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Published: March 2nd 2008
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My room
Thought you might like to see my room at St. Thomas More College. Classes start tomorrow. It’ll take me a couple weeks, and then I’ll be able to tell if they’re harder than NC State or not. Meanwhile, here's what went on this past week.
February 28 So I thought during the morning we were going to have “Silly Olympics” but that fizzled and didn’t happen. There was the promised Inter-College Dragonboat Racing, albeit an hour later than the proposed starting time. I don’t have any pictures of it, but I was in the first race - we got second place. In case you didn’t know, because I didn’t until I saw one, a dragonboat is basically a big metal canoe that holds 20 rowers and 1 rudderman. I thought it was great fun, trying to paddle fast and in time and shouting out the strokes. There was also a BBQ down at Matilda Bay, where the races were held - and by BBQ I mean the bland sausages that Australians eat instead of hot dogs, which I have now had 6-8 times during these first two weeks. After all the racing and eating was done, I passed the hour before our next activity watching a pick-up soccer game. (Note: Australians here at
least call it soccer because they don’t want it to be confused with Aussie-rules football. I don’t yet know what that is, but I gather it’s something similar to rugby.) Our evening activity was a night out bowling and playing pool. Australians are very serious about pool. It was an enjoyable night, even though I did not bowl my best and played pool abominably.
February 29 Not only was this a leap year day, it was also O-day, which is short for Orientation Day. There wasn’t anything really orientation-like about it, it was basically a club fair similar to those held during Wolfpack Welcome Week at NC State, and I enjoyed visiting the stalls and trying to get free stuff. I was unwilling to pay to join any clubs, since I’m only here a semester, but for free stuff I did sign up for several non-uni-related e-mail lists. I put down my yahoo account, which I rarely use, so it’s all good. I was surprised at the stalls promoting alcohol brands, nightclubs, and the actual student organizations that claimed to basically be partying/drinking clubs. NC State certainly wouldn’t allow that sort of thing. That’s what frats are for. Anyhow, I
had to stick around in the afternoon for a compulsory mass that wasn’t really a full mass and afterward a “semi-formal dinner” which wasn’t at all formal.
I went out with some girls that night. We had all chosen not to go to the Freshers Camp, which was basically an excursion to drink on the beach, but they wanted to go to this club called the Deen and I wanted to see Northbridge. We got lost trying to find it, but we eventually got there. I would say that overall it was a pretty fun night.
March 1 In the late morning I took the bus downtown to an outlet mall. I ended up buying a black dress, since I was afraid we might have some sort of formal dinner around Easter and I wanted to be prepared.
That evening I went on one of the excursions the study abroad office had planned- a dusk hike through Karakamia Wildlife Sanctuary. Well, it started off sort of badly, because our bus was making grinding noises and we got lost and by the time we arrived it was already twilight and all the birds had roosted so my bringing binoculars and a
Matilda Bay
I'll have to walk along Matilda Bay everyday to get to the zoology building. Not bad scenery. bird book was wasted. But it got a bit better. I wish I had been in the first tour group, because the guide was a bird guy, but the girl we had was funny. She pointed out grass trees where native small mammals hide during the day, as well as jarra trees, marri trees (they bleed red sap) and snottygobbles (apparently good bush tucker). We saw western brush wallabies, tammar wallabies, woylies, and common brushtail possums during our two hour night hike (using little field spotlights). We also saw some wicked-looking spiders. And the stars were amazing (Orion was upside down, and I saw the Southern Cross which is on the Australian flag). I wish I had good pics, but I’ve yet to fully figure out this camera and didn’t know how to take night pics.
March 2 I went on a morning excursion organized again by the study abroad office- a bus tour of Cottesloe and Fremantle. I have to say riding around in a bus is pretty boring, but when we got an hour to look around Fremantle that was fun. I’ll have to come back of course to do the touristy things like the maritime museum and
Random seaweed children
These kids were playing on the shore- at first I thought they were monster's from the deep! the old state prison tour. I noticed today that there are loads of Australian war memorials all over the place. America doesn’t seem to have this many in every burg and town- do other countries do this as well, or is Australia just really proud that they participate in every war?
This afternoon I was very sleepy but managed to do laundry, and then being unwilling to pay $2 to dry my clothes I for the first time in my life used a clothesline. I was a little afraid I was doing it wrong so I went online, looked up tips, and fixed my mistakes. I was a little uncomfortable hanging my unmentionables out, but I hoped nobody cared and I sort of boxed them in with my other clothing. Then I alternately napped and checked on them, because I was afraid my colors were going to fade, but everything turned out fine, dry, and a little stiff (but the website told me to expect that).
I had a bit of an embarrassing episode this evening. Mass was at 5:45pm, and it was another compulsory one, so I went. Now, I’m sure somebody at some point has told me about
the oddities of Catholics, but I had forgotten. I was already a little disconcerted by the highly ritualized chanting and stuff that I am unfamiliar with. So when communion was being served, I got up with everybody else to take it. Well, I know now that non-Catholics are not supposed to take communion with Catholics (which seems highly exclusive/prejudiced to me) but I didn’t know/remember at the time, and when I got to the altar, I must’ve looked un-Catholic, because the priest (who is also our dean) said, “Here is the body……. Are you Catholic?” Right there in the middle of everything. In front of everybody. I was mortified. I mumbled (God forgive me, I might’ve mumbled yes, I still can’t remember what I said) and snatched the wafer and ran- I even skipped the cup part of the communion because I was so embarrassed. I don’t think
many people noticed- but I hope I’m not in trouble or anything.
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