Melbourne Adventures 2010

http://goodchoicejoyce.tumblr.com/

Hope everyone had a great holiday season, it was really nice being able to enjoy the past month with family and enjoying the comforts of home. I was able to try half of the foods on my to-eat list because time just flew by so quickly! My winter break included a weekend in Tahoe for a snowboarding trip, wisdom teeth extraction, day trips to San Francisco (which is about 45 min. away from my hometown), secret santa gift exchanges with the girls, meeting up with friends for dinner and pearl milk tea and RELAXING.

I spent all of yesterday moving down to Santa Barbara and had a few hitches along the way. We quickly unloaded my belongings, had a quite bite and my parents were on their way to drop off my younger sister at UCLA. The rest of my night was spent unpacking and catching up with my room mate

Today was the first day of class back in UC Santa Barbara and it was somewhat hectic! After much trouble arranging somewhere to live with my 3 roommates from last year we found a place to live less than a week before winter quarter started. It’s quite nice…but it’s in the far reaches of Isla Vista and about 3 blocks farther from campus than my apartment last year.

Biking through campus was a little eerie. Everything seemed familiar but after being away for 5 months, everything felt a little…new?

I also happened to meet a foreign exchange student from Germany in one of my classes today and got to talk to her for a bit about the culture shock and studying abroad. I remember how nice it was to talk to Australians or International students about my experience abroad—the roles are reversed again!

To my Australian and International friends abroad, I miss you all dearly, thank you for such a wonderful study abroad experience! I will either keep updating this tumblr or start a separate one.

To my followers in the States, thank you for following my adventures abroad. I’m glad I could share them with people back home.

Till my next adventure… :)

Yours truly,

Joyce

Uggs—love ‘em or love to hate ‘em they are downright COMFY. Branded and marketed as an Australian product, UGGs are no longer produced in Australia and are actually manufactured in Chinese factories but with genuine Australian sheep fur. 

I must admit, I wasn’t a huge fan when the Ugg craze spread throughout the US. They are UGGly but every UGG owner will tell you that genuine sheep fur provides a comfort for cold feet that is second to none. Unfortunately with every craze (think North Face Denali jackets, Coach bags, etc.) comes counterfeits and replicas. With nearly identical replicas of UGGs being sold everywhere, there are a few ways to distinguish the real deal from fakes and one way is by smell. Real genuine sheep fur will not smell funky after wearing it for several years because of the way sheep fur naturally breathes. 

After rejecting UGGs (and the horrible mini skirt and UGGs combo back in the early 2000s) for several years, I finally succumbed when trying on a pair for a weekend. I figure I would get a pair when I visited Australia to get the ‘real’ super authentic version straight from down under. Boy was I in for an unpleasant surprise. There are honestly more shops selling fake UGGs in Australia (at least in Melbourne) than in the States. Queen Vic is notorious for vendors boasting authentic sheep fur UGGs and the real UGG store itself had different logos and textures than the UGGs back in the US. It was hard to distinguish genuine from imitation and the price tag was still pretty hefty. 

It was also surprising to hear that Australians don’t actually wear UGGs that often and DEFINITELY do not wear them in public. They are considered house slippers and should not leave one’s private home. If worn in public, they are considered atrocious and a huge fashion faux pas. I wonder what Australians would think if they took a look at any university campus in the US!

So after my long 24 hour flight back home to California, one of my first few shopping stops was a trip to Nordstrom’s and a new purchase of UGGS, a Christmas present from mom that she approved of mainly because of it was an excuse for me to step out of my rainbow sandals that don my feet 345/365 days a year in time for the brutal winter here in Cali :)

Laundry—my favorite chore and secret guilty pleasure

I love doing laundry!! There’s just something about throwing some dirty smelly clothes into this machine and out it comes, soft, warm, clean and ready to be worn again. One of the perks of living at St. Hilda’s that I could not get over was the fact that they provided FREE LAUNDRY. SCORE! There were 3 laundry rooms, one located in B Block, D Block and H Block. D Block was closer to my room but had the older top loader type deals and only have of the dryers working properly. H Block had newer, high efficient front loader washers and dryers and got the job done a lot better. 

Now a normal load would be about two week’s worth of dirty clothes at school and of course unlimited at home. During ultimate season it can get pretty hefty and after paying $3 a load you learn to um….rotate your work out outfits -__-.

At Hildas I was doing one load a week and every other week, a second load for my sheets and comforter. Let me tell you, I was in laundry heaven!

Point of this story? I’m currently looking for a place to live with my 3 roomies from last year and one of the stipulations I had was that the place had to have laundry. We’ll see how that goes, fingers crossed!

It’s been little over a week since I’ve landed on California soil and a whirlwind of a week it has been. Adjusting to a horrendous case of jet-lag (knocking out at 6pm, waking up at 2am and not falling back asleep until 5am and starting the day at noon), running around making all of my appointments (eye exam, teeth cleaning, glasses fitting, wisdom tooth consultation) and lastly, getting back into the swing of American culture and lifestyle. 

I haven’t encountered a drastic case of culture shock but I’ve noticed quite a few differences and have noted some careful observations that I have never really paid attention to before.

Super size this.

Almost everything is bigger and larger back in California. Large pick up trucks, super size fries, large portions at restaurants. It’s no wonder Americans are larger in general (waist wise). 

Internet speed

FAST and CHEAPER. There isn’t a quota here like back at St. Hilda’s and internet is paid in a lump sum each month. I spent maybe $60-$80 topping off on internet at St. Hilda’s at the rate of $6/ gig. I finally ran out with about 4-5 weeks left in Australia and was able to scrimp by by using the ‘free’ internet in the computer lab. Boy was that DIFFICULT!! As some may know, I am constantly on Facebook, not that I’m constantly checking it, but it’s just constantly on in the background, same with Yahoo and Google news. It’s such a relief to not have to a traffic watch checker with a scale from 0-100% telling me how much internet I’ve used up…Whew!!

Transportation

Never have I missed the sound of the machine gun cross walk sounds or the multitude and availability of trams so much. I really took transportation in Melbourne for granted. And although I missed driving and not having to walk everywhere, the practicality and eco-friendliness of trams is definitely something to be missed.

Weather

For the record, I’ve officially had a grand total of 3 weeks of summer this year. I departed for Australia on July 12th and arrived back home on November 30th. That means I left summer for Australia’s winter and arrived back at home in the dead of winter. Great. Considering the fact that I HATE winter with a passion (maybe for the snowboarding but thats it!) and having to endure a whole year of it has been pretty difficult for me. I am sad that I wasn’t able to stay in Australia longer and enjoyed summer in Australia (and possibly a Christmas on the beach) but it is nice to be back home with friends and family around the holiday times.

Friends

I have met such a wonderful group of interesting and entertaining people abroad. Both at St. Hilda’s as well as Melbourne Uni in general and through mutual friends. Every person I have encountered has added to my experience in one way or another. Most of the encounters were with good, loving, caring people while a few bad apples managed to land in the way as well. I’ve learned some valuable lessons in terms of the people I decide to surround myself with as well as how to deal with issues of miscommunication. St. Hilda’s really was the right decision to make and I am so so sooo glad my mom insisted I stay at a residential college my time abroad. Most of my memories were made at the college and with friends that I deeply cherish. But as the saying goes: “make new friends but keep the old ones, one is silver and one is gold”. I have also realized who my friends are back home in California. The ones who took the time to ask how I was doing from time to time, even just once, really showed me that they cared and took the time out of their busy day to drop a comment or message or email. Thanks guys :)

Food

Let’s just say after a whole semester of dining hall food I have been craving for spices and…FLAVOR! Eating out was expensive in Melbourne and I realized that most of the food I was craving I could easily get back home in the Bay Area for half the price. I actually made a list of foods I would like try once I get back and have yet to accomplish

1. Sushi

2. Krn BBQ

3. Vietnamese Pho

4. Vietnamese Sandwiches

5. Thai Food

6. Indian Food

7. Taiwanese Food

8. Mexican food

9. Peruvian food 

I’m about to depart for my relatively short 14 hour flight from Sydney to LA and for some reason the weather here is exactly the same as it was when I arrived to Australia—chilly, rainy, and overcast. I wasn’t able to get a hold of any Benadryl or Nyquil so hopefully my body will let itself sleep naturally this time (as opposed to waking up every hour, for fifteen hours on the way to Australia).

I’ve said my final goodbyes to my friends Alex, Jeanne as well as a few other close friends I’ve made here in Australia.  And as emotional as it was, the reality hasn’t set in yet that I won’t be seeing them for quite a long time. I can only hope that we can manage to stay in touch and keep our promises of visiting each other in the near future—Alex London Olympics 2012 watch out!!

The feeling is bittersweet as I am excited to finally head back home to the Silicon Valley/ Bay Area/ Nor*Cal area. I’ve been away from family for so long and I cannot wait to enjoy the comforts of home and spend some quality family time. I also cannot wait to see old friends and eat delicious amazing food!!

Oh and a very special Happy 22nd Birthday to Winston—we’ll have to celebrate when I get back!

Wish me a safe journey home and I will see you all on the other side of the world!

Much thanks to our Aussie friend Sam for being our tour guide for the week and letting us stay at his cabin in the forest. Sam really demonstrated what true Australian hospitality is—genuine and sincere. I can’t thank you enough!

Famous Anglesea Light House

We finally made it to the world renowned Great Ocean Road!

Lazy Koala Bear outside our friend Sam’s house

parrots just chillin in the back porch—no big deal

dinner our first night, pasta bolognese

with Sam and Alex

More like 7 Apostles

Our First Legit Aussie Meal—Sausages and Kangaroo!! The story behind kangaroo is that Alex, Jeanne and I searched long and hard to find kangaroo at a restaurant in Cairns but it was super expensive. We were almost about to give up on our search when we had the great idea of having our own Aussie BBQ and grill Kangaroo at Sam’s cabin in the forest. I know you’re wondering how it tastes—delicious! It has a distinct taste, really tender and although Kangaroos are my absolute favorite animal on this planet, I enjoyed eating it a lot! Apparently kangaroos are regarded as pests in Australia and people are encouraged to eat them—interesting…

Sausage Sizzle, salad and Kangaroo

impromptu s’mores: tea crackers, milk chocoate cadbury frogs and weird, super sweet marshmellows. tastes great nonetheless!

view from the bedroom

Finally got a chance to surf in Australia!! The waves were small but it was great being out in the ocean and on a board for a change!

Like I mentioned before, Kangroos are my favorite animal. Coming to Australia, it was an absolute must for me to see kangaroos up close and I didn’t get a chance to see any all semester. My last resort was to visit the Melbourne Zoo right before I left but fortunately, I read somewhere in one of Sam’s Great Ocean Road tour books that the Angelsea Golf Course is notrious for having kangaroos roam along the greens. Lo and behold, we made a stop and were able to see my favorite animal up close—SUCCESS!!

Baby Joey and mom!!

Althought I may have missed out on Thanksgiving in America, I have so much to be thankful for.

Family for supporting me in my endeavors, SENDING ME TO AUSTRALIA and nurturing me to become the young woman that I am today. I cannot thank my mom, dad and sister enough for all they have done for me. I love you all!

Friends: CPT friends, UCSB friends, PBCC friends, Australia friends, International friends for not only accepting but cherishing the goofy, random, quirky person that I am. You guys know who you are :)

My health—its so easy to take health for granted and to be able to run on two feet, I’ve really been blessed!

And the list goes on…

Black Friday

I guess its better for my bank account that I’m missing out on the chaos and outrageous hordes that Black Friday entails but for those of you who are braving the cold lines and crowds—be safe and goodluck!!

The bonus of finishing exams earlier? You’re done with exams earlier. The downside? Waiting for everyone else to finish them…

So now that all of my friends are done with Semester 2 at Melbourne Uni, for the past two weeks or so we’ve been exploring Melbourne and the neighboring cities that we didn’t get to during the school year. This included a trip to Brighton Beach, parts of the Laneways in the City and of course, a few foodie adventures here and there. The sun really makes a difference now that it isn’t pouring every other day—I <3 Melbourne!

Finally tried grill’d burgers—this was the ‘Simon Says’: grilled chicken with bacon and avo

Infamous Laneways grafitti alley

Christmas in the Summer!

Melbourne police car

RMIT university building, one of my favorite buildings in the City!

We finally made it to Brighton Beach after a stubbed toe and other minor physical injuries

bike paths and scenic ocean view reminds me of UCSB’s campus

remember: its rubbish bins and not trash bins

pretty malibu-esque houses

Brighton Beach sheds

reppin the Australian shed

dont forget to stick to the left side of the road!

rowers on the Yarra river

funky Melbourne architecture

I was just thinking the other day, why is it that American universities on average are meant to be completed in 4 years while Australian universities are completed in 3 years on average? A first year at Uni Melbourne who started Uni in Semester 1 earlier this year will be projected to graduate in November 2012 while I started Uni September 2008 and will graduate June 2012…

Also, American Uni students are in school for more weeks in the year than Australian universities…with the majority of American students spending 2 years to complete their GE ‘general eduation’ coursework, is it really necessary to spend 4 years at a university when high schools can just cover more AP ‘advanced placement’ college course material and save everyone a whole year’s worth of tuition?

Just a thought.

After wanting to visit this “pancake parlor” people kept talking about for so long, Sophie, Claire and I ventured down to Melbourne Central for a little mid day snack.

After perusing the menu for a few seconds, I chuckled a little to myself—$15 for two stacks of pancakes?! Are you serious?! After living off of college food for the past month or so, I forgot how expensive food is here!

So I thought to myself, I could easily get 3 stacks, bacon, eggs, sausage at IHOP for $10 or $6.99 at Dennys…

IN N OUT!!!!

-cheap and DELICIOUS. In n Out is located exclusively in California, and a few in parts of Nevada and Arizona. Anyone who has not tried In n Out has been MISSING OUT. Fresh ingredients, this family operated chain delivers fantastic food at a portion of the price. If you’re starving, try a 2x2 or even a 3x3 (that’s three patties and three slices of cheese). Ask a california local to order for you off of their secret menu:)

Taco Trucks and Cheap Tacos—Californians really take this for granted. A truck that conveniently parks off of freeways, busy corporate office campuses, downtown and anywhere else in between. Cheap, quick and easy and because hot dogs are just…overated!

Frozen Yogurt…Yogurtland, Tartini, Pinkberry, Red Mango you name it…It is nearly impossible to find a fro you place in Melbourne and even Sydney. Although you can find gelato on any street corner, Australians have not caught on to the fro you craze back in Cali and other parts of the US. I think my hometown has something like 7-8 fro you places within a one mile radius—now thats just absurd!