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Published: March 26th 2013
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I can't believe it, but I've already been in Australia for a month! Depending on whether or not I manage to find an internship soon, that could mean that I'm already a third of the way through my last study abroad adventure, which is really scary.
Friday we woke up at the crack of dawn to go to Hunter Valley, Sydney's version of Napa. On the way there, we stopped at a reptile house to see the koalas and kangaroos. I did not see a single reptile there, but everything is backwards and upside down in Australia so I didn't think too much about it. When we got there, we found that it was closed to the public that day (we were on a special tour), so we were one of the only people in the park. The reason the park was closed was because the entire cast and crew of the TV show
Australia's Next Top Model was there, and they were filming a full episode that day. They were pretty unhappy with the fact that we were there, but since the tour had been planned way in advance there was nothing they could do about it. It was
cool to see all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, and also how long it takes them to set everything up and debrief the contestants before anything interesting actually happens.
The kangaroos were not impressed with all of the models, and they spent the morning hiding out instead of hopping around so we weren't able to go feed them. I did, however, get to pet a koala! It turns out that in the state of New South Wales, it is illegal to hold a koala. Not to worry, obviously I'm not leaving Australia without holding one, so you'll just have to keep reading my blogs until then.
The koalas were super soft and slept through our meet and greet, and I could have stayed there all day petting them, but it was soon time to get back on the bus and get to Hunter Valley. We arrived at the first winery, McGuigan Wines, at around noon, and after each of us devouring our Subway sandwiches, it was time to start tasting! I'd never been on a wine tour, and this place was very classy and taught us the basics of wine tasting. I really think that
Enjoying the view
From the tree you could see a lake, mountains, and the winery! most colleges need to offer a course on wine tasting, because it was a lot of information at once and I can guarantee that I will use my knowledge in wine tasting more than my knowledge in physics and chemistry in my adult life. Just saying, I think our education system could use some adjusting.
After trying 10 different wines, I fell in love with a nice semillon which I bought a bottle of and cannot wait to drink once I get back from break. We went to two more wineries throughout the afternoon, and by the end of the day, we had each tried 30 different wines. After drinking all of that nice wine, it will be really hard to go back to goon (what Australian's call cheap boxed wine).
Sunday was supposed to be homework day for me, but it was gorgeous outside and so we decided to bring our homework to the beach. My books stayed nice and shady in my backpack while we lounged on the beach and swam in the ocean. Afterwards, we had our first annual "rooskies and brewskies" aka kangaroo meat and a glass of beer. We grilled out on the
beach and then had grilled bananas with chocolate and ice cream for dessert...yum! I was a little nervous about eating kangaroo because they are so cute, but it tastes like a gamier version of steak so it was okay.
In other news, Ellen DeGeneres was in Sydney this past weekend. It was all over every radio and television station. Unfortunately, we missed her by a day. Some of the exchange students got to see her tape part of her show at the Opera House, which must have been amazing. I mean, to see the real Dory in Sydney would be great, but I'll have to settle on watching it on television. It's actually kind of funny watching TV here--they show a lot of US shows but they're shown months later. Ellen's show was on the other day and it was one from last Thanksgiving, and a week ago I watched a Big Bang episode that aired originally when I was in China.
I'm slowly but surely falling into my routine here. Sundays are when all my homework is due, so look out for my blogs from now on on Tuesdays, since I don't have any class. That said,
BBQ
Chicken, kangaroo, veggies, and a beautiful view of the ocean. next week is my fall break and I probably won't have internet access while I'm gone, so look out for an awesome blog post in 2 weeks and happy Easter!
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