November 24
th: Black Friday on a Saturday
Today I rested and tried to clean up from
the holiday and just took it easy.
November 25th: Grammie’s Birthday
When I woke up today I video called home. Everyone on the
Rogers side of the family was there celebrating Grammie’s 80th birthday.
It was so nice to talk to my cousins and Aunt and Uncle and Grandparents. We talked
for a while and it was so nice to hear their voices and see them all on my
screen. After I left that conversation I went to Anthony’s house to a BBQ and
hung out there for a while. It was a super hot day outside but it was nice.
One thing that did make me super aware I was in Australia
was when we were eating our dinner Anthony told me not to look up (which of
course I did) and I saw 3-4 red back (black widow) spiders just chilling on the
top of the canopy on their patio…. EW! Something that really made my day was
Anthony’s family’s reaction when I was talking about buying gas here versus at
home. I said “gas is cheaper at home” and their mouths dropped…. They say
petrol here so it was a nice culture shock for them to hear something Anthony
says “they hear in the movies”
Hahah good day full of family and sun.
November 26th: Day in the City
Today I took the day and went into the city. I explored
around the shops at QVB and Westfield mall and walked to the harbor. I bought a
really nice panoramic shot of the harbor and the bridge behind it on sale at a
local artist’s shop. Thinking I should start a collection of them from famous
cities I visit. I sat and had some lunch and looked out at the ferries coming
in. I had asked a couple to take a picture of me and when I go to talking to
them I knew they were from the states: Alabama. They said they were on their honeymoon
and that they had just arrived by flight that morning. They were super jet
lagged but wanted to explore all they could. I told them good places to go here
and up north where they were heading next. They were super grateful because it didn’t
really appear that they did much of their research before coming to Australia. I
then went and explored the Museum of Contemporary Art for a few hours and then
tried to do some other museums but they were closed. I started walking back
toward the city center and it started to rain. I went into a shopping center
with really expensive desirer outlets and then decided I wouldn’t be spending
any money and I should just go home because it was down pouring. It was still a
really nice day to be out in the city.
November 28th: NSW Garden Center
Today I walked to the Garden Center that the bus passes
on the way to the city. It was a super hot
day out but it was nice to walk and enjoy the sun. Once I arrived it was a lot different
than I thought based off the view from the road. I was inside there for way
over an hour and explored different plants and bushes. I wish I had a garden I could
plant all these plants in! they had tropical trees like a passion fruit tree
and lots of pretty Australian flowers that wouldn’t really survive anywhere in
New England. I had a really good time exploring around in there. I walked back
to meet Anthony at the train station…. I’m done walking on my feet for a bit.
November 29th: Comedy night
Tonight we went to the Ranch where we were able to watch
a comedy night. It was funny but we didn’t stay for the whole thing. We left
and went to McDonald’s (the food they served us at the Ranch was in way too
tiny of proportions to feel full after). It was fun and a good reason to go out
for a bit.
I've been packing up my room because I was told by my program that I would have to leave this room by the 1st of Dec or I would have to pay extra to live here. I was planning on couch surfing and I have packed up all my pictures and sheets and clothes that I don't need till I return home. I ran into my friend Sam from my program and he decided to do the same thing as me: stay longer in Australia. And he told me that there was no additional cost to stay longer and that we have paid for the room through our program through till New Years Eve. So on the plus side: I'm all packed up with things I don't need any longer and I don't have to pay any extra money to stay anywhere else. On the downside: my program gave me poor communication and I almost lost a bunch of money because of it....
November 30th: Manly Ferry
Today Anthony was working at the store in Manly so I decided
to head out to the beach today. I had a volunteer thing to participate in for a
psych research study but then after I left on a train for Circular Quay and
boarded the ferry. This ferry that goes to Manly beach is one of the biggest
tourist attractions in Sydney, I thought it’d be a good idea to say I went on
it. It takes a half an hour to get from the quay (pronounced: key) to the warf.
Once there I laid on the beach for hours and tried to reapply sunblock and not
get burnt. I arrived there around 2 and the sun was still really strong. I watched
the kids playing on the beach (loved their little Aussie accents!) and then
hung out with Anthony for a bit once he got off work and came to the beach. It was
lightening in the distance so we left shortly after. On the way back to the car
we spotted a “baby” huntsman on someone’s car….. not cool. Way too big for me.
