5am chickens

Now, as most of you would agree, I am I mild mannered young woman who can put up with most things... At 5 am this morning, I forgot all about this as I came within seconds of smothering a man with a pillow... ... Snoring in a dorm room is not OK!!! This man sounded like he was performing an exorcism or drilling into 50ft of concrete. Now, I know what you're all thinking.... why didn't I just wake him up??!! Do you think I could actually stir the bastard?!!! I have never been one for revenge but I am secretly hoping that all of my wishfull thinking comes true & that he gets pecked slowly to death by a large pack of rabid chickens (@ 5 in the morning my imagination is a little sketchy...)! Now, Juan, if you ever read this- please take note- I am sure that you're a lovely person & that it's not your fault that you're overweight & therefore have enlarged throat tissue which means that you can't get enough air when you sleep... but in the future, please keep your lovliness to yourself & DO NOT book yourself into a 4-bed dorm ever again!
I have subsequently changed rooms.
I must thank Juan in a way, however, becuase I have moved into a dorm where I met an absolutely wonderful woman by the name of Maria. She is from Victoria of all places & is fast becoming an idol of mine. I dare to guess her age but she would, I assume, be in her fifties. We spoke for about an hour and a half this arvo in the dorm about various things- including her trek across the Camino! She gave me lots of pointers :o) She had been living in Alice Springs for 10 years & then in September 2006 she took off travelling by herself... & here she is in Brighton in March 2008, arriving after living a few months in Morroco amongst other places. She's really interesting so I hope to speak with her some more tonight.


So, along with this blessing, things are still going well. The Brighton that I have come to know makes me feel like this place is how cities should be. Why? Well, to me its just got the right dynamic. There are people here from all over the world (well, mostly Europe etc) which means that walking down the street involves hearing numerous languages being spoken, plus, it also means that most of them are only here for a shorter period of time. That generally results in the vibe being a lot more friendly because everyone is just happy to be here (especially being a popular holiday destination). Plus, there are also groups here such as students, gays, hippies, professionals, gypsies etc which means that people seem to be a lot more open minded and relaxed. Also, despite the fact that there is a population of only about 250 000, there are people out every night of the week! There are so many resteraunts & shops too- so many of them are positioned througout the town centre in little arcades & laneways. I love walking through all of them- you can do it for hours on end.

A few nights ago I caught up with some friends & went for dinner... I was the only person who spoke English as my first (& only!) language. They're all foreigners. Most of them are Spanish. They're really sweet & in the same boat that I am so we're all really easy-going & up for anything. The funny thing is that after hanging around with so many Spanish, French, & German people, I'm starting to speak in broken English! I've always had a good ear for languages, I understand people quite well which means that I end up being the interpreter between the Spanish & Americans & British & Germans & French! It makes me laugh 'cos it feels like I can speak 6 languages! I think it's funny anyway...

Then, last night I met up with a few of the Spanish people to go to a Spanish club for a bit of Sangria & a dance... yesterday I was feeling like I was almost complteley into the time rythem here... then I went out till one in the morning & had the whole "juan the snorer" incident of 2008... so today I'm feeling a bit sluggish again. Now, for those of you who have a somewhat parental connection to me... never fear- Brighton is quite safe... plus, ... you know how when you go to the beach & you always make sure that someone else is further out than you so that they get eaten by the shark first??... well, thanks to the large student population & the high rate of binge drinking from all the British girls... there are easier targets than me to prey on...

After all this hanging out with Spanish people, I'm thinking of learning Spanish (again... except hopefully my teacher this time round will be more helpful than the one I had in Y12).



I miss K.F training heaps! I'd like to take it up here but it will be too expensive :o( I've been for a jog along the beach a few times (yes, Ry, I actually jog & I enjoy it too!). When I have my own space I might invest in a fit ball. Despite the fact that things are so expensive around here, there are some stores that sell certain things rediculously cheap. Case in point- I bought a beanie (quite an accomplishment I might add considering the crazy Brits only have spring stock in now) for £2.50 &... wait for it... a gorgeous, warm, scarf for 50p! 50 p people! That's approx $1.10 back home.

Like all good travellers, I am emmersing myself in the culture every chance I get. So, naturally, I watched a soccer match at the pub the other night between Liverpool (who I have been told to barrack for) & Inter. Liverpool won! Although, (& all AFL fans will understand this) because it is such a low scoring game, I find myself barrracking for both teams becuase I get excited at even a hint of the ball reaching either goal. I have also been kindly schooled in some of the rules by a few of the British guys (despite the mum from Bend it like Bekham's best efforts to explain it using sea-salt & dijon mustard.... I now completely understand the off-side rule :o). Don't worry though Dad, I haven't become completely soft... I did have a friendly argument with an American guy about the fact that AFL is so much better than Gridiron & that AFL players are harder beacuse they don't need all the padding! I have not got involved in the other cultural norm though... pints... definitely not my thing- who can afford to??!!!!


Whilst in the hostel I have also met another Aussie girl. Her name is Naomi & she's from Melbourne. She has gone back to London for work but I'm probably going to go up to London this weekend anyway to see Reece & visit the markets etc. I was going to go on a trip to Amsterdam but Karina has exams so I'm going to wait until she's finished. Then I was thinking of heading up to Scotland but I'm starting work on the 19th now so I'm going to stay close by & probably go away next weekend because of the Easter long-weekend.

Still no place to stay yet but I have a good feeling that something is just around the corner. I'm jjust waiting to hear back from a few places. Hopefully I'll have something within the next couple of days. Maribel has said that I can stay with her for bit if I want to which is nice to know. I just have to remind myself that I've only been here a week!

Oh, Ry & Stace (& anyone else of course), if you get the chance, check out: http://victoribanez.blogspot.com/ That's Victor's blog.... it's all in Spanish but I thought you might like the photos he draws.

Wow, this has been a massive blog- I was storing it all until I had a few things to say.

Love to all.

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