And procrastination sets in...

So I actually did end up at the beach... pretty much from 9-5. I got my case study back, not the grade I wanted, but it’ll transfer back as an “A” anyway. One down, three to go. Deb, Chelsey, and I left college at 9:30, picked up some food from Coles (grocery store), went to Shelley beach and didn’t leave til 4pm! Six solid hours of beautiful sun, water, and friends... and I was actually productive. I brought my studying flashcards with me. It was really my last day to spend at the beach, saying that makes me want to cry, but it was a good one.

We got back and had dinner, studied a bit more, and then headed into the city with PC for more end of term video filming. I’m going to be in that thing so many times. You never really know what to expect when you agree to film, and tonight proved to be just as entertaining as the other times. I found myself playing a trombone in a rock band, jamming with a boom box through traffic in the heart of Sydney, and singing more solos. The first thing he tells us when we get out of the van, “Now let’s be quick about set up... this sort of thing is actually illegal.” Always an adventure, that’s for sure. Also, the city at night is gorgeous. My internet is being awful again so I can’t post pictures with this post, but I’ll try to have them up on flickr. My camera is terrible for night shots but a few worked out. It was really nice to drive around the city at night and see Christmas lights and decorations.

It was after 10 when we got back to Manly and I was sick of studying so I went out with Britt, Candace, and Jenna. Last Tuesday night in Manly... it was a good night out. Not as busy because most people stayed in to study, but still fun. This morning I went for coffee with Kah Mun. We wanted to hang out once more before end of term dinner. The countdown is becoming a reality, finals are here. Three days of finals, four days in Melbourne, end of term dinner/party, and then 30 hours of travelling home. Scary. Crazy. Sad. Exciting. It’s really hard to describe.

I’m going to the gym with Deb before I settle down and study for the night. It’s cram time... tomorrow morning I have my first exam. 33 questions... 22 five line responses, 11 ten line responses, 3 hours. My hand is going to hurt so bad. I think I’m going to go to the gym after each one to relieve stress. I haven’t been able to walk along the beach lately, it’s not as relaxing since it’s summer now and there are so many people. I’ve actually started enjoying the gym (I know, weird) it’s my latest escape from college. I can never bring myself to go alone though, so we’ll see if my gym efforts hold through when I get home.

I’ve been in Australia for three months as of today. I thought I’ve run into almost all the quirks already, but there’s still more...

-Pool balls... they aren’t stripes and solids here, but rather red and yellow. And they don’t have numbers on them either. I actually played pool last night, and surprisingly enough, won!

-Coffee...I’ve been holding off on real coffee because I’m spending too much money anyway, but finals time make it a necessity. When I went out with Kah Mun this morning I wanted just a black coffee... turns out you can’t order that here. Everything is espressos and has foam. Its delicious, but different.

-Bars...they don’t have food at bars here. There is no bar and grill... like the Silver Spur, Sallys, Applebees (I don’t know who is all reading, but you should recognize one of those) not even a short menu with fries or burgers. You have to leave to get food. Also, each establishment has several actual bars in it, and multiple levels/sections.

Procrastination is a beautiful thing. Well kinda, I'll probably regret it during exam time, but I've had a lot of great conversations this week. It's interesting hearing everyone's perspectives as our term comes to an end and we start realistically thinking about home, our term abroad, what we did and didn't do, what we miss and what we will miss. I miss Chipotle, I think I've made that pretty clear, but what I didn't realize I missed until the other day, was hugs. I miss hugging people I love. Get ready, in 9 days you will be hugged.

Ok I've rambled again, now it's time to focus.