orientation

dear all,

sorry i haven't/won't be writing much. while i'm having exciting, challenging, friendly and productive days, my alone-time is a bit miserable and lonely, and i don't feel like blogging it. classes proper start next week, so hopefully study will distract me and i will start to make friends.

lots of orientation stuff and masses of handouts. also mass drumming today, which was fabulous and brought back lots of memories of the circus show (what was it, two years ago? gosh) i drummed in (and loved). met a few interesting people too.

emails much appreciated.

love

last day in the dale

due to popular demand. . .

huhgie's bum, in fabulous new jeans!



and me 'n' auntie berryl doing high jinks, in two different moods.

uni

this is a shot of uni and one of the view. the buildings are all grey concrete, with whistling echoey spaces inbetween, which is pretty despressing, but the view is just fabulous. it goes all the way out to the sea in one direction, and up to growler and other ski mountains in the other direction.

photos!

these are from my first few days in vancouver. lookit the sunshine! and the mountains! and the bananas! (i've had at least one every day)

my brain hurts

and from miss b, the brain specialist - my brain! isn't it shiny???

talking to actual canadians

aargh! finish in five! the net cafe is up the back of a games arcade so it sounds like a small civil war is taking place behind me.

Special Assigned Friend (hereafter saf - complaints see management) and i went for a long walk round the edges of stanley park, making fun of americans, looking fruitlessly for raccoons, admiring amazing views and playing on swings. it is this beautiful green wilderness just out of the city.

then she showed me her little apartment shared with her maternal figure (off making a killing at mahjong) which made me a bit homesick, it being a HOME and all, and made nice noodles and watched satirical american television, which was all rather lovely.

found out i have to make a ten minute mock lesson for 'learning how to be a TA' session on friday, which i'm a bit pissed off about.

moving up the mountain tomorrow and will get to see uni and buy all my books and get a library card and access to swimming pool and so forth.

finished bleak house. i so guessed right.

lubs to all

haida art and walk on the right

dear all,

first full day in canadia. slept like a log (oh god the three days awake!) and had a funny backpacker breakfast (it is a very backpackerish establishment) then toddled off to the art gallery. thus:

http://www.vanartgallery.bc.ca/exhibitions_raven.cfm

some lovely sculptures. and the frogs were adorable.

then i wandered round the city all afternoon, window shopping. my first purchase of 'asha's mums' from little sister (y'know, i don't think that is where 'better than chocolate' was filmed). there are some lovely bookshops, oh yes. it is rather like melbourne, very familiar. but with american bits thrown in. i went to sears! and roots! and had hersheys! (not as good as haighs)

people have asked me for directions, so i reckon i pass. they can't hear the little voice in my head saying "walk on the right". still having trouble with the nickels and dimes. they have no 50c piece! and they give change down to the last cent!

lovely weather - sunscreening like a mad thing. i never thought i'd get any summer this year. oh and i bought bananas. two. they cost 60c. *blows raspberry*

meeting my assigned friend tomorrow. can't wait.

oh my, the mountains

i'm here! finally! and it's bloodywell warm here too! what on earth am i going to do with the two beanies, two scarves, three gloves, overcoat, three light jackets, thermal singlet, etc. etc.??? my roommate (who is from melb, going to sfu on exchange!) is sleeping in shorts.

i snaffled a window seat for landing and the view was just amazing. there's this great ring of snow covered mountains all around the city - stunning. and i could even figure out where everything was, cos of having that map stuck up above my bed since forever.

and i am the proud owner of a student visa. the must have accessory for every passport. despite a little hassle with fiji immigration. meh.

tomorrow tourist stuff. heh - there's funny money. apart from that it is very much like australia.

thankyou for lovley comments. i will reply when i have longer time online.

lubs to all!

i'm in fiji! huzzah for the randomness! it is hot here like summer - actually it reminds me a lot of india, with the humidity and the smells and other things. but much less so, all of it, so actually quite enjoyable.

i went to a lovely hindu temple and the fruit market ("it is sunday so everything is closed") and sat under a coconut palm and read bleak house and then i'm going to have lunch and then there will only be eleven hours or so to kill.

lots of lovely photos of lovely last days in aus to post, me snivelling constantly. i have no stoic.

working as a waitress

frijole, guacamole anything you want
I’m working as a waitress in a mexican restaurant
working as a waitress
working as a waitress

ten sleeps!

i am going to sit on a beach in vanuatu and eat bananas.

de-teething complete, though i am still spitting stitches. p-tooee!