Why Whine When You Can Wine?

First of all, I always have things happen to me that would be really good to blog about…and then I forget them when I’m sitting down to actually write. But lots of hilarious things have happened and I’ve met tons of people already, mostly other international students. It’s actually quite comical when we’re all together, because we’re all speaking English but with such different accents that no one can understand what anyone is saying. We all have to repeat our names like five times, before everyone’s just like, “Yeah, we’re gonna have to give you a nickname….” (I’ve acquired the nickname “Texas,” by the way, not that "Ashley" is difficult to pronounce. But it’s super original.) Stereotypes go flying and there’s friendly country competition talk; everyone makes fun of everyone…it’s a great atmosphere, haha.

On Wednesday my friend and I did a tour of Hunter Valley and did so many wine tastings. At the first place we went to, the man conducting the tasting winked and said, “I’m pretty sure you have to be 21 in America, but we’ll let it slide here” as he poured me a glass of wine (the drinking age is 18 in Australia). I told him I AM 21 in America, and he commented on how young I look, as if I haven’t heard that before.

We saw a TON of kangaroos in the vineyards, and that part of the country was beautiful! A great place to go for anyone who likes wine. Australia has more wine regions than anywhere else in the world – 73 official ones throughout the country!

Our tour guide laughed as I took a picture of this tractor and made a comment insinuating that I had never seen a tractor before. I told him, "I'm from Texas. I've seen plenty of tractors."

 

"You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl."

Mistletoe Winery Vineyards

I keep wanting to watch tv in my room at night but can't stream any online tv outside of the U.S.! I asked my friend if they have Netflix here and he said, "No. We are the highest pirating country per capita for a reason." Hahaha. God Bless America for great television, but apparently they don't want to share with other countries. So now I can't watch Modern Family or The Bachelor. But at least I CAN use Pandora here, unlike when I was in Hong Kong. I don't know what I would do if I didn't have music to entertain me!

Getting creative,

Ashley

Aussies & Goon

So, the thought of blogging and actually keeping up with it is much easier than it seems… I’m terrible, I know. So let me fill you in.

I moved into my “college” on campus yesterday! I was eating in the dining hall yesterday (which reminds me of the big Harry Potter dining hall) and was talking to some Aussie students about random things I needed to buy for my room and asked the best place to go. The boy across from me said I’d probably have to visit a couple different stores to get everything, saying, “We don’t have stores with literally everything you would need in one place. There’s no Walmart here. Americans have taken consumerism to a whole new level. It’s incredible…. And most stores close at 5pm so you’ll have to go during the day.” I’m going to have to get used to this. It will definitely be an adjustment away from the 24-hour American lifestyle that’s all about convenience. Even restaurants close earlier here, and everything on campus shuts down at 5pm. At UT, dining halls and little convenience stores on campus don’t even close till like midnight or 2am… McDonalds (or “Maccas,” as the Aussies call it) isn’t even 24 hours here! Going out is quite different here as well. People leave around 10pm or so to go into the city, whereas in Austin, MAYBE the pregames start at 10pm. It’s neat to travel the world and see all these little differences. From the U.S. to Hong Kong, Thailand, and Australia…everywhere is different!

Another one of the boys I met at dinner is studying abroad at UT Austin next spring. When he asked where in Texas I was from and I said Austin, he excitedly asked if I go to The University of Texas. I said yes and he asked me if he will like it there. I smiled and said, “You’ll LOVE it!” So that was pretty cool, and I guess I’ll see him around next year in my part of the world!

Let’s see, some other Aussie slang… Goon. Goon is what they refer to boxed wine as, like our equivalent to Franzia back home. Goon is also what they call pillows, so I’ve been told, and they call the wine ‘goon’ because when it’s finished, you can blow up the bag that it was in and use it as a pillow. Australians…

Nearly A Week Australian!

Wow, it’s been quite the week so far. I arrived in Sydney on Thursday, Feb. 6 and it’s been a whirlwind since then (hence why I have yet to write a blog entry…). I won’t bore you with all the technical details but long story short, we’re apartment hunting around the area and it’s turned out to be quite difficult. The living conditions are very different from back home too – much smaller and lots of shared accommodation – and for instance, they don’t use dryers here. Or A/C. They just put their clothes out on the line to dry, which makes sense because it’s really windy here, and leave the windows open for a breeze.

I’m finally starting to figure out my bearings and how to get around. It’s a good thing I’m used to walking from living in Austin, because that’s all I’ve done around here. Walk half an hour to the “uni” (what the Aussies call a university), forty minutes to different apartments, x minutes to restaurants, etc. It’s nice though. I enjoy walking and seeing different neighborhoods and things. Plus the weather is great!

I’ve made lots of friends in my hostel here on the beach. Lots of them from Germany, an Irish guy, a guy from England, and a couple Canadians. They’ve all asked me stereotypical questions about Texans such as, “Does everybody shoot guns there?” and “So, you have a banjo, right?” And of course they get a crack out of me saying “y’all.” (Sidenote: You don’t realize how much you say ‘y’all’ until you go to another country (or even state) where they don’t say that. It’s great though, the foreigners love it.) The English guy obsessed over the way I said “Do y’all have pasta here?” at a restaurant we went to the other night. First, because I said “y’all,” but secondly because apparently they say pasta with the ‘a’ sound we use in “hat,” and he thought it was hilarious how I said “pahsta.” Another one of the guys, from Holland, was talking about how everyone rides bikes there and he said, “There are more bikes in Holland than people.” I asked how that even made sense, and why someone would need multiple bikes, to which he said: “Bikes in Holland are like guns in Texas.” To which I say, touche….

We’ve been spending time on the beautiful Coogee Beach. It’s so wonderful here; the water is blue, the temperature is hot, the sand is white…. Yesterday I spent the whole day in the sun and got quite burned. I can’t imagine the tan I will have after five months here! I went lawn bowling yesterday with some friends who live in Australia, and that was a different experience…. It’s like bocce ball, but you’re on teams and you roll the balls rather than throw them. It was fun, and it’s cool to see Australian culture and the things they do to entertain themselves! I also learned a new drinking game from a Canadian guy in the hostel. It’s called Beersby and is apparently a real thing in Canada… You basically have a cupholder on the end of a stick you put into the ground, and try to knock a can out of the cupholder by throwing a Frisbee at it. The Canadian guy (named Josh) broke a broom in half he found at the hostel to make the poles and put some janky makeshift cupholders on them and the guys spent hours playing that game on the lawn next to the beach. It was pretty entertaining, haha.

 

Coogee Beach

Barefoot Lawn Bowling

Been up to campus a few times now. It’s beautiful and green, actually reminds me a bit of UT in some places. I’m excited for classes to start and to meet some more people. It seems like a really cool uni!

That’s all I have for now, and I’ll end with this: I’m quite disappointed that no one has said “g’day” to me yet, nor have they called me mate. (Unfortunately) it looks like the Australian stereotypes aren’t very true either.

Australia-bound!

As I prepare to once again leave America, this time to Australia and for five months rather than five weeks like when I went to China, I will continue with my travel blog.

I fly out Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014 to the wonderful and intriguing island/country/continent of Australia! I will be studying abroad in Sydney for four months, and traveling for the first month after I arrive. I have had quite an extended Winter Break, as most of my friends have been back in classes for two or three weeks. It has been a great and relaxing break, but I am ready for the excitement and travelling to commence!

Studying abroad through an exchange program for a semester is (already) much different than when I studied abroad through a school-sponsored program last summer. Everything is much more independent and do-it-yourself this time around, such as booking flights, finding housing, acquiring a visa, etc. In this sense and many others, I believe studying abroad and traveling a foreign country last summer was extremely beneficial, because I have already experienced stressful flight connections, unfamiliar territories, and so many other things that happen while traveling, and all in a country where they didn't speak English! So Australia should be quite different and easier for me to manage. I've already noticed a change in my attitude before going abroad this time just from my packing habits. Last summer I started packing about two weeks before I left for a five week trip. Here I am this time, just pulling a suitcase out of the closet to start packing about four days before I fly out... The laid back Aussie attitude has already gotten to me I suppose.

I thought the flight to Hong Kong last summer was long (about 13 hours), but I am about to embark on a 19.5 hour direct plane ride to the Land Down Unda!! So please pray for my safety and sanity both. I have yet to figure out where I will be living, what classes I will be taking, basically everything...so it's all very exciting!! All I have is a plane ticket and some luggage, so let the fun begin!