HUGE NOTE: Due to technical/internet difficulties, this didn’t post before I left for my travels…original post date was meant to be November 16th. So please keep in mind while reading <3

Weeks 13 to 15 – October 25th to November 15th

YIKES.

APOLOGIES. Sorry, dear readers, for neglecting my blogging duties as of late. I’ll hope you’ll understand – the end of semester hit me pretty hard, with a GIANT assignment due right at the start of StuVac (the week long Study Vacation before exams) and the following studying for exams exam (singular), planning trips, packing and last minute oh-jeeze-I-only-have-two-weeks-left-in-Sydney-what-haven’t-I-done-yet rush kept me go-go-go-ing leaving blogging at the bottom of my priorities list. So, I’ll try to keep this post brief seeing as I have a few weeks to get caught up on, and only bore you with some of the more important/fun things (at least I think they were fun) I’ve experienced as my time in Sydney has wrapped up.

October 25^th – Family Dinner

On Sunday arvo (“afternoon” for you non-Aussies) I hopped on the train out to Liverpool to join my cousin Diane and her family for swimming and dinner. Diane, my dad’s older cousin, moved to Australia as a young woman, met the love of her life (another Canadian, who would have thought!) and settled down to raise her family here. It’s been wonderful having some family connection so close while living here in Sydney; and after my previous week of homesickness, family time was MUCH needed. Little did I know, however, that two birthdays were being celebrated that afternoon – Diane’s daughter Samantha (who drove me to Queen Mary MONTHS and MONTHS ago ((was it really that long ago?!?))) and granddaughter Adele. Think regular family birthday dinner – crazy kids running around, delicious BBQ dinner and tasty, OH-so-tasty cake. It really was a much needed escape from QMB for the evening and exactly the family atmosphere I was craving after Thanksgiving.

October 31^st – Halloween

Since having to tragically give up trick-or-treating at he ripe age of 16 (or 17…or 18…but who’s counting) Halloween had never been much of a going-out event for me as for others. I had never been keen to dress up, drink copious amounts of alcohol and go off to clubs charging over-priced cover and drinks. This year however, our very own accommodations were putting on a bit of a shin-ding themselves. And with the promise of food, cupcakes and (of course) candy, how could I say no?

Not to mention, a group of us devised the BEST group costume (or at least in our books it was). Fish scale tights, bathing suits and lots of glitter – oh yes – mermaids. BUT, not just any old mermaids. Ariel from The Little Mermaid and her sisters. Not going to lie; We. Were. FABULOUS. I don’t care what anyone says, we definitely should have won the costume contest over the boring old vampires. I mean, anyone can put on a camp, throw in some fangs and splatter on some fake blood. Mermaids scales take some real talent.

November 7^th – 9^th – Byron Bay

Having missed out on my previously planned trip to Byron Bay in August due to unforeseen circumstances, I was still determined to get there – one bad day wasn’t going to keep me from getting there! Friday evening I caught an overnight bus bound for 7am the next morning in Byron, full of hope and dreams and all the cool things I would get to do there. Well. Dreams crushed.

You know when something gets a ton of hype and you end up having HUGE expectations for said-thing? But, when that thing happens, and it doesn’t live up to its expectations, it feels extra disappointing? Yeah. That was Byron Bay for me. Unless you live a fairly “spiritual” lifestyle or enjoy partaking in a certain illicit herbal drug (both of which I do not), there really isn’t too much to do there… I saw the light house. I stood in the most-easterly mainland spot in Australia. I tanned on the beach and bought some souvenirs – and that was about it. Not to mention it POURED two out of the three days I was there. In some regards, I’m glad I went. I was determined to get there, and I did. Not to mention I went snorkelling near Julian Rocks in Byron Bay and saw a turtle, wobbegong sharks, sting rays, multitudes of colourful fish, a hammerhead shark and an unidentified whale. However, in other regards, I really could have skipped it – I spent most of the time walking around town since it was too wet for the beach, and because of my opposing lifestyle to the norm, I found the hostel quite lonely. Mais, c’est la vie – you win some, you lose some.

November 10^th – well…now, I guess

And here I am, writing my last blog post in the Queen Mary building on my floor lounge. I can’t believe I leave the building in two days…this building that’s been my home for the past four and a half months. Seems like just yesterday I was lugging my 20 kilo bag up the steps into this brand new building in which I was supposed to somehow call my home while on exchange. But alas, it truly has become home. Despite the constant fire alarms, alarming lack of TP in the bathrooms, messy kitchen and absurdly low internet allowance, I’m going to miss this place. A LOT. It is my home here in Sydney, and its residents like family (WOMBOMBS I’m looking at you guys). Of course I’m missing my family back home (DUH) but it’s going to be so strange not seeing all of my fellow QMB residents at dinner or in the study room or going out for breakfast/lunch/dinner/coffee on an (almost) daily basis. As much as moving here was a change, leaving is going to be just as big. Two days doesn’t feel like enough to say good bye to this place, but I have my travels to look forward to. I’m seriously hoping that’ll help me get through the ACTUAL emotional pain of leaving this place and its inhabitants. Sigh :’(

Much, much, much, MUCH, much love,

Steph

(ON A SIDE NOTE: My last exam is Monday – yessssss. Monday is also my first day of travels. I will not have a computer during the duration of said travels so it might be a while until my next blog post. I’ll try to keep you guys updated if possible, but if not – until the next post!)

Week 12 – October 11^th to October 17^th

(Media update: turns out I have to pay $100+ to add more media to my blog – and while my heart says, “yes! Do it for the readers!” my wallet and upcoming travel plans say, “absolutely not!” I’ve been able to add some links to another image hosting site cough *Google* cough cough and although not as convenient as just scrolling through them on the post, I highly recommend checking them out…since you know…it’s my blog. Anyway – Allons-ye!I)

Sunday. What a day.

As promised in my last post, I’m going to tell you why I bought 15kgs of produce from Paddy’s Markets the Friday before. And as promised, I think it’s a pretty great reason. In fact, a most spectacular one.

But first –

The week leading up to this Sunday was a bit of a rough one. This exchange has offered so many new opportunities and experiences that I definitely never would have experienced if I was home in Vancouver attending my regular old classes at UBC. And one experience I had never gone through leading up to it was being away from my family for an extended period of time. It also so happens that Canada was gearing up to celebrate Thanksgiving, a time which for me has always meant spending time with those I care about and love. And being 12,000km away from just those people meant it was going to be a tad difficult to accomplish that this year…

I was definitely maaaybe feeling a bit homesick leading up to Thanksgiving….how was going to indulge in turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie around Gramma’s table? How was I going to come up with a multitude of excuses to get out of the traditional post-dinner walk with my big cousin? How was I going to play “Chicken Feet” or “31” for dimes? Well, the plan old truth was, I wasn’t.

And so, hence why I bought 15kgs of vegetables from the markets. I had decided that I was going to cook a poor-students Thanksgiving meal for a few (errmmm, well actually, 25…) of my friend that live with me in the Queen Mary Building. Not only would it be a Thanksgiving meal for the Americans, many of whom would be missing their own family meals coming up in November, but it also meant that many of my friends who had never experienced Thanksgiving before would get a taste of a delicious and heart-felt North American tradition.

That Sunday morning, myself and some wonderful volunteers chopped, broiled, boiled and baked our hearts out and made what I think was a pretty darn good attempt at a Thanksgiving meal (considering Coles and Aldis don’t have some of the Thanksgiving essentials), including;

• Turkey breast (because full turkeys were $13/kg outrageous)
• Homemade stuffing
• Cranberry sauce (from re-hydrated cranberries)
• Dinner rolls
• Carrots (5kg of them…I never want to look at cooked carrots again)
• Asparagus
• Brussell sprouts + prosciutto (oh man)
• Green beans
• Mashed potatoes (nothing compared to Dad’s, but a good attempt)
• Sweet potatoes
• Corn

And of course…

• Pumpkin pie, apple pie and ice cream

Trying to explain to the Australians that pumpkin pie is in fact sweet was a struggle, but watching their faces light up upon tasting it was a good feeling (success)!

North Americans, Europeans, UK-ers and Aussies alike thoroughly enjoyed the meal, with sighs of content, complaints of feeling stuffed (now you know how those turkeys feel!) and thanks pouring out after the meal. But what a lot of them don’t know is how thankful I was to have them all there with me on a day that means so much to me personally. I didn’t realize that it was possible to grow to care about a group of people so much in a span of less than three months – but turns out, it really is. I couldn’t have asked for a better Thanksgiving away from home. I was able to spend it with some people who I have grown to care about immensely and it really helped me with the longings for home I was experiencing.

Thanks QMBuddies, for helping me get through an emotionally trying time. Thanks for being there for me and partaking in a holiday that means so much for me and my family. So much love.

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPHpMvUOmASrdE0xSauBJhFC7HLIUgPS37Xv53_

The rest of the week progressed on, and Friday rolled around with terrific plans in store as usual. Emi’s boyfriend Kyle made the trek across the pond to visit her for 10 days. And with a tourist in town (I have officially decided that I am no longer a tourist!) we had to do SOMETHING touristy. Another resident of our dear QMB and friend, Lily, is from the Blue Mountains and a while back had promised us a weekend at her newly built house – so with Kyle here, it was the perfect opportunity. We piled into Lily’s little Holden (Aussie car maker) and headed for our first stop: brunch. Speedos Cafe at Bondi offers a range of healthy yet delicious breakfasts, and the toast and poached egg served with kale salad and quinoa-sesame bites did not disappoint. We then headed off for real, making our way to Wentworth Falls for some quality hiking. You may remember that I hiked Wentworth Falls a while back with my Outdoor Education class…however, this time we descended below the cliff walk and were treated to a fabulous surprise. The bottom of the waterfall, feeding into a huge swimming hole. It was the perfect lunch spot and a great place to escape the 30 degree + temperatures beating down that day. I did not swim personally (looked cold) but Lily and Elle hopped in for a dip (was actually very cold). We continued along our walk to find at least three more waterfalls, before heading off to Coles for some supplies and to Lily’s place for some R & R.

An evening in the mountains – what can I possibly say? It was spectacular. Views of the rolling hills, steak for dinner (red meat!!!!), ACTUAL smores with ACTUAL graham crackers (thanks Kyle!), an evening bonfire and Netflix before bed, it was the perfect way to end the day. It felt so homey, and with how the week before had been going, exactly what I needed. Thanks Lily, for opening up your home to us and being the most wonderful hostess. Anytime you need a place in Vancouver to stay, you know who to call!

The next day we drove to Katoomba, so Emi and Kyle could see the Three Sisters (if you go to Australia and don’t see them, did you really go to Australia?) A quick 2.5 hour bushwalk had us back into the car, on our way home for an early bedtime and sweet dreams of the weekend we had just had.

Just a few photos from the weekend:

https://photos.google.com/search/_tra_/photo/AF1QipO-jdkKK7u5mvdb3PBLelp-fQvRoyHObo0XGgvf

https://photos.google.com/search/_tra_/photo/AF1QipO-0JPY7sqtCwbRRvRamsSme5Fh4ImL4FCi9lvN

https://photos.google.com/search/_tra_/photo/AF1QipMlT1LBlYQD2hFEJCJGd6u5fQiwLGCxpBfo3rHW

https://photos.google.com/search/_tra_/photo/AF1QipNPFuASCcI5x42eJWLvjkMm9fYJhmMFPjGqTjUD

Despite the rough week beforehand, there were so many things to be thankful for this week – thankful for living in Australia, thankful for the people I’ve met here, thankful for the experiences and opportunities I’ve had – all in all, a week full of thanks and gratitude.

Much love (and thanks!),

Steph

Week 11 – October 4^th to October 10^th

(Errrrmmmm…awkward situation here. I have run out of picture memory for posting, so this week’s blog will be media-less until I am able to get things sorted out. Just think of it as an exercise in using your imagination…yeah, let’s go with that. Alright, read on!)

Well, getting back into the swing of things after an incredible week in Melbourne was…challenging. With assignments looming and deadlines drawing near, it took every inch of willpower I possess to say to myself, “Steph – get it together!” and snap myself back into a regular school, studying, cooking, and sleeping schedule. Alas, I will admit, the beginning of my week end up being exactly that – school, studying, cooking and sleeping. I must say, after 11 days away from home, I was glad to place a bit of routine back into my life.

Friday, the first day to my three-day weekend, ended up being an extremely productive (and expensive) day. The morning consisted of heading to the CBD in search of big summer hats. Why, you may ask? Well, Saturday a group of us were to go to the horse races, and can you really go to the horse races without a hat, right? Yup. Didn’t think so. Our shopping adventures lead us to Paddy’s Market, known for cheap souvenirs and even cheaper produce, after which we left happy with new $5 sunglasses, floppy hats and approximately 15 kilos of vegetables in hand. Wait, what? Well my dear readers, you’ll just have to wait for next weeks’ blog to find out why we dragged a gargantuan amount of veggies home with us from the markets (but I promise, it’s a really good one!)

That evening, a group of us (now dubbed the Noodle Squad) hopped on the bus in search of delicious, delicious noodles – which ended up being a fairly simple task, since we were headed to Sydney’s Noodle Markets, currently going on in Hyde Park. Walking in was a bit extremely overwhelming. I don’t know if I have ever seen that many options for so many amazing Asian cuisines in one place. It did take a while to decide, but eventually we all grabbed some tasty dinner and sat on the grass to enjoy the sights, and most definitely smells wafting from the various tents surrounding us. Aussie-style Yakisoba ended up being a pretty great decision that evening – I mean, who wouldn’t love chicken, beef and an egg on top of rice noodles and slathered with Japanese mayo? I most definitely did (my plate was SPOTLESS by the end).

And, when you’re at a market with stalls and stalls of food that you’ve never seen before and probably won’t see again, it only makes sense to grab a bite for dessert too. While wandering, I had seen a stall selling cronuts (“croissant donuts” for those of you who haven’t heard of them). But these weren’t your regular, everyday cronuts. Oh no. These were green tea matcha cronuts. How could I say no to matcha-infused flaky pastry? It was just the right amount sweet, crunchy, flaky, melt in your mouth goodness that definitely left me wanting more.

Saturday rolled around and after putting on our dresses and floppy hats, we were off! To the races, that is. Although Vancouver has a racetrack, I had never been to see the horses before. With Melbourne Cup just around the corner, the whole country has racetrack-fever and the whole event was quite the spectacle. Fancy dresses, suits, elaborate headpieces – it was definitely a formal event (maaaaay have been feeling a bit under-dressed in my maxi dress and flats…). We arrived, grabbed a few drinks (at least everyone else did), and made our way into the stadium to see the horses. A few of our crew made some bets on the first race – but horse number 7 just wasn’t able to pull through. HOWEVER – Ruth had bought two tickets – one on 7, and another on 4. And guess which horse won the race. YUP. Good ol’ number-4. Needless to say, after all expenses paid that day, Ruth walked away from her first races with $250 in her pocket. I’m still a bit flabbergasted (can you say ”lucky horseshoes” much?) In the next race, number 8 “Cosmic Cube” did not fair quite as well, and I unfortunately lost $5. Oh well. I couldn’t go to the races without making ONE bet while there – but it was fun to get dressed up and experience the atmosphere of the races, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

This week was definitely more laid back than the previous week of travel and vacation – but with three weeks of classes left and crunch time coming up, I was glad for some much-needed R&R. And I still got to experience two events which I never had before, so all in all, a pretty successful week.

Much love,

Steph

Week 9 & 10 – September 20^th to October 4^th

DISCLAIMER: This is going to be one heck-of-a-long blog post with A LOT of photos. Because it was one heck-of-an-amazing week, during which I took a lot of photos. You begin reading at your own risk, but real free to stop reading at any point. Or maybe have a nap part way through out of sheer exhaustion. Your call.

PRE-MELBOURNE:

Before we left on our mid-semester break trip, school life was looking pretty grim. The week involved some late nights, copious amounts of tea and a lot of stress. It actually felt as though I were almost at home studying…but powering through, I completed my assignments and mid-term (yes, singular) with time to spare, allowing me ample packing time and some GBBO de-stressing before our busy week to come.

MELBOURNE

An unpleasant 4:30am wake-up call rolled around Friday morning, and by 5am we were off ready for the week to come. A short 1.5 hour flight later we had arrived.

What. A. City.

Having now lived in Sydney for 10 weeks (WHAT?!), I had become accustomed to the hustle and bustle of city life. Not to say that Melbourne isn’t a city – because it really is – but I have never experienced a city so full of art and life everywhere. The first day we arrived, although tired from our early wake up and pre-break illnesses, we powered through and explored the botanical garden and Eureka Observation Deck, and all the public art Melbourne had on display along the way. The tower was similar to Sydney’s, but the view was about 10X more spectacular, overlooking the harbour and ocean for miles.

That evening we met up with Ruth, Melbourne-expert extraordinaire at a local bar called “Naked for Satan”. Why, you may ask? Leon Satanovich, known as “Satan” came to Australia from Russia. Dressed in nothing more than his underwear, he distilled vodka in the basement of a building on Brunswick Street in the suburb of Fitzroy in the early 20^th century #themoreyouknow. Serving over 20 types of distilled vodkas and featuring a rooftop bar overlooking Fitzroy, the laid-back establishment was great for some chill time before some dancing to complete up our 20 hour day.

The next day we explored Queen Victoria market filled with cheap souvenirs, the cheapest fruit and veg I’ve ever seen and tasty delicatessens selling a range of delicious meats, cheeses and breads. Which also ended up being my lunch. MmmmMMMMmmm, was it good. We ventured on to explore Fitzroy during the day filled with tons of artsy print shops and vintage/retro wares, before making our way back to the CBD to explore the infamous graffiti lanes of Melbourne. I don’t think words can do the visual beauty of them justice – both ACDC Lane and Hosier Lane were absolutely spectacular. So instead, I leave this little gallery of some of the pictures taken in hopes that you’ll see just how beautiful the urban street art really was.

Sunday morning we woke up with a particular goal in mind. Some of you may have heard of them before, or even seen pictures of them. Lining a stretch of Brighton Beach in southern Melbourne are these adorable, brightly painted beach houses. They’re one of those things that you can’t just miss if you’re in the city. SO, we gobbled up some brunch at a cute cafée, hopped on the train and made our way to the sea side. Max and Linnette arrived in Melbourne that day, so fortunately they were able to join us on our adventure! We walked along the coast and took waaaaaaay too many pictures of and with the Brighton beach houses. I’ll even admit that alas, I took the most touristy Australian picture humanly possible while here.

so tourist it physically hurts

We continued our exploration into St. Kilda, another “hip-hop-happening” suburb or whatever you kids say these days, grabbed a sweet treat from one of the local bakeries (and busiest, so we assumed it MUST be good) and relaxed in a park before heading back into the main city for dinner. A restaurant called “Chuckle Park Bar” had been recommended to us so we thought we would “give it a go” (this Aussie lingo is getting to me). Located in an alley – yes, an alley and the food cooked from the back of a trailer – yes, a trailer, I experienced the best pulled-pork AND meatball sub (wrap, whatever) I’ve ever eaten. Two bests in one meal from literally this hole in the wall establishment, it was my favourite meal in Melbourne and potentially Australia so far.

Finally Monday rolled around, our last day in Melbourne. With high hopes we took a two-hour bus to Philip Island, known for the little penguins that inhabit the island.

Guess what??!

WE DIDN’T SEE ANY PENGUINS.

NOT A SINGLE ONE.

However, we did enjoy a day of beach shenanigans, terrifyingly aggressive seagulls (think Finding Nemo) and some very late Chinese food in China town when we finally made it back to Melbourne.

It was a fantastic way to end off our Melbourne leg of the trip. A city full of food, coffee, art and wonderfully friendly people, I thoroughly enjoyed the amazing sights Melbourne had to offer.

GREAT OCEAN ROAD

Tuesday morning we walked over to Hertz, where we picked up our beautiful, spacious, GPS-included rental SUV for our three-day road trip. Where were we going, you may ask? Well, only one of the most beautiful ocean drives in the entire world, and one that has been on my bucket list for years. Yup. The Great Ocean Road. Spanning 243km of the south coast of Australia and built by soldiers returned from WWI as the world’s longest war memorial. I can honestly 100% say that this is my favourite thing I have done in Australia so far. The view was absolutely spectacular – winding roads around hills of green forest, the blue sea next to us, and tons of tiny beaches, with the only sign of civilization being the campers at them or the occasional cafe. Our first day on the journey was a bit rainy and cloudy, but we persevered on (the Australian sun and once a month rain is making me soft #VancouveriteFailure). We stopped off at Bells Beach and continued onto Aireys Inlet where we found an adorable, red roofed lighthouse. As I was snapping my first pic of the tower, I saw this:

Instant shenanigans ensued.

But of course we also took the opportunity to absorb the gorgeous view that the misty day was providing for us.

We also stopped at a tiny, adorable café for a scone and a chai latte. Cream and jam, mmmm.

We then headed back to our hostel in Torquay to meet up with Ruth, Jacinta, Jordan, Uillo and Olivia for a BBQ dinner and a game of Harry Potter Clue. The next morning we headed out again, bound for Apollo Bay, stopping at the memorial marker along the way.

Off again, we were headed in search of the purpose of our trip – the infamous Twelve Apostles. Originally 12, now reduced what we guessed was 7, the Twelve Apostles are giant towers of sandstone sitting in the ocean. They were pretty spectacular – but my excitement to see them was instantly diminished when we arrived.

TOURISTS.

TOURISTS EVERYWHERE.

We basically had to push our way through hordes of people, just to get to a decent viewing point to see them. Dirty looks from walking in front of photographs taken (DON’T TAKE 500 PHOTOS THEN, JEEZE), bumping into others – not my idea of fun. In fact, quite the opposite. I think I would have enjoyed them much more if it hadn’t felt like we were being herded like cattle, but, c’est la vie. You take from it what you can and try to make the best of it. The plus side is I got to see a spectacular natural wonder of Australia. And that in and of itself is pretty dang cool.

On the way back to Apollo Bay we decided sunset by the beach was the way to end the day. Afterwards, back in the car to drive back to Apollo Bay for our last night on the G.O.R. With a sunrise wake up the next morning and a semi-early start, we had one last item to achieve on our trip. We were going to chase waterfalls (although a certain song has told us to avoid this otherwise). Just outside Lorne, we stopped at the 30 metre-high Erskine Falls. The 2-minute trek down the stairs made for easy access, but it truly was beautiful, and a nice break to stretch our legs before our journey back to Melbourne. After dropping the SUV back off, we ate a quick dinner, hopped on a plane and before we knew it, jetted back home to Sydney for one night in our own beds before the weekend to come.

UMINA

Thanks to wonderful, wonderful Elle, with all her planning, a crew of 11 of us headed about 2 hours north of Sydney to Ocean Beach (yes, that’s what it is called) in Umina for weekend of sunbathing, swimming, BBQs and a few beers pops. With the weather reaching well above 30 degrees, it was a great way to finish up our mid-semester break after a busy week of touristing and non-stop on-the-go adventuring. I wish I had more to say about Umina, but it actually was just a fantastic weekend of doing nothing before heading back for the start of classes again this past Tuesday. But honestly? I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I got to spend the weekend with a fantastic bunch of people in a lovely town and eat tons of yummy food. Heck, I even had my first “shrimp on the barbie” (NEWS FLASH: AUSSIES DO NOT SAY THIS. IN FACT, THEY DO NOT EVEN USE THE WORD “SHRIMP”. MIND BLOWN. I KNOW).

All in all, I enjoyed the most jam-packed school break of my life. Thanks team, for providing banter, jokes, deep talks and a whole lot of love on this trip. I guess that’s what happens when you’re on exchange in a country half way around the world 😉 but hey, no complaints here. I’ll admit, I am a bit glad to be back on a regular schedule, despite the fact that it is school. And holy, only 4 weeks left of school! Ack!! Time flies when you’re living in a beautiful new place full of exciting things to do. As always,

Much love,

Steph

An added bonus, for your viewing pleasure: pictures of Ryan asleep in the back seat of the SUV! <3 hehehe

Week 9 – September 13th to September 19th (and 20th!)

(This week’s post is brought to you by Wikipedia – click on the links to learn fun things about Canberra and Australia!)

If I had to sum up this past week in 5 words, they would have to be: “work”, “work”, “work”, and oh, wait, MORE “WORK”. My first real deadline had approached, and I worked relentlessly on my mid-semester essay for my 100-level English class due Wednesday before diving into studying and research for mid-terms and papers to get me to the end of (this!) week. However, this past Saturday and Sunday I was able to take a step away from school work (although I am now kicking myself with how much needs to be done) and hop on a bus down to Canberra, the capital of Australia for a quick tour of the city and one night stay.

When I told people that I was heading down to Canberra this weekend, their immediate response was, “Why?” Having lived here for almost 10 weeks and with three and a half months to go, I wanted to be able to see the capital of the country that is currently acting as my home. And as an extra exciting added bonus of heading down to the ACT (Australian Capital Territory), it meant that I would be able to see Dakota, a member of some close family friends from elementary school who now resides in Canberra with her husband, Joel.

                        Gators reunite!!

#westcoastbestcoast Emi and I arrived in Canberra Saturday around noon to find Dakota waiting for us at the bus station. We hopped in her bright orange SUV and went in search of lunch, before cruising to city to get a glimpse of the new AND old parliament buildings and multiple embassy buildings. We picked Joel up and headed to the Australian War Memorial, one of Canberra’s most iconic monuments. What I didn’t realize was that the memorial is also a giant museum, dedicated to Australia’s involvement in all of history’s wars – WWI, WWII, 1945 and beyond, and even today still in Afghanistan. Walking through the museum was truly a somber experience. Growing up in Canada, we studied, well, Canadian history and our role in the wars of the 20^th century. What I had never considered having never been educated in it, was how devastating the wars were for the Australian population, and especially their role in Gallipolli during the First World War. Having grown up as my father’s daughter, I love history and especially studying the wars of the 20^th century, and so this museum was the most interesting way to spend the afternoon. Three and a half hours of learning about Australia’s involvement in what I believe to be the most put-together, comprehensive museum display I have ever seen made for an educational, but also emotionally-draining experience.

Afterwards we made our way up to Mt. Ainslie lookout for a spectacular view of the city, which was actually designed by an American! Who would have thought?! Following some wild-kangaroo sightings, we headed back to Dakota and Joel’s place for some downtime before in the car again and off to dinner. Since arriving in Australia, I had yet to have a real, burger-bar, thick-patty style burger. Brodburger, a once tiny food-truck now turned restaurant was an absolute treat. 500g of beef patty nestled between lettuce, tomato, brie, aioli and two scrumptious buns, my burger craving has been satisfied (for now…).

Wait, have I mentioned before that I like food? 😉

Sunday morning was an early start as we had goal in mind. I don’t know if you folks at home have heard about them, but there are these milkshakes in Canberra that like the Buzzfeed article says “people are losing their minds over”. And oh, were they ever right. I had the Golden Gay time flavoured milkshake, flavoured with the tastes of the beloved Australian ice cream bar. Creamy milk and ice cream (nope, just milk in Australian milkshakes) flavoured with syrup galore, caramel, chocolate whipped cream, honeycomb…oh man. And to top it off – a Golden Gaytime, in all its crunchy, biscuity, honeycomb glory. It was probably the most sugar I’ve eaten in one serving. But so, so worth it.

             The mother of all milkshakes

We then managed to drag our sugar-filled bodies back into the car and make our way over to Floriade, a nationally famous flower festival that is put on during Australia’s spring. To complement our trip to the war museum the day before, the theme of this year’s festival was “Remember”, with the flower beds planted to resemble different pictures of things related to the wars and remembrance. We walked around the flowers, took a ride on the ferris wheel and purchased a few homemade wares from the stalls. We were then off again to the Old Bus Depot to wander the stalls and sample alllllllllllll the yummy foods – breads, oils, sweets, olives, meats, I was definitely in my happy place.

              The Old Bus Depot Markets

Back at the station, I gave my final hugs to Dakota (and Joel!) and we got back on the bus to home-sweet-home in Sydney. It was so great to see my fellow Norgator down under here in Oz and to be able to explore the beautiful urban space that is Canberra. I wish I had one or two more days to see the copious museums and exhibits, but I couldn’t be more thankful for the time I did get to spend there. Thanks Joel and Dakota for being the host(ess) with the most(ess)! Can’t wait until our paths cross again <3

Much love,

Steph

A note for my beloved readers – I will not be posting about this week as it is pre-mid-semester break and has een terribly boring/stressful. Next week I will be in Melbourne, so don’t you worry –  I will get a post up about my travels as soon as I’m able to! Tata for now!

Week 8 – September 6th to September 12th

FOOD. The food scene in Sydney has been astounding so far, with so many delicious, scrumptious, and overwhelmingly numerous options to choose from. Seriously. Trying to decide where to go out to on any given day becomes quite the undertaking. With the possibility of every type of food available within walking and short busing distance, after narrowing down what kind of food you want, the question then becomes, “well which of the thirty options available should I choose from?”

This past week in particular seemed to be particularly food-filled. Which consequently meant a filled-Steph. There were tasty treats and cooking escapades everyday. Literally. Every. Day. Don’t believe me? Let’s go through “Steph’s week of culinary adventures” and see if I can change your mind.

MONDAY

With Sunday over and feeling rested up after that weekend of bush walking, bush walking, bush walking (three days to be exact), the concept of “school” for the next four days was a daunting one. No one really ever wants the weekend to end. However, Elle, Emi, Lily and I had planned to check out Elle’s work, “Milkbar” for some tasty brunch options. Because who doesn’t love brunch? (Answer: NO ONE. Everyone loves brunch).

We walked down and sat down at a huge, wooden round table and some cushion-covered milk crates. I pretty much knew what I was going to get before we had even entered the restaurant – a strawberry-rhubarb compote, topped with vanilla yogurt, muesli and  dash of honey. Oh boy, I will say, it did NOT disappoint. Sweet, crunchy, warm and quite obviously made with lots of love, I was extremely satisfied with breakfast. And based on the smiles on the faces of my fellow-brunchers, they seemed more than satisfied with the meal too.

TUESDAY

When on exchange, it’s comforting to know you have some friends around. For me, I have been extraordinarily lucky to have my dad’s cousin living in Liverpool, just a quick hour train ride away. However, it’s also nice to have a familiar face of someone who is going through the same things as you.

Tuesday morning I met up with Sofy, a fellow UBC-er currently studying at the UNSW for a semester abroad as well. We met up at the Paramount Coffee Project in a suburb called Surry Hills known for its coffee and café scene – having heard that it was a good one and approximately half way between USYD and UNSW, it seemed like a reasonable place for our outing.

All in all, it was a great morning – delicious coffee (lemon-grass infused espresso anyone?), chocolate-topped cronuts, and conversation with someone who knows what a touque and pencil crayons are (eh) it felt like a little-bit of Vancouver in this un-Canada country.

That evening also meant a night of gourmet cooking. For four weeks, QMB offered a cooking class for the residents free of charge by professional chefs in our communal kitchen. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love cooking – I love grocery shopping, meal-planning, prepping and making meals (YES MUM. YES GRAMMA). But currently living on a student budget, I was not about the miss the opportunity for some free food.

This past week was the third class in our series of four with a company called “Victor’s Food“. Based out of Australia, they are a group of chefs who put on workshops on how to cook healthy and quick meals at in small and large groups alike. This week, cooking with Jason, our chef-extraordinaire crew made cumin-rubbed lamb on a basil quinoa salad. YUM amirite?! Not only have these classes been educational, but they expanded my repertoire to include new and healthy meals that I probably never would have even attempted to make if I had continued to find and create recipes on my own. All I can say is, thanks Victor and crew!

go team go

WEDNESDAY

Alright, you got me. Wednesday was not a particularly exciting food day. Smoothie for breakfast, salad for lunch and homemade chicken, veggie, sweet potato shepherd’s pie for dinner (which I will admit was pretty great). I did make a Pie Tin run in the evening with Emi, Elle and Max however. Pie Tin, you ask? Traditional pastry-and-meat Australian hand pies, filled with meat, sauce, vegetables and looooots of love. They also do 2-for-1 pies during the last 15 minutes before the shop closes for the evening, so again thinking about cost-efficiency #studentlyfe we popped over to the shop for some cheap but tasty, tasty pies. A truly Australian staple that has found a place in my belly AND my heart <3

THURSDAY

Thursday mornings are my earliest during the week. I mean, 10am start is nothing compared to what I have experienced at home (let’s hear it for those 8am’s heeey) but when that 10am is a somewhat-dry two hour lecture, one finds themself struggling to focus by about 11:05. So, on the recommendation of Wyn, Dianna’s (my dad’s cousin’s) husband, we decided to pop into a place called Campos (link). I was skeptical when Wyn first told me that it was the best coffee he had ever had – it is a tiny whole-in-the-wall shop behind a somewhat sketchy looking bar. However, the inside was packed and the baristas were working like mad to keep up with the incoming orders. I ordered my Columbian flavours-infused latte (skim milk) and took a sip, and, wow. I mean, seriously, WOW. It was absolutely the BEST coffee I’ve had in Sydney so far, and as Sydney seems to be the café/coffee capital of the world (I swear), that is saying a lot. Fruity flavours lingered on my tongue and trying to drink up every last drop. It is definitely a place I would like to get back to, and would recommend for any coffee-connoisseurs making their way to Sydney anytime soon.

As I have mentioned before, Thursday evenings are reserved for baking and GBBO, and this week was not any different. The baking team took on a delicious recipe this week, thanks to our beloved Pinterest (what would we do without it?) we found a recipes for a dark-chocolate pomegranate tart. I actually found it to be a bit sweet in the end despite my baking-compadres declarations of baked love – but with some tweaking I think next time it could be a masterpiece (I suggest unsweetened chocolate). If you’re interested in the recipe click here for rich, buttery, cacao flavours. And as fancy as it looks, incredibly easy to make!

FRIDAY

After a long day of bush walking with the Bombin’ Bush walkers in the Royal National Park  and a cold-dip in the Figure Eight Pools, we headed back home for some good-ol’ roof top BBQ. In honour of Scott’s recent bill-of-good-health, some meat on the barby and a night out were just what the doctor ordered (alright, maaaybe not…). At home, as my mum can’t eat beef, we’re constantly looking for beef-substitute hamburgers. What has become one of my favourites for sitting on the back deck having BBQ family dinner, is turkey burgers. But, not just any, turkey burgers – onion, parsley, green apple turkey burgers. With a dash of cumin, these made for the perfect post 13km bush walk dinner. So tasty in fact, that I gobbled up two without pause.

WOOD-FAMILY TURKEY BURGERS

makes approx. 6 burgers

Ingredients:

• 500g mince turkey
• 1/2 onion
• 1/4 granny smith apple
• 1 egg
• some parsley (as much as you want)
• 2 tbsp. (about) cumin

Method:

Mix everything together in bowl. Flattened into approx. 6 burger shaped patties. Throw onto BBQ and grill until done. Devour those burgers because they’re so dang delicious!

A sunset BBQ made for the perfect pre-Friday night outing, followed by hours of dancing, friends, and an all around pretty awesome time.

SATURDAY

And finally, Saturday – the most food-filled day of the week by far. We started off by making our way to the Smooth Festival of Chocolate, located at Sydney’s Circular Quay. You name it, that festival had it – chocolates, milk shakes, pastries, biscuits, cakes, ice cream; the list goes on and on. We couldn’t head to a chocolate festival without trying something – so Elle and I ended up sharing a Nutella-banana scrollie (like a cinnamon bun) and a mango tapioca pudding in a jar. The three of us also shared a golzeme, which is a type of Turkish flat bread filled with feta, spinach and chicken. We had seen it at a number of markets and festivals, so it only seemed right to finally give it a taste at this incredibly food-filled event.

By the time Saturday evening rolled around, I was stuffed. However, there was one more food event before I could give my poor stomach a much needed break. The resident of floor 8 in the Queen Mary Building, also know as the “QM8s” (HAH clever right?) decided to hold our very first potluck-style floor meal. I tried food from China, Taiwan, Palestine, Denmark, etc, I have never eaten so much food in my life. I don’t think I stopped over the three hour span of the meal, as everything so darn delicious! S, I finished off the week with an extremely full belly and a 9pm bedtime. I couldn’t have been happier.

My love of food and growing love for the Sydney foodie culture was thoroughly satisfied this week – I could not have been happier with the delightful dishes I was able to experience this week. Until next time, folks,

Much love,

Steph

Week 7 – August 30th to September 5th (+ 6th!)

Week 7 started off fairly uneventful – as we’re now half way through semester (I KNOW, CRAZY RIGHT?) deadlines are starting to creep up. So that meant studying. And more studying. And some cartoons, because sometimes you just can’t study anymore. However, the copious amounts of studying was worth as it lead up to the weekend; “What did you get up to this weekend, Stephanie?” you may ask. Well, in Classic Steph fashion, bush walking. Yah. Yaaaaaah.

Summing up my feelings about heading out on some good ol’ bush walking in one gif

As a part of my Outdoor Education class we were required to spend three days hiking in the infamous Blue Mountains. 41 of us all headed from Sydney to the touristy RUGGED OUTBACK ready to take on all that three-days of bush walking had to throw at us. Waaaaaay too much happened over the weekend to sum up in writing – so I’ll sum it up in point form instead.

Day 1 (Friday):

• 5 am wake up due to mum’s insistent texting. Finish packing up bag. Eat breakfast (oatmeal, cinnamon and apple). Meet up with classmates who live in building. Leave to catch train.
• Arrive at 7:30am. Lots of time to relax. Catch train and leave station at 8:18am on the dot. Catch up on sleep for two hours. Arrive in Katoomba.
• Meet up with instructors. Hop on the bus driven by Bill the bus driver. Drive to start of bushwalk.
• Disembark from bus. Head down the Furber Steps and walk our way through the cliff track. We’re greeted by a challenge – to squeeze through a tiny hole in the side of some rock.
• Continue bushwalking. Take a break for lunch. Continue on and take a moment to listen to the bell birds. Bell birds? Yup. They ACTUALY sound like bells. Hike up 900 steps (nothing compared to the tower challenge!) to be greeted by the infamous Three Sisters. Group selfie-session. Finish bush walk for some more selfies and some food shopping at Coles.

Could pass as the 4th sister orrrrrr….?

• Arrive at our cabins in Megalong Valley. Cook dinner with new cabin mates. Campfire vibes and deep discussion. Head to bed ready for the next day.

Day 2 (Saturday):

• Wake up. Eggs and bacon for breakfast. Get on bus and begin the day’s adventure.
• Drive to Evan’s lookout. begin our decent into the valley – The Grand Canyon, carved from million years of ocean and water flow. Out. Standing
• Hike down. And down. And down some more. Take a snack break. Some flat walking, find a shelter, tai chi by the river, self-reflection by Junction Rock. Lunch break by the sound of rushing water. Mentally prepare for the trek back out of the valley.
• 2 hours of uphill walking. Steps, steps, and more steps. Burning thighs and calves. Greeted by a spectacular waterfall (30 metres or more!) for a quick break. Begin the steps again.
• Finish hike. Greeted by a human tunnel and cheering from the first group – the absolute BEST way to finish off any long day of bush walking.
• Back on bus. Drive back. Cook dinner (taco night!) and debrief in cabin 6.
• Campfire classroom session. Didgeridoo-playing. I am thankful for my cabin mates. I am thankful for my home. Sleep.

Day 3 (Sunday):

• Wake up. Eggs and bacon. Clean up cabin. On the bus. Arrive at Wentworth Falls. Debrief and maps. Head out on hike.
• Mist everywhere. Waterfalls galore. Cliffs and lush rain forest. Snap a few pictures of Wentworth Falls. Lunch while we wait for Jake to return.

• Finish walk. Back on bus. Bittersweet goodbyes, back to Central Station. Home.

HAPPINESS. If there was one word to sum up my weekend experience, it would be utter happiness. That was 1. The most bush walking I’ve been able to do since I arrived and 2. The closest difficulty to home’s mountainous trails. Not only that, but I have never bonded so much with a group of girls in a three-day span (SHOUT OUT TO MY CABIN 6 GIRLS <3). All-in-all, I would say that I was a very happy camper  this weekend. Literally.

(Me after three days of bush walking)

Much love,

Steph

Week 6 – August 23^rd to August 30^th

Exchange can’t always be all fun and games.

Sometimes, you have a bad day. And sometimes, you have an even worse day. Correction: An absolutely horrendous day. And that bad day followed by a worse, horrendous day makes for all-in-all a downright, horrible week. The kind that leaves you thinking, ‘It just couldn’t get any worse than this’. The kind that leaves you 100% ready to give up, get on the next plane to Vancouver, and fly back home.

But then you just need to stop and think; I am healthy. I am safe. My family is healthy. My family is safe. As long as I have those four things, no matter how bad my day or week seems to be going, everything will be alright. Because there isn’t anything else I could possibly want more than to know that the people I love and care about are doing well. My week may have been absolute sh*t (sorry guys, not going to sugar-coat this one), but thanks to the support of my family and some very special friends, I am okay. I will be okay. I am going to put aside what happened this week and look forward to the adventures to come on this amazing opportunity. I’m not giving up quite yet.

On a happier note, last Sunday I participated in the Sydney Tower Stair Challenge with a crew of hard-working, exercise enthusiasts like myself from the Queen Mary Building. Helping to raise money for children with autism, we each climbed the 1504 stairs up the fire escape to the observation deck of the infamous Sydney Tower. It was hot- it was sweaty- it was up the fire escape, for goodness’ sake. But it was exhilarating knowing that I had just climbed 1504 steps, all the while supporting a cause that holds a special place near-and-dear to my heart. In the end, my results ended up pretty decent! With a time of 12:20, I ended up winning the Female 20-29 category (out of 98), placed 7th (out of 365) overall in the Female category, and ended up 60^th overall out of a total of 765 finishers. Not too bad considering Tim Tams have become a staple in my everyday diet (they’re apart of the 5^th food group, right??

The lesson of the week – sometimes bad things happen. And it sucks. But, look to the friends you’ve made while on exchange for support and look to your parents for help and support back home. It’s incredible when you realize how truly loved you are, no matter where you are in the world. Because believe me, you are loved.

Much love,

Steph

Week 5 – August 16^th to August 23^rd

When you’ve been living in the same building for six weeks, with the same group of wonderful people for six weeks, with the same set school schedule for six weeks, eventually one gets into a routine of things. Although I have been loving every minute of exploring all that Sydney has to offer, I am also finding myself looking forward to the week-after-week events that have begun to occur around QMB – or, heck, with a few more under our belts, one might even call them “traditions”.

A few Wednesdays ago, my #westcoastbestcoast-ers and myself found ourselves craving something. Something that although is very easy to get here, is 1. Not that popular, and 2. Quite expensive. After checking out the prices at our go-to grocery store Coles, I discovered that buying salmon was just not feasible on a student budget. However, when there were three of us all wanting some, we thought, Hey! Why not split the cost of a gourmet meal, and cook a wholesome, nutritious, tasty feast together? So, we did just that. Who would have thought that for less than $10 I would be nomming on lemon garlic salmon, zucchini fritters, avocado aioli and a fresh green salad on the side? Definitely not me.

When the next week rolled around, we thought since the week before had been such a roaring success, economically, nutritionally and socially, why not do it again? So after minutes hours of planning, fam dinner night 2.0 was born. Stuffed capsicums (peppers for all you non-Aussies), refried beans and chickpeas, and corn on the cob made for a semi-Mexican fiesta evening. Two dinners in, and we’re already planning future evening meals for weeks to come. Simple to say that I can assure you that Wednesday night dinners will be a regular thing (SEE MUM? I’M FEEDING MYSELF).

Moving along with the week, we come to Thursdays, which have become somewhat of a double whammy. Thanks to my British hombres, I have been introduced to the wonderful, wonderful world of the Great British Bake-Off (or GBBO for short). Think Master Chef, but British accents, baked goods, and an adorable old lady judging. Honestly, what more could you want out of a TV series?? Thursdays nights now consist of British tea, biscuits, and GBBO in the theatre – potentially my favourite evening of the week.

Click here for a quick snippet – I assure you, you will not be disappointed.

With all this talk of baked goods, it only seemed fitting that we actually do some baking ourselves to fill our bellies, instead of just our dreams with sweet, sweet chocolate. An unofficial baking club has commenced as a result, but the results so far have been SUPERB. Armed with only 1/3 and ¼ cup measures, one metal bowl and an alarming lack of muffin tins and spatulas (the horror!), we’ve tackled Blondies, Avocado Chocolate Chips Cookies (my fav so far) and Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread. These recipes really do take the cake (GET IT?? THEY’RE ALL DESSERTS) and help to make Thursdays an all around evening of baking-goodness.

And finally Fridays…glorious Fridays, free of class, homework, and all around responsibility. Luckily for me, I have found others who also share the magic of no-class Fridays, and who also share a love for the outdoors. Hence, the Bombin’ Bushwalkers were born. Ready to take on the rugged Australian landscape, the last three Fridays have consisted of early wake ups, long trains rides, and three very different, yet individually spectacular bush walks in their own rights. Not only has it been great to get the extra exercise, but it’s given all of us the opportunity to get outside the city and see some parts of Sydney I don’t think any of us would have seen otherwise. With lots more walks to discover and the weather getting nicer and nicer by the week, I can’t wait to see what else we can discover.

Sometimes traditions don’t need to occur on a certain day of the week or at a certain time of day. Sometimes, they can be whenever, wherever, because sometimes you just want a Tim Tam. Or 6. Tea and Tim Tam seshes have become hugely popular with our crew, and a regular occurrence at least twice a week. The procedure goes as follows:

*to Facebook group*: “Tea and Tim Tams on Level 8”

*everyone goes to level 8 to drink tea and eat Tim Tams*

It’s become a ritual that allows us to catch up with each other, see how one’s day or week went, and just enjoy the wonderful company. This tradition has been a part of the QMB family since day 1, and I must admit, probably one of my absolute favourites.

Quite obviously original is the popular flavour

Weekly events are helping to really making this place feel like home, and the people I am here with feel like a family all-unto themselves. Thanks guys for taking part in these new traditions, and I’m eager to see what else may arise from our time here together <3<3

Much love,

Steph

Week 4 – August 9^th to August 15^th

As much as I would love to be able to write about my great adventures every week (or so I like to think), there is such a thing as “reality”, and consequently with that comes the main purpose of my trip – i.e. school. Considering this is an exchange, for the peace of mind of my parents and for future UBC students on exchange wherever that may be, I thought I would take some time to reflect on my first three weeks of classes, and how it compares to three years of a very different type of teaching.

First of all, I’m going to let you know – It. Is. DIFFERENT. If you are going to travel half way across the world and expect your lectures to be just like home-sweet-home, turn around, get back on that plane and head back to your regular, old classes. The lectures here at USyd are definitely not what i was expecting, but I feel as though I’m finally starting to adjust. All of our lectures are recorded and put online, which was a very new and strange concept for me. It makes it convenient should one need to miss a lecture for whatever reason (cough cough travels cough cough exchange student) and catching up on missed notes is easy peasy – find the missing slide, type it up, and keep on truckin’. However, I am also finding that since the lectures are recorded, that the professors put the SIMPLEST notes possible on the power points and discuss the concept at length verbally. And although most teachers back home have “simple” notes for their lectures, when I say simple here, I mean one idea per slide, two if you’re lucky. Heck, sometimes one word As a self proclaimed visual learner, me + auditory teaching are like oil and water. Not a good mix. In one ear, out the other. Ugh.

Despite my struggles in adjusting to this new style of learning, I am taking a course here that I would not be able to take at home, called “Outdoor Education”. This class is comprised of learning about how one can learn from nature, how nature can be used to supplement learning, and how we as humans learning about nature can help to create more sustainable methods of enjoying the great outdoors. Was my taking this class an excuse to bush walk even more? Possibly…. #ClassicSteph

This past weekend me and 35 other exchange students from my class spent our Saturday enjoying the great outdoors in NSW’s beautiful Royal National Park. Located approximately an hour and a half from campus, we hopped on a bus early Saturday morning, and started our trek around 10 am. I must admit, with my recent bush walking, and especially this past weekend’s day trip, I am quickly falling in love with all

that Australia has to offer. Walking an 8 km trail from the suburb of Bundeena to Wattamolla, we were treated to views of the bluest of oceans, sandstone cliffs, and wait for it…WHALE SIGHTINGS. FREAKING WHALES. Within 5 minutes of beginning our trek, we were treated to a show of breaching and majestic tail flipping out of the water. It was some National Geographic-level stuff. Ah. Maz. Ing.

In case I forgot to mention, I have been ill for the past two and half weeks. It has been constant battle against sore throats, congestion, tightness in the chest, and with no down time between classes and the seemingly never-ending events going on around Queen Mary and Sydney, it’s been getting the best of me. So combined with the on-going IT band injury I’ve been struggling with since December of last year, despite the beauty of the Royal National Park, injury and sickness really caught up with me. Like, as in I-really-could-have-slept-in-and-not-gone-on-this-trip-but-would-have-failed-if-I-didn’t-get-on-that-bus thoughts going through my mind. Physically, mentally, emotionally exhausted. However, this weekend ending up leading to some self-discovery, not only from an outdoors point of view, but in a way that can be applicable to my entire life. I’ve always been a believer of pushing through injury and sickness, but very few times in my life have I been this sick, tired, and injured at the same time, and usually I end up crawling into bed, closing the curtains, and forgetting about the world for a few hours in order to re-charge. Without this option this weekend, I was happy that I was able to get through it like I did, and I really found a new side of myself that I am proud to say that I am, in fact, proud of in and of itself. As a part of this class, we are required to keep a reflective journal in the form of the blog. You can check out it out here if you’d like for a full re-cap of my weekend, awkward drawings and self-reflective video full of “uh’s” and “um’s” included. But if you’re thinking “SERIOUSLY Steph? Another blog?!” then, tldr; I CAN PUSH THROUGH ANYTHING. I AM STRONG.

Whew, heavy blog post this week guys, sorryz. Had to be done though – not everything about exchange is fun and games. When it gets down to the bottom of it, this is still a schooling experience, and needs to be understood and treated as one. Hopefully next week will be lighter and less reflective more to your reading pleasure. Anyway, until the next post,

Much love,

Steph