19th & 20th

Yesterday (the 19th) was a very fun day! We started off with a bus tour (on the Happy Cabby again with our favorite driver and quite possibly our favorite Australian, Wally). We drove all around the surrounding neighborhoods and our first actual stop was Mount Sugarloaf. This was really great for nature, but it was not the best for me! We climbed to the summit of the mountain (just up some trails and steps because it was very steep) and that was way cool. You could see for miles (or I should say kilometers since they only use the metric system here) and we saw lots of butterflies and lizards. This is our group picture at the summit:

 I'm in the green HPU shirt on the left side! The woman taking the picture with a different camera is Melanie (our onsite adviser). The girl on the right side with the white shorts and blue shirt and sunglasses is Cat (my roommate right now and the other girl from HPU).

  View from the top

 View from the other side.

This showed us in which direction and how far the cities were from this point.

After we left the summit, we took a trail through the woods and back to the cabby. I knew we would be doing heaps of walking, so I wore by boat shoes because they are way more comfortable than sandals or flip flops. All of a sudden, I felt something cold and wet on my foot, so I looked down and there was some massive bug on my foot! Melanie, the onsite advisor (whom we all call our mom away from home) was right in front of me and she tried to pull it off, but it was suctioned to me (it was a MASSIVE leech!!!!) so I screamed and it was flopping around and finally she got it off before it started sucking blood. However, not even 5 minutes later, I had another leech attach on to my calf (how it got there, I have no idea!) but this one was very small and it didn't bother me. Once we left the forest, Melanie surprised us with boxes of Tim Tams (Australian biscuits (cookies)) and they were absolutely delicious! The mint ones were my favorite, however the dark chocolate was close!

 Next stop, shopping! Many people had not gone to the grocery store yet so we stopped at an arcade (shopping center) where there was a Cole's (grocery) and a K-Mart. I didn't really need anything (except a full size toothbrush and bug spray) so Kim and I just walked around. However, I did find some small dark chocolate Easter eggs and they fell in my buggie (shopping cart). Once we arrived back at our flats, we were all starving so we planned to dress up and have a nice dinner along the beach. The guys were planning this, but they never got reservations.. so Saturday night + great weather + beachside + 14 people = no dinner for us! We ended up eating from a takeout fish place, but it was absolutely delicious!! I had tempura fish and chips (fries) and a lemon lime orange sparkling water for $10 (really good price for food in Aussie)!

Once we finished eating, we walked back and everyone went out to Darby street (full of pubs) but Kim and I stayed in (because the other people are crazy and out of control so we do not want to be involved) so we played chess/cards and talked for hours! Then I skyped with mom, dad, jas & nicole for a while and then went to sleep!

Today, the 20th, Kim and I woke up early to go to Christ Church Cathedral for church and it was really neat! It was an Anglican church and was extremely formal. This is what the church looks like:

So the service had amazing music from the choir and organ and with the incense and everything else, I literally felt like I was in the 1800's somewhere in England. After church, we walked back and went to the beach!

We went to Newcastle beach again but stopped first at Bogies Hole. This is basically a man-made pool carved from rock and the waves crash over into the pool. Kim and I went a little beyond the pool to sit on a ledge. We had seen another couple sit there and the waves would crash into them and it was awesome! So, we went and few waves hit us and it was great fun, until I was distracted by taking a picture of algae and did not see a MASSIVE wave come up and when it crashed, I was still standing. The wave threw me into the rocks with coral and I was pummeled. I'm extremely thankful that I was not washed into the ocean (because it was filled with sharp rocks) but I now have many cuts on my forearm, shin, hands, and hip (which will most likely have a large bruise soon). I took care of my wounds and afterwards we went to the beach. The saltwater helped my cuts and the one on my shin is almost gone already, so that is a good thing! Unfortunately, it started raining and lightning so we had to get out. While on the beach we saw a washed up blue bottle jellyfish (which is what stung one of the guys on the 1st day). This is what it looks like: (and waves)

When we got back from the beach, I jumped through a shower, tended to my wounds (neosporin.. bet that surprises mom :) and got dressed for a picnic. A church about 10 minutes (walking) was having a barbeque and church service. As soon as I turned the water off, it started to downpour again! (just my luck). But, being the troopers we are, a group of us walked all the way across town in the pouring rain to get food (Kim and I were the only ones who were interested in the church service part). After that, we came back and relaxed!

Here are some random pictures from before:

Me by the Opera House in Sydney

Opera House and Harbour Bridge

First night in Newcastle (Newcastle Beach)

Swan Street (one of the main streets we use to get to town from our flats)

Civic Park and St. Andrews Church in the background (where we had the BBQ tonight)

Newcastle Beach

I promise I will put pictures up from my flat, but taking them now would not be a good idea because it's messy from clothes drying from the rain today and it's dark so I couldn't take one of the outside. Soon though :)

Tomorrow we all go to campus for our first orientation with Uni of Newcastle and I'm very excited to actually be on campus!! Until tomorrow :)