Language Barriers and Local Eats

Hello friends, family, and followers!

It's been a bit slow lately - rain, figuring out classes, etc - so I don't have anything too interesting to talk about.

These guys were chilling on our porch when we came back. No one likes getting stuck in the rain.

Instead, we're gonna have a vocab/slang lesson as well as some eatery reviews. Get comfortable because this may take a while, and things may get weird(er than usual).

VOCABULARY AND EVERYDAY WORDS

keen - it's what you say when you want to do something, equivalent to how we say we're "down"
e.g. "There's trivia night at this bar on Tuesdays (this is a real thing, by the way), are you keen?"

Maccers (Mackers? I don't know how the spell it) - McDonald's, where you get...

chips - most of you probably know that here (and in the UK), fries are called chips. However, I think they still call our chips, well, chips. The difference is that hot chips are fries and potato chips are potato chips. I think crisps is a strictly UK thing, but I'll let you know if I ever confirm that.

freshers - freshmen/freshies

"How ya going" - "How are you?/How are you doing?" Still throws me off

take-away - take-out or ordering to-go

uni - do I really need to explain it?

pokies - slot machines

goon - box wine

Definition of classy

capsicum - most of you already know that it's the proper term for bell peppers. or at least that's the genus for all you science-y people

prawn - shrimp (I know they're different animals, but it's all the same here)
ALSO it's their term for "butterface." Why? Because you rip the heads off and just eat the bodies. I was laughing for a good 2 minutes after hearing the explanation

tightrope - opposite of "prawn/butterface." Why? Everything "up here" is fine, just don't look down. Also caused a laugh-attack.

That's all for now. I'll let you all know if there are more words to be learned.

FOOD

I have yet to try Vegemite (but Sam and I bought a tube -yes, a tube like toothpaste. although it does also come in jar-form- but it's still sitting in the pantry/cupboard untouched. I'm sure I'll have pictures to share when we finally try it.
EDIT: Just kidding, I just tried it. It wasn't as awful as everyone kept saying it would be, but it's not something I would choose to eat again either. Very, very salty. No me gusta.

My itty bitty part of vegemite-covered toast and my peanut butter chaser

Tim Tams, on the other hand, are pretty amazing. Apparently, Target has them at some point every year, but I'm gonna say that they would be different much like UK and US Cadbury chocolate. Anyway, Tim Tams are these chocolate-covered cookie/wafer things that I wish I had a better description for because they are absolutely delicious and I will probably bring some home if I can.

I've heard the white chocolate ones (WC!!) are pretty good, so we'll probably buy those next

Some restaurant highlights:
Any sushi place really is good. Cheap and delicious. $5 for 2 rolls is a good deal for me. And there is so much variety from your typical salmon avocado roll to a beef teriyaki roll. There will be a lot of sushi consumption, I guarantee it.

I think soy sauce back home should be available in fishies, too

It seems common (so far) to have kebabs and pizzas sold in the same establishment. Haven't really understood that connection yet.

A lot of meditteranean/Greek places around. We haven't decided if it's because there are, in fact, many Greek people here or if it's due to the fact that there's a lot of lamb (read: cheap food source) to sell/cook.

Subway is a big thing here. Or at least there are a lot of them around. Fun fact: they don't cut the avocados for you to put on your sandwich; it's just pre-made guac they scoop on to it.

Bars are bars. Nothing too special, but always a good time. Some have trivia night, others have karaoke, you just have to know which nights to go.

Haven't gotten a chance to go to the RedRoom (read: Traddies) yet, but I'm sure we'll make our way over there many times before this trip ends.

The Fat Carrot
We looked this up online because it ended up being really close to us. Advertised as a sushi and smoothie place, it ended up being mostly smoothie and very little sushi. A tad disappointing, but so it goes.

El Torito
We tried to find Mexican food, and this place seemingly fit the bill. Very close to where we live, and it has the same name as one of my favorite restaurants back home. The ambiance is very... Mexican. In an over the top kind of way: a lot of color, typical music, and many sombreros lining the wall. I ordered a carne asada/steak quesadilla. It tasted good, but it definitely was the strangest quesadilla I've had. The steak was delicious but not seasoned/marinated like carne asada. And within the tortilla, aside from steak and cheese, there was brocolli and carrots and what I think was thinly sliced cucumber, but I'm not sure. Again, it tasted good but not quite authentic. The search for good Mexican food remains.

The Three Monkeys Cafe
I read about this cafe in one of the Lonely Planet books that's in our living room, and it's right next to the grocery store we go to. I'd compare it to a smaller, indie version of Urth. It has a Turkish vibe/ambiance, and the shelves and counters around the place are lined with various "see/hear/speak no evil" monkey statues (explains the name). Randomly, there were also quite a few pieces of Betty Boop memorabilia. We didn't really order any food, but the neighboring tables had sandwiches and cakes that looked really good. I got a cappucino which was really yummy, Sam got a long black (coffee with milk on the side), and Michelle (our friend from New Jersey who we met at orientation) got a marshmallow cappucino, which I'm definitely going to have to try at some point. The place is really cool and the coffee was good; my only complaint is that the cups are too small. Want bigger portions = typical American.

Top Sushi
Definitely my favorite sushi place so far. It's in the city and has, by far, the most variety I've seen in a single place. The deals and specials are really good as well, and the quality is top notch especially for the amount you get and price you pay. They give it to you in plastic boxes "sealed" with a rubberband (fun fact: no plastic boxes that snap shut so far), and you can walk out with it or go upstairs for seating.

Espresso Bar (I think that's the name, I'm not quite sure)
I've frequented this place a few times already simply because it's on campus. Not that the coffee is anything special (they still look at me funny when I ask for only a little bit of milk), but they have these mini-waffle things that are EXCELLENT for a quick morning breakfast/snack. Super yummy and they come in different flavors like vanilla, cinnamon, maple, and apple.

Fox Hotel
I haven't been yet, but they have $2 steaks on Sundays. Yes.

And that's all I can think of for now.

I did remember that I had Market Day 2 days ago. It's what they call their Club Fair. A bunch of booths, activities (rock-climbing wall, life-size jenga, etc.), free stuff, and random animals (crocodile, tarantula, snake, and lizards).
I actually joined the wakeboarding/waterskiing club and the HP Alliance. It should be a fun semester.

With love from down under.

Updates and Touristy Shtuff

First and foremost, I'm not homeless anymore! I'm living with Sam in a 4-bedroom unit beneath the house of our "landlord/lady." It's like a duplex, and we just have the bottom area complete with kitchen, living area, bathroom, and washer.
Fun fact: A lot of houses don't have dryers. I don't understand it because this place is so humid. My plan is to either a) not wash my jeans (ew) because they probably won't dry until I'm back home or b) find a laundromat. Luckily, there's one just down the block and around the corner. Option B is looking pretty good.

Our street!

Front of the house. We walk down on the left to get to our place.

Right here! There's Sam.

Back of the house/our entrance

My room! Half of it. The other half has drawers, a wardrobe, and a chair. Decently sized.

Besides the landlady upstairs, we live with 1 American PhD candidate named Casey who's on sabbatical here doing research on the reproduction of cows in the desert (or something along those lines) and 1 French post-grad/I think med student named Marie who I have still yet to meet but will continue to refer to her as Alexa 2 until then.

Here's a map of the general area.

So, A is where I live. It's basically between the school and the city (at least the area of the city we've been going to). Those are the top and bottom boxes if you haven't figured it out. The box to the right of our place is a fake, street beach which we will be frequenting often. And the box to the left is a street choc-full of cafes, bars, and restaurants. It's actually a pretty hipster-y area, but Australian hipsters appear to be a bit older than your average American high school and college hipster. But yeah, we live in the middle of everything, and we're super happy with location.



We went out for the past couple of nights to the Royal Exchange Hotel aka the RE. Apparently, uni students frequent it mostly on Wednesday and Sunday nights. Really random. Friday had a bit of an older scene (compared to, let's say, the 9-0) with people averaging in their mid-20s. Saturday was a bit better, a bit more crowded. Still mixed in terms of age: people celebrating their 20th birthday and other people looking to be in their early 30s.
Another fun fact: it has come to my attention that one of the first questions guys ask you is how old you are. Kinda weird, kinda awkward, I'm just hoping that this isn't a common thing because I am not a fan.

Bridge to the city. We decided to get gelato and walked instead of taking the bus.

The ferris wheel I talked about. Still haven't been on it yet though.

This was in the bathroom at the bar. I want to say that it has to do with Sherlock the TV show on BBC, but I'm not sure.

Finally got sushi the other day for lunch. So good. Super fresh and not too bad in terms of pricing. I got this salmon special thing which had 3 big pieces of nigiri and 3 pieces of a cut salmon avacado roll for $5.50. Hand rolls were pretty standard at $2.50 a piece. I'm probably going to blow most of my money for food (and possibly other things) on sushi, calling it now.

---

And today, we went to the KOALA SANCTUARY!! I loved it. We got to pet emus and feed kangaroos and wallabies (I even saw a mama with a joey in her pocket!). We saw the birds of prey show and watched them fly around and devour some (already dead) mice. We also saw snakes, turtles, geckos, lizards, birds, wombats, tasmanian devils (that's a lie, we saw the area but couldn't see the actual little creature. poop.), golden possums (way cuter than the ones at home), crocodiles, a platypus, sheep (that were for sale), guinea pigs, chicks, bats, dingoes, and of course
KOALAS!!

Daisy. You should get this. It's like a hairy, fluffy chicken. Google 'silkie bantam.' You're welcome.

Happiest sheep I've ever seen

Some sort of owl that flew way too close to our heads

This freaking huge bird ripped apart a dead mouse in front of us. Yeah, enjoy that visual. Did I mention he pulled out the intestine and you could hear the bone crunch when he ate the head? You're welcome.

Inland taipan. World's most venomous land snake.

Just chilling with a kangaroo. No big deal.

I was trying to take a picture with the emu, and it started walking away. This is me saying "Dude, really? Where are you going?"

Mama wallaby and her joey!!

Normal.

Most importantly,

I GOT TO CUDDLE A KOALA AND I ALMOST RAN AWAY WITH IT

But yeah, definitely one of the highlights of my life.

The koalas were everywhere around this zoo or whatever you want to call it (obviously. it's not called koala sanctuary for nothing. I'm dumb.). There was the main enclosure and then areas for the "kindy koalas" (up to 1 year old), cubby house koalas (1-2 year olds), boys, mums and babies, bachelors, and the retirement home koalas for the ones getting a little older. There were also just random enclosures with them hanging around in the eucalyptus trees. They were even around one of the eating areas.

Anyway, that's what has been going on for the past couple of days. O-week starts tomorrow, so things may get a little hectic.

Until next time!

Witty Title that I Can't Think of Because I'm Too Full

*FOR THE RECORD, I AM SO EFFING FULL RIGHT NOW (if you weren't aware from the title)*

I forgot to mention last night that a bat swooped out of tree when Sam and I walked back from dinner. I looked around for Sam, but she had already ducked and gone for the fetal position. We are brave people.

What started out as a pretty boring day of waiting around for calls and emails back about properties ended up being quite productive.

The day started off with complimentary breakfast in the dining hall at the college. We officially met our first Aussie who was super friendly and bit quirky herself. She plays the trumpet (classical music) and is pretty fascinated by marching bands in the US. Definitely needs to check out the TMB (aka the self-proclaimed greatest marching band in the history of the universe).

The morning was spent figuring out classes that weren't initally approved and emailing people who told me to email other people who told me to email other people to help me enrol(l <-- it's spelled with one "l" here) in said classes.

Then met up with Sam again to get our student IDs (and take our fantastically awkward pictures for them) and had lunch at a pizza place on campus. It wasn't too bad, but it definitely isn't anything close to my beloved Mulberry's.
We both got iced coffees later on, and it ended up being the lightest colored coffee I've had in a while aka I got me a cup of caffeinated milk. Definitely need to mention going light with the milk next time...
And we saw like 5 lizards/iguanas/I'm not sure but something in that family today! They were just chilling in the grass and by the trees.

Played another waiting game with people looking for roommates and the real estate agents we contacted and ended up booking 2 inspections for the afternoon and evening.

We definitely looked at 2 extremes today.

First place:

• in a not so convenient area that involves a slight bit of walking and 2 different buses
• a bit messy and dirty (guesses as to why?)
• (answer)7 guys living there (only 1 of whom we met)
• 2 bathrooms
• no fans or a/c included
• Sam and I'd share a double room
• able to book for only 5 months
• we would each pay $105 per week and that includes EVERYTHING (utilities and internet and whatnot)

Second place:

• just a corner around from the bus stop straight to campus
• brand spanking new, as in no one has ever lived in this complex before
• each unit has 5 bedrooms ensuite (aka each bedroom has its own bathroom)
• a/c and a mini plasma TV in each room
• linen is provided
• someone comes to clean the common area every week
• certain rooms come with either a balcony or a mini courtyard
• laundry is free
• it's a bit out of our price range

So we're HOPING tomorrow brings some in-between, quality choices. We should (cross your fingers) be able to determine a place to live by tomorrow night.

After touring the second place, we went to this all you can eat Mongolian BBQ place across the street. It was pretty good in terms of quality, and I definitely ate way too much. You get a bowl and then fill it with a bunch of nearly thawed meat (lamb, pork, beef, chicken or a combination of any of them). Then you add whatever veggies you want. Then they have like 7 different oils and sauces to add, and there was a sign that said something along the lines of "the more oils you add, the better it will taste." Pretty sure I overdid it with the garlic and chili oils. Then you take your bowl to this dude with the biggest chopsticks I've ever seen in front of what looks like one of those round crepe stove tops, just 5 times bigger. He cooks everything in front of you, scoops it back into another a bowl, and does this weird gravity-defying, swooping thing with the bowl in his hand and under his arm before giving it back to you. Then there are more sauces to add to your cooked food.
I definitely went for seconds. For the record, we finished eating around 7:45pm (it's now 9:25pm), and I am still full.

Also, after trekking across campus from the bus stop to the college, I've decided that this place needs a campus cruiser. It was too much of an effort walking waddling back to our rooms being that full.

Here are some pictures I have neglected to upload. I'll get an album going on facebook eventually.

So it's the speed bump sign and the pedestrian sign, but I decided it's an invisible man wearing pants, shoes, and a large hat.

We named it Iggy the Iguana even though it's probably not an iguana.

Size comparison between Iggy and the tree

Honestly the bird pictures are mostly for Daisy, but I hope you enjoy them, too

I can almost guarantee that there will be more bird pictures

House Hunting: Episode 1

*Spoiler alert: It's a failure.(EDIT: Just kidding! It's only a semi-failure)*

First of all, I wake up at 5am due to jetlag, literally say "eff this" out loud, and go back to sleep to wake up at a more suitable time (which ended up being 8am).
I'm staying at a residential college for the time being until I find housing, so the bathroom/shower is shared. The shower is strange. Instead of a sliding door, it's just one panel that's about half the length of the tub and doesn't move. The rest of the space is just open.

I fix my internet stuff, posted the previous blog post, and helped my friend, Sam, with her bags when she checked in (she stayed one night at a hostel in the city and is staying here until we find a place to live).

We decided we'd try to look for a place to live together, but if that proves too difficult, we're just going to find single rooms. Fair enough deal.
So, we start emailing and calling people who have listing on various rental and real estate sites, none of whom a) answered or b) had showings/inspections today except for one person.
This one person (named Amanda, a name that I won't be trusting again anytime soon FYI) says she can show us around a property if we meet her at 3:30pm.

Here's the issue Here are several issues: 1) The property is in Toowong. I'll save you a trip to google maps and just say that it's not in the same suburb as the university (but plenty of students live there). Case in point, we're a little unsure as to how to get there but decide we'll be able to manage. 2) The listing didn't have an address, just a street name. Albeit, it's a one block street. 3) Amanda doesn't answer when we try to call and text her.

We assume that she may be showing other properties and will call us back later.

-Spoiler alert: She doesn't.-

After going to the wrong bus stop, trekking across campus to the correct one, and walking in the wrong direction after getting off the bus, we finally reach the street.
Who didn't call us back? I'll give you 3 guesses and the first 2 don't count.

We walk up and down the street hoping that she might just be standing outside the property or something. Nope. But we did see a couple of very large spiders. Super encouraging. Definitely want to live here.

So we head back to campus and see that we have a missed call about forty five minutes after we were supposed to meet her.

Woohoo.

On a positive note, we just came back from dinner, and it was delicious. On Hawken Drive (a street near campus that have a bunch of houses located on it), there's a block of just restaurants, liquor stores, a real estate place, a grocery store, and ATMs. Definitely making several trips back here again. We ate at this place called A Salt and Battery, which is a fish and chips place (if you don't get the name, give it sec... yeah, pretty clever). We both got the "single" which is cod (grilled, crumbed, or fried), battered calamari, and crumbed claw of something I can't remember but it was delicious. And it came with chips/fries and a lemon wedge. There was outdoor seating with squishy stools of which I was a big fan.
It was probably the most crowded place on the block, so I'd say we made a good decision. The Japanese place next to it was a close second in terms of how many people were there, so we may go there tomorrow.

Anyway, here's a summary:
housing: fail
food: success

Fun fact: Property showings are called inspections. It's like they want us to find something bad.

Also, I've done more walking in the past 2 days than I have ever in my life. Someone send me my beach cruiser.

Peace, love, and fish & chips.

EDIT: So we actually did get to check out a place. And of course, it's the one that I could have pre-booked at home, but I at least I looked at it in person! I would be sharing with Sam, 2 other girls from SC, and 2 (or 3, can't remember) Malaysian guys. Sam and I still have places to look at, but this isn't too bad a place. Cross your fingers that we're not homeless for too much longer!

Busses, Birds, and Brissy

Tanya's thoughts upon immediate arrival in Brisbane:

Oh, look. A huge group of students going to UQ. I should stand with them.

Hmm... most of them seem to know at least one other person. None of them came alone.

Time to board the bus.

*bus starts moving as a conversation starts*

Everyone on this bus goes to the same school back in the states.

They're all together in the same program.

There's a guide who knows most of them.

...crap. Wrong bus.

---

So that was fun.
Other than being incredibly silly in hopping on the wrong bus (although I ended up where I needed to go, so that didn't matter), I had a solid enough first day in Brissy.

• Everything is SO GREEN. Going through the surrounding neighborhood was like going through a jungle (not really) that had houses and apartments in it.
• My campus is a freaking park. It sits on a river. There's a lake. THERE ARE STRANGE BIRDS EVERYWHERE. And ducks. But mostly strange birds.
• Said birds are not bothered by people at all and don't really move when you're walking in their direction.
• I had some lamb in some sort of pita sandwich but not with actual pita. Not too bad, but it's no gyro. But it was in the food court on campus, so I don't know if that's a good comparison.
• The city is really kinda quirky. The architecture of the bridges and buildings aren't so business-y like downtown. And there are bits of color and whimsy-ness to some of them.
• Queen St (where I got the SIM for my phone) reminds me a bit of some of the smaller streets in Europe (maybe London? I can't remember). It's pedestrian only and has a bunch of shops next to each other. It's comparable to a cleaned-up version of downtown Las Vegas.
• Campus at night is eerily quiet but so far seems incredibly safe. The scariest thing are the noises the birds make when they should be sleeping.
• Actually, the scariest thing in general is the fact that everything closes at like 6pm and you have a full bladder. I'm not sure where the Aussies stand on urinating in public, but since there's a lot of shrubbery in general, I should look into it (Mom, if you're reading, I'm just kidding... mostly).
• I saw a gecko! Or maybe it was just a lizard. It moved too fast for me to get a close look. I'm gonna just call it a gecko.
• There's a ferry called the CityCat that goes up and down the Brisbane River and is basically a normal part of public transportation. It just takes a bit longer than the buses.
• Steering wheel on the right, driving on the left. I keep thinking there are these cars that have no drivers until I realize I'm just being an idiot.
• Speaking of being an idiot, I've walked into a couple of people already because I'm not used to walking on the left side of the sidewalk. Fun fact.
• Weather's nice. I don't mind the heat, but the humidity may begin to bug me in the next couple of days. I can feel my face breaking out as I type.
• Fashion (or lack thereof) is pretty funny after being in LA for so long. I've seen crocs, gladiator sandals, and people who seem to have decided to pick whatever happened to be the cleanest things in their room regardless if they matched.
• I've seen a few high school students (who may be called college students here if I'm not mistaken) and some of their uniforms are silly. Why do you need a hat and knee length socks?
• I saw a big ferris wheel (smaller than the London Eye, bigger than the one in Santa Monica). I'm determined to ride it.

That's all I can think of for now. Priority number 1: find permanent housing.

Cheers! (<-- A lot of people say this. I'm not sure if I like using it. I'll let you all know.)

P.S. It's actually day 2 now, but I couldn't post this last night.

The Night Before Take-Off

'Twas the night before take-off, and all throughout Clark,
Not a creature was stirring, not one doggie's bark;
The bags were all packed but not quite yet done,
'Cause the girl that was leaving found packing not so much fun;
Thinking, "I'll finish tomorrow" as she settled in bed,
She ran through her to-do list once more in her head;
More excitement than nerves but still with housing to find,
It's a wonder that her mother hasn't yet lost her mind;
With a life spent in LA and family always close by,
An adventure arises offering many new things to try;
The hour grew late and tomorrow held things still to do,
But she made this blog post to share with all of you;

And then she closed the laptop and turned off the light,
Happy travels to all and to all a good night.