today

Today we had a party in history class. My teacher bought 3 pizzas, a hole bunch of fries, and sodas all for 5 people. It was pretty great. Ellie, my best friend here, and I just goofed off the entire time and had a photo shoot during lunch. Today was definitely one the best days; I just don't want it to end. I only have 2 more days of school left, and (this is the only time you'll ever hear me say this) I wish it would go as slowly as possible. Don't want to leave

victor harbor

Yesterday, I basically went on a tour of the beaches. The feeling of the ocean breeze and salt in the air reminds me of summer. It was amazing. I went to places like Victor Harbor, Goolwa, Middleton, and Port Elliot. I even saw some dolphins!!! Haven't seen those since I went to the Virgin Islands. It was beautiful. The ocean here isn't that disgusting, polluted green you see in Florida. It's a rich, royal blue and turquoise color; you can see all the way down to the floor. I rode on a horse drawn carriage to Granite Island, which is where penguins tend to nest. There was even a penguin crossing sign! It's just beautiful. I am fascinated by the mountains, valleys, and beaches here everyday.

presenting

So today I had to present to little 5th graders about Chattanooga and Baylor School. I had my powerpoint all ready to go with tons of pictures and cool effects, but naturally, the computer would not load it; therefore, me and my computers-hate-me skills had to improvise. I ended up using random pictures on Baylor's website, which worked better than I thought it would. The little people were just fascinated. They thought Baylor looked like Hogwarts, asked if I knew Justin Bieber, asked if we talk with southern accents (apparently I don't have one), and asked if we sang and danced in our cafeteria like High School Musical. I have to say, they knew a surprising amount about the United States and Tennessee. They even pointed out to me where Chattanooga was and told me about places they have visited in "the land of the free and the home of the brave." One kid had actually heard of Baylor School before! A relative of his attended school at Baylor in the early 1900s. Needless to say, I was very impressed. I told them all about Baylor McCallie and how big of a deal it is--why we have to go all out and be crazy for that one week of the school year. Time flew by and before I knew it, I'd actually been talking for an hour and a half... whoops. My goal was to captivate their attention, so I guess that was a major success! They are pretty curious little kids. Never hesitant to ask any questions that came to mind (obviously)

this weekend

This weekend was fairly relaxing. I got all of my shopping finished!!! Today (Sunday) Maddie and I went to a friend's birthday party and played laser tag. That was amazing! We just got back from the Knight's house, Maddie's cousins. There's Alan (20), Liam (15), James (13), and Hannah (7). The boys and I played Halo 3 and Modern Warfare 2 for several hours. Of course they beat me (most of the time). It was a lot of fun. Tomorrow and Tuesday are my senior classes, so we'll see how this goes.

school

This week of school is "special" for me in a way. Monday, Tuesday, and half of Wednesday I'll be taking senior classes since the juniors have exams and sophomores have work experience. I'm supposed to present to the little kids at Woodcroft on Wednesday about Chattanooga, Baylor, and just things I do when I'm at home; Friday I make the same presentation to Daniel's and Nicholas's classes at Pilgrim. Thursday Mrs. Liebech (I think that's how you spell her name) is taking me to do stuff in Adelaide. So I really only have 2 and a half days of school this week!! After that is my last week of school. I can't believe it. This has all gone by way to fast for me. Where's the rewind button when you need it. On the bright side, I get to see Dad on the 28th! I can't wait. He and I are going to go to Sydney on the 3rd of July for a day and hopefully Nicole and Bec can meet up with us for lunch or something. I was telling Mrs. Watts yesterday that this has definitely been the best experience I've ever had. It'll be a memory that lasts a lifetime, and I hope the friendships I've made here will last that long too. I don't regret this at all. The Reace family has been so great to me; honestly couldn't have asked for a better family. Time to live up these last 2 weeks!

sydney

Well today is our last day! Or supposed to be. Because of a volcanic eruption in Chile, we might be here awhile longer, but I don't mind!! I love Nicole, Becky, Paul, Judith, and John so much. Nicole and I are like long lost sisters! I love all of these people. I wish we could stay here forever. It's amazing. I really really don't want to leave at all. These people have never had quesadillas before... so I cooked some just cheese ones and cheese, pineapple, and chicken ones. They are addicted (I WIN.) I'm just awesome. Nicole's 18th birthday is July 6, so I'm going to ship her a true American present that she and I just love. Can't wait. I really want to stay here longer...

these past 2 days

Yesterday we spent the day at a zoo called Symbio. I pet kangaroos, dingos, and koalas!! It was amazing. Dingos are my new favorite animals because their so cute and fierce at the same time. Peacocks were randomly roaming the pathways as well... along with some roosters. I have to say, it was an interesting group of species there. Emus, llamas, kangaroos, kookaburras, red pandas, sumatran tigers, crocs, peacocks, roosters, koalas, snakes, tasmanian devils, meerkats, monkeys, and some birds. It was pretty awesome!! Today we travelled to Canberra, the capital of Australia. We went to the Australian Institute of Sports (aka my new favorite place on earth). There they had a history of Australian sports and athletes, but they also had new, state of the art facilities for weight training, volleyball, basketball, soccer, netball, track/running, and swimming. They also had a sports science/sports medicine center. I've decided that's what I want to do in life. Sports science uses engineering and technology to create new facilities or ideas to make people faster, stronger, and overall more athletic. Sports medicine is exactly what the name says-- using medicine to help athletes recover and become better. We got to shoot some basketball, kick a football (aussie style), and do other things as well. Also in Canberra we went to the war memorial; there the names of all Australian soldiers killed in battle, beginning in 1914 and going until today, are plastered on the wall. Think of it as all of our war memorials put into one. We also drove past the Parliament house which is built into a hill. That looks like our Vietnam war memorial because of the grass on top of the building. The house is like our Congress building without the fancy dome on top (replaced by grass). History fascinates me, but all of their war stuff didn't really have any effect on me. I guess it's because I'm not Australian. Anyway, tomorrow Maddie's brother Ben comes and we can relax for a day. Not much longer until I'm home! 24 days.

sydney

Today we went to Sydney!!! Travelled on a train going in and out. The city was absolutely beautiful. It's right on the water (Sydney Harbor) and jammed with skyscrapers. Basically, it's New York City except with prettier water and a much better environment. We walked through the train station, Paddy's market, the Opera house, Luna Park, and Chinatown. I don't think I've ever seen so many Asians in my life... I also got all of my shopping done today! Or well most of it. I spent $80 total on gifts for my friends, Dad, Walker, Mr. Oakes, and that's it I think. I would love to live in Sydney by the harbor or anywhere with ocean access. The heart of the city didn't fancy me much--way too busy and packed. You know what came to mind as soon as we got to the harbor?? FINDING NEMO! It was just amazing. I really hope I can go back there some day. I also had my picture taken (holding a boomerang) with an Aboriginal man! They were playing digeridoos too!! SO COOL. Anyway tomorrow I think we're going to some wildlife park so I can pet koalas. Be jealous

sydney

So today I arrived in Sydney!! It's a gorgeous city. It's right on the coast of Australia, so on one side is the ocean and on the other is mountains. We're staying in Wollongong, a city about 40 minutes from Sydney, with Maddie's cousins! It's great. This is the only place we're I've seen a beach, houses, and mountains right behind. We had KRISPY KREME DONUTS I WAS SO EXCITED!!!!! Finally a reminder of home! We actually got free donuts because I'm American (no joke). At the airport I saw a Delta plane with Atlanta written on the side--yet another reminder. We're going to go explore Sydney tomorrow! Taking a plane into and out of the city. Hopefully we'll go to a Starbucks :) I love Maddie's cousins. 2 girls around my age (a little older) and 1 boy (freshman in college). They're pretty awesome. We're staying with them for a week, then we go back to Adelaide. I really hope to go to one of the beaches!!! Oh 2 new words to add to my list: crook=sick, uni=university/college. I think we're going to the zoo too!! I WANT TO HOLD A KOALA!!! I think we can do that here but I'm not sure. Still happy anyway. Tomorrow I'll write all about my train rides and being touristy!!

cooking

I CAN COOK OH MY GOSH!!! So one thing I've learned (one of the only things I've learned at school) is how to cook eclairs/cream puff things. They are amazing. All it is is some flour with butter, water, and an egg to make a batter, then some cream stuff for the filling. I personalized mine by using a chocolate ganache for a topping and strawberries as my decorations. It was so delicious. When I return to the land of the free and home of the brave, I can cook dessert!! That's about it though.

my weekend

This weekend was mostly a relaxing one. Saturday night was Maddie's CanDance performance for a cure. I have to say, it was one of the coolest things I've seen. It reminded me of the recitals I used to do; I even started to miss dance a little (which is unbelievable). Afterwards Maddie's dance friends went to a restaurant called The Pancake Kitchen (pretty much an Australian IHOP). The performance didn't end until after 10, so we were eating pancakes at 11:15 at night. The restaurant was located on Hindley Street, and, being here for 3 weeks, I know that that's where all of the drunks/prostitutes/druggies/clubbers go; therefore, we all ran for dear life into the restaurant and locked all car doors while driving on the street. Today we went to church. Their church is very small, anywhere from 90-110 people, and it's completely casual, which is different from my church at home. I liked the close-knit community feel the church has. Everybody knows everybody--kind of like that small, country town feeling. We finished off the morning by feeding ducks in a little park area and going to the all American embassy, McDonalds. Micky D's (or Maccas as the Aussies say) is almost exactly like the ones at home, minus the fact that everything is a size smaller. Like I've been telling the Reace family, in America you either go big or go home. It's all about the supersize (Aussies have small appetites, which explains why America is so obese and Aussies are skinny).

dance tuition

Today was dance tuition for the juniors and seniors. Basically what it is is a day spent learning ballroom dances for the Blue, Red, and Gold Ball that we will be attending on July 2nd. I learned the military two step, jive, foxtrot, tango, and this rock and roll dance. I have to admit, it was actually really fun! Dancing with a bunch of Aussies is pretty amusing, take my word for it. Everyone had to dance with everyone; we probably spent most of the time talking instead of actually focusing on the footsteps. We have to do these dances at the ball too. Hopefully I'll still remember all the steps by then... I guess we'll see! Detouring from the subject, we leave for Sydney, Wollongong, and Canberra next week! We'll spend a week there just being touristy, then, by the time we get back to Adelaide, I'll only have about 2 weeks left here! That's both exciting and sad. We had spaghetti tonight like Nana makes. That was a nice reminder of home.