How you going?

So, in Australia, instead of saying "How are you doing?" Or "How are you?", they say "How you going?" Now you can imagine my confusion when I was first asked that and I didn't know where I was supposed to be going or how I was going. I thought about it and then it dawned on me what they meant. So, if I come back in July and ask you "How you going?" you will know what I mean by that! :)

Now, my days are starting to run together, but I'm going to do my best to recap all that has been going on.

Tuesday, Feb. 22 @ 10:02 PM

There was this really neat dinner for international night where they had food from several different countries. That meant that there was more food there than there has been all week. Thank goodness! I tried a lot of different foods but didn't eat much of them. I did like the sushi that they provided. :) There was also a really good gyro, but that was a meal in itself! Now, the food was good but the entertainment was even better. After we ate, they had dancers performing dances from different countries. My favorite were the Brazilian dances. Several of the moves were Zumba moves! (Thank you Lucia!)

Wed, Feb. 23

So, we rode a bus to the city today and it was absolutely gorgeous. I finally got a phone for while I'm here since everyone has been asking for my number so that I don't get left behind. However, well... I haven't had much time to get one since I've been here. So, while we were at the mall I ran to get a prepaid phone. While on the plane, I learned that Adelaide is known as the "city of Churches". There really were a lot of gorgeous stone churches throughout town. I took a few pictures of them but I mostly took pictures for the scavenger hunt we were doing.

After we got back to from the city, we went to a party called "GI Joes and Ms. Commandos". It was a lot of fun and everyone was dressed up in all of their army attire. Now, I don't know about any of you, but I have never heard the song "Eagle Rock". Well, there is a first for everything, and thankfully I was warned before the song came on. Every time this song comes on, everyone drops their pants and continues to dance to the remainder of the song with their pants at their ankles. OK! Now, there was no way I was going to drop my pants and dance to a song! So, awkward experience #1. All of the Americans were just standing around looking at the people with their pants at their ankles dancing.

Thurs. Feb 24

Today, the Hall provided lunch for all of the international students. They had several different types of food and drinks unique to South Australia. There was kangaroo (which was really pretty good), kabobs, Ginger Beer (Ginger Ale but smoother), Farmers Union Iced Coffee (iced coffee in a milk carton!), and several different unique desserts. Sabrina and I split a good bit of the desserts, because we wanted to try them but did not want to eat an entire one. Oh, there is also something called veggiemite. It is a type of spread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that did not taste very good to me. Supposedly it is an acquired taste. I don't think I can acquire a taste for that (definitely not in only 4 months).

After lunch, we had messy games and then a group of us went to Marion Shopping Center to grab groceries and other necessities. On the weekends, the dining hall is closed so we have to fend for ourselves. Now, I have no fridge in my room. There is only the community kitchen fridge that smells SO bad when you open the door. I don't want my food tasting like that smell!!! So, I bought a few snack foods and a package of noodles. Looks like I'm going to be eating a lot of plain noodles for the next few months, because I can NOT afford to eat out a lot. Like I said, everything is really expensive! I did buy a bathing suit for swimming for a relatively decent price. I needed a one piece b/c two pieces are not exactly easy to dive in when you're racing. So, I can start training with them at 6 AM Monday morning! I also am playing tennis tomorrow morning. I love being able to play sports for the hall and it keeps me active! :)

Friday, Feb. 25

Tennis was amazing! I loved getting back into it and I haven't been able to do any exercise routine since I got here so it felt great getting back into a routine. I was a little rusty but started getting it back by the end of the practice. I had to borrow racquets because mine wouldn't fit in my suitcase though, so my parents are supposed to be mailing my racquet and I will hopefully get it soon! The hall provided a BBQ lunch for us again today (I'm taking advantage of the free food right now because there won't be any later!) A group of people on the hall had a nerf gun war tonight and it was hilarious to watch. They were running around on all of the floors for hours! I didn't have a gun, so they couldn't shoot me so I walked around and just observed (and gave a few hints) the entire time.

Well, I just got back from a nice run around campus! I forgot that everything is closed on Saturdays so I went to the main campus (where I knew people would be) since I wanted to run in a crowded area. WRONG! Everything (including all shops) were closed. So, I ran back to the hall and decided to run the main road toward the tennis courts. There were people playing tennis so I decided to run around the courts and other sports fields. That way, I knew there were people near. So, with all of the hills that I ran up, it was a pretty good workout! Now, we have a group getting ready to go to the beach for the afternoon before Scribble Party tonight! We are supposed to wear a white t-shirt and have everyone write on them.

Church in downtown Adelaide

Sunset on the beach! (First one I've seen)