Down the Rabbit Hole

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3/13/10

Vocabulary Lesson Part 2:
Cow: horrible woman
Mole: Horrible person
Plat: Braid
Fringe: bangs
Lemonade: Sprite
Tomato Sauce: Ketchup
Schnitzel: Fried Chicken
Goon: wine in a box
Bushwalking: hiking
Chemist: Pharmacy
Pudding: dessert
Pokies: slot machines
Petrol: Gas
Uni: University or College
Wanker: jerk
TAB: place to take bets on racehorses at EVERY BAR in EVERY HOTEL it’s weird, gambling is quite the problem here!

So my previous 3 roomates moved out and i got 3 more, all German, all around my age. They were all so nice and very funny, I'd go to the bathroom and hear them all speaking German but as soon as I came out they'd start speaking English again because they didn't want to offend me! One of them was 23 and living with a host family in Brisbane but taking some time to travel right now. The other was 29 and a biologist researching diabetes at some university here! The other one was 19, I guess less around my age, she was pretty shy so I'm not really sure what she was here for 😊

We had a lot of fun hanging out in the evenings and I went to Bondi Beach last weekend with the 23 year old and some of her friends she was traveling here with. They all spoke hardly any English so I pretty much had no clue what they were saying the whole day! I also met yet another English bloke on the roof of my hostel who joined us in Bondi for a bit as well. Later that day I also got to meet up with my roomate from last week, Katie and met some of the Americans she's studying with.

Unfortunately the German girls moved out and the worst roomates in the world moved in. 3 large American women who were what everyone thinks Americans should be like: plump, rude and dirty.

I did finally give in and spend the money to go see Alice in Wonderland which was amazing and the screen was truly the largest in the world! After seeing it though I found out Drago, my friend who works here, has free IMAX tickets…NOW I find this out! But anyway, it was so good and now that it will be free I told him I’d go see it with him again! So excited!!! Some other days this week I've tried to get up early before work and walk around Darling Harbour and enjoy being in Sydney while I can. I've also spent some lunches in the Gardens and other Parks around the office. The other day I went to pick up a package down by Darling Harbour, had Maccas and thought I’d be really careful around the seagulls but still eat outside by the water…obviously I’d forgotten what happened last year because as I was ever so carefully opening the quarter pounder box to take a bite a seagull came from behind me, whacked me in the face with his wing and ripped off most of the top of my burger! That’s when every seagull in Australia came over and I had to wipe the ketchup and onions of my leg that he’d gotten on me, put my food back in the bag and head towards shelter…evil seagulls. I treated myself from the traumatic experience with a blood orange sorbet in a cone. I still had to walk strategically and fast around the seagulls with my cone though as I walked back to work…I believe I’ve been traumatized.

Wednesday night I went to a Tiffany Recognition Dinner at a restaurant down by the harbour. It was in a gorgeous location, under the Harbour Bridge and you could see Luna Park in the distance. Very interesting seeing all the Sydney fashion the girls wear...they definitely wear less! I was watching some of the girls get awards and shocked they would wear what I could consider slutty club wear in front of their bosses and co-workers! Very strange....the best part of the evening was that I got a free 3 course meal along with endless champagne re-fills! I felt like a homeless person tasting real food for the first time! That's what a week or so living off of pasta, pb&j and instant noodles will do for you! I had thin roast beef medalions with salad, Barramundi over mashed potatoes with vegetables and a lemon cheesecake for desert! I also stole someone's Baily's Cream Puff as that was one of the other options and you know how i die for my cream filled pastries! I was full for the first time in a while!

On my way home I walked along the water, past the Opera House and Under the Harbour Bridge back to my hostel. Under the bridge I was greeted by a flock of bunnies! But not just regular wild bunnies, about 10 or so fluffy multi-colored bunnies! It seriously looked like they escaped from a pet store! There was one that looked like patches, a beige one, a peach one with white nose, etc. Luckily I had my flip camera so you'll have to see the videos...maybe they're coming out for Easter! Regardless I'm that big of a loser that that totally made my night, my day....possibly my month! I tried to pet them and got close but I think they were too camera shy for me to get close enough!

Thursday after work I went to a foam party with Drago and other people from the hostel. Seeing as he’s the activities coordinator for the YHA I got in for free and also got free drinks. And as Dad would say, “free is for me!” You’re probably saying one of two things or both of two things; 1. What the heck is a foam party and/or 2. Why the heck would YOU go to a foam party?! Well a foam party is where they fill a room with soapy foam basically, shooting out from these weird machines so that you basically end up walking around in 6 inches of soapy water. Girls (besides me) wear bikinis, guys take their shirts off and they dance around in this giant bubble bath…weird I know, and the people there were just that, VERY WEIRD! So it was pretty entertaining to watch but only worth walking through the bubbles once just to say I did it. The bar was on oxford street which is notoriously gay so there were tons of fabulous gay guys with shirts off dancing around as well. After a couple hours I was done so I got a cab back and went to sleep. The next morning I woke up to blue feet because I had worn my wedge crocs that have blue canvas straps! So basically now I have smurf feet to remember the night by!

Oh! And I finally got good roomates again! Elise, a girl from Belgium who’s been studying on the Gold Coast for a few years, this other woman from Switzerland who lost her luggage and last night a woman from New Zealand who until I used my Megan charm seemed quite, weird and rude but I used my magic and now it’s all good!

So last night I worked until 8pm (bleh) but Fridays we have Champagne, cheese and crackers at work so that helps. When I got back I went out with Elise, her friend, Drago and some of his friends to The Argyle which is this huge awesome place with all different levels of bars. The outside patio has these giant lanterns that look like lamps and makes you feel like you’re Alice in Wonderland. So we had some drinks there and then headed to my faaavvooorriitttteee place, Pancakes on the Rocks! We had nachos and pancakes with hash browns 😊 delicious!!! Not sure how I ended up staying awake till 4am but it happened! Now I’m trying to decide whether or not to go to Bondi Beach where they’re having a huge surf competition all weekend! Next week is my last week working whoohooo, then onto Perth and the West Coast!

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