary) that we watched with Lucy and Julie!
Sunday: Finished my rough draft, one paper to go! I am playing ultimate frisbee at three (trying out the club team). I have been told no experience is necessary, hopefully that is true :) Really excited!
I will put more pictures up onto Picassa today!!! There are not too many as I keep forgetting to bring my camera out, but they are fun! Miss you all soo much, but I am having a fantabulous time here! Hope to hear from you soon <3
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Fish Face *Pucker Pucker*
Soo..I realized today that it has been a whole week since I have written a blog entry! Things are starting to get quite busy!
So I will try to give you a short recap of the week :)
Monday- My Children and the Media professor continued to talk in circles and make no concrete points during his lecture. My German friend Tina asked if I could understand what he was talking about because she thought it might be an English barrier..but nope.
Tuesday- First Photo tutorial! I am so excited about this class, but I think it will be very challenging. There are a lot of very experienced photographers in the class with their fancy cameras and their love of micro-pinhole photography...seriously? Tuesday night I went to see G.I. Joe with my roommate Nelson. He is from Singapore and we met about twenty other Asians at the movie theater. It was very cool to be the token white girl for a change. Everyone was so friendly. The movie was action-packed, I liked it. After GELARE=gelato and dessert waffles with cream and/or gelato on top. Yes, Australians eat pancakes, muffins, and waffles for dessert NOT breakfast. They also do NOT eat peanut butter and jelly..sad day.
Wednesday- My first day of student teaching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get up early with only a slight idea of how to get to the school. I am all professionally dressed and I head out the door to a beautiful windy downpour. Even with a rain jacket and umbrella the rain whips all over me. I get to the bus stop and one side of my body is drenched and my pants are sticking to my bum and my shoes are squishing....yuck! Then my ten minute bus ride gives me a few minutes to dry off a little and the rain slows down. I manage to press the button for the correct stop, step off the bus, and guess what ...it starts to pour harder this time and it's so windy that an umbrella cannot even be used. I start what should be a five minute walk. My map is out and getting soaked. I have to stop halfway through the walk to stand under an awning because I am drenched! I don't want to be late so I suck it up and walk through it and finally find the school (it is in a small house across from the primary school). At first i try to go in the wrong door and as I am walking around to find the other one I manage to step in a humongous puddle!.....So I looked extremely professional and put together as I walked into the building my pants soaked through and my shoes two big puddles. I met my teacher "Miss Jannine" and the assistant teacher "Miss Carrie". They are both so sweet and it was immediately puzzle time and I sat down in all my wetness to help three girls put together a dinosaur puzzle. I quickly learned that this kindy class is actually a pre-kindy class, so my students are all 4 and 5. Their accents quickly stole my heart as parents continued to drop off their kids and stayed to help put together puzzles. Morning meeting started and soon I was introduced to all twenty students. The ooed and aahed over the fact that I am from the United States and were amused by the way that I talk. We went to play outside and of course...the sun had come out, it was warm and beautiful. Haha just my luck! Soon I was stomping around like a dinosaur, leading a game of tag, and talking on my plastic "mobile phone." I quickly learned everyone's names and attitudes and was informed that our classroom is inclusive, with a few students with learning and behavior disorders. The rest of the day (which is from 8:30-3) was spent in small groups or at play time. I led a sewing activity, rhyming games, and puzzle making. It was such a fun day and I am so relieved to have the teacher that I am with. She is friendly, helpful, and informative and wants to know all about the similarities and differences between here and the U.S. By the end of the day I was exhausted and my shoes and socks were still soaked, although the rest of me had finally dried. I can't wait to go back next week!
After a shower and a heater Kelsey and I got ready to celebrate our friend Keith's birthday. We went over to his flat and his flatmates Jess, Darren, and Ray cooked dinner. Delicious! We decorated the flat and ate cake that Kelsey made!! It came out well even in our decrepit oven. We celebrated with champagne and an asian drink called Lychee. Then we went out to Newport and danced!!
Thursday- I made it through three classes ( my longest day of the week). They were all quite enjoyable! I was tired from teaching and dancing the day before so I stayed in with my roommate Nelson and he agreed to watch P.S. I Love You with me!! It was a beautiful moment :)
Friday- NO CLASS!!!!!!!!!! Sat around waiting for the computer guy to come fix my computer for the second time and did some laundry....let me tell you how long of as process that was. Since our dryers can run for 60 min for 4 dollars and still be extremely damp after I did two loads and then hung som of my jeans on a communal line while the rest of my laundry came back here and got hung up in every possible space around my room. Then between the off and on rain all day and the wind that threatened to take all my clothes off the line, things were still drying today (Sunday). What a pain!
Early evening we got a call from some Australian friends that Kelsey and Keith had made at the bar the night before. We went over to their flat for some afternoon wine and music playing. They are such nice people and so fun! The girls had face paint and we all decided to be painted by Rachel who is very artistic! We had spiderman, Kelsey as a butterfly, me as a fish, Keith as a sharkface, a crab, a baboon, and a tribal design. We these crazy paintings on our face we all decided to go to Freo on the bus. We got some amazxing looks that night. We went to a bar/brewery called Little creatures they make the most delicious local beer and french fries (fritz)! On the way back..more rain! There was almost face paint tragedy...but we all made it safely home with face paint intact!
Saturday- School work..wah wah
Saturday night it was Anna's 19th birthday (one of our new Aussie friends). We went to her flat for some wine and hanging out and slowly amassed a huge amount of people. The party moved to Perth city where we decided to go dancing at a gay bar (fun to dance without guys creeping on girls..safer and tons of fun).
Sunday- School work..and who thought I never did any of that here...I do! Then a beautiful family (flatmate) dinner with a smorgasboard of Mashed potatoes, peas, redwine garlic chicken, dim sum, dumplings, and stir fry vegetables :) Beautiful! Everyone helped and we all ate together like a little family..I have wonderful flat mates!
Great week though mothing extraordinarily Australian! Making more friends, teaching, and getting busy! Favorite Australian word= heaps...ie. heaps and heaps o' hotties or heaps o' food ir heaps of anything really :) Miss you all, leave some comments! Till Later!
So I will try to give you a short recap of the week :)
Monday- My Children and the Media professor continued to talk in circles and make no concrete points during his lecture. My German friend Tina asked if I could understand what he was talking about because she thought it might be an English barrier..but nope.
Tuesday- First Photo tutorial! I am so excited about this class, but I think it will be very challenging. There are a lot of very experienced photographers in the class with their fancy cameras and their love of micro-pinhole photography...seriously? Tuesday night I went to see G.I. Joe with my roommate Nelson. He is from Singapore and we met about twenty other Asians at the movie theater. It was very cool to be the token white girl for a change. Everyone was so friendly. The movie was action-packed, I liked it. After GELARE=gelato and dessert waffles with cream and/or gelato on top. Yes, Australians eat pancakes, muffins, and waffles for dessert NOT breakfast. They also do NOT eat peanut butter and jelly..sad day.
Wednesday- My first day of student teaching!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I get up early with only a slight idea of how to get to the school. I am all professionally dressed and I head out the door to a beautiful windy downpour. Even with a rain jacket and umbrella the rain whips all over me. I get to the bus stop and one side of my body is drenched and my pants are sticking to my bum and my shoes are squishing....yuck! Then my ten minute bus ride gives me a few minutes to dry off a little and the rain slows down. I manage to press the button for the correct stop, step off the bus, and guess what ...it starts to pour harder this time and it's so windy that an umbrella cannot even be used. I start what should be a five minute walk. My map is out and getting soaked. I have to stop halfway through the walk to stand under an awning because I am drenched! I don't want to be late so I suck it up and walk through it and finally find the school (it is in a small house across from the primary school). At first i try to go in the wrong door and as I am walking around to find the other one I manage to step in a humongous puddle!.....So I looked extremely professional and put together as I walked into the building my pants soaked through and my shoes two big puddles. I met my teacher "Miss Jannine" and the assistant teacher "Miss Carrie". They are both so sweet and it was immediately puzzle time and I sat down in all my wetness to help three girls put together a dinosaur puzzle. I quickly learned that this kindy class is actually a pre-kindy class, so my students are all 4 and 5. Their accents quickly stole my heart as parents continued to drop off their kids and stayed to help put together puzzles. Morning meeting started and soon I was introduced to all twenty students. The ooed and aahed over the fact that I am from the United States and were amused by the way that I talk. We went to play outside and of course...the sun had come out, it was warm and beautiful. Haha just my luck! Soon I was stomping around like a dinosaur, leading a game of tag, and talking on my plastic "mobile phone." I quickly learned everyone's names and attitudes and was informed that our classroom is inclusive, with a few students with learning and behavior disorders. The rest of the day (which is from 8:30-3) was spent in small groups or at play time. I led a sewing activity, rhyming games, and puzzle making. It was such a fun day and I am so relieved to have the teacher that I am with. She is friendly, helpful, and informative and wants to know all about the similarities and differences between here and the U.S. By the end of the day I was exhausted and my shoes and socks were still soaked, although the rest of me had finally dried. I can't wait to go back next week!
After a shower and a heater Kelsey and I got ready to celebrate our friend Keith's birthday. We went over to his flat and his flatmates Jess, Darren, and Ray cooked dinner. Delicious! We decorated the flat and ate cake that Kelsey made!! It came out well even in our decrepit oven. We celebrated with champagne and an asian drink called Lychee. Then we went out to Newport and danced!!
Thursday- I made it through three classes ( my longest day of the week). They were all quite enjoyable! I was tired from teaching and dancing the day before so I stayed in with my roommate Nelson and he agreed to watch P.S. I Love You with me!! It was a beautiful moment :)
Friday- NO CLASS!!!!!!!!!! Sat around waiting for the computer guy to come fix my computer for the second time and did some laundry....let me tell you how long of as process that was. Since our dryers can run for 60 min for 4 dollars and still be extremely damp after I did two loads and then hung som of my jeans on a communal line while the rest of my laundry came back here and got hung up in every possible space around my room. Then between the off and on rain all day and the wind that threatened to take all my clothes off the line, things were still drying today (Sunday). What a pain!
Early evening we got a call from some Australian friends that Kelsey and Keith had made at the bar the night before. We went over to their flat for some afternoon wine and music playing. They are such nice people and so fun! The girls had face paint and we all decided to be painted by Rachel who is very artistic! We had spiderman, Kelsey as a butterfly, me as a fish, Keith as a sharkface, a crab, a baboon, and a tribal design. We these crazy paintings on our face we all decided to go to Freo on the bus. We got some amazxing looks that night. We went to a bar/brewery called Little creatures they make the most delicious local beer and french fries (fritz)! On the way back..more rain! There was almost face paint tragedy...but we all made it safely home with face paint intact!
Saturday- School work..wah wah
Saturday night it was Anna's 19th birthday (one of our new Aussie friends). We went to her flat for some wine and hanging out and slowly amassed a huge amount of people. The party moved to Perth city where we decided to go dancing at a gay bar (fun to dance without guys creeping on girls..safer and tons of fun).
Sunday- School work..and who thought I never did any of that here...I do! Then a beautiful family (flatmate) dinner with a smorgasboard of Mashed potatoes, peas, redwine garlic chicken, dim sum, dumplings, and stir fry vegetables :) Beautiful! Everyone helped and we all ate together like a little family..I have wonderful flat mates!
Great week though mothing extraordinarily Australian! Making more friends, teaching, and getting busy! Favorite Australian word= heaps...ie. heaps and heaps o' hotties or heaps o' food ir heaps of anything really :) Miss you all, leave some comments! Till Later!
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Where are we? !? ....We just stepped into fairy land!
The Sunday plan = going to King's Park for the day (all 430 acres) of it!!!
Well this was quickly vetoed because the forecast was rain and cold all day.
Second Plan = Western Australia's Aquarium (all kinds of marine animals..including the dangerous ones!)
Also vetoed because the bus schedule to there is very limited on Sun
Final Plan= the old standby...Freo!
We will make it to those places soon, but our day in Freo was perfection :) We came with some books, pens, and the intention to study, but left with full tummies, tired legs, and a only a few pages read (doesn't it always happen that way). We meandered up one of the streets and came across a small garage sale...though the sign claimed it was "massive". Despite the claim the clothes she had were very cool and a sweater quickly became part of my wardrobe for 2$. Kelsey got the coolest ripped jeans and a sweatshirt with crazy designs. The girl having the sale wasn't much older than us and so nice, asking us where we were from and if it was like the movies showed it? We left with new clothes and empty bellies to find a new place to tryout the lunch menu. The most beautiful part is..we were already walking down the "cappuchino strip" with more cafes and restaurants than you could ever want. We peered into places and checked out a few menus before settling on an eclectic restaurant called The Merchant Tea and Cafe fitted with bamboo fans moving back and forth on the ceiling, large mirrors, and dark wood. I ordered a sandwich called The Earth filled with delicious vegetables, pesto, and feta cheese. Before thinking about dessert we decided we needed to walk off our lunch a bit and realized that right across the street there was a Plaza that we'd never ventured down into. We walked down a cobblestone street with a music store, masseuse, hairdresser, restaurants, and jewelry shop WE turned the corner to find a store called "recycled clothing" (an upscale second hand/consignment store). Then we walked into a fantasy world where the first store on the street was a medieval shop full to the brim with blood red dresses fit with corsets, next my favorite store-Alice's Wonderland. This children's store is full of stuffed animals, mini tea sets, little clothes, shoes and books...the best part is the room out back fitted with two tea tables, soft light, pretty flowers, and a tele playing Alicec in Wonderland:) Next was THE FAIRY STORE...that's right it is full of UNICORNS, fairy dust, costumes, a fairy birthday party was happening in the back. Then as quickly as we'd walked into it we were back on the main street. Amazing what you can find if you look around!
We continued our walk down the street to an indoor market that we had heard was open only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Walking in we encountered two street performers: a silver angel and an acrobatic pirate. Then the unexpected...a huge crowd of people with every stall and good you can imagine. We quickly became lost in the place among the clothing, shoes, jewelry, artwork, souvenirs, metalworks, soap, candles, glassware, the list goes on and on. Then we found ourselves in the food section with a beatiful selection of the most brilliantly colored fruits and vegetables. We learned that they are cheaper than at the grocery store, better look, and delicious! We also learned that you have to shop around for the best prices as the sellers are always adjusting their prices. After this brilliant find we were hungry for dessert and new just the place we wanted to go. An italian dessert shop complete with purple walls, cannolis, cake, gelato, and outdoor tables. We settled on Gelato after salivating over the dessert case. Strawberry was my choice....and every bite was a little bit of heaven in my mouth.
After our dessert, we decided we should at least try and read, so we headed to the park (by the way the weather stayed beautiful all day despite the forecast). At the park we scouted out our own bench and read while watching all the people playing games, talking, drinking for someone's birthday, swordfighting with balloon swords. This is where we only finished a few pages before it was time to head back home because we wanted to go to a church service that we had heard about on campus, a christian service.
Boy we had no clue what we were in for! It started with some rock music, people jumping up and down. That was cool, but then the pastor came on stage. He began by using a bible verse to tell us how much more God would love us if we gave during the offering, he continued by informing us that we are dead if Jesus is not our savior and frontman, continuing by talking about his fertility trouble with his wife, then topping it off with a story about a flight he was on. Before the flight the head steward came on the line introducing himself in a gruss, big voice "Hi, I am Bill and We will be taking care of you today. Dinner will be served shortly." The Pastor said he didn't think he should be pushing a little dingy cart up and down aisles serving people, he should be a wrestler or kung fu artist. Then he follows with the plane hitting a lot of turbulence and the pilot comes on the line in a high pitched, small voice, "Hi, I am Jill your captain we seem to be hitting some turbulence, but will be out of it shortly." The Pastor proclaims to the audience "I heard her voice and I didn't want HER driving the plane, I wanted Bill (in a deep man voice) to e driving the plane. he continued to say this over and over, as the ongregation hooted and proclaimed. Meanwhile I sat there thinking, I need to get out of here or I might cause a riot. It wasn't right, it just wasn't right. Kelsey and I left fuming wishing we could have escaped far before that. The awful experience served to lead us into a long life chat that was beautiful, despite our night. You live and learn.
So that was Sunday, quite eventful. To recap the the prior week in the condensed version. Wednesday = no class!! woohoo! (but I will be student teaching from now on!)
Thursday = Festival day at Murdoch.
I went to my Representation and Gender class. My professor seems quite good. She was interesting, inquisitive, and made great discussion. Then I checked out Festival day which is like Activities day at Boston College. All the clubs and activities have tables, as well as tables tht are selloing jewelry, books, stationary, watches, computers, etc. I went around looking for things to do with my freetime and found some social justice clubs and sports activities that I can hopefully fit into my schedule (this is also where we hear about the church). Then I went to my photography lecture, which is huge. It sounds like it will be challenging, but so interesting! I am quite excited:)
Thursday night = two open mic nights that Keith played at
A large group of us left after dinner and boarded the bus to find the first bar that Keith was going to play at called "Moondyne Joe's," after a man that escaped from the Fremantle Prison so many times that they made a special iron cell just for him. The bar looked kind of like a saloon with a dark wood bar, rodeo pictures, and an abundance of older folks taking in the music. There was quite a posse of Keith listeners and we filled the bar. It was quite enjoyable. The next bar was called the Bar Orient. The crowd was a little younger, though not so many college age people. It was much more friendly with couches and chairs, televisions playing and some really great open mic performers. I tried free creatures, the beer brewed in Fremantle, it was really good, my favorite. It was so nice just to sit, listen, and chat with people:)
Friday = Yoga class (very nice), no classes, and relaxation
Friday night = pizza delivery and hanging out with some of my German friends
Saturday = Tree planting!!
We went out to the farm that Murdoch has on it's campus and into the bush. Where we joined a bunch of other volunteers and planted many, many saplings to help the birds come back to this area! It was fun, we met a woman from Colorado who is moving to Australia, a girl that lives in the area and goes to Murdoch, and a woman that is from New Zealand and recently moved here. It is so cool to see how environment conscious Australia is in general. So many people are willing to help!
Saturday night = a club called Newport
We met our German friends for coffee, at a cafe in Freo. People were out everywhere, it was a happening place! We crossed the street and into a club fit with big screen teles, lots of people everywhere, loud music, a live band, and a dance floor. The band was great and played lots of american music new and old! It was so fun to know the songs and dance, though we quickly learned that next time no jackets and very small bags to make it easier to dance.
After another novel..thanks for staying tuned. Miss you all!! Wish you could chare this with me in person:) <3
New Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.fish12/Au
Well this was quickly vetoed because the forecast was rain and cold all day.
Second Plan = Western Australia's Aquarium (all kinds of marine animals..including the dangerous ones!)
Also vetoed because the bus schedule to there is very limited on Sun
Final Plan= the old standby...Freo!
We will make it to those places soon, but our day in Freo was perfection :) We came with some books, pens, and the intention to study, but left with full tummies, tired legs, and a only a few pages read (doesn't it always happen that way). We meandered up one of the streets and came across a small garage sale...though the sign claimed it was "massive". Despite the claim the clothes she had were very cool and a sweater quickly became part of my wardrobe for 2$. Kelsey got the coolest ripped jeans and a sweatshirt with crazy designs. The girl having the sale wasn't much older than us and so nice, asking us where we were from and if it was like the movies showed it? We left with new clothes and empty bellies to find a new place to tryout the lunch menu. The most beautiful part is..we were already walking down the "cappuchino strip" with more cafes and restaurants than you could ever want. We peered into places and checked out a few menus before settling on an eclectic restaurant called The Merchant Tea and Cafe fitted with bamboo fans moving back and forth on the ceiling, large mirrors, and dark wood. I ordered a sandwich called The Earth filled with delicious vegetables, pesto, and feta cheese. Before thinking about dessert we decided we needed to walk off our lunch a bit and realized that right across the street there was a Plaza that we'd never ventured down into. We walked down a cobblestone street with a music store, masseuse, hairdresser, restaurants, and jewelry shop WE turned the corner to find a store called "recycled clothing" (an upscale second hand/consignment store). Then we walked into a fantasy world where the first store on the street was a medieval shop full to the brim with blood red dresses fit with corsets, next my favorite store-Alice's Wonderland. This children's store is full of stuffed animals, mini tea sets, little clothes, shoes and books...the best part is the room out back fitted with two tea tables, soft light, pretty flowers, and a tele playing Alicec in Wonderland:) Next was THE FAIRY STORE...that's right it is full of UNICORNS, fairy dust, costumes, a fairy birthday party was happening in the back. Then as quickly as we'd walked into it we were back on the main street. Amazing what you can find if you look around!
We continued our walk down the street to an indoor market that we had heard was open only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Walking in we encountered two street performers: a silver angel and an acrobatic pirate. Then the unexpected...a huge crowd of people with every stall and good you can imagine. We quickly became lost in the place among the clothing, shoes, jewelry, artwork, souvenirs, metalworks, soap, candles, glassware, the list goes on and on. Then we found ourselves in the food section with a beatiful selection of the most brilliantly colored fruits and vegetables. We learned that they are cheaper than at the grocery store, better look, and delicious! We also learned that you have to shop around for the best prices as the sellers are always adjusting their prices. After this brilliant find we were hungry for dessert and new just the place we wanted to go. An italian dessert shop complete with purple walls, cannolis, cake, gelato, and outdoor tables. We settled on Gelato after salivating over the dessert case. Strawberry was my choice....and every bite was a little bit of heaven in my mouth.
After our dessert, we decided we should at least try and read, so we headed to the park (by the way the weather stayed beautiful all day despite the forecast). At the park we scouted out our own bench and read while watching all the people playing games, talking, drinking for someone's birthday, swordfighting with balloon swords. This is where we only finished a few pages before it was time to head back home because we wanted to go to a church service that we had heard about on campus, a christian service.
Boy we had no clue what we were in for! It started with some rock music, people jumping up and down. That was cool, but then the pastor came on stage. He began by using a bible verse to tell us how much more God would love us if we gave during the offering, he continued by informing us that we are dead if Jesus is not our savior and frontman, continuing by talking about his fertility trouble with his wife, then topping it off with a story about a flight he was on. Before the flight the head steward came on the line introducing himself in a gruss, big voice "Hi, I am Bill and We will be taking care of you today. Dinner will be served shortly." The Pastor said he didn't think he should be pushing a little dingy cart up and down aisles serving people, he should be a wrestler or kung fu artist. Then he follows with the plane hitting a lot of turbulence and the pilot comes on the line in a high pitched, small voice, "Hi, I am Jill your captain we seem to be hitting some turbulence, but will be out of it shortly." The Pastor proclaims to the audience "I heard her voice and I didn't want HER driving the plane, I wanted Bill (in a deep man voice) to e driving the plane. he continued to say this over and over, as the ongregation hooted and proclaimed. Meanwhile I sat there thinking, I need to get out of here or I might cause a riot. It wasn't right, it just wasn't right. Kelsey and I left fuming wishing we could have escaped far before that. The awful experience served to lead us into a long life chat that was beautiful, despite our night. You live and learn.
So that was Sunday, quite eventful. To recap the the prior week in the condensed version. Wednesday = no class!! woohoo! (but I will be student teaching from now on!)
Thursday = Festival day at Murdoch.
I went to my Representation and Gender class. My professor seems quite good. She was interesting, inquisitive, and made great discussion. Then I checked out Festival day which is like Activities day at Boston College. All the clubs and activities have tables, as well as tables tht are selloing jewelry, books, stationary, watches, computers, etc. I went around looking for things to do with my freetime and found some social justice clubs and sports activities that I can hopefully fit into my schedule (this is also where we hear about the church). Then I went to my photography lecture, which is huge. It sounds like it will be challenging, but so interesting! I am quite excited:)
Thursday night = two open mic nights that Keith played at
A large group of us left after dinner and boarded the bus to find the first bar that Keith was going to play at called "Moondyne Joe's," after a man that escaped from the Fremantle Prison so many times that they made a special iron cell just for him. The bar looked kind of like a saloon with a dark wood bar, rodeo pictures, and an abundance of older folks taking in the music. There was quite a posse of Keith listeners and we filled the bar. It was quite enjoyable. The next bar was called the Bar Orient. The crowd was a little younger, though not so many college age people. It was much more friendly with couches and chairs, televisions playing and some really great open mic performers. I tried free creatures, the beer brewed in Fremantle, it was really good, my favorite. It was so nice just to sit, listen, and chat with people:)
Friday = Yoga class (very nice), no classes, and relaxation
Friday night = pizza delivery and hanging out with some of my German friends
Saturday = Tree planting!!
We went out to the farm that Murdoch has on it's campus and into the bush. Where we joined a bunch of other volunteers and planted many, many saplings to help the birds come back to this area! It was fun, we met a woman from Colorado who is moving to Australia, a girl that lives in the area and goes to Murdoch, and a woman that is from New Zealand and recently moved here. It is so cool to see how environment conscious Australia is in general. So many people are willing to help!
Saturday night = a club called Newport
We met our German friends for coffee, at a cafe in Freo. People were out everywhere, it was a happening place! We crossed the street and into a club fit with big screen teles, lots of people everywhere, loud music, a live band, and a dance floor. The band was great and played lots of american music new and old! It was so fun to know the songs and dance, though we quickly learned that next time no jackets and very small bags to make it easier to dance.
After another novel..thanks for staying tuned. Miss you all!! Wish you could chare this with me in person:) <3
New Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.fish12/Au
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
You mean they actually go to class in Australia?!?
That's right. I started class on Monday (at 12:30..rough huh?) and yes for anyone who had doubts people do go to class here, just not for too many hours:) I am taking seven and a half hours of class...a huge downscale from my 15 plus at BC. My first class was Children and the Media. It is a class of about 25 with a professor who is an older British man who swears and cracks jokes that no foreigner can understand. Only the Australians in the back of the class laugh and respond to him in a conversation that I also do not understand...and I thought they spoke English here?? Not the English I'm used to. When the initial banter is over he explains the class and how the only assignments besides our weekly reading load is one 2500 word paper, one 2500 word proposal and a ten minute presentation/project. Wow! Sounds great as of now, I'll get back to you at the end of the semester.
Then I had the tutorial for the class (3-4). There are four people (all girls) in the tutorial/discussion group and come to find out one of the girls is from half an hour outside Boston and is going to be a senior at the University of Southern Maine. Shows just how small of a world it is. The discussion group was very cool and since there are only four of us it is only an hour instead of an hour and a half, like the bigger groups! We were shown pictures of children and discussed what the pictures spoke to us about childhood. Right up my alley, it was very cool! That was class day one.
Day two...no class. (although i will have one hour and a half of photo tutorial starting next week)
So..talked to Megan via skype and participated in an epic dance party to "My Sharona". Thanks to Skype you can dance with someone half way across the world, as well as look up their nose, and see their many funny faces :) Then we (Kelsey, Keith and I) traveled by bus to Fremantle (just the cutest little city). Kelsey and I ventured to the library while Keith set up in the town square with his guitar to join the many street performers lining the street. We found the library and asked about getting library cards. They told us since we werent permanent residents we would hav eto pay 20 dollars for a membership. So we said okay and spent an hour gathering books from the library (since our library at murdoch only has reference and reserve books...makes me feel so lucky to have Bc's libraries!). We get to the counter with four books each and they tell us we can only take out one at a time with the membership.....bummer! So we left without any library books :( But then we joined Keith as he played guitar and harmonica and sang for the many people walking through Freo. We sang some harmonies and enjoyed the beautiful day...it was wonderful :)
Barbequed chicken kebabs and french fries for dinner....french fries on the barbie...works better than you would expect:)
Next an adventure to find the bar that Keith was playing a gig at. Kelsey, Keith, Malte (our German friend), and I waited twenty minutes for a bus, rode to the train station and waited 28 minutes, rode the train, got out walked to another bus station, caught a taxi and finally made it to the pub (Floreat). It was a cool place..despite the low number of people there at 11pm. We ordered some beer and and enjoyed there couches as Keith played some Dispatch, Jack Johnson, Shakira, and originals. Love adventures :)
Day three..no class (nor will there ever be, though student teaching is a possibility)
Biggest accomplishments...baking chocolate cookies that are very tasty despite our decrepite fire in a box stove. For dinner Malte baked homemade German pancakes for twelve friends with nutella, bananas, and cinnamon. Yummy! How nice it is to have so many cultures around! Then we played scattergories (board games are a big deal here...makes me so happy). They are so fun when you have Americans, Australians, Germans, Austrians, Danish, and Singaporeans :) Then Family Guy with my roommates...all of us together in the living room!! Yay!
These past few days have not been as exciting to read about...but things are starting up and I have three classes tomorrow!! My first day of Representation and Gender and Photography and digital imaging! I am so excited!
Ciao, Lauren
Then I had the tutorial for the class (3-4). There are four people (all girls) in the tutorial/discussion group and come to find out one of the girls is from half an hour outside Boston and is going to be a senior at the University of Southern Maine. Shows just how small of a world it is. The discussion group was very cool and since there are only four of us it is only an hour instead of an hour and a half, like the bigger groups! We were shown pictures of children and discussed what the pictures spoke to us about childhood. Right up my alley, it was very cool! That was class day one.
Day two...no class. (although i will have one hour and a half of photo tutorial starting next week)
So..talked to Megan via skype and participated in an epic dance party to "My Sharona". Thanks to Skype you can dance with someone half way across the world, as well as look up their nose, and see their many funny faces :) Then we (Kelsey, Keith and I) traveled by bus to Fremantle (just the cutest little city). Kelsey and I ventured to the library while Keith set up in the town square with his guitar to join the many street performers lining the street. We found the library and asked about getting library cards. They told us since we werent permanent residents we would hav eto pay 20 dollars for a membership. So we said okay and spent an hour gathering books from the library (since our library at murdoch only has reference and reserve books...makes me feel so lucky to have Bc's libraries!). We get to the counter with four books each and they tell us we can only take out one at a time with the membership.....bummer! So we left without any library books :( But then we joined Keith as he played guitar and harmonica and sang for the many people walking through Freo. We sang some harmonies and enjoyed the beautiful day...it was wonderful :)
Barbequed chicken kebabs and french fries for dinner....french fries on the barbie...works better than you would expect:)
Next an adventure to find the bar that Keith was playing a gig at. Kelsey, Keith, Malte (our German friend), and I waited twenty minutes for a bus, rode to the train station and waited 28 minutes, rode the train, got out walked to another bus station, caught a taxi and finally made it to the pub (Floreat). It was a cool place..despite the low number of people there at 11pm. We ordered some beer and and enjoyed there couches as Keith played some Dispatch, Jack Johnson, Shakira, and originals. Love adventures :)
Day three..no class (nor will there ever be, though student teaching is a possibility)
Biggest accomplishments...baking chocolate cookies that are very tasty despite our decrepite fire in a box stove. For dinner Malte baked homemade German pancakes for twelve friends with nutella, bananas, and cinnamon. Yummy! How nice it is to have so many cultures around! Then we played scattergories (board games are a big deal here...makes me so happy). They are so fun when you have Americans, Australians, Germans, Austrians, Danish, and Singaporeans :) Then Family Guy with my roommates...all of us together in the living room!! Yay!
These past few days have not been as exciting to read about...but things are starting up and I have three classes tomorrow!! My first day of Representation and Gender and Photography and digital imaging! I am so excited!
Ciao, Lauren
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Echidnas, Woollys, Joeys, Jarrahs, Acacias....Dad's paradise!
We were told we were going to a barbeque today and leaving at 10am. We left half an hour late as usual and drove for about an hour...no one knew where we were going. We ended up at The Perth Hills National Parks Centre and a beautifully sunny day, not too hot, not too cold, and the bluest blue sky with not a single cloud. Surrounding us was kilometers of bush and the weir a reservoir of water that some famous guy built with 600 kilometers of piping to bring water to Kalgoorlie (a gold mining town). At this point we still thought we were jus tin for a barbie, but we found out that we had many sessions to go to.
My day started out at indigenous culture. An aboriginal man spoke with us about his culture and how his people started in dream time as plants and animals. He threw his spear and boomerang and wore his kangaroo pelts for us. I was informed that their culture runs on an eye-for-an-eye principle so if a man steals from you you can go try to find him to kill him...BUT...if you can't find him just kill any guy you can find and justice is served. It was very interesting to hear him speak and learn that he came from a frog and it sits behind his eyes. It was just so totally different from any culture I have ever really heard about.
Next station: Tea time...all the time...got it from the British colonizers.
Next station: MARSUPIALLLSSSSS!!!! My favorite favorite part of the day!!! We got to see two joeys (baby kangaroos) one that was the equivalent of a 4 month old baby and should still be in the pouch but it's mother was killed (precious animal), the second was a bit older, almost a year and would almost be out of the pouch. Its mother also died in a car accident. I want one as a pet they are sooo cute! Next was the woolly so endangered that it may be the only time I could ever get to see one for they may be gone soon. They are the smallest marsupial in australia with big feet and long tails about the size of a rat, but much cuter. Next was a baby python that I got to hold...way cool! And next...snorkles the echidna (hedgehog looking creature with way cool spines and the cutest long snout and 8 inch tongue!!) The first monotreme (mammal who lays eggs, the only other is a platypus) that I have ever seen! Also their species is dated to about 120,000 years ago to be roaming around with the dinosaurs. The sort of lumber around in the funniest way and this one has been rehabilitated since he was very small due to his family being destroyed by fire so he is very friendly and will come right up and sniff you. All of you who know how much I love animals can imagine how awesome this was for me :)
Next station: Raptors! Two hawks, a peregrin falcon, and a barn owl. The rehabilitator told us all about these birds and how they prey and live in Australia. They were all very beautiful...but you wouldn't want to mess with them, especially the females, they are most vicious and the killers!
Next station: Bushwalk...woulda been dad's favorite! We went on a short hike (they have tons of trails and one that runs for 1,000 of kilometers along the southwest coast). The woman told us about all kinds of trees and plants that are native to western australia including the Jarrah and the acacias, as well as the grass trees, gum trees (yes they bleed a sort of sap that is even stickier than ours), and fungi (fun-gee:) ). Dad you would be so proud at the end of our walk she pointed out a tree and asked if anyone could remember wha tit was and guess who got it right ?? This girl did! I did ya proud! It was just the most beautiful walk and just a gorgeous day!
Last night we went to Fremantle prison and as you can guess I was quite freaked out....it doesn't take much. This gives you a little look at how easily scared I am....I went to the toilet before we left and walked in and the light was on. As I was going pee the left turned off on me and I was so freaked out; I practically ran out of there barely taking the time to wash my hands and feeling so silly for being so scared. I still have no idea if the lights go out on purpose to scare people or if it was motion sensored...or what?? Maybe ghosts are real..... We went on a torchlight tour at 7:15pm and each had our own mini flashlight. The prison was opened in 1855 and decommisioned in 1991 (not that long ago), but it still looks almost the same as when it first opened. It is four stories and extremely long and was used as a maximum security prison for convicts sent over from the U.K. and eventually from Australia. The grounds are huge and we went inside and it was very dark. Our tour guide was a great storyteller and told us a bit of history and stories of some inmates. Their first scare tactic came when we were on the first floor in the dark and our guide was explaining the "suicide netting" wire nets set up to catch suicide victims, not to save their lives, but too save the lives of the people walking below. As he was telling us about the crap buckets (they never got plumbing) that would come crashing down upon the guards through the netting a dummy fell from the top floor and a bucket crashed from his hands.....so lame looking back on it, but everyone screamed and jumped (dad you might have jumped right outta your skin). After that I was ready for the people that jumped out at us, but it was still very creepy and made my skin crawl, especially when we went into the gallows and saw where 44 people were hung from the same beam that is there today, fitted with a trapdoor beneath that they would pull open at 8 am on Monday morning. The last person was hung there in 1964...that seemed so recent to me to have someone hung...I thought that they would have utilized (yes Megan UTILIZED) a more modern way of capital punishment by then. There was one woman hung there (said to have killed her sick stepchildren with hydrochloric acid). We saw solitary confinement and the cells over the decades, as well as a special cell where a prisoner was given permission to paint murals all over his wall, we saw the chapel (where the ten commandments were posted and instead of you shall not kill it was you shall not murder because of the capital punishment that was seen as a justified killing). We also heard of all the ghost sightings that have been claimed over the years......all I know is I could never work there. It was a very cool tour in every dark, creepy sense of the world "cool."
After we got back on campus we went to our neighbors house and drank some wine with them; they are guys from South Africa, Austraia, and Georgia. It was really neat we just sat and talked about differences between our cultures and things we find funny here. Then we played a hardcore game of pictionary. Kelsey and I were the girls team against the guys. It was great fun and very close, until the end when we pulled ahead. Sweet victory! We rocked even though we got words like descendent. It was funny to see the culture barriers as well. The guy from Georgia drew a chocolate chip cookie (round with dots) any American would have gotten it straight away but the other two guys eat different kinds of cookies ( for the australian-bickies (biscuits..very yummy but different from our cookies). It was great fun :)
Two days ago we also went into a digeridoo shop and the owner played for us and let us play as well!!! He was soo good! I wish I could bring one home (Ryan you would LOVE it!) I got it pretty quick because of the PVC pipe ones I made for my physics project, they are hard to get used to and make your lips feel very fuzzy after! :)
These are where my pictures will be up, as well as facebook. Spread the word! Let me know if you can't see them for any reason!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.fish12/20090728?authkey=Gv1sRgCMmZto_whay0Pg&feat=directlink (Pictures from L.A. and Australia!!)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.fish12/20090729?authkey=Gv1sRgCLzE45Pj25Hy8QE&feat=directlink (my room and a beautiful sunset)
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/lauren.fish12/20090801?feat=directlink (digeridoo and national park)
If you have made it down to here you are very dedicated!!! I love you all!! Miss you! <3
My day started out at indigenous culture. An aboriginal man spoke with us about his culture and how his people started in dream time as plants and animals. He threw his spear and boomerang and wore his kangaroo pelts for us. I was informed that their culture runs on an eye-for-an-eye principle so if a man steals from you you can go try to find him to kill him...BUT...if you can't find him just kill any guy you can find and justice is served. It was very interesting to hear him speak and learn that he came from a frog and it sits behind his eyes. It was just so totally different from any culture I have ever really heard about.
Next station: Tea time...all the time...got it from the British colonizers.
Next station: MARSUPIALLLSSSSS!!!! My favorite favorite part of the day!!! We got to see two joeys (baby kangaroos) one that was the equivalent of a 4 month old baby and should still be in the pouch but it's mother was killed (precious animal), the second was a bit older, almost a year and would almost be out of the pouch. Its mother also died in a car accident. I want one as a pet they are sooo cute! Next was the woolly so endangered that it may be the only time I could ever get to see one for they may be gone soon. They are the smallest marsupial in australia with big feet and long tails about the size of a rat, but much cuter. Next was a baby python that I got to hold...way cool! And next...snorkles the echidna (hedgehog looking creature with way cool spines and the cutest long snout and 8 inch tongue!!) The first monotreme (mammal who lays eggs, the only other is a platypus) that I have ever seen! Also their species is dated to about 120,000 years ago to be roaming around with the dinosaurs. The sort of lumber around in the funniest way and this one has been rehabilitated since he was very small due to his family being destroyed by fire so he is very friendly and will come right up and sniff you. All of you who know how much I love animals can imagine how awesome this was for me :)
Next station: Raptors! Two hawks, a peregrin falcon, and a barn owl. The rehabilitator told us all about these birds and how they prey and live in Australia. They were all very beautiful...but you wouldn't want to mess with them, especially the females, they are most vicious and the killers!
Next station: Bushwalk...woulda been dad's favorite! We went on a short hike (they have tons of trails and one that runs for 1,000 of kilometers along the southwest coast). The woman told us about all kinds of trees and plants that are native to western australia including the Jarrah and the acacias, as well as the grass trees, gum trees (yes they bleed a sort of sap that is even stickier than ours), and fungi (fun-gee:) ). Dad you would be so proud at the end of our walk she pointed out a tree and asked if anyone could remember wha tit was and guess who got it right ?? This girl did! I did ya proud! It was just the most beautiful walk and just a gorgeous day!
Last night we went to Fremantle prison and as you can guess I was quite freaked out....it doesn't take much. This gives you a little look at how easily scared I am....I went to the toilet before we left and walked in and the light was on. As I was going pee the left turned off on me and I was so freaked out; I practically ran out of there barely taking the time to wash my hands and feeling so silly for being so scared. I still have no idea if the lights go out on purpose to scare people or if it was motion sensored...or what?? Maybe ghosts are real..... We went on a torchlight tour at 7:15pm and each had our own mini flashlight. The prison was opened in 1855 and decommisioned in 1991 (not that long ago), but it still looks almost the same as when it first opened. It is four stories and extremely long and was used as a maximum security prison for convicts sent over from the U.K. and eventually from Australia. The grounds are huge and we went inside and it was very dark. Our tour guide was a great storyteller and told us a bit of history and stories of some inmates. Their first scare tactic came when we were on the first floor in the dark and our guide was explaining the "suicide netting" wire nets set up to catch suicide victims, not to save their lives, but too save the lives of the people walking below. As he was telling us about the crap buckets (they never got plumbing) that would come crashing down upon the guards through the netting a dummy fell from the top floor and a bucket crashed from his hands.....so lame looking back on it, but everyone screamed and jumped (dad you might have jumped right outta your skin). After that I was ready for the people that jumped out at us, but it was still very creepy and made my skin crawl, especially when we went into the gallows and saw where 44 people were hung from the same beam that is there today, fitted with a trapdoor beneath that they would pull open at 8 am on Monday morning. The last person was hung there in 1964...that seemed so recent to me to have someone hung...I thought that they would have utilized (yes Megan UTILIZED) a more modern way of capital punishment by then. There was one woman hung there (said to have killed her sick stepchildren with hydrochloric acid). We saw solitary confinement and the cells over the decades, as well as a special cell where a prisoner was given permission to paint murals all over his wall, we saw the chapel (where the ten commandments were posted and instead of you shall not kill it was you shall not murder because of the capital punishment that was seen as a justified killing). We also heard of all the ghost sightings that have been claimed over the years......all I know is I could never work there. It was a very cool tour in every dark, creepy sense of the world "cool."
After we got back on campus we went to our neighbors house and drank some wine with them; they are guys from South Africa, Austraia, and Georgia. It was really neat we just sat and talked about differences between our cultures and things we find funny here. Then we played a hardcore game of pictionary. Kelsey and I were the girls team against the guys. It was great fun and very close, until the end when we pulled ahead. Sweet victory! We rocked even though we got words like descendent. It was funny to see the culture barriers as well. The guy from Georgia drew a chocolate chip cookie (round with dots) any American would have gotten it straight away but the other two guys eat different kinds of cookies ( for the australian-bickies (biscuits..very yummy but different from our cookies). It was great fun :)
Two days ago we also went into a digeridoo shop and the owner played for us and let us play as well!!! He was soo good! I wish I could bring one home (Ryan you would LOVE it!) I got it pretty quick because of the PVC pipe ones I made for my physics project, they are hard to get used to and make your lips feel very fuzzy after! :)
These are where my pictures will be up, as well as facebook. Spread the word! Let me know if you can't see them for any reason!!
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.fish12/20090728?authkey=Gv1sRgCMmZto_whay0Pg&feat=directlink (Pictures from L.A. and Australia!!)
http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.fish12/20090729?authkey=Gv1sRgCLzE45Pj25Hy8QE&feat=directlink (my room and a beautiful sunset)
http://picasaweb.google.com.au/lauren.fish12/20090801?feat=directlink (digeridoo and national park)
If you have made it down to here you are very dedicated!!! I love you all!! Miss you! <3
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