Actione!



I keep forgetting how the people I know always turn out to be a little strange. I went to a going-away barbeque last night for a friend from Integration and found out he was the bad guy in this movie. He's the one with the mad punching skills and the snake. And yes, those are his real muscles.

 

It's called "Italian Spiderman," and it's a mildly popular Internet meme. I'm sure if you look through Tumblr or Reddit (only if you have to, please don't otherwise) you'll see this reaction gif. This guy was also at the party. So yeah, apparently I know some Internet celebrities!

This week should be chill otherwise. I'm enjoying my last week before Uni and the cooler weather that has (finally) come around. We found a roommate for the house- he's an Austrian studying renewable energy. He's moving in today. Poor boy has no idea what's in store for him. And today I am paying for my round-the-world ticket! I will be visiting a handful of countries on my way back to America, and the craziest part is that it's only a bit more expensive than going straight home. Trans-Pacific flights are EXPENSIVE :(

In other news, I rode to the beach yesterday and my body hates me, feedback on my fellowship has been good so far, I've found way too many doppelgängers for people I know and it's weird, I'll be volunteering (hopefully for real this time) on Wednesday in the Adelaide Hills, I'm sad because there are no more Tim-Tams in the Mezz for international students, and we're having a bakeoff between Mexico, France, Poland, and Germany! Considering I can't bake, I'll be a judge. I'm not complaining.

I'm back!

Alright, well I'm back for semester #2 here in Adelaide. I got to spend about 7 weeks with family in North Carolina. I was ready for cold weather and reruns of Millionaire Matchmaker, but sadly only one of those came true- it was about 12-16 C for most days, and it didn't even snow! What a gyp. I also didn't get Taco Bell or a Cookout Milkshake or even Goldfish. I think I may have wasted my trip a little bit :(

I guess the weather made the transition to Australia easier, though....and by easier I mean less horrific and painful. We had a 5 day streak where the weather hovered at 35 C or higher, and the highest temperature I felt was about 39. That's 102 F for you guys on the other side of the Pacific. Also, there is no air conditioning, and the freezer takes a whack-ton amount of time to solidify water, so I usually go back to the house, collapse on the couch, and watch MasterChef until I can convince myself to sleep. It's been a very driven existence.

But I'm still able to stay cool and look fashionable.

I've been crashing a lot of new international student events. Mostly I just show up for the ones with free food and stop at the Mezz every morning for cookies. The new kids seem really nice- once again, we have a German invasion, but in a surprise move Canada has sent 50% of its population to Adelaide. Representing the Commonwealth, eh?

Running hasn't been going so great. But I still have 3 more months before my half marathon, and we're getting a team together for the Color Run in Adelaide. The most beautiful thing about the Color Run is that there is no u. Feels like home.

Also on the agenda:

1. Julian comes back today! I fully expect him to clean up the house and cook for us while he is here. Maybe we'll take him to the Duke if he behaves.

2. I'll be spending my Friday collecting seeds in the Adelaide Hills and maybe killing an olive tree or two.

3. Now that our previously generous internet donors have put a password on their account, we have no access to the web at home. So one of our roommates is moving out and it's a bit stressful. But it's our own fault for it being stressful- we never wrote/signed a contract and so everything is up in the air. Pro tip: just get money stuff in writing. It's so much easier that way.

4. Trying to figure out mobile broadband stuff. Dear Australia, why must you be stuck in 2005 with internet technology? Everyone's so over DSL and 20 kbps upload speeds. Love, me.

5. Going to the Fringe in the next few weeks! I'm hoping to see some off-the-wall comedy. The parade this week was weird- at one point there was just this woman riding on a horse. Also she was naked. There were children in the audience.

So, as you can see, a second round of culture shock is definitely possible. But it's really not that bad- I've realized that Australia is an expensive country full of misspellings, and I know it'll only take me a few more days to accept it :)