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AUSTRALIIIAAAA!!!! yippee!! I am finally here and finally writing some thoughts to all of you! I must appologize for my lateness in doing things. It seems that every time I sit down to start writing I find it much more exciting to read about all of your adventures, and then class or coffee or Mike pulls me away from the computer. So today I got up early (yes, Cors, keeping the early mornings alive) and decided that I would write first. (Katie I liked your idea of lists so I think I will copy you ;-)
Some thoughts about Australia:
1. It is HOT. Like seriously hot. It was 46 degrees C the first week I was in Melbourne. And the weather can't make up it's mind. Kind of like DC sometimes, except for it's all in one day. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and it'll be raining and cool, which always leads to me deciding to take my big brown jacket to class. Then literally 3 hours later it will be about 80 degrees and the sky will be as clear as if it had never rained. My French friend said to me the other day, "Are you going camping?" because I had my huge jacket in my hand, a backpack on my back packed with books/clothes for the gym, and a water bottle in the side pocket of my backpack.
2. People are extremely friendly. You'll walk into a store and the next thing you know you'll be having a long conversation with the salesperson. It's really good if you're looking for something in particular because people will go out of their way to help you.
3. The coffee is amazing! They're big on coffee here, and according to Melbournians, Melbourne has the best coffee in the world. It's great because every late seems like a lot of work has been put into it and they all have fancy designs on the top of them. Mike took me to this coffee/chocolate bar where I discovered "iced" coffee -- a mocha or a late with a scoop of ice cream in it... I think I'm going to gain a lot of weight here. :-D
4. There are a lot of Americans. There are about 500 exchange students, and probably 400 of them are American.
5. People drink. A lot. Almsot every activity that is organized by a school group involves copious amounts of alcohol. Pub crawls and booze cruises abound. I mean, I'm not complaining, but I think I drank more in the first 3 weeks here than I did in the first 2 1/2 years at Georgetown. My liver is getting a workout.
6. There are kangaroos!! And walabees! And possums in the city! In a few weeks Mike's mom is going to take us to see the fairy penguins, which have come up from the Antarctic, and every day they all walk in a line along the beach. It's a big thing here.
7. Real dates are much better than Skype dates. It has been amazing to be with Mike again and to share our lives through more than just Skype. We've been doing all kinds of things around Melbourne and exploring the outskirts as well. It's been so nice to meet his friends and family and to get a sense for his world and where he comes from. It's also really nice to be able to travel with him and to have him tell me about Melbourne. Our next journey is the Great Ocean Road, a 253 km drive along the ocean. You can stop and see beaches and waterfalls and wildlife. It should be fun!
Love you all! And I can't wait to hear about more adventures!!
Maria
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