This post must go back to Halloween, then wrap all the way back to now... Prepare for a long one, and as these types of post usually go, it will be less detailed and more just be listing what happened.
When Halloween came, the day itself just felt like another day in time. Nothing too special happening. Although, I did get some free lollies from the pharmacy! :D The afternoon was a relaxing one, and while people here do celebrate Halloween, its not very big at all. I remember a comment from someone at the pharmacy where they were all dressed as skeletons, etc. This guy walked in and asked with an attitude, "Why are you celebrating an American holiday?!" I guess the comment was warranted, but Halloween is all about fun, now, and what's wrong with having an extra day of fun her in Australia? Since, some people do celebrate it, there was about 2 small groups of kids that came around and went trick or treating. THat was nice to see, and made it feel a little more like Halloween. It's interesting how some traditions can just spread around the globe in this vast, interconnected world we live in today.
Come Friday morning, I got up early to go for a run, on which I got to see the sunrise up out the Pacific Ocean. It was cloudy so the view wasn't too great, yet I still reckon it was pretty darn cool, probably because it was the first time I've seen the sun rise off the water! Come the early morning, I had to head up to the Bay to catch a bus with Rotary. Rotary had organised a great trip up to Tumut, NSW for the exchange students in this district. Although it included a 7hr bus ride to pick up the others before finally heading to Tumut, it was fun! :) Once there, we went off to a park where we got an Aboriginal experience. Throughout the afternoon, we learnt how to play the didgeridoo (other than circular breathing which I don't quite understand), make rope and string from tree bark, grind and smooth rocks to make axes, etc, and also how to throw a boomerang, which isn't nearly as hard as it looks! It was pretty fun and I have since made bracelets for people from the tree bark and bettered myself at the didgeridoo over the weekend. I just need to get the breathing down! Afterward, we were billeted off to Rotarian's homes for the weekend who were just the most welcoming and nicest people. Saturday was a fun filled day when we travelled to caves of which I cannot remember the name. They were pretty large and extravagant. Afterward, we headed over to a naturally heated swimming pool, where we had lunch and just made a muck as we exchange students tend to do. ;) It was a nice, yet challenging, hike back to the car park, the path to included a pit stop for myself and one other to see the Glory Arch, which is a cave structure that opens up to be probably 30 metres high in the shape of a dome. (You can see the pictures under the 'Tumut' folder in the 'Pictures' tab.) This was followed by spending time with our hosting families in the later afternoon and a bbq that night! This was a lot of fun and I wish things like that didn't have to end. :) The next morning consisted of breakfast at a park and some shenanigans before saying goodbyes to our lovely hosts in Tumut and heading back to our homes. (I suggest not to be spun around really fast for 5 min and then try to run across the park.)
Come Monday, it was back to school. However, that evening I went out to the movies with some friends to see the new Thor. :) Over the night, my liking of KFC in Australia has improved to meet par and it was a greatly fun night! The next day was Melbourne Cup Day! This is a day of a horse race in Melbourne (fancy that might be where its name comes from ;) ) and is considered the "Race that stops the nation." Its a pretty big even that I guess would equate to Super Bowl... Not quite as popular though. Yet, people in Victoria get the day as a public holiday! To celebrate, at school we had a dress up as if we were going to the races. So, for a dollar donation, I dressed up in a suit and tie and swag ;). The festivities included a fashion contest thingy to see who was the best dressed, and a sausage sizzle! Overall it was a great day, although I forgot to bet on a horse! :/
Wednesday was pretty normal except for making apple pie for my host family, which they reckon is fantastic! Thursday came as was again normal with everything and nothing of interest... Friday was a fun day at school because we threw a mini party for a student teacher who was leaving us to finish her training. Saturday was a pretty interesting and fun morning. At the local airport, they held a training plane crash simulation, in which Hannah and I participated as passengers! At the airport, they set up a makeshift plane crash using pvc piping and canvas tarps which they then sat all the volunteers in an informed us of our injuries, etc. I had a leg injury, which I was given a picture of, so the responders knew what I had without the need for makeup. I posted the picture on Facebook, yet I neglected to inform people of the simulations, so... It was fun though, as they left it open for interpretation by the 'victims,' so there were some interesting characters. With my injury, I couldn't walk, and at the beginning, the responders mentioned getting off the plan in case of an explosion, yet they were slow to get those off who couldn't walk, so I dragged myself by my arms! It was hilarious, especially as someone decided to walk over me! haha I have to say, though, despite it being an interesting scenario, I have lost confidence in the first responders at the airport. :/ They are still great people, just could use a little more training. The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet and relaxing. :)
Come Tuesday, 12 Nov, it was time for the Year 12 Formal! This is equivalent to Prom in the US and was loads of fun. :) It was a nice occasion, and although its comparable to prom, the dress code is a little more slack. Also, the actual Formal wasn't really a party like it should be... even people here said that. It was pretty much dinner and a small ceremony in addition to way too many pictures (haha) and drinks for those 18+. Afterward, though, was the after-party which was heaps fun! To the Formal, I accompanied my sister, Hannah, who looked very lovely and is going to the US in Jan and will hopefully get to experience a Prom!
Friday night was spent hanging out with some great friends attempting to watch Harry Potter start to finish, yet we lacked the determination considering we started at 11 and everyone had to work the next day. It was still a fun night, though! Saturday consisted of relaxing with not much to do. In the evening, I got to meet Peter's parents and have dinner with them. :) Sunday was another relaxing day doing pretty much nothing. In the morning to early afternoon, Julie, Peter, and I went for a nice 2 hour walk around the National Park with one of the dogs.
To minimize the delay of posts and to keep from having too long of a post, I will post this now and get to you later with more of my adventures, trying to catch up before Christmas!
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