On Tuesday I had the time of my life!!! I went SKYDIVING!! My friends and I went to North Wollongong to skydive with Skydive the Beach. We went up to 14,000 ft and fell for a 60 second freefall, overlooking the beach coastline from Sydney to Wollongong. It was absolutely beautiful. I was definitely nervous right before my instructor, Kevin, and I fell out of the plane, but once we had been falling for a few seconds, I got used to the feeling and just smiled the whole rest of the way I can’t even describe how it felt…my heart dropped when I first fell out of the plane, but after that, all I could think about was how crazy it was that I was falling through the sky! My goggles kept moving up, so that was annoying, but besides that, just looking down and seeing the beach was unbelievable. When the parachute came out Kevin let me take over the hand loops and steer us around in the sky. Ahhh it was SO amazing!!! I would do it again in a heartbeat. My friends Ashley, Sarah, Lauren, and I were all on the biggest high the rest of the day. We each got a CD of 430 pictures and a DVD of the entire experience from beginning to end. The DVD is awesome…pretty hilarious too. Kevin interviewed me throughout, and since the camera was attached to him the whole time, my entire fall is on it. I can’t wait to show it to you!
The rest of the week was boring compared to that amazing day...I had my first paper due on Friday and I have a campaign proposal for my media relations class due next week. School’s getting harder, but it comes in spurts so thankfully it is not too stressful. Today my friends and I went to the Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbour which was fantastic! The seals and the shark tank was definitely my favorite part. We saw Nemo, Dori, and the rest of the “Finding Nemo” fish. Life down under is still incredible, but I have been missing my friends from Hope more, now that everyone is back in Holland. As much as I love it here, I know I will be excited to come home and see all of my friends. I’m sure three months will fly by, so I must continue to enjoy every minute! I love you all…thanks for reading, and if you have any prayer requests or just want to say ‘hi’ I would love to hear from you! Peace and Love
xxx Megs
p.s. For some reason blog is not allowing me to post pictures...so once I figure that out I will be putting some more up. Sorry :(
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
One month has already passed...only 3 left!
It’s been a while since I’ve written so I will update you on the past week here! Thankfully it was much less eventful! School has started to pick up, and my first paper is due on Friday (25% of my grade…). However, I am very excited because for my Australian Multicultures class, the disabilities services sent out an email because they needed someone to be the note-taker for a student. I decided that I would really like to help out someone, and since I take notes already, it’s not any more work besides that I have to type them. It’s also a paid position (which will compensate for my coffee money ) so I will get paid ten dollars per lecture for all of the lectures in the semester. I think it will help me pay even closer attention since I am responsible for someone else’s learning too!
My friends and I went out to dinner last night—our first nice dinner out. We went to a really good Italian restaurant in The Rocks, and we got to sit outside with the heated lamps while the harp music serenaded us. And the best part was that I got to order my first drink at a restaurant. I drank sangria and I really liked it! It was really nice to go all out and have a nice dinner, because during the week I usually just stay in and make my own food.
My favorite meal is probably pasta, but I’ve been eating chicken a lot and marinating it with teriyaki sauce, which has changed it up a bit. My favorite desserts/cookies are Tim Tams, and they are seriously the best store bought cookie I’ve ever eaten in my life. There are probably ten different kinds, and they’re pretty much just two chocolate wafers with a chocolate frosting type filling, all covered in chocolate. They’re not like Oreos though because they are lighter and a rectangular shape. Of course the dark chocolate ones are my favorite, and also the dark chocolate raspberry bliss. I will be bringing home as many boxes as I can fit, so don’t worry, you will probably get to try one Also, you can get them at the World Market store if you have one nearby.
This week will be very busy with due dates approaching, but that makes me all the more excited for spring break, which starts September 26. My parents are coming in that Friday and I cannot wait to see them!! I am really looking forward to showing them all around the city when they finish up their tours around Australia, and come back again to Sydney on October 12. On Saturday September 27th I will be flying to Melbourne and spending a few days sightseeing there with my friends. Then we are flying to Alice Springs (aka The Outback) to do a 3 day 2 night camping trip. We will get to see the biggest rock in the world, Uluru, watch the sunrise and sunset, sleep under the stars, and have the chance to go on a camel ride. I could not be more excited, especially because I will get to see what most of Australia really is…a desert! Have a great weekend everyone, God Bless
Love,
Megs
My friends and I went out to dinner last night—our first nice dinner out. We went to a really good Italian restaurant in The Rocks, and we got to sit outside with the heated lamps while the harp music serenaded us. And the best part was that I got to order my first drink at a restaurant. I drank sangria and I really liked it! It was really nice to go all out and have a nice dinner, because during the week I usually just stay in and make my own food.
My favorite meal is probably pasta, but I’ve been eating chicken a lot and marinating it with teriyaki sauce, which has changed it up a bit. My favorite desserts/cookies are Tim Tams, and they are seriously the best store bought cookie I’ve ever eaten in my life. There are probably ten different kinds, and they’re pretty much just two chocolate wafers with a chocolate frosting type filling, all covered in chocolate. They’re not like Oreos though because they are lighter and a rectangular shape. Of course the dark chocolate ones are my favorite, and also the dark chocolate raspberry bliss. I will be bringing home as many boxes as I can fit, so don’t worry, you will probably get to try one Also, you can get them at the World Market store if you have one nearby.
This week will be very busy with due dates approaching, but that makes me all the more excited for spring break, which starts September 26. My parents are coming in that Friday and I cannot wait to see them!! I am really looking forward to showing them all around the city when they finish up their tours around Australia, and come back again to Sydney on October 12. On Saturday September 27th I will be flying to Melbourne and spending a few days sightseeing there with my friends. Then we are flying to Alice Springs (aka The Outback) to do a 3 day 2 night camping trip. We will get to see the biggest rock in the world, Uluru, watch the sunrise and sunset, sleep under the stars, and have the chance to go on a camel ride. I could not be more excited, especially because I will get to see what most of Australia really is…a desert! Have a great weekend everyone, God Bless
Love,
Megs
Friday, August 15, 2008
Unexpected adventures seem to be my thing. I thought I wouldn’t have any more crazy days for awhile after my big race last week. Wrong! Haha I can’t help but laugh after this long day…luckily Danielle was with me this time!
Last weekend my computer started to have some problems. The screen kept dimming so I would not be able to see what I was typing, and after many attempts to figure out the problem, I decided to take it to the computer people on campus. They directed me to a man named Alen from The Monitor Hospital in West Ryde, about half an hour from here. Thankfully the company came and picked up my computer for repairs, but unfortunately I had to pick up the computer from him so I could pay him directly. Alen gave me directions and told me which train station to get off at.
Danielle and I figured out the train routes and soon we were on our way to West Ryde. We left around 10 AM because I have my 2 hour tutorial for my communication class at 2 PM. I knew we would have plenty of time to get the computer and get back. Wrong again. We took the bus to Central Station then rode the train to Strathfield. We waited at Strathfield to catch the train to Meadowbank, close to where the Monitor Hospital was located. Well, we were a little too excited to get on the train, because we ended up getting on the wrong train…the one sitting on the tracks was the train before ours, and our train was going to be coming in 5 minutes. We sat on the train for about 20 minutes, and finally we realized that we were totally not going the right way. We got off and went back to Strathfield, waited 20 minutes, then finally got on the correct train to Meadowbank. By now it was 1:15, and I began to freak out.
For those of you who know me, you know that I like to be on time to all of my classes and I never miss. It’s really not possible for me to miss because of the guilt I’ll feel and the thought of missing something important is not okay with me. SO, I tried to be optimistic and kept telling myself that we would make it back in time. But the frustration started rising, and Danielle pointed out that I was becoming a Negative Nancy! Ahh! My patience was tested like never before, and I had to go with flow and be okay with missing almost an hour of my class. Alen was so kind and he actually brought my computer to Victoria Rd. and drove us back to the station.
We waited for another 20 minutes before getting on the train directly back to Central. I quickly walked to the bus stop and hopped on the 422 bus, while Danielle took her time and caught the next bus. Once I made it to Victoria Park, I sprinted through the park with my backpack, working computer, and not a single book for my class. Needless to say, I came huffing and puffing in 50 minutes late—the class was sitting silently and staring at me—BUT… I made it just as the class began to pick groups for the campaign project. And, when I explained to my tutor that I would send her an email of why I was late, she just responded, “No Worries!” Ahh, I love the Australian culture. What another eventful day here in Australia...another day that I will never forget!
Quote of the Day: "On a panic scale of 1 to 10...you're a 13." -Danielle to me
Last weekend my computer started to have some problems. The screen kept dimming so I would not be able to see what I was typing, and after many attempts to figure out the problem, I decided to take it to the computer people on campus. They directed me to a man named Alen from The Monitor Hospital in West Ryde, about half an hour from here. Thankfully the company came and picked up my computer for repairs, but unfortunately I had to pick up the computer from him so I could pay him directly. Alen gave me directions and told me which train station to get off at.
Danielle and I figured out the train routes and soon we were on our way to West Ryde. We left around 10 AM because I have my 2 hour tutorial for my communication class at 2 PM. I knew we would have plenty of time to get the computer and get back. Wrong again. We took the bus to Central Station then rode the train to Strathfield. We waited at Strathfield to catch the train to Meadowbank, close to where the Monitor Hospital was located. Well, we were a little too excited to get on the train, because we ended up getting on the wrong train…the one sitting on the tracks was the train before ours, and our train was going to be coming in 5 minutes. We sat on the train for about 20 minutes, and finally we realized that we were totally not going the right way. We got off and went back to Strathfield, waited 20 minutes, then finally got on the correct train to Meadowbank. By now it was 1:15, and I began to freak out.
For those of you who know me, you know that I like to be on time to all of my classes and I never miss. It’s really not possible for me to miss because of the guilt I’ll feel and the thought of missing something important is not okay with me. SO, I tried to be optimistic and kept telling myself that we would make it back in time. But the frustration started rising, and Danielle pointed out that I was becoming a Negative Nancy! Ahh! My patience was tested like never before, and I had to go with flow and be okay with missing almost an hour of my class. Alen was so kind and he actually brought my computer to Victoria Rd. and drove us back to the station.
We waited for another 20 minutes before getting on the train directly back to Central. I quickly walked to the bus stop and hopped on the 422 bus, while Danielle took her time and caught the next bus. Once I made it to Victoria Park, I sprinted through the park with my backpack, working computer, and not a single book for my class. Needless to say, I came huffing and puffing in 50 minutes late—the class was sitting silently and staring at me—BUT… I made it just as the class began to pick groups for the campaign project. And, when I explained to my tutor that I would send her an email of why I was late, she just responded, “No Worries!” Ahh, I love the Australian culture. What another eventful day here in Australia...another day that I will never forget!
Quote of the Day: "On a panic scale of 1 to 10...you're a 13." -Danielle to me
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Where's Waldo? I'm 1 in 70,000
Today I ran the City2Surf, a 14k run from Hyde Park in downtown Sydney to Bondi Beach. Let's just say the day turned out a little different than I expected...
My friend Mitch and I both signed up for the race so we took the 8 AM bus to the starting line. Unfortunately we were in the “Back of the Pack” section so we had to wait around for about an hour and a half in the cold before we started. For those of you who have seen or run in the Chicago Marathon, this was ten times more chaotic. There were 70,000 runners, making City2Surf the largest chip-timed race in the world. It was absolutely insane! Mitch and I started together, both weaving in and out of people, and running a lot of the race on the sidewalk away from the masses of people walking/jogging. We stayed together for about half of the race until we got to Heartbreak Hill. I have never run a hillier course in my life. Right when you think you’re at the top, another long stretch is waiting to devour you. He took off ahead while I walked the steepest part of the hill.
Once I made it to the top and started running again, I looked out to my left and took in the gorgeous view in the distance of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Oh my gosh, it was so cool. I smiled on the inside the whole rest of the way. And to finish out the race, I saw a beautiful view of Bondi Beach on the downhill coming into the last 2 km. It turned out to be sunny and warm, just perfect. I also reached my goal and finished under 70 minutes at 1:07:41. Sounds like a great day, right? Keep reading…
To make a long story short of the rest of the day…four of my friends came to watch me in the race and they were planning on meeting me in the E-H section of the reunion area. Well, it was hard to find because it was a small area much farther away from the finish line. They were looking for me near the finish while I waited for over an hour in the reunion area. It started to get cold, cloudy, and rainy so I decided to leave and catch the bus back to the city. Well, the line for the bus was about 4,000 people long and I didn’t have anything on me besides my bus pass. As I was waiting I heard the man behind me talking to his wife on the phone. He and his 11 year old son had just run the race and his wife was going to pick them up instead. I asked them if there was a quicker way to Bondi Junction where I could catch a bus back to the city, and they offered to give me a ride. So we walked a ways and then Tony, his son, Rodan, and I all hopped in the car. His wife was really nice and their other 6 year old son named Challum was absolutely adorable with his red hair and cute Australian accent . They dropped me off at a bus near Newtown, and I couldn’t thank them enough. I was so happy to be home after a very long day. And my friends had made it back safe and sound too after their unsuccessful search for me, 1 in 70,000.
All in all, it was quite an experience, but one that I will never forget!
My friend Mitch and I both signed up for the race so we took the 8 AM bus to the starting line. Unfortunately we were in the “Back of the Pack” section so we had to wait around for about an hour and a half in the cold before we started. For those of you who have seen or run in the Chicago Marathon, this was ten times more chaotic. There were 70,000 runners, making City2Surf the largest chip-timed race in the world. It was absolutely insane! Mitch and I started together, both weaving in and out of people, and running a lot of the race on the sidewalk away from the masses of people walking/jogging. We stayed together for about half of the race until we got to Heartbreak Hill. I have never run a hillier course in my life. Right when you think you’re at the top, another long stretch is waiting to devour you. He took off ahead while I walked the steepest part of the hill.
Once I made it to the top and started running again, I looked out to my left and took in the gorgeous view in the distance of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Oh my gosh, it was so cool. I smiled on the inside the whole rest of the way. And to finish out the race, I saw a beautiful view of Bondi Beach on the downhill coming into the last 2 km. It turned out to be sunny and warm, just perfect. I also reached my goal and finished under 70 minutes at 1:07:41. Sounds like a great day, right? Keep reading…
To make a long story short of the rest of the day…four of my friends came to watch me in the race and they were planning on meeting me in the E-H section of the reunion area. Well, it was hard to find because it was a small area much farther away from the finish line. They were looking for me near the finish while I waited for over an hour in the reunion area. It started to get cold, cloudy, and rainy so I decided to leave and catch the bus back to the city. Well, the line for the bus was about 4,000 people long and I didn’t have anything on me besides my bus pass. As I was waiting I heard the man behind me talking to his wife on the phone. He and his 11 year old son had just run the race and his wife was going to pick them up instead. I asked them if there was a quicker way to Bondi Junction where I could catch a bus back to the city, and they offered to give me a ride. So we walked a ways and then Tony, his son, Rodan, and I all hopped in the car. His wife was really nice and their other 6 year old son named Challum was absolutely adorable with his red hair and cute Australian accent . They dropped me off at a bus near Newtown, and I couldn’t thank them enough. I was so happy to be home after a very long day. And my friends had made it back safe and sound too after their unsuccessful search for me, 1 in 70,000.
All in all, it was quite an experience, but one that I will never forget!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
My friend Danielle and I decided it was time for a change. On Tuesday morning we both walked to Scissor Sisters and got our hair chopped off!! Maybe it was when we were watching the movie "Just Like Heaven" that we decided we wanted our hair like Reese Witherspoon's...
So now I don't have my long hair anymore, which I'm actually kind of sad about because I was growing it out...But I know it will grow back. Plus, the City2 Surf race is this weekend, so now my ponytail won't get all knotted! And it's obviously much easier to deal with too :) Once I get over the shock of how short it is, I'm sure I will love it.
Today I had two lectures, one at 11 am and one at 2 pm. In between classes I went to Victoria Park to finish some reading, when it started to rain randomly. So I decided to go to this cute coffee place across the street to get something to drink. Of course I wanted to get something cheap, so I ordered a macchiato which was $2.50. I assumed it was probably like a caramel macchiato from Starbuck’s minus the caramel. Well, I was completely wrong.
I get comfortable at my table, and when the barista says “macchiato” I immediately stand up to get my drink. Well, I could hardly see it because it was so small! Haha…the cup was the size of a shot glass, and it was only half full. And to top it off it was the strongest coffee/espresso I have ever tasted. Wow, I won’t be getting that again J I’m learning new things everyday, even if it’s just the little things like which coffee not to order. Peace and love
Megs
So now I don't have my long hair anymore, which I'm actually kind of sad about because I was growing it out...But I know it will grow back. Plus, the City2 Surf race is this weekend, so now my ponytail won't get all knotted! And it's obviously much easier to deal with too :) Once I get over the shock of how short it is, I'm sure I will love it.
Today I had two lectures, one at 11 am and one at 2 pm. In between classes I went to Victoria Park to finish some reading, when it started to rain randomly. So I decided to go to this cute coffee place across the street to get something to drink. Of course I wanted to get something cheap, so I ordered a macchiato which was $2.50. I assumed it was probably like a caramel macchiato from Starbuck’s minus the caramel. Well, I was completely wrong.
I get comfortable at my table, and when the barista says “macchiato” I immediately stand up to get my drink. Well, I could hardly see it because it was so small! Haha…the cup was the size of a shot glass, and it was only half full. And to top it off it was the strongest coffee/espresso I have ever tasted. Wow, I won’t be getting that again J I’m learning new things everyday, even if it’s just the little things like which coffee not to order. Peace and love
Megs
Saturday, August 2, 2008
The Blue Mountains
This weekend Kate and I got to see each other again! We went on a daytrip to the Blue Mountains about two hours away. It was absolutely beautiful. Words and pictures cannot even describe the amazing views. A few of my friends and one of her friends came, so we had a blast hiking down to and around The Three Sisters (a famous landmark there), and taking the railway up when we finished. It was really refreshing to get out of the city for the day and see what the land and towns were like outside of Sydney. It was so much fun to hike again, since I haven’t really been in mountains since going to Ecuador three years ago.
Classes are going well…Uni starts tutorials this week, which if you don’t know, are basically smaller classes that discuss the lecture, give out homework, and hand out assessments. They will be similar to what I am used to at Hope, so I’m sure I will enjoy them! My professors are all very nice too. I’m excited for my communication class, because for our tutorials we get put into groups and we get to choose a company/organization, holding press conferences with the class. It’s called media relations, and the main subject we are focusing on is public relations. I have wanted to take a PR class, so I am really looking forward to learning more about it and getting hands on experience.
I still love living in Sydney; the city is feeling more like home, and I am starting to get more and more familiar with the campus and surrounding streets. I have also met some nice Aussies in my classes—and I hope to meet more in my tutorials this week too. Thanks for your continued prayers! Have a great weekend.
Love,
Megs
Classes are going well…Uni starts tutorials this week, which if you don’t know, are basically smaller classes that discuss the lecture, give out homework, and hand out assessments. They will be similar to what I am used to at Hope, so I’m sure I will enjoy them! My professors are all very nice too. I’m excited for my communication class, because for our tutorials we get put into groups and we get to choose a company/organization, holding press conferences with the class. It’s called media relations, and the main subject we are focusing on is public relations. I have wanted to take a PR class, so I am really looking forward to learning more about it and getting hands on experience.
I still love living in Sydney; the city is feeling more like home, and I am starting to get more and more familiar with the campus and surrounding streets. I have also met some nice Aussies in my classes—and I hope to meet more in my tutorials this week too. Thanks for your continued prayers! Have a great weekend.
Love,
Megs
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