Having HEAPS of fun!

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Thanks for all the messages and emails, it good to hear from people and it's also nice to know about all the snow I am missing out on at home!
I've started school now, although it hardly seems like it. I have only 10 hours of classes a week and my tutors (what they call professors) usually let us out early so its barely that! There are some huge differences from school here than back at UVM. First of all my nursing class is somewhere around 250 people- and I thought my class of 65 at home was big! Also, they have a 3 year program instead of four so its strictly nursing, they don't take any electives or as many sciences as we do. God and Christianity are also brought up a lot by my tutors in class, and we have any Christian holiday off from school (kinda nice since that means a 4 day weekend for Easter because of Good Friday and Easter Monday). One realllyyy amazing thing about going to University here is that you don't pay a dime until you get a job and start making over 30,000 dollars a year. This makes it possible for anybody who wants to to go to school, whether they can afford it or not, and they don't have to start paying back student loans right after they graduate! Must be nice!
Around here it is such a beachy community there is no such thing as "no shoes, no shirt, no service" people here go shopping, ride the train, pretty much do everything in their barefeet and bathers (what they call bathing suits). The part of the coast I am on is called the Sunset Coasts and so far one of my favorite things to do has been go down to the beach and stay for the amazing sunsets over the Indian Ocean.
Something that has taken some getting used to but is actually quite nice is that absolutely nothing is open on Sundays, except for a few pubs and restaurants, and everything closes at 5:00 (except for the pubs and restaurants again) except for Thursday evenings which they call "late night shopping night". It definitely takes some planning, for example you have to plan Sundays dinner on Saturday, but they really value family time, and it must nice to not have to work late or go in on Sundays (although I guess nurses aren't included in that!).
Fruits and vegetables here are so fresh and amazing. Right on my back patio we have grapes, mulberrys, guavas, and olives growing. Every year Tam spends a few days picking all the olives and then she sends them to this place where they turn her olives into her own olive oil. Its really really good! One crazy they eat here is kangaroo! At first when Tam was making it for dinner I was really sad that she could cook something so cute and fun! (Her boyfriend teased me that they jump right into the oven) But they also told me its actually one of the best meats you can eat because its all local and its really lean. I still enjoyed my veggie roast while they ate the Roo. I did try fish and chips from the fish bar down the street. It was really good- although I guess everything fried is! However half way through I found out what I was eating was shark- no good since everytime I swim out in the ocean I yell to the sharks that I would never eat them so they shouldn't eat me! I guess I can't blame them now! 😊
Last weekend the 3 other girls from UVM and I traveled an hour south to Rockingham where one of our professors from back home is on sebaticle. Another of our professors on sebaticle here also met us there for a BBQ. It was really nice to see them and also to travel south of Perth.
Next weekend a few friends and I are renting a car and heading even further south to the wineries. Renting cars here is really cheap and you don't have to be 25- just remember to drive on the left side of the road!
Okay I'll write again soon! Love to all ~Calandra

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Photos

Fish and Chips
They laid it all out for me and taught me to eat it Aussie style

One of the amazing sunsets
with two of my friends at Cottesloe Beach

Perth
A view of the city from up at Kings Park

Comments

[sue]

Rockingham
Calandra, I am glad you enjoyed Rockingham, its a lovely place isnt it?