Graffiti!

So part of the International Houses tradition is that before finals each semester we all get white t shirts, or a white dress in my case, and we go to a club called Fannys, and write on each other, kind of like writing in a year book!  IT was alot of fun.  Next week is Farewell, where we have a special dinner, and everyone dresses up in formal outfits!  It should be a very good night!

Returning Home

Family and friends after much deliberation , many Pro Con lists, and talks with my closest friends and family I have decided I need to come home.  The decision is multidimensional in that it was made for many different reasons.  

If I stayed It would cost me oer $17,000 which would be a large amount of debt for me to pay back in the future and I decided that that amount was just too much on top of the $5,000 I will have to pay back for this semester!  

I also was not going to be able to take my capstone class while abroad because that class is only reserved for full degree students.  This means I would have to push back my graduation which I am not prepared to do!  

The last main reason is that although this was an amazing experience I need to come home.  I need to be close to my parents now that my brother and sister are half a world away it seems!  I will be able to get connected with my church and grow that way as well!  

I do not at all regret my decision, and I dont think I will.  I have loved my time here, and it definitely made a giant impact, but life often leads you on different paths, and now my path has me returning home. I have no doubt that I will return, because I have made some great friendships here, and it will be very hard to leave those people!!  I will get to graduate with my friends, and one of my close friends who I have grown up with through college is the campus president and will actually be speaking at graduation!  

OK so here is where you all can come into play!  JACOBSON FAMILY:  if you are selling a car, or know of anyone selling a car or truck... I am looking.  Kevin took the stick to Memphis, and I will need a car for when I graduate anyway!  I dont have a large budget, but I am looking for something reliable with good gas mileage. 

I can drive stick shift, and actually prefer it, but an automatic wouldent be bad either.  Im not picky!  

My return date looks to be around January 15th.  Plus or minus a few days.  That will give me over a month with Melissa is PNG, and will get me home with enough time to get settled in before school starts!  

The weather is BiPolar!

So this weekend was beautiful!!!  We all would swim and then study by the pool!  We had some fun, and even went to the beach and played some frisbee!  

However today and the last 2 days have been rainy and have gotten exceedingly cold!  

I have been very busy working on Uni work, and a huge assesment that is on Karl Marx and Foucault and is way over my head.... 

Family and Friends look forward to another blog coming soon with important news! 

The finicky weather of Newcastle

Yesterday: Gorgeous blue skys, warm, swimming weather

Today: Cloud riddled sky, rain, slight chill to the air.

Tomorrow: who knows.

The weather is finicky here and cant make up its mind... 

On a happier note... the rain today was warm, so I didnt mind walking home from class in it!  In fact I took my time!  But the sun is also nice!  

Train Rides and Beaches too

So here is where my random adventure took me.  It started off with a 13 hour train ride from Newcastle to Brisbane.  I absolutley loved the train ride.  It was actually my first one as I never took the train in the states any where!  Most of my journey I saw gorgeous country out the window!  I slept most of the time, and other then that I watched the scenery and ate train food which wasnt very good.  Once I got to Brisbane at 10:00 at night, my friends picked me up and we drove to a lookout 

over Brisbane where we stayed that night. It was absolutley breathtaking!  We ended up hanging around Brisbane for for a few hours the next day and went to the botanical gardens where there was this amazing mirror sculpture.  We took lots of pictures in it!  

After Brisbane we headed north to Noosa beach where we watched the sunset. It was alot of fun!  Then we drove to Hervey bay where we stayed the night. 

The next day we went to Fraser Island!  IT was great.  We went on a day tour of the Island where we got to explore the island on a huge 4 wheel drive bus!  They took us to the 75 mile beach, which is actually considered to be a state high way because so many cars drive on it... Thats right they drive on the beach!  Crazy.  A plane even took off on the beach in front of us.

We also saw the shipwreck that happened on the beach in the 30's. Its really cool to see. The boat has become taken over by the elements and makes a really cool addition to the island!  

 

We went swimming in a freshwater creek, and an acidic lake that is supposed to be great for your skin!  

We ended that night by traveling to Maryborough where I would catch a train at 6:00 in the morning.  I didnt stay longer because the farther North my friends went, the harder it would be to get home!  I had to take a train and each day I would have spent with my friends would have been 4-6 more hours of train travel.  In the end I took a train from Maryborough to Brisbane which took 4 hours.  I hung around Brisbane for about 5 hours which was great!  Alot of fun!  Then caught another 13 hour train home! So that was enough train travel for awhile!  

It was a nice break to my sadly boring spring break here.  

More to come soon!

An Ode to Rigobertos and my Shot Gun adventure!

So I had one of those cravings today for mexican food that just couldent be met here in OZ land... that is the greatest downfall of the Aussie people... Mexican food is few and far between, and when you do find some its horrible.  I miss the days when I could swing over to Rigos with 3 dollars in hand and get a beans rice cheese!  Or for 4 dollars I could get a shredded beef!  I miss the breakfast burritos from Pepes that got me through the worst finals and the hardest articles to write... I need some spice!  I make mexican food weekly, and everyone loves it.... 

So far I have made:

- Burritos

- Quesadillas

- Flautas

- Enchiladas

- Hardcore Nachos

The Aussies love it all... they have heard of burritos and tacos, but most of them didnt know what the rest were.... I miss my mexican food!  

Other then that, with some help from 2 amazing people at school, I heard from the financial aid department, and everything is sorted out.  I should get my fin aid by friday! Hopefully there are no hitches and everything turns out well!

I have been pretty bored at home, and my German housemate is away with 2 other Germans on a road trip up the coast!  I have been in touch with him as well, and he hates that im home all alone and bored.... so on a spontaneous note, I will be taking a 12 hour train to catch up with them, and I will join them for about 5 days of their trip!  Im very excited and it should be a great time.... Its so spontaneous that I dont even know how im getting back home yet.  They will probably drop me off at a train station along the way... which could take a whole 24 hours to get home... crazy to think of! But im taking 2 books, a journal and my trusty IPOD, so I hope I dont go to stir crazy!  

SO there you have it.... Im going on a shot gun adventure!

The woes of financial aid mix ups!

So its the 2 week holiday during school, and I am still at school :(  The financial aid I was supposed to get over a month ago still hasnt come through leaving me to survive off of what I make at my 8 hour week job.  So instead of going to New Zealand or the Whitsundays like most of my friends I am stuck at school in Newcastle with barely anyone around.    I have been pretty bored for the first couple of days, and have tried to keep myself busy, but I find myself in the constant company of 3 boys, as they are the only friends I have left here!  One has a broken foot!  So we have been playing video games and watching movies.  We rented the olympics video game!  Pretty fun.  Im the best at cycling so far!  But I am tired of video games so the game plan to keep myself busy this 2 week holiday is to get a month membership at the on campus gym, and get my work out on... I also want to explore the campus, there are a couple of trails around here!  And one of the Aussie girls invited me home for a few days so im going to try and go see her!

Other then that, my last week of school before the break was pretty uneventful.  I spent most of my time working on 3 different Essays, and a presentation paper.  I also have a big group project coming up, so im getting ready to work with a group on that!

And other then that I am badgering the financial aid office with the help of my mother because they are not being helpful at all.  

Hopefully I will have a fun update for you soon.  Im sure I will find an adventure of my own!  A cheap/ even free adventure! 

Cheers for now!