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!