Week Four in Review-

"Koala Lou"

Emu



Wombat!


Country Stop in Australia

Abby & Blanche

Stacey & Karly

Paper-like Tree outside Bellaire

Brie & I- Cloud 9











Tree That looks like Skin

Week 4: 2/16/09- 2/22/09


It is hard to believe that week four has come and gone. The week marked one month of me being in Australia, where does the time go!? This means I have two more months to ‘live it up’ and make the most!

The highlights of the week: Tuesday was Lauren Bennett’s Birthday! Kenz and I had so much fun making a video (which is still lost in cyberspace) but that is okay we got to video chat with her until 2:30 AM on her birthday it was the next day after school for us! FYI- Skypes’ video chat works much better than gmail! Kenz made Lauren a plethora of cards!! (Just about brought Lauren to tears!) Wednesday I got a strawberry lime slush puppy that rocked my world almost as much as the exciting email I got from Mallory Farmer… Harry, you know exactly what I am talking about ;)

The weekend brought a good time and pleasant surprises. Friday avo (afternoon) Mitchell had a cricket game near the Waterfront. During his game Kenz, Jen, Zoe, and I ventured to the Botanical Gardens of Geelong. This was so refreshing for me. I loved walking through this beautiful area, full of greens, secret pathways, fresh roses, glowing sunflowers, and massive trees! Much of these gardens were new for me- very Australian, I loved it! Marc you would have loved this too- I thought of you nearly the whole time!

Friday evening I caught up with about 8 of the Junior Unit teachers. We went out for drinks and a nice girl chat at Cloud 9 in Highton. It was so relaxing to just sit and talk with the girls outside of the classroom. I really enjoyed them all, and the special “lolly” drinks that I had- the perfect place for a bunch of girls wanting to just be girls.

Saturday morning was great for catching up with home. I even got to talk to Grandma & Papa; they were at the house with mom and dad. In the midst of it all I got a text from Lou asking if I wanted to do some sightseeing. The next thing I knew it was noon and I was instructed to put on some jeans and prepare for a “Magical Mystery Tour.” Any of you who know me well, know that this type of thing is RIGHT up my ally. By 12 we had a house full, Faye, Jeff, and Joy were dressed up and ready for the horse races... by the way mom- Faye fell in LOVE with the ‘come to the table’ cookbook that we gave Jen- I thought she was going to snatch it. I think she wants to paint from it sometime! Anyway, Lou, Kato, Mitchell and I hit the road. We road tripped to Ballarat (about an hour away) for a fun day with Australia’s finest selection of Wild Life.

Ballarat is actually a famous historical mining town. In the 1850’s an enormous golden nugget was found in this town, which caused the Eureka Rebellion. This was a battle between the miners and an unjust goldfield administration (this has about the same significance as Gettysburg for we Americans)- and the battle was all over GOLD. Today there is a place in Ballarat called Sovereign Hill where you can go and see accurate reenactments of this stockade, relive an authentic 1850’s Ballarat town, and walk through the gold museum. I have seen an old timey photo that the Gordon Family took there about a year ago, it is really neat.

The Ballarat Wildlife Park was amazing. I could not believe how many Kangaroo’s and Wallabies (smaller Kangaroos) I got to see… not only did we get to see them but we got to PLAY with them. I wasn’t the only one who was excited, Lou, Mitchell, and Kato were so excited to be there also and loved every moment. I couldn’t believe how cuddly and cute the little roo’s were. They were like calm dogs or deer; they just wanted to be stroked. I really feel like I bonded with the little guys. I also got to touch and have a picture made with a Koala. I loved these little muffins as well- my heart was beating so fast with excitement. I also hung out with a few other animals for the first time ever, including, wombats, tazzy devils (like the cartoons), echidnas, emus, and more. What an experience- priceless! Marc & Madison: they had an awesome reptile exhibit as well- snakes, iguanas, and crocodiles included. YIKES.

We stopped at a bakery on the way home and got pizza subs and I got caramel Koalas. Mommy Dot & Granddaddy- this is the Australian equivalence to Caramellos—mmmm… soo goood!!!

Lou & I bought “Snacks” for Sat night. We had a dispute about the proper name for pickles and kicked back at Lou’s place with Jesse. We went out for a bit, into town and hung out at a place called Beav’s but it wasn’t too late of a night. Good thing because I was planning on Church Sunday morning!!


Living with the Gordon’s day by day is still full of precious blessings. They take good care of me here and I feel right at home. I feel this way with their extended family as well- now I understand what it feels like to gain an instant family- pretty magical! Kenz has discovered the joy of taking jumping pictures. She is a diva, this weekend she left a note out for me explaining that I could use her make-up if I wanted to and also the colors that would look good with my outfit. I mean what more could I ask for from my first experience with having a little sister. She has a dance move for just about any song she listens to. She is so entertaining! Jenni continues to be an amazing cook, mum, and friend! I look forward to ‘tea’ and often dessert every night. I am definitely spoiled here!!
We had Mexican for dinner this past week and it was AMAZING! Is it weird that I think that Mexican is a taste of home? Instead of Mexican, they love Indian and Thai here.

Random note: I forgot to mention but for all you that understand this sentiment: THERE ARE HAWKS IN AUSTRALIA… and they have been circling. God winking for sure. ;)