Schoolwork. Okay, so this isn't much of a highlight, but since I didn't get much schoolwork done in New Zealand, I had heaps to catch up on when I got home. I had my first major exam on Tuesday and turned in a 13 page report for Ecology on Wednesday. It was a very stressful 4 days after my dream-like vacation! It felt really good to get those done!
ANZAC Day. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. ANZAC Day commemorates those who fought at Gallipoli during World War 1 and all those who have fought, or are currently fighting for Australia. It seems very similar to our Veteran's Day or Memorial Day. We woke up at 4am on Saturday to go to the city centre for a Dawn's Service where hymns were played, sailors marched, and soldiers were honored. After that we had breakfast with everyone from the ceremony in a large dining hall. Then it is Australian tradition to go to a pub for the afternoon and play a game called "2 up." ANZAC Day is the one day a year that it is legal to play 2 up. Essentially is it a game where you place bets on the majority of 3 coins being either heads or tails. I figured it was an Australian experience that I needed to participate in, so I decided to play until I either lost 20 dollars or won 20 dollars. I lost. It was fun while it lasted though!
Minnamurra Rain forest. Sunday Allie, Katie, Andy, and I went to the Minnamurra Rain forest, which is about a 30 minute drive away from where I live. It was beautiful with waterfalls, curly vines, and lots of ferns. After the rain forest we went on a treetop walk, which was this structure that was built in the treetops. It was an amazing view, but it was very cold up there, and I was not prepared, wearing a t-shirt and shorts. Surprisingly, it's getting pretty chilly here! Usually the high is around 60 degrees, but at night it gets cold! I'm wearing two sweatshirts and my sheep's wool slippers right now. Pretty soon you Midwesterners will have warmer temperatures than me!
1/2 marathon training. Today I ran the furthest I've probably ever run in my life, 9 miles. I was getting worried about being able to do the 1/2 marathon because I've been so busy lately it's been hard to train, but after today I feel pretty confident about being able to finish! I have about 2 and a half more weeks to train before the race, so hopefully it all goes smoothly!!
Words of the week:
"heaps" = a lot. Example: "I have heaps of work to do s'arvo."
"jumper" = sweatshirt.
"brekky" = breakfast.
"rellies" = relatives.
"runners"= tennis shoes.
Alright that's all for now! Much love!
xoxoxoxo
-Kell
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