I've been in Australia now for over a month, and I truly feel like I live here. This is a good thing, but at the same time, sort of a bad thing.

I've met some of my friend's parents and gotten to have happy family dinners. I really miss big family get-togethers when I am away from home for a long while. The excitement of the trains and trams is starting to wear off, and I no longer smile giddily while the rest of the commuters look fed-up with public transport. I now have a bicycle, so I can explore much of the city like I do in Austin. Going grocery shopping in the city without a car now feels natural. However, I really miss the mega-shopping centers of the states where you can buy anything and everything you've ever wanted in one place. Essay deadlines are starting to approach, so I am having to study some like the rest of the university students. I love the money here, and it's so easy to use. I don't know why the states doesn't have pretty, waterproof, colorful bills that are different sizes or one and two dollar coins.

This weekend, I had a very relaxing time just hanging out in Melbourne. It's the first weekend I haven't been away in over a month! Last night, we had a sleepover at Jules's house. We made tacos because the Mexican food here is a sad, sad sight. Their nachos are just a bowl of chips with some toppings thrown on top :( We went all out on the tacos, and we had so many toppings. It was wonderful! I made some delicious guacamole, which was a total surprise to all of my friends because they they thought avocados become guacamole when they are simply mushed up in a bowl. They loved the real guacamole and the tacos were a huge success. We then made s'mores, which is a new thing to Australians. It's hard to make them right because they don't have graham crackers or the right kind of marshmallows here. In the morning, we made pancakes which Australians often top with lemon and sugar. It's surprisingly good!

We are going to go to a footie game soon. I don't really understand the game, and I am not really an Australian until I know which team I barrack (cheer) for. On the tram yesterday, I was listening to a little seven year old boy talk extensively about which teams were the best, how Carlton should win the next match, and how it was always one sided against another team. It made my day, especially because he had an Ozzie accent!

I really miss everyone at home. Moving to the other side of the earth is a very interesting experience. I know I am growing and changing a lot here, and I know things are growing and changing at home while I'm gone. When I come home, things will be different, but as my friend Erik said to this, "That's life." So, in a way, I'm excited that there will be new things awaiting me at home! However, leaving here is going to be so so so hard. Leaving Texas was not all that bad because I know I will see everybody again in a few months. I can't say the same to my friends here. I know I will come back, but it could be years, so I'm currently encouraging people to study abroad at UT!

Mom, here are some things you would love about Australia: The suburbs here are far enough to feel like you are out of the city, but they are still compact with a life of their own and an easy train-ride away from downtown. You can get to a pretty beach in about fifteen minutes, and you can get to a stunningly beautiful beach in about two hours. The water is freezing, but you don't really like to get in the water, so laying on the beach is perfect. Plays, museums, and craft fairs are plentiful. The Queen Victoria Market is the coolest thing. You can buy heaps of fresh food for super cheap!

Pop, you would love the outdoors here. It is so varied, and it is still relatively close to cities. The open grasslands just look like you. Surf beaches are beautiful and so close! Torquay is apparently the home of all the big surf brands, and it is only an hour out from Melbourne. They hunt Kangaroos here, and hitting kangaroos with your car is a legitimate problem! The trees and plants that grow here are so unique looking. You could have a really cool garden!

Anyway, here is a link to some pictures of where I live, so you can get an idea of what it looks like:
http://www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=277741931/a=53093359_53093359/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish