Lara Croft

That's my name. Sort of. Not really. But I felt like it could have been for a brief moment this weekend because...

WE WENT ABSEILING!

Lulu, Siobhan and I felt like doing something adventurous this weekend and so, with Lulu working for an events company, we bagged an abseiling lesson for half price. I've got to admit it, it was one of the scariest things I've done and for a moment I thought I wouldn't make it down. Mainly because all coordination between you hands and feet is forgotten and for some reason your bouncing around on the side of a cliff. I also was severely hungover from a wonderfully messy night on Thursday.

However, it was also one of the coolest things I've done so far. I took a moment to look down/behind me and this was my view:

That's when I forgot about being scared. This was at Kangaroo Point, just next to Southbank. It really is beautiful and I can't believe it's taken me seven weeks to see it! Yep, seven weeks I've been here now. That's two months next week. The time is flying! In keeping with Lara Croft theme, I've spent my day  on a dirt bike track. I went to visit a friend down near the Gold Coast and found myself surrounded my people who love to go crazy and ride motor cross bikes. I spent half the time closing my eyes to save myself from witnessing a crash or some sort of tragedy. Turns out, there was a bit of a tragedy. I don't know what happened but there were 4 'ambos' (ambulances) and a helicopter.

Anyway I had a very spontaneous and adventurous weekend which was just what I wanted. It's good to get away from Griffith on the weekends, clears your head a bit. Next week I start my job on campus, perfect timing as we are booking Mid Semester break soon. We've decided on the Whitsunday Islands (paradise). It'll break the bank but it'll be worth it.

Seeeeee ya

P.S.

I forgot to mention...

I GOT A JOB! On campus, doing work. Got my high fashion (terrible) work uniform sorted the other day and I'll start training on Monday. 

With every down there is an up right?

The land of Coolangatta

I have just come back from a night and day in paradise on the Gold Coast.

Siobhan and I took a trip to Coolangatta last night after being invited down to visit some friends. It's only a quick train journey so we felt like being spontaneous and after much deliberation, decided to go. Thank heavens we did!

We turn up at the train station and get a ride back to the hotel. Yes thats right, HOTEL rather than a grubby hostel. Even better, we didn't pay a penny. The guys snuck us in and gave us their room. It was right on the beach front and was rather impressive. After spending a bit of time there, we discover that we have actually intruded a stranger's birthday weekend. Our friend's inform us that they have booked us a seat at the restaurant where they are all going for a birthday dinner. As you can imagine, that's slightly awkward, given we don't know who the birthday boy is.

Anyway, we turn up to Hog's Breath drunk and giggly. By now we have a feel for the group and how the night is going to go. One of the guys has already bought us alchohol and made it clear that he himself is drunk and therefore does not care paying for anything. So, we order a nice big meaty stake each, topped with calamari and curly fries. Followed by two fabulous cocktails. Not forgetting to mention we polished off the birthday boy's cake. We go to pay, fully knowing that it's already been paid for, and yep, we were right. We hear the words 'Oh, use are covered'. Meaning, we've got this. BRILLIANT. I know I'm sounding like a sponger right now, but it was all self inflicted, we didn't ask for any of this.

The night continues at a bar where again, we don't spend a penny apart from entry fee. It wasn't a great bar but, when you've been fed red meat for free and drank other people's money, you feel on top of the world. I was in one of the best moods I've been in since arriving in Oz. It just so happens that whilst being at this bar, I meet a guy who loves pommies (that's us English people). We talk a bit, swop numbers etc etc.

Shiv and I wake up the next morning to the most beautiful view. Take a look at this:

FOR FREE.

Being a student makes you very aware of the money your spending, hence the emphasis on money 24/7. It is stunning though! After being woken up at 6am by the boys wanting to down more vodka and generally cause chaos, we sleep through till 9am and take ourselves to the beach. This is where I discover a second paradise. Here you go...

The place literally took my breath away. When I got in the sea I had the moment I had been waiting for. I said the words 'I love Australia'. I looked around me and all I could see was a stunning coast line and an empty ocean, with me in the middle of it. How could I not be happy? My tummy was full of this

(Avocado and Tomato on toast) and my heart was content. The only thing I wished for was for my mum to be able to see such a wonderful place. Anyway, enough of the soppy long ass speech.

Later on, the guy who we met last night came down to see us. I was pretty impressed by the fact that his sister's name is Pia, which is my middle name. Never have I ever met/known any one else of that name, normally people are like 'that's not a name that sounds like the piano man song'. IT IS A REAL NAME. I love it. Mackenzie gave us a lift to the station, we were cutting it short so we bombed it down the motorway. We caught the train in time and the trip ended as smoothly as it possibly could have.

I feel extremely lucky to be here. I've had the best weekend away in the most beautiful place with the most wonderful people. Tonight it continues in Brissy at some course friend's house warming party.

The new kids are getting cool ay.

EKKA EVE WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?

I found myself dreaming about downing pints of water, followed by milk and finally shoving a doughnut in my mouth. I then woke up and realised; 1) I was severely dehydrated 2) I was craving milk 3) I shoved a doughnut or 3 in my mouth last night.

Then the happenings of Ekka Eve dawned on me....

So Ekka is Queensland's famous annual event and today is the official public holiday, which means a day of uni to recover from the night before, hooray! Last night we went to 'The Met', managed not to throw any mcflurrys at anyone and actually had a bloody good time.

It was one of those nights that goes super smooth but super quick. I felt like I was only there for about an hour. But as my memory is starting to recall, it was much longer. Don't you just love it when the puzzle starts coming together? So far I have recollected;

• Someone thought I was on drugs because my pupils are too darn big
• I put a light in my hair because I thought it looked cute (it looked shit)
• I paid 8 dollars for a drink right before getting a free one, typical.
• A guy bothered talking to me for half an hour THEN decided to say 'oh hey, I have a girlfriend'
• I ate a disgusting amount of peanuts and doughnuts when I got home
• I told an Australian man to explain his views on women, then lectured him on how they were wrong

Got a good listing going so far I think, seeing as it's only 9.30 am. Why do I always wake up early after a night out?! I don't know if I can handle walking around Ekka festival today. I don't feel like it's a walking day at all.

I still feel like someone has poured a bucket of sand in my throat whilst I was asleep, so I think it's a sign that I should stop writing and drink some water. Perhaps even a BOOST JUICE at some point today (an overly priced smoothie that everyone loves because it makes them feel healthy and better about eating doughnuts). 

See ya when I feel human again.

SUNNY C

FULL OF VITAMAN D. So much so that I am now a walking red blob.

So this weekend we took a visit to Mooloolaba, a beautiful spot on the Sunshine Coast.

Yep thats me and Jo acting like we know how to surf.

Mooloolaba felt like what I always imagined Oz to be. Surfers, tanned people everywhere, muscly men playing volleyball on the beach, juice bars and most importantly; a beach which is reachable from any point in the town. It was just what we wanted. Everyone was feeling a bit homesick or run down when we left Griffith, but the Sunshine Coast worked it's magic.

The weekend got even better when my flat mates turned up, along with Musti. We ended up in a club which was full of strange people, (including a bisexual who had a boyfriend but decided to hit on Naomi) and stank of cheese. Even stranger, it was called 'The Wharf Tavern' but everyone calls it 'Fridays'. You think this is because it's amazing on a Friday night right? Wrong. It's best night is Thursday....told you it's backwards.

Anyway we still had a good night together and a beautiful day today.

I had my first typical traveller's situation, where you meet someone in a random place, who happens to live 20 minutes away from your home town. I was embarrassingly excited. It was a guy from Watford who over heard my 'good pommie accent'. He moved here two years ago and has picked up the Aussie twang, so at first I didn't pick up on the fact he was British. Then he revealed he was a Watford boy! Back at the hostel there were a few guys from Croydon too which isn't that far, but they kind of made me feel a bit sick so wasn't as excited about that. They were the type of people who are proud to drink from 10am till 5am the next day and end up wetting themselves (or worse). Jo also met a girl from Plymouth, and her being such a proud Plymothian, it made her night. Maybe even her weekend.

Me, Giac and Jo shared a room with a German guy called Matteus. He has come to the end of his travels after doing a semester abroad at the Sunshine Coast University and is heading home this Tuesday. It made me realise again how quick my time will go. He also reminded me what a banging tan I'll have by the time I go home because he did not look German anymore! We also met two Scottish girls, best friends in fact. They only have four weeks left in Australia which is shame because they were so lovely. 

It's funny how many people come and go in hostels. Some people stay for weeks or months, some only for a day; but still that one hostel will be part of so many people's memory. They usually arn't too shabby either. I don't mind them at all.

Anyway, this trip definitely cured my lingering home sickness! A beach does wonders.

Homesick

Why? I don't know. I'm not a sucker for homesickness, usually.

This Thursday it'll be a month since I left the UK. I'm hoping after this two week wave of missing home, it'll pass and the rest of the time I'll forget about it. With such a long time period there was bound to be a good chunk of it where I felt like this, and I predicted it would be near the beginning. I also think once I start travelling in October the time will just fly and I won't think twice about it.

I never thought I would miss the UK but I really do. I can't pin point what about it though. I keep craving a good old English Christmas too. I know I will read this at Christmas and think 'bloody ell just enjoy your time there!' but for now I can't help it! I want to be on my sofa snuggling my dog ( or as I see it, child), with my mum and everyone else, drinking hot chocolate. HOW BORING OF ME. I don't care though, I have no shame in this confession. It's comfort that I miss.

I miss my friends, the people that know me. It's tiring having to to try and make friends every day. I don't really think I'll make any close friends on my courses, they all have their friendship groups from semester one. I've made some good friends in my flat though, and of course all the international students.  So I'm not lonely or anything, I'm lucky to have the friends that I do over here.

These are all early feelings and maybe I'll write again in another months time about this topic, to compare. I hate the feeling of being lost. I get it too much because I THINK too much about everything. I've tried to change that about me before, hasn't worked. I'm a thinker for life unfortunately.

I really don't want this post to sound overly negative or give the impression that I'm horribly depressed, because that's not it. I'm still finding my feet, that's all.

If you find 'em, let me know.

 

A burger from 'Grilled'. Beef, bacon, cheese, mayo, wholemeal bun and plenty more.

Amazeballs.

Australian Men

ARE DISGUSTING.

Seriously, they are the most backwards, rudest people I have ever met. They have no manners, no respect and no morals. They are living in a world where women are objects and males are superior to everyone else.

So we were on our way home from a night out, two guys get in our cab asking to go to QUT. That's fine, if they pay the extra 35 bucks. They don't want to so we ask them nicely to get out and get in a different cab. In response to this, they start a fight. They push my friend Musti and become violent. So I  stick my head out the door and tell them to go away. He says 'fuck off you slut'. I throw my Mcflurry in his face.

Where on earth did all that come from and why did it even happen? Because I won't let a vile male talk to me like that or treat my friends like that for no reason what so ever. Now I am sitting here at 3am writing a blog based on my dislike for Australian males. At this moment right now, I just want to go home.

The image that foreigners create about Australia are simply idealisations and not reality. Australia has many problems, it's not all sandy beaches and surfers. In fact, you only see that if you go to the tourist spots. Hence why everyone has this idea about the country. Try living here.

Anyway, I'm off to bed, I will try to sleep off the anger. I wish Kiah was here to moan about this with me.

Night.