Brace yourselves, this one’s a lengthy one!
The first week of classes are over and the second is about to begin. I am still in summer mode, or “vacation” mode and should probably get into the academic mindset about now… I guess it goes in spurts. I’m a sporadic person, what can I say. This past Friday, I met my piano professor. He is nice. He has put me way out of my comfort zone. When  he played some pieces for me to hear/choose, I was hesitant to say “no, I don’t like that” or just reject in general. So I just settled with, “that’s out of my comfort zone.. sure.” Why I said “sure”, I will never understand. He has assigned me a Copland piece and a Liszt piece. I don’t do jazz. Awesome. Oh, by my lucky numbers, I get to play a 20-25 minute recital too by the end of the semester. Not really looking forward to that. I may just pee myself.  Actually I probably will before the matter. The semester here is far shorter than the semester I am used to back in the states, so that only means one thing: practice. A LOT. This should be dandy given my track record of practicing. I’m actually just nervous about the Jazz piece he has given me. I’m not much of a “jazzy” person believe it or not.

First of all, to put you guys in my bearings, my lesson was in the conservatory in Southbank. I had to take a tram to get there. I got lost (surprise, surprise) along the way, but I found it eventually. But after my lesson, right across the street was The Tan Track. The Tan is short for boTANical and is a track around the Botanical Gardens. My original plan was to run on the track, but there was no place for me to put my backpack, so I settled with walking. I then roamed into the gardens. The Botanical Gardens is absolutely breathtaking. I can’t even begin to describe how beautiful it is. It is about 32 acres and is just filled with beauty. I pranced down the road with my earbuds in, jamming out to Lana Del Rey and Florence & The Machine. Great music to listen to while admiring the garden. I will admit, I twirled around as if I had a flowy dress on, with my arms spread open. Exactly like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music. So wonderful. As I twirled around the 32 acre garden, I couldn’t help but gawk at everything my eyes laid on. I even saw a black swan! They are magnificent creatures. They are also native to Australia. My ears were even graced by a flock of Bell Birds (also native to OZ). Such a glorifying experience. Now since I was already on the south side of town, I decided I would explore downtown a little bit more… which means I shopped around. Heh.

cute inserted alley way filled with coffee shops, little bars, and boutiques.

This night I had work. Work that night was quite eventful I tell you. It was cold and rainy up on the Rooftop Bar and my shoes were soaked through and through and the bottom of my slacks were dripping with spilled alcohol and water. I was standing underneath a heated vent, trying to warm/dry up with my arms tucked away in my armpits, standing on the floor observing. I then looked to my left and this guy was just standing right next to me, imitating my posture. He then proceeded to tell me that he goes up to people and imitate their motion and see how long it takes them to realize. Yeah… So I entertained him for a sec, and then carried on to collect empty glasses. Minutes later, I was standing by the bar, chatting with my fellow bartenders and the same guy pops back up again. We talked some more and the next thing I know, I was giving him my number. I look to my guy co-workers and exclaim, “I’m making friends guys!” Oh how silly. Then Michael (the “pop-up” guy) left, and my flamboyant co-worker -Alex goes, “Girl, you just got picked up.” That’s a first.

Saturday, I headed downtown again to meet a friend. We are planning on seeing Mumford and Sons and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros!! So excited. We got together, had lunch, and then had an impromptu zoo trip. Took my first train ride here!

Flinders Street Station

So pretty! We met up with three americans from Michigan and headed out. The train ride took about 10-15 minutes to get out there and when we reached the zoo, it was misty with some rain clouds following in. But no worries, we went in anyways. The zoo was small and cute. It rained sporadically, and unfortunately, I wore my TOMS on this day. One of the guys in the group had also wore his as well. It rained, and us canvas-wearing folks were sad. My feet got soaking wet and my orange TOMS are now comprised of mud and water… they are still drying. I basically spent my Saturday roaming the zoo. Not too shabby. We finally got back into the city around 5 and we were all famished. Not an unfamiliar feeling for us. We went to a little pizzeria and shared two pizzas. We left hungry. I departed them (they all live outside of the city) and I came back to my abode with two hours before I had to head back into the city for work. During those two hours, I cooked (for the upcoming week) and I ate. I ate so much, and so much gummies. I had recently made a trip to a “sugar station” shop and loaded up on some sweets. 

nomnomnom

GUMMIESSS. I cannot get enough.

After I ate for my 2 free hours at home, I headed out for work. The trams that night were running a bit behind. 15 minutes behind to be exact, and I ended up running to work and made it just by a hair. This night was quite frustrating. I was waiting on a group of rambunctious guys and was trying to clean up their tables. Oh goodness me, they were rude. It wasn’t until 2 hours into work that Alex informed me that the guys were footy players. AFL or Rugby was still up in the air for confirmation. Either way, they were annoying. We closed the bar around 1:30 and I was not about to walk back to my place that late at night. I did walk back last saturday night, but never again will I do that again by myself. So I asked Mike, a fellow bartender, if he walked back home and what not and he agreed to “escort” me back home. He is a fellow american actually. New Yorker that one. I signed off and waited for him. He came downstairs and we then proceeded to wait for two more hours. I thought we were going to leave, but I was wrong. We were waiting on the other two bartenders: Chris (CJ) and DJ. They were going to go out for drinks, which Mike failed to mention to me. So we waited and ate chips. After Chris and DJ got off work, we waited some more and watched the footy players make a fool of themselves. The owners got so fed up that they eventually walked them out and one of the owners actually took four pitchers of water and dumped it on them outside. Yeah, they left pretty quickly thereafter. Finally we all headed out and they decided to go for some beers. Of course the topic of me not having a drink of alcohol came up. Me and three bartenders. Funny. The first bar we walked into, the guys laughingly informed me that it was a transvestite kind of club. But we left real quick because the guys thought it was too “loud and sleazy.” So the next bar we went to, it was half bar half club. We shared a little booth that had doors that closed us off… but not the loud music. The guys did it. I had my first real drink that night. (and I didn’t have to pay for it!) DJ asked what I wanted and of course I didn’t know since I’ve had no previous experience. So I told him to be the bartender that he was and just order something. He came back with three coopers (for the boys) and a tall glass of the classy gin and tonic for me. The taste was quite herby. I started drinking it slowly, but then for some reason I took a real quick gulp and the herby taste quickly transcended into tasting like rubbing alcohol. Delicious. DJ then gave me his beer to taste, just to see if I would like beer. Mike, sitting next to me, told me that most people don’t like beer to begin with, but only start to like it after drinking it so much. So I sipped, and decided that the beer was not that bad. Chris then exclaimed, “She’s a beer drinker!!” haha, cheers mate. They then told me that I was now apart of their “handsome group” and passed down Mike’s nickname down to me (which I’ve forgotten…), since I’m the second American.

Oh, chris is an ozzie and DJ is scottish.

We talked until the bar kicked us out and we walked around in the rainy, cold, Melbourne winter. Mike really did walk me back like he said he would hours before… at last. While we were shivering back, I found out how awesome this guy is. Before he came to Australia, he spent two months in South America and two months in New Zealand. The only reason he is in OZ is because he needs money. So he’s planning on working here until December or so. After that, his plans are to go to South Asia and around the bend. I think I have met my soul mate. But of course I didn’t share that thought to him. He literally is the epitome of what this generation wants to do. It’s so amazing to see an actual person living their life to the fullest, and to become friends with someone like that, is real humbling. I can’t wait to talk about more adventures with him and the experiences that he’s had. He’s already told me that I need to elongate my stay in New Zealand. Let me tell you, he’s carefree to the point where he doesn’t even know his own age. I mean, he knows his birthday and all, but the year he was born in… he’s forgotten. I’m not sure if he was joking around, but he seemed true. As I was listening to him share his past and future explorations, it only reminded me of a good friend/mentor – Andrew Connor. He recently came back from his own down under adventures, which he embarked on last year and I couldn’t be more proud of him. His strong will and desire for life is just remarkably fantastical and is a constant inspiration for me as I am trying to make a dent over here. I can only look back on my life and be so grateful for going on TCTW (Teens Camping Tour of the West, for those who don’t know) and allowing me to meet such a great group of people. I thank the staff on the trip for guiding me and helping me open my eyes to what I want to do and to who I am. There can never be enough thanks to go around.
So talking to Mike for just a brisk walk only made my passion for traveling stronger. Puts life in perspective and makes you realize what is it that you really want to do with your life. As that idiotic saying goes, “YOLO”, applies here. Like I said in my very first post, everyone should travel. Work will always be there when you come back. Traveling aids in connections, friends, couches, and happiness. Traveling makes the heart grow stronger and larger. I know just by my two weeks of being here, I have become more calm and happier with life. A friendly smile is all there is to it. With an inviting smile, no one will veer away.

Leaving aside my side rant, I finally made it back to my warm bed at… 6am. Hello Sunday.

Today, I slept for a beautifully rested 4 hours. I honestly thought I would sleep until mid afternoon, but alas I woke up at 10. My flatmate and I then decided to go to Bridge Road to do what girls do best: shop. We shopped all day long. Guys, when I told you I was going to come back with a new wardrobe, I was not kidding. I have been quite successful. Whilst shopping, I began to realize that I shouldn’t have layered up so much because it was becoming quite a workout just to try on clothes. We finally decided our bank accounts were close to being cleaned out and came back. We ate and are now watching the Olympics, waiting on tomorrow to come, for classes to begin. Productivity will happen!

“Travel is like love, mostly because it’s a heightened state of awareness, in which we are mindful, receptive, undimmed by familiarity and ready to be transformed. That is why the best trips, like the best love affairs, never really end.” — Pico Iyer