Halloween in Boo-castle

Happy Halloween!

Here in Boo-castle…Spook-astle…Ghoul-castle… Oh, forget it.

Here in Newcastle, Halloween is pretty much over. It’s 10 p.m., so kids are likely getting ready to go to bed, and a lot of the Halloween parties actually happened over the weekend.

The university put on a party on Friday at one of the aforementioned bars on campus. As usual, I didn’t actually know about it until just a couple days before. Also per usual, I didn’t want to spend much money on a costume that would probably not make the journey back to the USA with me.

So, one pair of ears and an eyeliner pencil later, and I had the most generic costume imaginable. But hey, at least it wasn’t a cat-astrophe! (I know you’re probably booing that pun, but at least that gets you into the Halloween spirit! Okay…I’m done now.)

That means that tonight has been pretty low-key for me. I spent the day at the beach, which in hindsight seems pretty odd to me. No hot chocolate and sweaters for me this October—just beaches and pelicans!

I actually woke up very early this morning (4:00 a.m.), so I decided it would be a good day to finally see a Newcastle sunrise! I'm not sure how many people would associate Halloween with sunrise, but have I ever done anything conventionally? I left my house at just before 5 o’clock and took the first bus into town, arriving at the beach right as the sun was coming over the horizon.

It was so quiet and peaceful for the first few minutes before I was joined by Jack and Jerry, my two new pelican friends.

They’re quite photogenic, wouldn’t you say?

After the sun had risen, I walked the length of Nobby’s Beach, which wraps around to the Breakwall I visited a couple months ago.

It was then I saw something floating along in the water. It had an odd shape, and at first, I thought it was a bit of driftwood. When I came closer, though, I saw that it had a fin. I was worried that it was a dead creature of some kind. But upon further observation, I saw it move.

This lazy seal was floating on the water, flopping over only to look for a fish once in a while. He was very cute doing it, too!

I guess this Halloween wasn’t really about the scary or undead. Come on, do I look like the kind of person who enjoys creepy things?

Anyway, I hope everyone has a fun and safe Halloween! (Translation: Don’t go hunting creepy clowns. That’s just scary.)

But what about Vegemite? Iconic Aussie Food Tasting

“Have you tried Vegemite yet?”

Next to questions about the U.S. presidential election (Don't worry, I'm not talking about that right now.), I have been asked this question more than anything else. Until today, the answer was always a slightly embarrassed “no.”

Here’s the problem—Vegemite doesn’t exactly have a good reputation among travelers. I heard endless bellyaching about this savory spread. It didn’t exactly make me want to run to good ole Woolies to pick up a jar of it.

With just a few weeks left in Australia, though, I figured it was time to try all of the typical Aussie foods I could.

·         Barbecue: I got a great introduction to Australian barbecue early on this semester.  Everything from sausages to veggie patties, fish and prawns to beef and chicken—it goes on the barbecue, and it all tastes great. I must admit, I’m still partial to Kansas City barbecue—I am my father’s daughter after all!

·        Meat pies: If you are an American, the first time you eat a “pie” in Australia may confuse you. A buttery crust filled with meat and gravy, these savory pies are surprising but delicious.

·     Fish and Chips: YUM. I love fish, so fish and chips is a great meal for me when I am too lazy to cook. I’ve had it fried and grilled at Costis—a little stand outside Jesmond shops—and I have had to stop myself from getting it more often. The one thing that still confuses me about fish and chips is when the cashier asks if I want no salt, salt, or chicken salt on it. Chicken salt?

·         Pavlova: I’ve heard that Australia and New Zealand argue over the origin of this dessert. Whoever came up with it is brilliant, though. Fluffy and sweet meringue is topped with fresh cream and fruit. The one I had was mango, and WOW was it delicious. The meringue is fluffy on the inside with a perfect sweet crunch on the outside, and the cream and tart mango topping come together to make for one incredible dessert.

·         Nutella: No, Australia did not invent Nutella. Yes, Nutella is available in the U.S. But the amount of Nutella consumed in this country is pretty insane. I’ve seen jars with 1 kg of Nutella in them. If you somehow haven’t tried Nutella before, go buy a jar right now. It’s hazelnut-chocolate spread and it gives you an excuse to eat chocolate all day long.

·    Tim Tams: “It’s just a chocolate biscuit. I don’t understand the hype.” Yes, it is a chocolate biscuit, but they are some of the best chocolate biscuits I’ve ever tasted. Two chocolate cookies coated in a layer of chocolate and filled with whipped chocolate goodness, Tim Tams are a must-try when in Australia. I’ve bought way too many packages of Tim Tams here.

·         ANZAC biscuits: These are sort of like a hard oatmeal cookie. Not too sweet, not too spectacular, but a good, simple biscuit with a great story. It is thought that these were sent to soldiers during war, hence the name ANZAC biscuit (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps). Nowadays, a portion of the sales is given to an organization that supports servicemen, veterans, and their families.

·         Sausage roll: This is a flaky pastry filled with sausage. Pretty simple, but so hearty and filling. This is what I would call Australian comfort food.

·         Lamingtons: I got jam-filled lamingtons, which have two layers of sponge cake with jam between them. They are then coated in chocolate and coconut—what’s not to like?

·         Vegemite: Now, for the ultimate question—what is Vegemite really like? Did you like it? Did you spit it out? Before I tell you what I thought, though, I want to explain how I tried it because that actually makes an enormous difference. For all of my non-Australians out there, the most important thing is to never EVER eat Vegemite by itself. It is a savory yeast spread, so eating it plain would be nasty. I heard the best way to try it is to put a tiny bit of it on toast with butter, so that is exactly what I did.

The first bite I took confused me. It was salty, a bit bitter, and very savory. But it wasn’t bad, so I continued to taste it. Bite after bite, I was still confused. I’m honestly not sure how I felt about it even now, but it was interesting and definitely worth trying! I think I liked it, so I might even try it again. I bought a little jar of it—maybe I’ll grow to love it!

There hasn’t been a single food I’ve tried here that I truly disliked. There were definitely some that confused me at first, but trying new things is part of the fun!

Side note: Another popular thing for tourists to try is kangaroo meat, but I just couldn't bring myself to eating one of these guys.

An American and Australians walk into a bar...

An American and a bunch of Australians walk into a bar...

Sounds like the start of a bad joke, doesn't it?

I have just one week left of class. And since I've already finished my last assessments for two of my classes, I really am almost done. Which means it's time for a ton of end-of-year celebrations! Australians love a good party, so there is one...for everything.  

After a semester, I've noticed a few things about their parties:

• First, a disclaimer: Drinking age in Australia is 18.
• There are parties and pub crawls for everything from international leadership programs to the primary education department.
• Drinks are served at pretty much everything else, too. Everyone who went to orientation back at the beginning of the semester got a free drink.
• There are two bars on campus. 
• Dancing is great fun here. A couple other American girls and I taught a group of 40 or so Australian and international students how to do the Cupid Shuffle at an event recently, and in turn, an Australian student taught me how to do what is basically their equivalent...The Nut Bush. (Yes, you read that correctly. The NUT BUSH.) It's a song by Tina Turner (Nut Bush City Limits), and every Australian knows ~this dance~ that goes along with it. 
• As a twenty-year-old American, it makes me feel a bit strange to be served alcohol at these events and only be asked for ID about half of the time. 
• It also makes me feel very mature and classy to drink champagne at special events.
• Many Australians find my reactions to all of this hilarious, and they laugh at America's drinking age. At least I'm a source of entertainment! :-)

After a short last week of class, I will go to my last UON party--the International Student Farewell--and then I will be completely done at the University of Newcastle, bringing the "study" part of my study abroad experience to a close. 

I have just five weeks until I go back to the USA. It's such a weird feeling because after all this time, I feel something like a local. Australians are so welcoming that many of them have even told me that I can call myself an Australian now. 

I won't get too sentimental just yet, though. I still have much to explore!

Caroline Halford's Day Off

Sydney in a day. "The question isn't 'what are we going to do?' The question is 'what aren't we going to do?'" 

In order to take on the daunting task of seeing such an enormous city in a single day, I took advice from the inspirational Ferris Bueller. Yeah, he's a lunatic of a character, but he sure does know how to explore a city!

Given, I've already been to Sydney. But on that weekend, I only managed to hit the major highlights. In other words, I made it to the Harbour Bridge, Darling Harbour, and the Opera House. I knew that I had to make it back to Sydney soon to really see the city. 

Being the frugal person that I am, I decided against staying the night in a hotel and instead opted for a Ferris Bueller-style day in Sydney, exploring as much of the city in as little time as possible. 

Luckily (or unluckily, depending on your outlook), a loud noise woke me up very early in the morning, so I left my house at 5:30 a.m. and began my journey to the city. It was still dark when I left, so I was pretty much alone for the first hour or so of the train ride. 

I arrived just before 9 a.m., so naturally, I went for coffee! After caffeinating the best way I know how (yes, I mean Starbucks), I began my walk through downtown.

First stop was Town Hall, and while I did not go inside, I did take a couple snaps of the beautiful architecture.

Just across the street from Town Hall is the Queen Victoria Building, which is currently home to a high-end shopping centre. I felt ten times classier just walking through the building. 

 (I still wasn't above taking awkward mirror selfies, though...baby steps, people.)

                                         After some window shopping here and at the Shops on Market Street, I continued on to toward the museums and galleries, but I took breaks along the way as I saw beautiful sites to photograph.

The church shown in these pictures is St. Mary's Cathedral, and the butterfly is named Fred. 

Then it was off to the Australia Museum--the first museum that opened in the country. It was small, but they had great exhibits on Aboriginals and dinosaurs.

The Art Gallery of New South Wales was even better because it was 1) free and 2) much bigger with many more exhibits, including ones for 19th, 20th, and 21st century art, Aboriginal pieces, and Asian art, including calligraphy-style pieces. 

From here, I made my way down to the Royal Botanical Gardens, Opera House, and Harbour Bridge. It just didn't feel right to make a trip to Sydney and miss these iconic sites, and I can always use more photographs. 

When I was finished, I cut through the Circular Quay to the train station to head to Bondi Beach, which is a famous beach in this part of the world. I've been spoiled with incredible beaches right here in Newcastle for the past three months, but it still was a gorgeous place!

 

After grabbing a bite to eat, I decided it was about time to start making my way home, and four and a half hours later, I made it back home, exhausted but content. 

In the words of my inspiration for this whirlwind of a day: 

"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it." 

Disclaimer: No classes were skipped in the making of this awesome day.