In other news... I made it back from Lorne in one piece! Wanna see Lorne? You sure? It might just make you jealous. Okay, if you insist:
Told you so. Yeah, as if I wasn't in love enough with Australia to begin with, they had to go take us to Lorne. And teach us how to surf. Yeah, that's right, I learned to surf off the coast of Australia! I'm not saying I was any good at it, but I did manage to get up on a few of the waves. Good times, for sure. And it goes without saying that I am now addicted to surfing, as well as the rest of the international kids. Here's our surf crew, and one of me with the board:
Oh, and allow me to mention that it was about 10 degrees (50-ish, for you in the States) whilst surfing. Thank God for wetsuits. Either way, goooooood times in Lorne. Beach yoga after that, but it wasn't really anything special. I did meet a really cool girl named Elizabeth from California, and we made the remainder of the evening a fun time. Met a few Aussie surfers at the club/bar later on, that was funny. Tuesday was definitely a good day.
Wednesday was a lot of time spent on our bus, but it was well worth it. Aussie Lesson: when any amount of time is mentioned (i.e.: "oh, we'll be back in Geelong in about an hour."), take it with a grain of salt. The aforementioned scenario ended up taking us about four hours, BUT, we did see some pretty amazing things along the way. Our first stop was the Twelve Apostles (of which there are only nine left). It was absolutely breathtaking. One of those things that you see, and all you can do is stand there and marvel in its beauty. Here's a picture of our view, but it really doesn't do it justice:
Yeah. Really, really pretty. From there, we went to another really picturesque spot, where I climbed on a bunch of rocks and gazed in amazedness at the overall piratey nature of "Shipwreck's Cove." Good stuff. Back on the bus again, and it was quite a drive from there. We went through this National Park in the middle of nowhere, and I really felt as if something from either Cabin Fever, or the X-Files was going to happen to us. You know, mythological creatures, flat tires, uncomfortably frightening circumstances amongst a group of people I'd only known for four days or so. But, we made it through, and the bus driver took us to a golf course renowned for its massive kangaroo population. Because, let's face it, we're still tourists. When he said we'd see a few roos, I wasn't sure what he meant by "a few," but turns out a few means over a hundred. I was completely pumped when he let us off the bus to take pictures. He said to be careful, because they could get a bit feisty at times. But, come on now, we all know who I am and how well I deal with feisty things... not to mention my penchant for emulating the Croc Hunter whenever possible. So, while the rest of my international friends stayed a good 50 feet away, I tip-toed up to a lone roo, and got within about ten feet of the little bloke. Here's a shot to prove my Croc Hunter prowess:
My bus-mates were impressed. From there, we made our way back to Deakin, and the lot of us rendezvoused for dinner about half an hour after our arrival. We took a bus into Geelong and had a pretty nice dinner for a reasonable price. It took us a while to get back, though, but no worries, mate! Also, I was super excited to learn that a voltage adapter was probably not necessary to use my laptop, so I checked the converter and plugged it in, and it worked! Score one for the confused American. I watched Young Frankenstein (after setting up my Wall of Shame/Fame, i.e.: a bunch of pictures of you randoms from the States) and crashed after a very busy few days.
Today was more relaxed, but not without its own adventure. We signed up for our classes (Timetables are tomorrow, I'm hoping for Friday's off, at the least. From what I'm told, it's not out of the question.) and sat through a few power points and the like. Then, Rachel, my new friend from Liverpool, and I decided to embark on a trip to the grocery store. Hilarious. First of all, it was a Safeway, which is literally no more than two and a half miles from my house on Sharon Drive. But inside, everything was completely different. COMPLETELY. Aside from there being a produce section, a meat section, and aisles... it was like being in a parallel universe grocery store. The carts are called "trolleys," the cheese is labeled "tasty" and "extra tasty," there's NO HERSHEY CHOCOLATE (but lots of Tim Tams!), the eggs are on the damn shelves, and the ice cream comes in buckets. It's completely insane. Even the nutrition facts are different! That being said, I have no idea if what I bought is even remotely healthy... I just went for whatever seemed even marginally familiar. I got Nutella and some peanut butter and English Muffins, so I think that ought to suit me for a bit, amongst the other random things I came across. They have really neat juice flavors... I picked up some Orange Mango. Should be delicious, I hope. So yes, that was today's journey into the new, strange world of Australian culture.
Tomorrow's time tables, as I mentioned before, then who knows what. Perhaps an escapade into town. I saw Geelong's waterfront at dusk, but if we have off for most of tomorrow, I'd like to see it in the day. And, of course, Saturday is Melbourne. Let's hope I don't get hit by a car from looking the wrong way when I cross the street. I've come close, but city dangers are nothing new to me... you, me, and my formerly fractured ulna know that. I suppose that's all I've got for now, and it's past my dinner time. Until next time... Cheers!
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