Sunday 14th February

OKAY!! So this is the first time that I have had internet for more than 10 minutes at a time. I'm gonna have to recap the past few days, which makes me really sad because I have an awful memory :(. Here goes!

Sunday 14th February

First of all, I must say that this program is totally keeping me on a good sleeping schedule. Jetlag gets me to bed by 11ish and I have to wake up by 730! Maybe this will continue throughout the semester and not get overridden by my laziness... Anyway! Had brunch and then went to the Queen Victoria market. It's basically like a huge flea market with tons of stalls with pretty much the same items: sunglasses, clothes and shoes (mostly not so great quality and knock-offs, but not too shabby), toys, touristy items, etc. The best part of the market is definitely the food/fruits & veggies section. You can get kilos of fresh produce for mad cheap and visit the butcher/meat section. I've found some people who are living in the same building as I am, so I'm hoping we can buy some fresh foods and cook together! On a side note, my building is one minute away from campus and right next to a tram stop, yay!

After the QV market, we all went to the Melbourne Zoo. I haven't been to a zoo in AAAGGEESSS, so it was kinda surreal b/c I really did feel 12 years old again. The Oz hosts pretty much herded all of us around like small children or sheep. We saw the typical Aussie animals (koala = yoda; giraffes = SO AWKWARD, haha love the knobby knees). The best animals were probably the tamarinds with their crazy old man Gandalf beards and freaky faces. Unfortunately, the kangaroos were lazy bastards. They pretty much laid around and looked at us; I must say, they were giving a lot of attitude. I've never seen an animal look so nonchalant, like "Yeah, what?"

While I was there, I had a really good conversation with a student from Finland, Tove. She majors in Aboriginal culture and went on a field excursion for about a week before the Melbourne Welcome (MW) started. In the distant corners of my mind, I knew that the Aborigines were treated much like the Native Americans were in the US, but talking to Tove, I realized that Australia is actually a lot further behind than I had thought. Sports teams refuse to play Aborigine teams. Society doesn't really acknowledge their existence and refuse to even acknowledge the possibility of returning to them their spritual lands. Only recently (last year, I think?) did the current prime minister finally issue an apology for ripping Aboriginal children away from their families and trying to brainwash them into forgetting their heritage and previous life. Hearing this really saddened me and made me remember that it wasn't that long ago that the US had slavery and that basically, all minorities/indigenous peoples get screwed... On a brighter note, I'm really glad I met someone like her. She's kind of indie hipster artsy like and very interesting to talk to!

After the Zoo, we headed back to the college, ate dinner, and then got ready for a night activity. I went bowling! Let me just say that bowling is not nearly as lame as it is in the states. Whereas in the US, bowling alleys try to squish as many lanes in as possible and really don't bother with decor, the places we went to were INSANE. They were all dark and lit up like dance clubs are with neon lights and plush couches. There was pool and air hockey on the side, and a fancy bar to the left of us. Me + alcohol + bowling = 45 points total. I'm impressed with myself. The best part of the night was probably afterwards though...

The hosts decided to take us to some bars/pubs hidden in the alleyways. And when I say alleyways, I mean alleyways. We went to St. Jerome's and Section 8 (which was closed ]: ). To get to St. Jerome's, you have to go down an alley with graffiti and bird poop on the walls. Go past dumpsters on either side and then finally stop at a nondescript door. Opening that correct door leads you into a dark room that then leads to the other side of the alley/converted bar area outside. It was REALLY cool. Like wow I had to restrain myself from being a total tourist and taking pictures. It was almost like this bar happened on accident, except that there was a DJ cage and wooden porchy area. I really felt like I was at a locals only kind of pub. I don't know if I'm adventurous enough to look for more alley pubs, but maybe with a group of friends...!