This will be my last blog before I head back to California for the holidays!!! My bags are packed and I'm ready to go!! Took me awhile to figure out what stays in Australia and what goes to the States... but I think I'm done. :) Hopefully my luggage doesn't go over the specified weight. I'm not wanting to pay any extra this time around.
Tomorrow I move out - one day before I fly away - so I'll be staying at Maija's house for the evening. Then come Monday morning I'm on a flight to LA! What's awesome is that my flight leaves at 11:30am Monday morning.... but I arrive in Los Angeles at 10:25am Monday morning. Crazy huh?! Time travel!!!! I'm literally arriving from the future. I'm excited about that.
I don't think I'll be blogging at all when I'm home. So if you want to keep up with what I'm doing for the three months that I'm home - GIVE ME A CALL! :) I am completely ready to have many a conversation of coffee, or lunch, or whatever. :)
I'm looking forward to see everyone!!!
**BLOGGING WILL COMMENCE LATE FEBRUARY WHEN I RETURN TO AUSTRALIA TO FINISH MY STUDIES**
Until then, enjoy a few pictures from our trip down to the Gold Coast this week. Maija, her mom and I stayed at a really nice hotel for the night, did some shopping and soaked up some sun. It was really nice. Nice way to finish off the semester.
This past Wednesday the Nugent family hosted an authentic Australian BBQ :) The occasion was because a few of the girls from Lifegroup - not from Australia - were leaving: Michiko (a girl from Japan), Maria (from Norway), and me (from the States). The other two girls aren't coming back though. Maija's also leaving - which means she wouldn't be able to throw the party when I get back. So it all worked out.
The night was a lot of fun! For the main meal we had a lot of meat cooked are the barbie, sausage rolls and salad. And for dessert we had Pavlova, Lamingtons, ANZAC biscuits and heaps of Aussie lollies. Reeeeally good. :)
After we ate some of the girls hopped up and started showing us how to do the Nutbush - apparently it's a dance that everyone learns in Primary school. So everyone knew it... except Maija... she was having some trouble :)
Following the Nutbush a few girls left and the rest played Pictionary - not quite an authentic Australian game, but fun nonetheless. And me and Maija won! :) Try drawing "bless" or "yes"... they're difficult.
This past weekend my Lifegroup decided to do a little outing. An end of the year - bring Lifegroup to a close - goodbye - safe travels - good luck on exams kind of thing. So Maija has been wanting to go to this dessert buffet at the Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast for awhile. When she mentioned it to all of us, we quickly said "yes, we'll go". And the whole getting dressed up? Well... there's an end of the year formal for our youth group, United, that I'm going to be missing... so a few of the girls - including myself, thought it would be a nice replacement for me. :) So we all got dressed up, took three cars and headed down to the coast.
We got there around 8:45pm, quickly got a table. It was so great! The guy that seated us even pulled out the chairs for all the ladies! But we weren't seated very long. Because as soon as the guy explained how everything worked, we were all out of chairs and heading to the dessert table. And man did we have choices! It was great!!
The two guys you'll see in the video are Maija's brother, Ryan and his friend Isaac. It was Ryan's birthday the next day, so we took the opportunity to sing "Happy Birthday" to him while at the table. And we didn't have any birthday candles, so we just used the candlesticks that were on the table. :) You work with what you've got!
We had a LOT of fun. Laughed and pigged out on delicious desserts. The night wasn't over until late, and boy were we tired the next day. But it was worth it!
Today was a gorgeous day! A beautiful Saturday... so why not go to the beach?!
Maija invited me to go along with her, her brother and a couple of their friends down to the Gold Coast for a nice beach BBQ and some nice sun bathing. :) How could I refuse?!
So around noon we headed down to the coast. When we got there us girls (Maija, Alyssa and I) took a nice stroll up and down the beach. A little windy and cool, but not horrible. Still beautiful.
The guys, after taking their precious time showing up in their car, started up the BBQ and grilled up some sausages, chicken and steaks. After everything was cooked and our stomachs were growling, we enjoyed a nice beachside BBQ. It was delicious!!! Not too long after we were finished we gathered our things and headed out to the sand where we found a nice spot. Us girls took in the sun while the boys decided to go jump in the water (too cold for my taste). After a nice little nap and some chatting we decided to join in with the boys in a nice game of cricket!! I - for the life of me - couldn't get used to holding the bat (do they call it a bat?) down, so I pulled it up baseball style and took a crack at the tennis ball that way. :) It was fun. Around 4:30 we packed up our things and headed back up to Maija's house. After some discussion, we all jumped back in the car, went to Blockbuster (yup... they've got those here) "hired" a movie, walked next door and ordered a pizza from Pizza Hut (yup... got that too), headed back to the house and just relaxed.
So tonight I was able to experience a Mexican restaurant in Australia. :)
Maija and I went to Montezuma's "the taste of mexico"... and it actually wasn't that bad! It was maybe just under El Torito. I don't quite understand their "Nachos". It was a plate of probably 15 chips laid flat out in a circle with beans and - what looked like tomato sauce but was supposedly salsa. I miss Pico de Gallo... nice chunky salsa. But it sufficed.
I had Chicken Enchiladas and... well... I did have a Margarita. Had to... it's a Mexican restaurant. :)
I am looking forward to going to Chipotle when I get back though...
Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm thinking and praying for everything surround the fires in SoCal. I really hope everyone is okay and that your family and houses are safe.
Australia is thinking of you too! The fires have been covered on local news.
Stay safe!!!! Love you all!!
Roudy Saba, after returning home to find his house burned down, "...I prayed and said, 'You know what, if you don't answer our prayers you got something better for us later'...And he will...He'll provide...He will provide" (CBS News)
MOSQUITOS: like 10 (that's total, not just what I have now. Right now I have only 2.) ANDIE: 1!!!
I GOT ONE!!!
Okay, here's the scenario: I'm sitting in my room, minding my own business, trying to write my paper when I look up and to the right and see something flying in the air. My eyes focus (remember, I've been staring at a computer all night) and realize that it's a mosquito. And a HUGE one at that. So I follow it around my room as it moves more towards my window. I put my hands up around it to give it the clap of death. I clap. Look at my hands. Nothing! I look around. Nothing! Crap!
So I proceed to spray my entire body with Rid: Tropical Strength Repellent (my handy dandy friend that I keep on my desk). I sit down to write my paper. Mind you I'm in the zone, got my groove going. I look up again and I see it!!!! Right above me. Hands in position, I clap. Open my hands. NOTHING! What in the world?! Maybe I hit it and it landed on my desk. I look. Nope. Maybe it missed my desk and landed on the ground. Nope. Dude! What is up?!
I then proceed to light my Outdoor Citronella candles that I have located on my desk and bookshelf. And continue to type.
Five minutes later it's buzzing right in front of my face. Taunting me! Clap of death and miss. Then, it makes a move that costs him his life... he flies between a rock (otherwise known as the cement bricks that make up my wall) and a hard place (okay... not so hard... just my hand). I slap the wall and BOO-YAH. Andie's up on the scoreboard!! I must admit I did have a small celebratory cheer directly following the death of the little vampire.
But my candles still burn... because you never know when his friends will come in to look for him.
This past weekend I was able to go to a youth camp with the United group from church (Garden City Christian). United is a youth group that consists of 18-25 year olds.... so that pretty much makes me the oldie of the group. :) But that doesn't matter... the weekend ROCKED anyway.
Friday at around noon sisters Sally and Sharon picked me up. :) They are such great girls. And their nationality is so confusing!!! Get this... they were born in Japan, had American schooling (in Japan), are now living in Australia, and their parents are Finish. So what are they? They sound American. Are they Japanese? :) It's fun.
Anyway... we drove up to Coolum Beach for the retreat. It was about a two hour drive (just north of where the women's retreat was).
We got there early so we could just laze around, look in shops, walk around the beach, get situated before the first meeting started at 7pm. So we walked around the little shops right there on the beach, grabbed some sorbet and went to eat it on the beach. We were just sitting there when Sharon gasped and said "Did you feel that?", Sally and I both looked at her. A huge droplet of water landed on her shoulder. We all shrugged it off. Then it started kinda spitting. Then it got harder. This is all in a matter of minutes. So we proceeded to find shelter in a hut-like structure just above where we were sitting - thinking we could finish our sorbet, the rain would stop and we could go on with our lives. Well... let's just say we terribly misjudged the power of God. :) Cause SECONDS after we got under the hut, it started pouring. And then the lightning and thunder rolled in. And then the wind started to blow... HARD. And we had a bonifide storm in our midst. We were pretty much stuck there for a good 20mins. No umbrellas. Far from any building other than our hut. It was exciting. The rain finally let up to a slight sprinkle so we took our chances and headed for the hotel which was across the street. We were probably 15 feet from the door to the hotel room when it started to rain again. And by the time we got up to our room it was pouring HARD yet again. But 30mins later the storm passed through and God sent us a rainbow... I like to think it was Him saying "Just kidding!" - because EVERY TIME I go on a trip it rains the whole time - "No more rain for the rest of the weekend... I promise". And the rest of the weekend was gorgeous.
Friday night's meeting was good. We talked about Monday Missionaries - and how we should bring our Christian lives out of church and into the world. The strongest thing I got out of the message was that we usually only speak Godly in front of our Christian friends (the ones that don't necessarily need it)... we should be speaking Godly in front of the nonChristian. Talk about church, youth group, camp etc in front of your coworkers. Don't brag or boast or push... but just be normal. Tell them that you felt God moving...
Saturday morning the regular speaking, Matt Garner, came in from Perth to speak for the rest of the weekend. His message was to "Take the Lid Off" of your Christian lives. His main points were these:
1) Vision... If you're tired, if the money's run out, if you feel that God has done all He can do in your life, OPEN YOUR EYES, the vision isn't done, God's not finished with you yet. "Gird up your loins" - Get ready and remove all restrictions, anything that would get in your way. Prepare yourself for God's vision/mission for your life.
2) Be prepared... "Be ready in season and out of season" (2Tim 4:2). Don't let tiredness keep you from being ready to experience God (this means if you've been busy or tired by choice don't use it as an excuse to not be in God's presence: devotionals, church, small group). Live your life, but be ready/willing/open to God.
3) Change your thinking... "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Rom 12:2) Be spiritually minded. You have to change the way that you think FIRST and then your behavior will follow.
4) Faith... (Heb 11:1) It operates on a 4th dimension: the unseen. Like the wind, you can't see it, but you can see the effects of it.
5) Dreams... Treasure and go for the dreams God has given you. God's place for you in ministry will always be there. We have a lifetime of opportunities to worship God.
6) Language... Speak words of faith. Don't be 'Godly' only around Christians. Shine and speak God in your regular life.
As noted earlier... the message of the weekend was "Take the Lid Off". Saturday night Matt really pushed us. He set an empty kettle (b/c we didn't have anything else) up in front of the auditorium. And he opened it up to all of us to come up whenever we felt led to while he was talking. He challenged us to give it all to God. And not just money. Anything. If we have no money, come and just "drop" it in the kettle, as if whatever we need to give over to God was there in our hand. He explained that it was a tithed offering... he didn't have any prior idea of what the money would be going to... it was just there for us to give whatever we needed over to God. During the extent of the time that Matt spoke, people began to get up and walk to the kettle. You could hear clinking of money drop in. Matt finished speaking. Then one girl walked up and put her jacket next to it. Another put her flip flops. The drummer ran up on stage and took a cymbol off the drum kit. Another band member took his guitar and gave it to another member of the youth group. The band came up and started playing. People were on the ground, kneeling, some laid flat on the ground. Others stood with their arms raised. Other sat with hands on their heads. You could hear people crying. Others praising. It was amazing. An amazing night.
The whole weekend was incrdible.
I wish I could explain it better. Even more, I wish you all could have experienced it too.
I didn't take many pictures... And I took video, but the audio was horrible on it. All I have is what is in the video below. I know it's not much... but it will hopefully let you understand a little bit of what it was like.
Another storm was scheduled to roll in tonight - and boy did it.
All afternoon the clouds have been coming in. Around 4:00 the thunder started to roll. Starting around 5:00 it started to rain slightly - just after I took out the trash, good timing. :) Around 5:15 it started to really POUR. So I thought I'd take it all in from my bedroom window. Pulled up a chair, put up my feet and just watched the rain come down and listen to the thunder. It was great. Then it started to get louder and I began to hear a "clinking" sound. Thought it was just the rain coming down really hard. Then I noticed small balls falling from the trees. Just thought it was pieces of the trees falling off. Then I realized that the things coming from the trees were white little balls. So I went out to the kitchen to get a better look. It got louder. I went out the door and saw the hail. Pelting down from the sky about the size of marbles.
Just listened to the news and the newscaster was saying that in some parts of NorthEast Brisbane got 40mm of rain in an hour. That's about 1.6inches in an hour. Which is very good for Brisbane. Crazy weather. I love it.
Oh... and since the weather has been nice and wet during the evening and hot during the day, the mosquitos have been out and biting again. So I'll incorporate a new update:
Mosquitos: 3, Andrea: 0
They found a new location though - they're at the knees instead of the feet. Which is good, because they don't itch as much.
First, let's start off with the Multicultural dinner. But before that we have to go back. Mom told me how to make pork chops and applesauce. :) So I went to the store, bought the necessaties and decided I'd make it for dinner. On my arrival back to my flat I was told by a friend that the Postgraduate housing was going to be having a multicultural dinner in the common room. I was going to make pork chops anyway... why not share it with a bunch of people?! So I cooked up my pork chops - which has a little funny story with it too:
Apparently applesauce isn't that big of a thing here. Because when I went shopping, I couldn't find it. After speaking with an employee I was told that they only have Apple Puree, and it only comes in lunchbox size containers (well that's nice). So I ended up buying a can of sliced apples, brought it back to the flat and mashed my own applesauce. :) Tasted pretty good actually!
So now I'm making my pork chops, with my freshly made applesauce - first time EVER making pork chops mind you - and it turned out beautifully!!!! Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the entire plate after cooking. Sorry... wasn't thinking...
In addition to my tasty pork chops, I took along the extra applesauce and even made up some peanut butter and jelly sandwich bites to take along also. I was proud of myself.
The dinner was nice. Lots of food!!! Soup, mashed potatoes, curry, salad, spring rolls, tim tams, lamingtons, and so much more!!! Got to socialize with people that I don't normally hang out with. One of the RAs has been trying to get me out of my room ever since I got here, and he was blown away that I actually came to the dinner. :)
As exicting as the dinner was, it wasn't the highlight of the evening. The best part was the storm that rolled in. As soon as the sun went down there was this massive roll of thunder, and the sky lit up. It lasted for a good hour and then rolled on through. Same exact thing happened tonight. And they say it's supposed to continue for a few more days. I'm looking forward to it. I know the video won't be that good..... but I'm hoping you'll be able to see some of it. If anything, just enjoy it for the song... because it rocks.
Maija and I ventured off to the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary! And it was pretty cool! We saw sheep, baby chicks, goats, all kinds of birds, bats, kangaroos, koalas, dingos, emus and a whole lot more.
We were even allowed to feed the kangaroos and I held a koala!! :) There wasn't much to it. The employee had me put my hands together by my waist and she just plopped the koala's butt down on my hands. She then put his hands on my shoulders and he just clung on. It was pretty cool. In the pictures it looks like he's clawing his way into my arms, but it really didn't hurt. A little prickly, but nothing so much that it would hurt. He was so cute. He'd just kind of move his head slowly from side to side. The employee would have to turn his head towards the camera every time. There was one time where he looked right up at my face. It was pretty cool.
Not too many exciting things happening lately. My mosquito bites have stopped itching, and I've been blessed by not getting anymore - but we'll see how long that lasts. :)
Yesterday was the first official day of my Spring Break (or, Mid-semester break). And I worked. :) But after work - and a meeting for work - Maija picked me up and we drove upto Mt. Coot-tha again - this time it was night - and had a picnic. Although it was FREEZING and windy, it was extremely clear and beautiful. Our dinner consisted of rice and curry that Maija made herself, and Appletizer (an Australian sparkling cider). Dessert was yogurt and fruit. It was really good.
After eating we drove down the opposite side of the mountain and passed all of the television studios for Brisbane: Channel 9, 7 and 10. Exiting.
We then drove through downtown, Chinatown, and Fortitude Valley. At one point we were coralled into a "Random Breath Testing" line, and Maija was tested for alcohol. :) It was great!! We got a kick out of it.
We ended up at Kangaroo point where we got some coffee, sat on the river, and ate Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Peanut Butter M&M's (that mom sent me, because they don't sell them here). It was Maija's first time eating both! And she loved them!! :)
Not extremely exciting, but tomorrow should be better :) We're going to Lone Pine Koala Park! :) That's all I'll say about that.
Hope you're all well. Leave me a message and let me know how you're all doing!!
I just want to say that I despise bugs with a passion.
It's getting warmer and all the bugs must be coming out. And Australia's got bugs. Thank the Lord I haven't seen the big ones yet - not that I EVER want to see them... EVER.
Last night around 6pm I walked out to the bustop to catch a bus. I stood at the stop for probably 2 minutes before I looked down and noticed that I had about 7 mosquitos hovering around me and a few had already landed on my jeans. So I swatted them away and walked to where there wasn't any bush nearby and as far from light that I could be. Well, thismorning - around 5:30am - I awoke and found myself itching my feet. Being the smart one that I am, I had worn flip-flops the night before and the mosquitos had a full course meal out of me!! I woke up with six mosquito bites!! One on my right foot. And FIVE on my left foot. There are two right on my big toe - so of course I could feel the itching all the way down to my little toe and all the way up to my ankle. And then there's another a little bit higher, another on the opposite side of my foot and then another on the underside of my foot. The one on my right foot is just like the one on my left foot that's on the underside. *sigh* They itch like crazy... And I have to make this crazy contraption of bandaids and tape so that I don't itch them throughout the day - or so that my shoes don't rub up against them as I walk. It's such a hassle!!
And then.... later in the morning - around 11 or so - I was walking back from the laundry room when I walked through a spider strand. Not a web, just the little string that they like to leave when the jump from tree to tree. So I freaked out, swatted around, and walked briskly inside. As I was putting away my laundry I noticed something in the air - that oddly moved when I would move my arm. It was the spider. It had hooked its way onto me and made a trip inside. It was attached to a 2 foot string that was attached somwhere on my right arm. It was only a tiny little spider. Didn't really get a good look at it, but I think it had a white body (no one tell me that they know what kind it is and it was poisonous... I don't need to know that). It didn't get to live inside very long, because as soon as I figured out how to get it on the floor I squashed it dead.
And THEN... (yes, it keeps going). As I was making lunch I noticed an ant running frantically on the kitchen floor. I killed it, put it in the trash. Found another one. Killed it, put it in the trash. Found two more, killed it - and as I was making my way to the trash killed 3 more. So I busted out the Insect spray and sprayed the entire border of the kitchen.
And then....(anyone who's seen 'Dude Where's My Car' is repeating the Asian lady over and over in their mind: "And then.... And then... And then....) while I was making dinner I heard this rapid buzzing that would stop and then start again. I looked around and couldn't see anything. I heard it again near the light. This time when I looked up I saw him... an insane fly. He was the fastest fly I had ever seen. BUT... was also the stupidest. Everytime he'd up and fly, about 2 seconds later he'd run into something... and reeeeally hard too. So he'd buzz really loud and fast and then - CLUNK - into the wall, or buzzzzzz-CLUNK into the fridge, buzzzzz-CLUNK into the cabinet. He stopped finally on the trashcan, so I put him out of his misery wih my trusty insect spray.
All night I've felt like I've had bugs crawling all over me. I see gnats flying around every once and awhile. I feel like I have another mosquito bite.
I really hate bugs. Good thing I decided to come to Australia.
After much delay in trying to figure out how to put 80-some pictures up on my blog, I've finally been able to figure it out, get it all sorted and tell you about Byron Bay.
Byron Bay is located approximately 160km (about 100miles) south of Nathan - where I live.
View Larger Map Maija, Maria, Sloveig (friend of Maria) and I packed into Maija's car Saturday morning around 8am and began our trek down the coast. On our way we stopped in Coolangatta for some breakfast at a place RIGHT on the water. It was absolutely beautiful!! After some eggs, bacon, toast, coffee and a bit of the ocean breeze we hopped back into the car and continued on our way.
We reached Byron around noon, searching for our place of residence: The Arts Factory. When Maija and I booked our rooms at The Arts Factory, we were under the impression that it was a neat little hippie place that would be fun. Little did we know. When we arrived we were escorted to our living quarters: a tent-like building with dirty bunk beds practically piled on top of each other due to the lack of room. The "tent" was located out in the middle of a red pond-like body of water - far from ANY sort of bathroom (we assumed previous customers might have used the pond for relief). On the ground were cigarette butts and leftover trash from the previous dwellers. When the employee ran to get a broom - or a different room key - we all couldn't help but laughing hysterically and came to the conclusion that maybe the hippie-dwelling wasn't our thing. So we walked ourselves back to reception, requested our money back, and went in search of vacancy. After much driving and calling, we found a 4-person room at the YHA (Youth Hostel Australia) and were ecstatic to find that everything was clean and the bathrooms were a mere 20 steps away!! We happily moved right in.
The rest of the day consisted of eating carrot cake and drinking coffee on the beach, looking into a few shops, stopping by a chocolate factory where we ate some delicious truffles and were fed chocolate-covered orange peels from the - assumed - shop owner (that's another funny story that I can tell you about later if requested upon), and then we were off to the Lighthouse to watch the sunset- located at the south end of Byron Bay - and known as the most easterly point of the Australian mainland. We drove up to the top of the hill, walked around a bit, took some pictures, and then Maria, Solveig and I walked down a very large hill to a lookout point (there is a picture in the below slideshow that shows the LONG walk that we made). It was amazing. On our way down from the Lighthouse is began to rain. And it didn't really stop the entire time we were there. But it didn't dampen our spirits. :)
After the Lighthouse we went in search of dinner and found a nice cafe on the main street where we enjoyed a delicious meal. Following the meal we took in the fun nightlife of Byron. We were given a flier for a bar where ladies were being offered a free glass of champagne, hand massages and free hair styles from 7pm-10pm. So we walked over, received our glasses of champagne and Solveig and I were given new hairdos from the stylist. Afterwards we found a bar and grill that was showing the Rugby championship and also had a live band. We hung out for about an hour, got tired and head back to the YHA around 11:30pm and conked out in our beds.
We awoke not-so-bright and early at 6am so that we could see the sunrise on the ocean (which I had never experienced before). We literally rolled out of our beds, threw on some clothes, pulled up our hair, and drove down to the beach. The rain had cleared for the time, but there was a HUGE, dark cloud along the horizon - in precisely the right spot where the sun was to rise. So instead of watching a sunrise, we watched the sky get lighter and the clouds change color. It was still beautiful.
After the "sunrise" we went back to the room and slept for another 3 hours - until 10am, when we were to check out of our room.
We grabbed some breakfast (around 11am) when it started to really pour. Luckily most of the shops had awnings so we were able to walk up and down the main street window-shopping. Around 1pm the rain let up, we grabbed some gelati and walked to the beach. Just as we were finishing the wind picked up and the rain came down. HARD. So we ran to the car, locked ourselves in and decided it was time to go. So we took our last looks and said goodbye to Byron Bay.
On our way back we stopped off at Yatale Pies - world famous pies - and grabbed some "dinner" (around 4pm). I got a chicken pot pie and it was reeeally good. Almost as good as mom's pie. ALMOST.
So that was my weekend at Byron Bay. I took heaps of pictures - too many to post - so I created a slideshow. It will hopefully give you an idea of what it was like there....
Tonight was AH-MAZING. The girls (Frida, Katrin, Kathrin, Marion and I) went into the city to catch Brisbane's "Riverfire". What Riverfire is is a celebration that the city throws every year on the first day of Spring - which was today, September 1st. It's ironically (and you'll see why later) a reminder to everyone to keep their river clean and to remind them that the river is basically their city. But Riverfire is an ENORMOUS fireworks show on the river. The ENTIRE city (and I'm sure people from all of the state) comes, sits on the bank of the river and watches this huge display. I wasn't sure if it was going to be that great because some people told me it's not what people make it out to be... but, oh, it was incredible.
We got off the bus in South Bank and were immediately hit by people. People people people. Then once we got to the river bank, wow. (I didn't take many pictures before the fireworks because my battery was dying and I wanted to conserve it, but there is a picture that I took afterward of us all crossing the bridge. Through the blurriness you'll see heaps of people. And that's only a sliver of what came.) We luckily found some space along a wall right on the river. It was absolutely perfect - don't think it could have been better actually.
We arrived around 5pm, found our seats around 5:30pm and the fireworks started at 7:00pm. The fireworks lasted for an unbelievable 25mins and was FANTASTIC.
Following the fireworks we walked over the bridge to the city and ate dinner at JoJo's (same restaraunt as before). It was a great night. Wish you all could have been there. If you want to plan a trip to come out here, might I suggest doing it around the 1st of September. :) Especially if you like fireworks.
I could have put heaps and heaps of pictures up, but I'm not going to do that. They don't do it justice. And although a video won't be anywhere near what it was like to actually be there, it will have to suffice. :)
So without further adieu, enjoy Brisbane Riverfire 2007:
Tonight was Drive-In night at United (youth group) and my German friends - Katrin, Kathrin and Marion - came along too! So Maija picks us all up and brings us to church where they have a movie being projected on the side of the building. They've got a popcorn maker, cotton candy maker, hot chocolate... and in front of the "screen" they have carpet all laid out so that you can sit and watch the movie. Best part was that the movie - which I had no ided coming into the night - was 'Rocky Balboa'...
I wasn't too happy about that. But once the movie got started it was pure fun. The girls had brought food, I had brought some cookies. So we just hung out, made fun of some parts and just enjoyed ourselves. It was good times.
Tomorrow the girls and I are planning on going into the city for what's called 'Riverfest'. I guess it's an event that happens every first day of spring - which is tomorrow (Sept. 1). And in the evening they have spectacular fireworks. So we're gonna go check that out tomorrow. Should be fun!!! :)
Tonight I was priveleged to go over to Maija's house for dinner. We ate tacos and nachos :) Felt just like home. Nothing crazy about the tacos. Some El Paso taco shells, meat, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese... and was even able to drink some Diet Coke! (I don't usually buy soda for myself unless I get it at the movie theatre).
Despite dinner being normal - and don't get me wrong, normal is not a bad thing... on the contrary, it's really nice - I was introduced to a few new and exciting things: Australian Cordial and Vegemite!!
Australian Cordial is a sort of concentrate that you mix with water - kool-aid if you will. The flavor that I tried tonight was "Coola". It "tastes like green" according to Maija's mom... or mum. :) It tasted like apple, melon, green. But it was good. mmmmm.... tastes like green!!
Vegemite on the other hand.... well... watch the video below to get the full effect. don't let the chocolately-like demeanor fool you... it DOES NOT taste like chocolate!!!
The rain has gone. The sun is out. And no... the flooding of the Sunshine Coast did not affect me. But thank you for your concern. :) It's getting warmer and - as strange as it sounds to be saying it at the end of August - spring is on the horizon and summer is the air.
Not a lot has happened since the rain has subsided but here are the key points:
1) Saturday I was able to sleep in, thank you Lord, but later that day - around 2pm - I had another trial for a job. This time it was at a coffee shop in the middle of the shopping centre (or mall) called Jamaica Blue. I had really been hoping to get in there for a trial as my background fares more for a coffee server than a waitress. I was scheduled to be in for only an hour, but ended up staying a little bit longer because they were super busy. Afterwards I spoke with Jan, the manager, who shared with me that her and her boyfriend were going to be going to the states in October then driving to Canada and making a big excursion throughout the states. I accidentally let it slip that I was going to be going home in November - wasn't going to tell them that. She was okay with it, but the Operation Manager, Bradley, had the final say. So I was held in suspense for a few days. Finally, yesterday I received a call from Jan saying that they would love for me to come aboard - that is, if I would promise that I would be back at the end of February. I assured her that I would be back. So I have a job!! Don't know when I start just yet, but I have had someone tell me that I will be working for them! So that's good.
2) Maria, the girl that I went with to the Women's Retreat, and I were invited to lunch at one of the women's house. Julie welcomed us both into her beautiful home Sunday afternoon after church. And I was introduced to the wonderful world of "fish and chips". I'd heard of it before, knew what it was, but had never actually partook. It was good. I'm sure I will die a few years earlier than what I would if I hadn't eaten it... but it was still good. :) I unfortunately did not take any pictures of the aforementioned cusine, but I did happen to snag some pictures of the glorious view from the deck on which we ate. It was an absolutely gorgeous day! And Julie and her family - husband Frank and 26-year-old son Levi - were great company. They've offered to take Maria and I for a drive on the beach in their 4WD. :) That'll be exciting!
3) Tonight there was a Lunar Eclipse. And while all y'all in California have to wake up at 5am in order to experience the spectacle, I was able to watch the entire thing from my balcony at a comfortable time of 7pm, just after I ate dinner. :) I tried my best to take pictures, but they didn't turn out well. So my apologies to those that were planning on watching the eclipse vicariously through me.
4) Assignments are in full gear. I have a group project due on Friday for my Contemporary Cinema class where we have to take a foreign film (in our case, Pedro Almodovar's 'The Flower of my Secret') and prepare a film treatment of an Americanised, or Hollywoodised, version of the film. So we took the melodrama and turned it into an action film with the star-power of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jude Law, Kirstin Dunst, Benjamin Bratt and Jennifer Lopez). :) It was actually quite fun. I also have a short answer assignment due on Friday for my Australian Film class. In two weeks I need to have a draft of my research project for my Screen Aesthetics class. And I need to be thinking about topics for research projects for both Australian Film and Hollywood Film. So yeah. Yay school. I'm really happy that the semester is going by quickly - the closer home is - but the fact that it's going really fast also reeeeally scares me.... because that means that I have to get all of this done!!
Things are good.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, night I'm heading over to Maija's house again for dinner: Tacos. She said that we'll have to see if it's the same kind of tacos that I'm used to... I'll keep you posted and will take pictures if they're something completely bizarre. Thursday will be devoted to homework. Friday is United - Drive In. We watch a movie on a screen outside in the carpark (or parking lot). I've invited my German friends, who aren't Christians, so if you can just toss up a quick prayer for them right now that would be wonderful. Their names are Marion, Katrin and Kathrin. Just pray that they won't get scared and not come, and that when they do come that they'll want to come again, or that something - God - touches their heart in a way. Saturday is Riverfestival and Riverfire.... I'll explain later, but it's in the city and it sounds cool. Sunday is church.
Busy busy busy. The days are going by fast. But there's still a ways to go.
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