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Ok I know this is a week late but this past month has been insane. It's the heart of midterm season here in Australia, and it just so happens that it lines up almost perfectly with finals week back at home. I can't remember the last time I haven't had a test during the week, all the while trying to wrap up my honors thesis proposal that's due on May 5th so that my honors project can get approved to be written. Next week is the first time I don't have a test so fingers crossed to getting at least 6 hours of sleep in one night at some point next week. So much for enjoying the last couple weeks of Autumn here.
Other than the fact that I was painfully reminded that I was in fact a college student and not just on a 5 month long vacation here in Australia this past month, my time in Australia is going by way too fast. It's already May 1st! I literally blinked and April was gone. I'm scared June is going to blindside me and then all too soon I'll be headed home.
Even though I've had a lot
Told You...
...I was bringing back a cute Australian! He just so happens to be a professional rugby player. of exams and projects and presentations recently, I am still in this awesome place and am trying to get out as much as possible. The highlight of the past two weeks for me, maybe even for the whole semester, was going to my first professional rugby game! Apart from at college tournaments or watching our men's team play, the only rugby games I've seen live are the ones I've played in at school. So it was great to sit on the sidelines and not have to worry about anything. I didn't even care who won, since it was Sydney versus New Zealand, although unfortunately it wasn't the New Zealand All Blacks (they're not in season right now).
My friends and I got to the game a little early since we weren't sure exactly where we were going, which ended up being good since we went to the wrong stadium first. Once at the correct stadium (the other stadium was for
the cricket, not to be mistaken with cricket), we had a very hard time locating our seats. We had the super cheap general seating tickets, but since no one was around for us to ask, we just walked down
to the very front seats on the sidelines and sat down. We realized after the game we were supposed to sit way back in the far reaches of the stadium behind one of the try zones, but it worked out great paying $13 for front row seats.
The game itself was fantastic. It was fast paced, and was over before I knew it. It was great explaining the game to my friends who don't watch rugby on a regular basis, so they got to see how awesome it was. Plus, in rugby, unlike almost every other sport, the number on your back corresponds to the position, so all I had to do was say "watch number 10, that's what I do!" and I didn't have to keep pointing out which position I played. After the game, we even got to meet a bunch of the players.
In other news, Anzac Day was this past Thursday, so I didn't have any class. It stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, and they describe it as American's version of Veteran's Day. Nope. Anzac Day commemorates the 8,000 plus Australian and New Zealand soldiers that died starting on April 25th,
Fly Half Love!
This guy plays the same position I do back home! 1915 and ending at the end of that year. I don't think they have a holiday that commemorates all veterans, like we do, but this one is pretty big here. They start the day with a dawn service at 4:30 AM, after which the bars open. I'm not kidding, the bars open at 7 AM.
Another reason Anzac Day is big here is because it's the only day all year where the game "Two Up" is legal. I was quite skeptical at first because Two Up is essentially "Heads or Tails", where one person flips two coins in the air, and you have to guess whether they're going to both be tails or both be heads and you bet on the outcome. So crowds of people stand around a box, and someone calls out to start betting. If you think it's going to be heads, you take however much money you want to bet, say $10, and hold it on your head. Then, if another person thinks it's going to be tails, they give you $10. If it ends up being heads, you keep the money, and if it's tails you give them the money. If it ends up
one heads and one tails, they keep flipping until both coins end up on the same side. I don't know how, but it literally entertains Australians all day. I guess in terms of gambling, your odds are higher than they'd be anywhere else, since you literally have a 50/50 shot of winning, but some people would bet $50 or $100 that it'd be either heads or tails! I didn't partake in the gambling but it was awesome to see everything going on around us. I can't even begin to describe everything that happened around this simple game. The bar we went to was so packed, it must have been violating all of the fire codes ever written, but the atmosphere was great. All in all, it was a great way to see Australian culture at its finest.
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