Holy Crap...I gotta Pack!

I can't believe its my last week here in Sydney. The 8 weeks have flown by soooo quickly. I can't get over how much has happened in such a little time. I've made some amazing friends and leaving Australia is going to be so hard!

Today at work, my boss has given me an extra amount of hugs, and just keeps saying..."I can't believe you're leaving already." Its been a good joke around the office, because everytime she looks at me she says it and the whole offices cracks up laughing.

With the end of the trip fast approaching I realized my least favorite part of a trip approaches as well...packing. I have sooo much crap that I have to fit into my suitcases its not even funny!

Between the unhealthy amount of shoes I have, souveniers for friends and family, and the other random things I've seemed to accumulate here in Sydney it seems like I'll never be able to fit it all!

Wish me luck! I'll be back with more last week stories...

Until then....

K

Starting to get a little sad...

Today, while I was hard at work I came to the realization that exactly one week from today would be my last day at my internship here in Sydney. While I'm really excited to come home and see all of my wonderful family and friends, I'm really sad to be leaving such an amazing place and such a phenomenal experience. I've learned and changed so much!

As the end of the program here in Sydney is approaching a quotation from Andy Rooney seems to be more true to me than ever..."Life (or in this case, the end of the program) is like toilet paper, the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes!" LOL

I'm just looking forward to spending as much time with everyone as possible and getting in last minute sighseeing.

More updates are to follow soon!

Until then...

K

Yay! New Post

Sorry about the lack of posts lately. Last week I had a nasty bug and was pretty sick for the first part of the week, and pretty busy catching up the later part of the week! My business trip last weekend probably was pretty helpful in getting me sick. It was great to watch my events pan out, but I felt like crap afterwards!

Last Sunday was the day I started to feel the cold coming on, but earlier in the day, when I was still feeling good, I went wine tasting at the Hunter Valley Vineyards and I have to say it was a little disappointing. The experience was fun and it was interesting to learn about the process, but my main goal was to...like wine! Unfortuneatly, I was unsuccessful in this attempt. I guess I just still don't have that "grown up" pallet yet, but hopefully one day I'll get there!

I'm looking forward to another great week. I have just under two weeks left here and I want to take advantage of every moment. I've made some great friends here in Oz and I wan't to spend as much time with them before I have to leave.

Can't wait to come home and see everybody though...

Until then...

K

Fun times...

Last night was amazing...I went for dinner with my friend Tracy to a place called Pancakes on the Rocks, and it was AMAZING! I had chocolate pancakes with chocolate sauce and chocolate ice cream and strawberries and whipped cream. It was the best pancakes I've ever had!

So anyways...

This week has gone by so quickly. Tomorrow is the day of my business trip and I can't wait. I'm going on a road trip to Newcastle to go to one of the events that I've been planning. Its going to be so good to see my hard work in action. Its a bit of a trip...just over two hours, but its totally worth it. Friday will be another event that I have been working on. This one is in a place called Maitland, which is about another two hours from Newcastle. Its going to be two nights of really hard work but I'm excited to see everything finally start to happen and to hear all the bands.

Saturday morning, (after a night of loud music) ill be going wine tasting. Its gonna be an interesting combo for an interesting weekend, but I can't wait.

As great as the work is and as good of a distraction it is, I'm starting to feel a tiny pang of homesickness. Its great to be out starting my life, but I miss everybody back home so much! I can't wait to tell everybody all of the crazy stories about my trip!

So...I was bad last week...

And I didn't really update my blog...Sorry! I was super busy, and by the time I got home after work, I was too exhausted to do anything besides sleep!

Last week was a crazy/busy one for me. The events that I'm planning at work are starting to happen and its so exciting. This coming Thursday and Friday there are the first two heats of the competition I'm planning, so I was busy getting all the last details squared away for that.

Also, the company I work for is opening a new event venue at the end of this month and last week the whole company (all 7 of us!) put in some overtime painting the place. The painting party on Thursday night was a blast and we got so much work done! We painted ...tall walls! I didn't end up getting home from work that night till almost 1 in the morning!

After that crazy hectic week of work I wanted to have a nice relaxed weekend. I went and hung out with April (the roomie!), Katie, Jackie, and Linsay at Bondi Beach on Saturday. It was the nicest, relaxed, lazy day. I had wicked awesome fish and chips and walked on the beach. It was the perfect remedy for a stressful week. Later that night, the group went out for a night on the town!! It was a blast getting to dance my booty off and support other friends of mine!

Sunday was a day of recouperation. After all the dancing from the night before, Sunday was the perfect day to sleep in, which is exactly what I did! And then I watched Finding Nemo, and slept some more!

I'm nice and ready for another crazy week here down under! I've got a lot to do, but I'm looking forward to getting to come home and tell everybody these stories in person!

Until then....

K

p.s. I keep trying to put pictures up onto the blog, but my computer is being really funky about it :-( I promise I'll get them up as soon as I can!

Crazy fun weekend!!

This past weekend was such a great time! I have tons of pictures I have to upload onto here, but on Saturday the group got dolled up for a night on the town, or should I say a night on the bay! We had a dinner dance cruise in the Sydney Harbor. It was such a beautiful (but chilly) night! You could see a million stars in the sky and the beautiful lit up skyline. It was great to get to cut loose and relax and get to know the group a little bit better. By far the best was getting to watch Toby (who's normally pretty quiet and reserved) relax and cut up the dance floor! Since then, I've gotten to know him a lot better and he's soo funny!!

Sunday was a nice and relaxing day. I got to hang out with April (my new roomie!) and get to know her better. I love her! She's so nice and we had a great day going to Paddy's Market, which is a big permanent flea market in Chinatown. It was so crazy, with hundreds of people there, but April and I are already planning trips back. The fresh produce that bought there was amazing! Later that night the whole group got together for a small 4th of July festivities. It was so strange having such a quiet 4th of July. It made me a little homesick, but I'm too excited and happy to be on this trip to let homesickness get me down for too long!

Off to start another amazing week at work. The ball is really rolling and I'm excited to see my hard work starting to pay off. I have a business trip coming up to go to two of the events that I've been planning and I can't wait!

More posts to come.

Until then....

K

Beautiful day at the beach...

Yesterday, I had the day off from work, so I went on a great little excursion to Bondi Beach. It was incredibly breathtaking. I went for a walk along the coastline and had some great time to clear my head and think. Since I've been here in AU I've learned about who I am (and who I don't want to be), what I want to do (and not do) with my life, and what exactly I want (and don't want). Its amazing to me that just going on a trip to a place that is out of your comfort zone can be so instrumental in introspectively looking at your life. I thought about all this on my beach walk and came to a momentous conclusion:

I'm only 20 years old, I have the rest of my life to worry about all that stuff! LOL I should just live in the moment and experience everything to fullest, rather than sitting down and trying to plan my whole life out. I don't want to let my life pass me by as I try to plan it!

So for the rest of this trip, I plan on not planning! I am going to learn and grow no matter what, so I should just hold on and enjoy the ride!

K

blue mountains/ featherdale weekend!

So, today is gonna be a long day! I'm so exhausted! A little bit of drama on the home-front made for some lack of sleep, but I'm just gonna channel the stress into focusing on work! I'm working on securing venues for the band competitions all across AUS. There are 48 heats in all, so I've got my work got cut out for me! In addition to getting those venues set up, I also have to arrange for the regional (state) finals, so I'm a busy girl...

Not to mention I have to tell you all about my weekend! We went to the Blue Mountains and Featherdale Park. It was so amazing. At Featherdale Park, I played with Kangaroos, Emus, and Wallabees and got to see dingos, wombats, and a tasmanian devil! I have a ton of pictures (I'll upload them tonight!) The Blue Mountains were so beautiful! We took a cable car down into the rain forest and hiked a path through lush green forest. It was amazing, but chilly!!

Thats all there is for now. Pictures to come tonight!

Until then...

K

Thai Food and Beer and Slang!

So one thing that is great about Sydney is that it has a-m-a-z-i-n-g Thai food! I can't stop eating the Pad Thai. My clothes are fitting a little more loose, so I think I'll stick to my diet of bananas and Pad Thai (that's all I've been eating since I've been here!

Another thing that is great here is beer. They have so many good beers. The first time I went out for a drink here I didn't know what to do because I didn't recognize any of the beer types, but in the two weeks I've been here (its going by so fast!) I think I've felt out the beer here and I like it! My favorite type of beer here (lol!) is called Hahn Super Dry. Its tasty! I also like the Blondie beers they have here. Another thing that is a big drink around here is different types of cider. I'm not a huge fan of these, they're wayyyy too sweet! But whatever floats your boat, right?!

Anywho, I was running a little short on a topics to talk about for today so that's what I came up with to talk about LOL....oh and also, they put sunny-side-up eggs on top of their burgers (its actually pretty good)

Time is flying by here and I'm loving every second of it, but I miss everyone back home soooo much! Its gonna be great to come back and see everyone.

After this weekend I'll upload a batch of my pictures for the site....theres a bunch on my facebook too.

So a friend of mine here, Bethany, also has a blog about the trip and she has started to include something in her blog that I want to put in mine (Thanks Bethany!). Its a slang of the day category...basically the random Aussie slang that I hear/learn everyday. Here are a few to start with (and yes, people actually do say this stuff!):

-whinge: complain
-vejjo: vegetarian
-uni: university
-trackies: track suit
-sunnies: sunglasses

-not the full quid: not bright intellectually
-op shop: opportunity shop, thrift store, place where second hand goods are sold.
-pash: a long passionate kiss; hence "pashing on"
-rip snorter: great, fantastic - "it was a rip snorter of a party"
-surfies: people who go surfing - usually more often than they go to work!

-swagman: tramp, hob

-footy: Australian Rules football
-frog in a sock, as cross as a: sounding angry - a person or your hard drive!
-furphy: false or unreliable rumour
-fair dinkum: true, genuine
-g'day: hello!

-chewie: chewing gum
-chokkie: chocolate
-chuck a sickie: take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy

-dead horse: tomato sauce (ketchup)
-esky: large insulated food/drink container for picnics, barbecues etc.

-spunk: hottie, sexy, or good looking

-cane it: drive fast, accelerate

-carpet grubs: children

-built like a brick shit house: well built

-catch forty winks: a short nap

-bludger: lazy person

-blue murder: serious trouble

-boiler: an old woman

-bonzer!: very good!

-goodanya: good job!

-boofhead: stupid person

more are too come!! and also....random fact about AU: 9/10 of the world's most poisonous spiders are here in Australia (what was i thinking coming here!)

Until later....

K

p.s. this post is really demonstrative of my A.D.D. lol

Day 2 of NEW internship

So its day 2 of the new internship and I LOVE IT! its sooo awesome. I'm working on booking venues all through out Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania to hold local battle of the band competitions. the winners from the local competitions will then come to Sydney for a national competition! the winners of that will then go to Kuala Lumpur to compete with other bands from all around the world for a $US 100,00 prize! its soo cool to be working on such a big level! in addition to working on a cool project, I also get to work with really cool people.

last night the whole crew went to the university of dreams seminar (every wednesday there are seminars and programs for us to go to to learn about being in the business world) last night we talked to a guy who was one of the pioneers of base jumping (jumping off of really tall things! :-P)

now you may ask....what does base jumping have to do with being in the business world? well...it was a lesson in finding something you love, and getting people to pay you to do it!

It was actually pretty cool stuff. There's a few of us in the group that have been talking about getting a group together to go sky diving...so he gave us some good pointers too.

After the seminar, we all went out to drag queen karaoke (which looks like it will be a weekly tradition!) and for the second week in a row, i forgot my camera! but it was a hoot!

A fun weekend is coming up so I'll have lots to blog about! (We're going to the blue mountians and featherdale park, which means I get to play with Koalas!)

Until then....

K

So so so so So Excited!

So I've got some amazing excited news!... I got a new internship! I interviewed at a place called "A Red Letter Day"--getting its name from (originally) the catholic church would mark the holy days on the calendar in red ink to separate them from all other days (now) is traditionally a marking of a special day on a calendar--its an event planning company. I've got a little bit of event planning experience from back in high school, but I'm so excited to learn more in the coming weeks.

I've actually already been assigned a hefty project and I can't wait to get started. I'm going to be coordinating and organizing the Australasian portion of Global Battle of the Bands, which means...on my first day, I've already been assigned a global event! Ahhhh! I know its crazy but I can't wait to get started. I get to work with the best of the best and learn everything they know...which is exactly what I wanted from the trip. I got to meet the owners/ my bosses today and its gonna be a great next couple of weeks working with them.

Thats all I have to report, as of now...will report more tomorrow!

So until then...

K

A weekend of touring!

This weekend was our first full weekend in tour with everyone here and it was great. On Saturday we all went on a sightseeing tour of Sydney. We sat on the top level of a double decker bus and drove all around the city. We also took a bus ride out to Bondi Beach. Bondi Beach is one of the most famous beaches in all the world. It was sooo beautiful. We all stopped ate at a place called Moo Burger. Its supposed to be a gourmet burger but I didn't like it much...it was way too over cooked, but thats how they do it here!

After hanging out on the beach for a bit, my friends Katie, Alexa, and I all hopped on the bus and headed back to the hotel to get in naps before the evening festivities. I ended up passing out on Katie's couch and we ended up sleeping straight on through until Sunday morning!! Lol Guess all the sightseeing really took it out of me!

On Sunday, a group went to volunteer at a local rugby game to raise money for cancer research.. Alex, one of the guys in the group works for a company called the Cancer Council and it was putting on this fundraiser, and he asked us all to help out. It was such a blast and it was all for a great cause!

All and all it was a great weekend. But onto a new week....can't wait to see what this one brings!

Until then...

K

Day 6 in Sydney, Day 3 of Internship

So today was a little bit of a better day at the internship. My boss was actually there today (for the first time so far) so it was a little bit more worthwhile. I did a whole lot of sitting around not doing anything again, but its hard to deny that its fun to watch yourself on the news all day!

That being said, I still think that it isn't the place for me, so I'm looking into something new!

So, I was looking back on my older posts earlier today and I realized that I just refer to all the other people in the program as "the group" or "the girls," so I think I should let you know a little bit about everybody so that I can actually tell you who I'm doing all this fun stuff with....so here it goes:

April: met April at the airport and shared a cab ride with her. She is soo nice and has a great karaoke voice!

Libby: I also met her at the airport and cab ride. She's from WI, so you know she's cool in my book!

Jordan and Alex: Fraternal twin brothers that I met for a couple minutes at the airport, don't know either of them, but they seem cool.

Katie D: Katie was one of the first girls I got one-on-one time with to hang out and meet. She is so awesome. Always part of the group and she brings the fun with her where ever she goes!

Lauren: She is the cutest Texas southern belle! Everything with her is "Ma'am" and "Sir" and her manners are so cute! Everyone in the group knows her as "pearls" cuz she's always got a pair on!

Katie K: Such a nice girl! Got to get to know her a little bit on the botanical garden trip...would love to hang out with her some more.

Bethany: Another Texas southern belle that's personality is larger than life! She lives down the hall and seems like a total sweetheart...

Edwin: Edwin is the other Hofstra student here. Everyone at Hofstra loved him, and know I know why! He's a blast to hangout with and always there to go on late night trips to Mickey D's with.

Tracey: Don't really know Tracey that well, but she seems super nice :-)

Alexa: Don't really know here that well either, but she was my pitcher buddy at Karaoke night!

Claudia: She's my roommate from Italy. She and I are very different, but you can always learn a lot from people who are different than you!

Toby: Haven't gotten to hang out with him at all :-( he seems really nice, but he was late to the group cuz he missed his flight from the US.

Maxine: total sweetheart! wanna spend more time with her!

Mallory: She lives down the hall from me too and she's sooo nice!

Erin: She's doing her internship with the orthopedic surgeon for the Gordon Rugby Club! Seems super cool/nice...we got to bond on the ferry ride!

Kelly: She's from New Zealand and she has the cutest accent! She's another total sweetheart and sooo much fun to hang out with.

Jackie: A fun time to hang out with!!

Lindsey: From Minnesota. So much fun to hang out with!

I think thats everyone! As you can see, lots of girls! Everyone is really great and I'm so glad I can spend my time with them this summer!

I'm off to bed so that I can finish out my week at current internship...hopefully I'll have a new one soon that I can tell you about!

Until then....

K

Day Two

So I have day two of the internship down and it was better than day one! But I still am not thinking its something I want to do for the next 7 weeks! I'm looking into other ideas! But I managed to be on Australian TV all day again! I swear, people in the street are gonna start recognizing me! LOL

After work I did some more exploring in my little neighborhood. I love it here!

I have to run now though to get ready because the group is going to drag queen karaoke tonight.... It should be really interesting! (Don't worry, pictures to follow!)

Hope all is well with everyone!

Until tomorrow....

K

well...

I'm not really sure what to say in this entry tonight. My first day came and went and I'm sad to say I would definitely classify it in the "awful" category. It just was not what I was expecting at all. The good news is... I was on Australian news all day long though. I was placed at a desk that was right behind the news desk, so I was in the background of all of the broadcasts LOL. Other than that though, I'm feeling pretty discouraged about the internship. It was so bad I had to make that long distance call back home to my Mama, cuz she always knows what to say when I'm down! I'm feeling like I'm not exactly what they're looking for, and its not what I am looking for. I'm here to learn from the best and to find my passion in life. They want someone who knows everything already and can just do the filler work. Its definitely a sink or swim moment for me right now. I'm gonna give it all I've got for the rest of the week to see if it gets any better, but I fear I might be looking for an alternate opportunity in the near future :-(

Came home and took a hot bath and just prayed that tomorrow will be better!

Until then....

K

About to start my first day...

So, I just woke up to start my first day of my internship and I'm surprisingly nervous! Hope its going to be fun. Update/ details to follow! Wish me luck!

Until then.....

K

14 June 2010

Today was such an amazing day! It actually started yesterday when a group of girls from the program and I headed out to Kings Cross, the party and club area of Sydney, for a night on the town. It was unlike anything I've ever seen before! It was such a party! All the kids here in Sydney hang out there in the hundreds of clubs and bars that line the streets in this part of the city. It was a fun time and a great way to bond with new friends.

Today, however, I got to go on a day adventure with a different group of girls in the program and bond with them. We have a good group girls (with only 4 boys!) here! Because of the jet lag, I'm having no problem waking up early in the morning, so when the group met at 10, I had been awake for hours! LOL

We started out grabbing some AMAZING pastries from a bakery down the street for breakfast.

*Sidenote: I'm surrounded by the coolest little shops! Across the street is a little Korean market that sells really good Sushi (weirdly enough!) and a chocolate shop right next to my apartment (I'm trying my darnedest to not go in, because as soon as I do, I'll never leave. LOL)

Back to the day...

We then hopped on the train from the train station that's just down the street to head to the Royal Botanical Garden. We got off the train at a place called Circular Quay (pronounced "Kay") that reminded me a lot of the Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco. There were cool street performers, including an "aboriginal group with a digeridoo player!

After walking around there for a bit, we walked to the Royal Botanical Gardens, which is very similar to Central Park in New York, in the sense that it's huge! Its almost half the size of all of Sydney! It was so beautiful and the walking path leads right up to the front steps of the Sydney Opera House. Seeing the Opera House made it feel like I really was in Australia.

Later we walked back to Circular Quay and hopped on a ferry boat to Manly Beach. It was soooo beautiful! The ferry took us right under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

After all the beautiful sightseeing, it was time for me to get down to business. I had planned to take a test run to the place where my internship is, just so that I would know how to get there for my first day (which is tomorrow!), and its a good thing I did. Turns out that I work so far away from where I live, that the basic train pass that I had for my commute wasn't enough. I got stranded! But it was good because I could work out all the kinks and get a new pass so that my first day can go smoothly (hopefully!).

Until next time....

K

Landing in Sydney

Since landing in Sydney almost two days ago, I've learned that I absolutely love it here! I'm not sure what it is about this new place but I can't find anything wrong with it! I didn't even mind waiting in Customs/Quarantine lines for over an hour. I had a smile on my face the whole time!

I am living in a beautiful little apartment in the Central Business District of Sydney right on the outskirts of Chinatown. The first day in town, all the girls in our group and I explored all of Chinatown and it was so interesting to see the hybrid Chinese-Australian culture. Later that night, a few new friends and I went to an Irish Pub down the street and watched the World Cup. Wow, do Australians and Irishmen know how to make watching Soccor...ehem... futbol fun!

Today, the program I'm here with held a small get together/ info session to teach us about Australian culture. I learned a lot and am excited to put the new vocabulary to work as well as share Aussie traditions like the Tim Tam Slam with everyone back home.

Tomorrow is our first real free day to do what we want so I'm excited about all the possibilities.

Until then....

Love,

K

G'Day from Sydney!

G'Day from Sydney!

I created this blog so that I can share all of the amazing experiences that I will have this summer in Australia with all my friends and family back home in the U.S. Its gonna be a mix of pictures and diary-like entries to tell you all about my adventures in Sydney and my internship with Sky News.

Hope you all enjoy, and I can't wait to come home to see everyone...!