First Leg of New Zealand (July 9, 2003)

The following blog posts were written years ago while I was in living in Australia when I was studying for my Masters and previously, when I was in Sydney for work. These are emails I sent to my friends and family.

Hey everyone!

I'm so sorry I am sending you this email instead of a nice personal one but I have gotten quite a few emails from friends concerned why they haven't heard from me for awhile (I like you all much more than the ones who haven't written at all).

This is the email my friend Ruth sent to her friends back in England about what we

have done so far. I've done everything she writes about EXCEPT skydiving and dancing on tables and staying out until 6:30am b/c I'm an old loser.

First off, NZ is the coolest country and all of you need to come here at some point. Since Ruth wrote we had a few days in Wellington but Ruth got the flu so we spent the first nite in the after hours emergency care. We arrived via ferry in the South Island today and are staying at a hostel equipped with a hot tub, sauna and I scored a double bed! Whopee!!! Some of our new English buddies are cooking a full on roast dinner right now too. Doesn't get much better huh? Will try

to write to all of you soon. Miss you guys!

L ;)

Okay I promised that I would send an update to everyone what I had been up to in the freezing cold weather of New Zealand and as this is the end of the first week I thought that I would fill you in on what has been happening so far.

For those of you that don't know we are travelling on Kiwi Experience which is basically a bus that goes through the North and South Island and you hop on and off, lots of backpackers, mostly english, which is cool as I was soooo homesick last week and rang home about 6 times. I am travelling with my ex american housemate Loz and Ronak her new american housemate and also Sue, my Thai housemate, though she dumped us today and left for another town, not a problem as she was just being soo miserable the whole time it was depressing the life out of us.

Wed 2 July - Syd to Auckland Day 1

Arrived late at night, Sue didn't have a visa and immigration nearly didn't let her in. Loz and I were drunk on the plane and we discovered that our hotel was in the worst seedy part of town with a v.sulbrious chinese karoke with blue lighting.

Thu 3 July - Auckland Day 2

Hung about in the "trendy" area of Auckland, Parnell for both brunch and dinner. Went over to Newmarket the next suburb for the tour of the Lion Breweries, v.educational and you get tasters and watched Charlies Angels 2!

Fri 4 July - Auckland Day 3

Met Laura's Kiwi buddy Randall. He took us up the Sky Tower, tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere, went for loads of good food (as usual!) Had a tour of Aukland Uni where he is doing his PhD, had a drive out to the freezing west coast beaches, it is soo cold in this country in winter and went for beers in the Union Bar. Laura and I also managed a champagne dinner, our one extravagance, well who said backpackers had to eat baked beans!

Sat 5 July - Auckland to Whitianga Day 4

Jumped on the Kiwi Bus, met up with Ronak. Weather was poor kept p**sing it down so stayed on the bus a lot. Went to Cathedral Cove, a beautiful beach which is v.similar to the scenary of Thailand. Arrived at the hostel 10 in one room and one shower and toilet. Just ended up going to the one local and having dinner and beers. God some of these places are remote villages!!

Sun 6 July - Whitianga to Rotorua Day 5

Went to the Mauri Centre, saw the themal reserves, hot mud pools etc. The whole town smells of Sulphur. Saw the Kiwi Bird!! Hung out at the hostel in the outdoor naturally heated mineral pool - BEST! Went to a hangi that night a traditional mauri dinner cooked in the ground and saw a display of the Mauri culture, singing and dancing, chanting etc. Absolutely amazing and feel v.cultural. Ended up in the hostel bar for an hour drinking beer and mixing with the other dudes.

Mon 7 July - Rotorua to Waitomo Day 6

Went Black Water Rafting in the Caves, basically togged up in wetsuits in the freezing cold and darkness. Was amazing and v.exhilarating. Spent the night at the hostel, which was more like a ski lodge.

Tue 8 July - Waitomo to Taupo Day 7

Skydived at 12,000ft - AGAIN!!! Loved it very cool, such a buzz, turning into an extreme freak!!

Got stupidly drunk with everyone, danced on tables in the hostel bar and got to bed at 6.30am ;)

Wed 9 July - Taupo Day 8

Went to the Taupo Hot Springs and Health Spa, sat in the thermal heated mineral pools, went for a massage and got over the hangover... good girlie afternoon.

Sorry this is really short but impersonal but soo much has gone off and I have had no time to write an email as some of the places we atya in are really remote. The further south we go the colder it gets and I am already on three layers. Heading towards Wellington for the weekend. Tomorrow should be going white water rafting and horse treking, this is the most adventurous holiday ever and I am seriously turning into an extreme freak.

Love you all

Take Care and will write again soon

Ruthie

X

PS - please don't send joke emails, forwards etc until August as I can't access email that often and the email clogs up and fills up the limit.

PPS - sorry for spelling errors its 10pm and I have had 3 hours sleep ;-(

Hey party people (May 21, 2003)

 First to apoligize once again for being a slack arse emailer. I'm in paper and exam hell right but only have 4 more weeks to go until I'm half way done with my degree. Whopeeeeeeeeee.

Not too much excitement going on down here at the moment. Took a trip up the coast for the Easter break (kept calling it "spring break" and confusing the hell out of everyone b/c it is fall here) and got to drive 12 hours each way on the "wrong" side of the road. Ran us into a couple of ditches getting out of the city but I blame that on the fact that it was pissing down rain, not my bad driving. OK, a bit of both. Spent one nite in a place called Coffs Harbour and FINALLY got to see the infamous Big Banana which excited me beyond belief. Spent the next few days in Byron Bay on the coast, a really alternative hippy town (which has sadly become pretty trendy) but it pissed down rain the entire time and spent the day in pot-town Australia, Nimbin, where I heard a little local girl (probably around 8) in the pot museum asking an English tourist if she was going to the "Mardi Grass" festival the following week. Pretty trippy.

So weird though...I met these cousins from the States who were staying in our hostel room and turns out they are from Chicago, close to where I was born, and one now lives in Tiburon. Frickin weird huh? Really cool girls and they've already come to stay with me here in Sydney on their way to New Zealand. I might even end of shacking up with the Tiburon girl when I move back at the end of the year. You really can't escape home no matter where you go.

So our trip to Byron was good...I sprang for a 30 min massage from this weird German guy who smelled so bad and kissed me on the forehead when he was finished, then tried to sell me these vitamins which he claimed were great b/c they came all the way from San Diego! I also had the best haircut of my life which included a20 minute head massage, ahhhhhhh. The most fun I've had in months. While I was getting pampered, my flatmate Ruth decided to get tortured and got a tattoo where she almost broke all the bones in my hand when the guy first put the needle into her skin.

That's about all that's happened lately. I've decided to move back to Bondi Beach where I was living last time I was here, my actual old apartment building has a couple of vacant places, but I have to wait until the end of next month to get out of here. I know thatif I stay here any longer I'll go crazy...except the bar has opened and we can even use our "U-cards" to purchase alcohol for the next few weeks until exams are over. So that will help me get by. I'm going to be moving in with a really cool guy from LA who is now living in a catered dorm which he says is more like a glorified fraternity house with a bunch of 18 year olds first years. Still trying to talk another Yank friend into moving in with us but he's probably going to piss off home because he hates his course (well duh, it's agriculture science).

Anyway, now that I'm moving back to the beach you all have to come visit me. I'll be in New Zealand from July 2-23 but hell, you're all invited to come with ;)

Miss you guys, hope all is well and keep in touch.
L!

Aussie update (March 31, 2003)

Hey all,

I decided that it was about time I sent a little update on what's been going down down under. First I apologize for being slack with my emails. It sucks not having a computer and I can usually only tolerate about 10 minutes in the computer lab in the village without wanting to beat the shit out of the loud and obnoxious American exchange students who think a computer lab is for telling everyone within ear reach about how wasted you got the night before and how many guys (or girls or both) you picked up and how many times you spewed and whose bed you ended up in. I think I'm getting old...

So I'm about a month into my classes and I hate to say they are shit ass boring. It's all theory this semester and the classes that interest me don't start until August. It's been a bit of a shock to the system to be studying and writing papers again. I don't want to bore you to tears talking about my classes and how I've already had to give a class presentation on Waltz's neo-realist theory and how states exist in an anarchic society, but I do want you to feel sorry for me. Oh wait, it was my choice to go back to grad school. I often find myself spacing out in my classes only to stop and tell myself that I should pay attention, not because I want good grades but because I'm paying for this.

Enough about classes. My flatmates...I was really lucky and got put in a house with all post grad students. First, there is Ruth who has become my closest friend here. She's 24 and from the midlands of England. Then there is Sue, 23 from Thailand who learns all her English from Julia Roberts movies and is constantly cooking Thai food and stinking up my room which is right next to the kitchen. Just a little insight into Sue's personality. The other day she said to me, "Ruth is sweet, you are cool and I am pretty!" Um, ok. Then there is Patrick, a dental student who was born in Hong Kong but grew up in Sydney, a really cool guy. And lastly there is Alpha. I don't even know where to begin with this one. He's 31 from Hong Kong, looks like he's 15, speaks 8 languages, drinks vodka, has been to 80 countries including Antartica, is a lecturer here at the university, a closet homosexual, and an anal psychotic.

So that's my life for you. I'm still desperately searching for a job because I'm so broke but thanks to the magic of credit cards, I booked myself a ticket to New Zealand over the July break with Ruth. Also driving up to Byron Bay up the coast for a few days over Easter to learn how to surf and be a hippie for a few days. Oh! One more little story for y'all. Went out with some people the other nite for dinner and one had too much to drink and beat up a kid here at the village who was talking to his girlfriend. Broke his jaw, his nose, really f'd up his face, he had to have plastic surgery yesterday. I had just gone to bed when it happened but Ruth witnessed the whole thing (I only got to see the bloody afermath). I had to go with her to make a statement at the police station which took 3 frickin hours on Sunday. But I got to ride home in the cage in the back of the cop van which made it all worthwhile. The guy has been charged with "grievous bodily harm" and will probably end up behind bars. The fun never ends I tell you.

Miss you all, come visit me. xoxoL

Vegemite (February 27, 2002)

Once again I have been a slack arse about writing but here I am, alive and well (for the most part) . I have just returned to Sydney after a month away, feels good to be back home. So let me think real hard and let you know what's been going down in Lauraland the past couple of months...

Let's see...Xmas came and went and so did a guy from Perth who kind of neglected to mention to me that he had a little innocent 18 year old girlfriend that he was not only dating but um, living with. So then came New Years which went off big time. Started the nite at a party with an awesome view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge where we saw an unbelievable fireworks show at the stroke of midnite. Actually, more like 12:06 for me because I got locked out of the party helping out a sick friend. We then made our way back to Bondi with our sick friend, her boyfriend and their friend, put her to bed and made our way down to the beach to check out Mobile Home, this huge rave that was charging a shitload to get in. Knowing a rip off when I see one and being the classy chick that I am, I instead decided to join a group of about 20 mostly huge guys, ran past the security guards, got down the gates and got in for free. Mum would be so proud.

The next two weeks bit big time, I started my new job in the workers comp department of the largest insurance company in New South Wales. I never thought I'd actually look forward to pee breaks. I guess they must have liked my alphabatizing skills though because they asked me back for another 4 weeks. However, I was forced to refuse because daddy was coming into town. I spent the next few days with my dad and stepmom, wining and dining and showing them what Sydney had to offer. Sadly, I think my dad's favorite part was leching at the topless beach bunnies through his binoculars on Bondi Beach. I'm not the only classy one in the family.

Dad and Margo then left to continue their Aussie adventure up the coast and were replaced by another visitor, my friend and old LA roommate Cindy. I don't think there was one thing we didn't do. Some of the highlights were seeing a Charlie Parker tribute at the Opera House which I'm sure was produced by someone on acid, went for $20 cocktails at the swankiest bar in the city (worth every damn penny), took a tour up to the Blue Mountains, got stung by jellyfish boogie boarding in Bondi (Cindy managed to escape that one), pet kangaroos, got chased by emus...you know, the usual. It was a jam packed awesome week.

I then took off for South Australia to meet up with my dad and Margo to drive the Great Ocean Road from Adelaide to Melbourne. The last day of the trip was the most scenic, saw London Bridge, the 12 Apostiles and Bells Beach (yeah, the Point Break one), but it was hard to truly relax when my dad (not used to driving on the Aussie side) kept swerving off the road, turning the windshield wipers on every time he tried to put on the turn signal and coming way too close to oncoming traffic. But despite those near death experiences, we had a great time.

Said goodbye to dad and Margo and crashed for a few days with some friends in Melbourne. Went to a huge music festival called Big Day Out and saw Jurassic 5, one of the best shows I've ever seen. There were people dancing on phone booths, rooftops, light poles. Even the security guards who were sent to kick them off starting grooving before more security guards came to kick them off. I then spent the next 2 weeks in Ballarat visiting my friend Lisa who had just come back from Thailand after breaking her heel rock climbing. Despite being in a cast and on crutches, we took a trip up to the Grampians where I learned how to rock climb. So much fun, can't wait to do it again.

Another highlight of my trip to Ballarat (known for being a gold mining town in the 1800s) was going to Sovereign Hill, a sort of gold mining town themepark if that makes sense. Our goal was to pick up someone in period costume (or should I say my goal since Lise was in a wheelchair) but after awhile that seemed sick and wrong so I gave up and watched people make blocks of gold instead.

Spent last week in Canberra catching up with old uni friends. Not too much to do in Canberra, especially when one of you is on crutches, so we just smoked...um, I mean had intellectual conversations most of the time. Which brings us to today as I wait for another guest's arrival, Kyra "Hotpants" Kowasic. It's (gay) Mardi Gras weekend and the city is supposed to go off. Next week we're off to Byron Bay up the coast, a hippie town famous for being a hippie town. We'll be driving so keep your fingers crossed that we don't run over any wombats or small children. I am most excited about stopping at the Big Banana on the way...no explanation.

Hope everyone is healthy and happy. Talk soon, L

It's hot (December 28, 2001)

Hi everyone,

Yeah I know it's been ages since I last wrote but life has been a bit crazy and everytime I sit down to write I feel too overwhelmed and give up. And if I recallcorrectly, the last time I wrote I was bitching my head off about the post office asshole so I will try to be a bit less dramatic and annoying in this one.

Anyway, I hope you are all having a great holiday season. I still can't get over the fact that it's summer and we just had Christmas. I feel like I'm living in some alternate universe. My Christmas was really nice, Ashley and I went over to a friend's apartment complex where they had a big old traditional turkey dinner outside in the sweltering heat with all of the neighbors. We got drunk off of cheap champagne and played UNO with the coolest 8 year old Hayden. He is actually from the States but has an Aussie accent because he's been living with his Aussie grandmother for the past year who everyone calls "Granny", she has to be the coolest grandmother I've ever met...drinks, swears, the whole bit. The most memorable part of the evening was when Hayden, who had been playing his new computer SIMS game, comes over to me as I was attempting to have an intelligent conversation about something or other with someone and whispers in my ear, "Laura, you have to come in here! The SIMS guy keeps grabbing his dick!" It's the little things.

Man, so much has happened since I have last written but since I have waited so long to write it all has kind of meshed together. So I will try the best I can to update you, bear with me.

OK after the post office man yelled at me I got free tickets to see the band LIVE and backstage passes because my mom tutor's the manger's kids back home. We were sitting next to these twin 17 year old girls who were screaming their heads off the entire time so being the good samaritan that I rarely am, I told them that I'd try to get them backstage when the concert was over. To make a long story short, they got in and when the band came out the perverted married lead singer took an enormous liking to them and invited them to the after party in the city. And the pathetic part of the whole thing is that they had to get US in. Anyway, it was pretty cool, especially for Ashley because LIVE is her all time favorite band and we got lots of pictures with them all. I couldn't talk Ashley into pinching the lead singer's ass though, I thought it would make a nice photo.

After the whole LIVE extravaganza Ashley won tickets to the Vanilla Sky premiere on the radio. So we got to dress up and do the whole red carpet deal and watch a free movie. I was more excited with the free Cadburry white chocolate bar on our seat though. We saw Tom, Penelope and Cameron Crowe. It was fun watching Tom kiss Aussie ass so they wouldn't hate him for leaving Nicole, Australia's pride and joy. After the movie we went over to the Opera House to try to crash the after party. After about an hour of begging everyone leaving for their passes, this nice roadie/circus performer/gymnast/actor/stoner that I struck up a
conversation with, accosted two people on their way out and got us some passes. But by the time we got in everyone had pretty much cleared out so we downed a couple of glasses of champagne and I stole a pineapple (yes Cindy, it has become a bonafide tradition now) and we left.

So yeah, we were living the good life for a couple of weeks. What else...oh, we had our company Christmas party at the Botanical Gardens where I found Ashley passed out on the floor of the bathroom after having passed out outside myself and had to get 2 friends and a stranger help me take her home where the stranger proceeded to steal all of the money out of my wallet before he left the next morning. It was only $30 though and I was more annoyed that he ate the entire bag of Pirate's Booty that my mom had sent over from the States.

So that's pretty much what's gone on. The job at the catering company has died down so I am starting a new 2 week temp job the day after New Years at a company in the city called NRMA, kind of like AAA. Filing, faxing, stuff like that. I'm actually looking forward to a change and not having to deal with drunk idiots and carrying around 50 lb trays and getting yelled at for not knowing how to properly box a table even after having been taught at least 10 times and being asked if I'm Scandanavian, Scottish or Irish every time I open my mouth. Tell me what this means to you...this hairy drunk guy asks me if I'm married at one function. I go, "Ummm...no, why do you ask?" He answers, "You just seem so settled." How someone carrying around a tray of salmon crepes can come across as "settled" beats the shit out of me.

I can't believe this year is almost over. Come January my dad and stepmother are coming to visit and then my LA roommate and friend Cindy comes right after that so I am looking forward to showing them around my adopted homeland. I'm going to pop down and meet my dad in Adelaide at the end of the month and drive the Great Ocean Road with them to Melbourne and then spend a few days visiting some friends there before I finish up my work visa on Valentine's Day and switch over to a 3 month tourist visa. So everyone who hasn't yet, book your ticket now and come visit.

Have a wonderful New Years and all the best to each and every one of you.

Laura

Bear with me (December 3, 2001)

I hate stupid people. I really do. I just got into a screaming match with this idiot at the Bondi Post Office.

I was sending a package back home which has proved to be a very simple process up until now. First the asshole tells me that the package will probably be extremely delayed because of the "new terrorist threats in America." Having not watched the news this morning, this immediately sent my heart racing. I say "Ok, I understand, how long do you think it will take then?" "No idea miss," he snaps back. So I fill out the customs forms and then give him my credit card to pay. Every single time I have been in Australia I seem to utterly confuse every shopkeeper with the fact that I do not sign my credit card. Mom told me awhile back that I should write "See ID" in case the card gets stolen, so they can match my signature on my driver's liscense with my picture and the signature on my receipt. In the States everyone seems to understand
this but here they just stare at me like I'm smoking crack. Mind you, I haven't had a new picture taken since I first got my liscense at 16 years old, but the DMV hasn't asked me to come in and since I seem to always have better things to do then stand in line for 6 hours in order to take another crappy picture, I have my same eight year old picture, 4 inch bangs and all.

OK so this postman then tells me that it is illegal to not sign your credit card in Australia. Um, what? This is the first time that I have been told this in 3 visits and a total of almost a year combined living in this country. I said "Sorry (fucker), I'm not signing the card." He then says "Well if you are going to be difficult I am going to have to get my superior over here." OK, so now a little wave of panic rushes over me. I would really like to enjoy the last 6 or so months of my trip out in the open air rather than locked away in Bondi Beach prison. He comes over and tells me "We both have agreed that the signature on your driver's liscense does not match the signature on your credit card receipt and the picture looks nothinglike you." OK, so you thought I was pissed before. "What am I going to have to do to prove to you that I AM ME????" I start screaming. "We're just doing our job miss," he snaps back. "There was a guy on tv last
nite who has been stealing people's credit cards and we can never be too safe especially with the terrorist attacks in your country." AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Do I look like a credit card stealer? Or better yet, a terrorist? Finally, he gives up (possibly because I was making a nice little "scene") and throws my credit card and liscense back at me with a "Have a nice day miss!" And being the mature 24 year old that I am, I grabbed my bag and purposely slammed the door as loud as I could on my way out.

OK, sorry about that. I had to vent. Besides that, life is going well. Had a few days off of work this
weekend so I got to relax at the beach and hang out with a friend who came up from Melbourne to visit. We had a couple of British musician friends crashing on our floor last week who just left to try to get some gigs in Melbourne. Apparently the music scene is a lot better down there. Got to see them play Thursday nite at the Blue Chip bar across the street which was pretty cool. I was so bummed though because I ran home to change after they were done and missed this world famous digeridoo player. I tried to get him to play something for me when I got back but he was incoherently wasted so I gave up on that one. Went to a party in Manly, an American friend of a friend's back home, who has the most amazing place. It looks directly out onto the ocean from every room in the house. It was really trippy because half of the people there were Americans and the other half were Aussies, all working for Dell (computers). You can never leave home no matter how far you go.

Can I tell you how weird it feels for it to almost be Xmas and hot as f outside? It is so surreal. I really want to get away for the holidays but heard that I'll make double time if I work. Hmmmm...we'll see. Anyway, hope you all our well.

Talk soon and keep warm,

L!

My next installment (November 19, 2001)

G'day everyone,

It seems like forever since I last wrote, so much has happened. It's funny how things can change in a matter of moments. Well, I have finally found myself a job. I'm working as a, I quote, "casual function waitstaff person" for a catering company based at the New South Wales State Library downtown. I work functions there, as well as the Botanical Gardens, the Mint, Nokia (as
in the phone) and few other sites. I'm also an occassional waitstress at the restaurants at the facilities except it sucks b/c it isn't customary to tip here (I made a whopping $4.80 in tips last week).

I basically bullshitted to get the job, told the woman I had tons of experience working premieres and other functions through the film company I was working with in the States. But it worked and two days later I was given my white servant coat and the fun began...

So I've only been working a week so far but they are crazy ass long days. Man, I didn't realize how much manual labor was involved either! My weak ass arms aren't handling carrying around heavy trays of wine all that well but I heard I'll be getting really buff so I'm excited about that. Maybe I'll finally get those triceps that I've always dreamed about...

So work is great. I've met tons of cool people and every day it's kind of like going to a different
party. The guests find me very amusing with my funny accent and all. One guy starting calling me "Texas" even though I told him I was from California. It's fun watching people get progressively more intoxicated as the nite stretches out. Drunk Aussies are the most entertaining people I've ever met. The free food is fun too though we only get a meal after 5 hours so I fainted on my first nite, yeah way to make a good first impression Laura.

So enough about my job. Um well I kind of met a guy last week who I have been seeing way too much of and yeah he's an American. I know a bunch of you who know about this have been giving me a lot of shit for not hooking up with the Aussies but yeah, well I won't go into much detail. And I didn't stray too far from home, he's from Long Beach. But he's heading back on
Thanksgiving so it will be over soon. The story of my life.

So bascially my life lately has been the guy and the job. But I also managed to go to a nifty little
backpackers expo this past weekend and got brocheres of all the places that I can't afford to travel too (having the job will help that though). Took a boat over to Manly across the harbor (an awesome beach area, kind of like Bondi). Saw Apocolypse Now redux with one of my new mates (man that movie was way too long, over 3 and a half hours). Bought some funky beads for our family room. Killed a few more cockroaches. Eaten tons of Thai food (I know I said the sushi was good here but the Thai food is even better, I am in Asian food heaven). Became obsessedwith a town called Nimbin up north which is now first on my list of places to visit (Jeff, did you go there
when you were in Byron?) thanks to my loadie psuedo-boyfriend. The usual....

Miss you all and have a great Thanksgiving! We are going to try to recreate one of our own this weekend though I can't find pumpkin pie filling here for the life of me. Damnit!!!

Take care,

Laura

Taco bell...(November 4, 2001)

here sucks. You might be wondering why I'm all the way in Australia and eating at a Taco Bell anyway. Or why I'd be eating at a Taco Bell anywhere for that matter. You know that saying that you always want what you can't have? Since the moment I stepped onto this continent I have had this non stop craving for Mexican food. After ordering a burrito the other nite that I
swear had tabouleh in it, today I went to search out a Taco Bell that I had mysteriously come across when I was here last April but was way too hungover to eat at at the time. So this afternoon, after another fruitless morning of job searching, popped in to try it out. I have to admit, my expectations were unfairly high but damn, the food sucked. My bean burrito tasted
like sour cream wrapped in cardboard with a few whole chili beans thrown in and while the chicken taco was a bit more satisfying, it too was dripping with sour cream and what I swear was tomato sauce. Ah well, at least I satisfied my pathetic Australian Taco Bell curiousity.

The last couple of weeks have been quite interesting to say the least. Before Laura, my partner in crime, left to go back to Cali in order to save money to come back to me in January, we managed to "play tourist" for a few more days in between efforts to help me find work (which included my first hitchhiking experience...was driven to Panavision by two nice salsa dance instructors where Laura somehow managed to spill half a bottle of water on their backseat in a
matter of seconds). We took a speedboat ride in Sydney Harbour complete with death defying spins and bumps (ouch is all i can say), saw "The Magic Flute" at the Opera House (in German), ate mountains of sushi (damn it's good here), hit some clubs complete with unisex bathrooms, were asked if we were Canadian way too many times (apparently the Canucks get very insulted when asked if they are American, so the Aussies find it less emotionally painful if they stick with the Canada thing), and most disturbingly fascinating...decided to buy tickets to see an interesting work of theater (if you could call it that) entitled "The Puppetry of the Penis." Use your imagination. Let me just tell you that I will never, ever look at Ayers Rock, a piece of KFC chicken, a snail, windsurf, the Australian coat of arms, a diggeridoo or the Aussie Prime Minister the same again.

So this past week was a bit less uneventful as I signed up with temp agencies, handed out my c.v.
(resume) to anyone who would take it, and waited for work. In the meantime my flatmate and I bought some funky furniture for the place, a couple of plants to talk to until we make some more local friends, have almost mastered the city bus and rail lines, attempted to run for the first time in a month along Bondi Beach (made it about 1/4 of the way before hyperventilating and swearing to myself that I would not take one sip of alcohol for an entire week...this lasted about 6
hours), met a ton of slimy, wasted travelers at local pubs (where I was told by a Will Ferrell look alike that I'd be a lot more attractive to men if I'd stop yawning and that I should go home, go to sleep and try this whole "going out thing" again the next nite), met a cool Welsh guy and his gangster rap/90210 obsessed never thought I'd find those two things in the same person) Kiwi friend which we brought back to our flat to check out our courdoroy couch and then totally freaked out with the picture of the dead wombat on my bedroom door (the word "psycho" was flown around way too many times to be good for any one person's self esteem), and caught a great Aussie movie called Lantana.

Which brings us up to today as I sit here on a somewhat overcast day, watching the waves crash onto the jagged cliffs across the way, the surfers coming up from the water (got to get me one of
those...surfboards), fat men in Speedos buying sweet corn from a cart on the sand, sarong wearing hippies, and a pigeon with an oversized head picking up crumbs off of the grass. Life is funny. These next couple of years will definitely be interesting. Australia is quite a unique place to be having my quarter-life crisis. Wishing you all well.

Oh, one more thing that I almost forgot, a little life lesson that I recently

learned and that you should all keep in mind in your future endeavors. NEVER, EVER trust car racing, 19 year old mechanics.

Word to your mother.
xoxoL

Living in a land down under (October 22, 2001)

(This is actually the 2nd letter back home...can't find the first)

Hey y'all,

Well I have finally made it to an internet cafe for the next installment of my Aussie adventure! For those of you who are hearing from me for the first time, I will update you on what's going down.

I have found myself a PHAT apartment less than 5 minutes from Australia's most famous surfing beach in an area called Bondi. It is truly amazing. I walk out my door and there are bars, cafes, shops, the whole bit. Man, what a change after living in the ghettos of USC and the trenches of Hollywood. My roomie is an awesome Virginian who can drink more than anyone I've ever seen in my entire life and still make complete sentences and give cab drivers directions home.

So last week pretty much consisted of settling myself into the apartment after crashing at my friend's friend George's apartment for the first 5 days. Because my friend is also named Laura, I was dubbed "mini-me" and what's really scary is that I have begun to answer to the name. Anyway, the poor guy was probably so glad to get me out of his apartment so he could crack on to the other Laura who he has fallen madly in lust with much to her annoyance.

In the midst of settling into my new Australian life, Laura, George and I managed to make it down to the Southern Highlands, about halfway between Sydney and Canberra, the capital. We took a little bush hike up to Fitzroy Falls, an amazing waterfall surrounded by beautiful mountains. On the walk were signs describing the animals that inhabit the area, including my favorite, the ethereal wombat. Though we didn't see any wombats, we managed to keep ourselves amused with our newfound knowledge that a platypus "suckles its young but has no nipples."

On our way out of the area I suddenly became distracted by a big furry blob approaching on the right side of the road. As we approached my curiosity turned to horror. It was a dead wombat lying on it's back. I made George pull over so I could get a good look and realizing that I'm destined to probably never see a real wombat, snapped a few pictures of the poor little bugger.

In the last few days I've been playing tourist with Laura until she leaves next week and I have to start looking for a job. Went to a blowhole that wasn't blowing for the first time in like 3 years, bought some tickets to a performance at the Opera House for this weekend and contemplated buying tickets to a show entitled "The Puppetry of the Penis" which promises a night of the most amazing genital oragami, gone to some outdoor markets, took a 2 hour walk each way down the coast from Bondi to Coogee in sandals that hurt my feet like a mother, eaten a ton of sushi and spent way too much money on booze.

Well that's my life so far. I hope all of you are well and happy and will come visit me.

Take care,

Laura

Memories of Australia

Hi all,

So the other day I was digging through old emails so I can once and for all close out my Yahoo account. In a "Saved emails" folder I found all the letters I sent back home when I moved back to Sydney in 2001. I had previously "studied"(termed used loosely) in Canberra back in 1998 during my junior year at USC and fell in love with the country enough to want to move back to work and "muck around" a few years later. I actually ended up moving back to Sydney in 2003 for my Masters, so yeah, a great deal of my 20's was spent living, studying, and working Down Under.

I hope these emails amuse you as much as they amused me. Probably not since you weren't there but I'm doing this for me, not you, anyway.

;)
Laura