a lucky week in the lucky country

hello! as the weather gets nicer, the work load increases! don't you just hate it when that happens?

this week was my lucky week. it started last wednesday night and i believe it will end tonight (wednesday night). i don't want to press my luck, the universe doesn't like people who are greedy.
so last week i went to einstein's (the campus bar where everyone goes on wednesdays) where they were having a raffle for various prizes from a ski resort. prizes ranged from ski goggles to lift tickets and the best prize, a snowboard. well, i won the snowboard! i wasn't paying attention and didn't claim it, so they ended up picking another name. when someone told me i won, i didn't believe them but then i started walking around and people kept saying, "SARA!! where WERE you?!" i found the whole thing hilarious. i ended up having a really good night and i am still laughing about that snowboard.
after big wednesday nights out, people usually drag themselves back to res and go to sleep. i am not one of those people, i like to continue to hang out, hear stories from the night, and let my energy slowly fade. the past couple of weeks post-einey's i have gone to my next door neighbor's unit and sat around with them. they invited me to go to the Hard Rock Cafe (one of them works there) and then the Crown Casino on friday night for some dinner and gambling. At the casino, I won $10 from the 2cent slot machines (mom would be so proud!) and i turned $6 into $37.50 at the craps table. I probably came out about even in the end, after I lost $20 on more slot machines and spent money on the taxi home.
My luck continued on saturday night, which was a Study Abroad Club outing to the footy game- Collingwood Magpies vs. Sydney Swans. Australian Rules Football is unique to australia- i'm writing an assignment about the importance of the game, if i'm happy with it i might post it on here. the game was SO much fun, my friends and i got really into it and, since it was our second game, we knew more of what was going on than some of the other internationals. one of the australian girls who organized the outing had connections and we went to visit the players after the game!! we walked for what seemed like forever, and we finally made it under the Melbourne Cricket Ground (the MCG- a footy and cricket arena) and waited around as players came out of the locker rooms and left. A couple australians who were with us at the game filled us in on the players we were meeting- some big names in the AFL! This guy is Dale Thomas, a 19-year-old player who is a huge star for Collingwood. I won't bore you with more pictures of australian football players.

We had a formal 2 weeks ago. Dinner was at a golf club down the street from res. it was a really good night. here's a picture of me and roomies all dressed up. from left: jacqui, emma, alyce, me, megan.













hope all is well with whoever's tuning in. lots of love,
sara

i'm alive!

i am truly sorry for how long it has taken me to write another post. days turn into weeks...and all that good stuff.
let's get to whats going on in my life;

• went to phillip island yesterday and saw the smallest penguins in the world... even though it was raining, umbrellas were blocking the view, and we were rushed- it was good. i also got to feed kangaroos and talked to a bird!
• this week i had dinner with the greenbergs (my aunt mary's friends). they welcomed me into their home (and their family) and i really had a wonderful time with them.
• my friends- jesse (pronounced 'jess') and franci (pronounced 'frankie') and i are planning what we're going to do for spring break (which is september 21-30). at first we thought new zealand- too expensive and without a car it would be a hassle. then we thought Sydney and Brisbane- too expensive. Then Sydney and Gold Coast- also too expensive. So now we're thinking about just doing Sydney and doing it RIGHT. What that means, i'm not sure.

franci is to the left, jesse is to the right

• This wednesday night is the Burwood Student Village Formal Dinner! This means i get to dress up with all of the ressies, have a 2 course meal at some golf club, then be chauffeured to the after party. I am VERY excited, especially because am now the owner of a very cute (and inexpensive) dress!
• every other week of the semester, 2 people from my unit pair off and cook dinner for each other. my roommate megan and i are cooking this week (on tuesday)! we're going to make a stir fry, vegetable fried rice, and MY KEY LIME PIE for dessert!!!
• I've had to watch Robots and Fern Gully for my Reading Children's Lit class- during the rest of the semester i'll watch the lion king and mulan!
• went to st. kilda region of melbourne, enjoyed an aussie burger (with bacon, an egg, lettuce, tomato), enjoyed a mocha in one of the awesomely trendy coffee shops, and posed for a picture in front of the famous entrance for Luna Park (melbourne's amusement park)
  

here is my schedule...
monday 9:30-12:30- Studio Art: Painting and Drawing
tuesday: 2-4-Reading Children's Lit
wednesday: 11-12- Australia Today Tutorial; 12-1- Australia Today Lecture; 2-4- Psychopathology
thursday: 1-2- Psychopathology Tutorial

Tutorials are the same things as recitations... smaller groups that review or put into practice what was talked about in lecture.



I can't think of anything else right now... what i'd really like to know (if i don't already...cough.parents.cough) is whats going on in your life?