entry 3
I should probably tell you a little bit 'bout my time in Lorne...
The town/city reminds me of a quaint vacation spot. Shops, big beach, bars, cafes, trails, a huge pier... We took the train from Deakin to Geelong; then the bus from Geelong to Lorne. As we got closer to Lorne, the road reminded me of the road to Hana on Maui. I also fell into flashbacks of our research observation site on Maui; the cliffs dropping off to the big blue...
We stayed in a rather rugged hostel. It was a few house/building accommodations with bunk beds. Cute, but cold... We sort of passed around the space heater to heat the room before bed; closing the door to trap heat in for sleeping. We were part of about 200 international students from all of Deakin (Melbourne, Warrnambool, and Geelong.. I may be forgetting a campus). The first day we tried surfing, which was great fun and quite exhausting. Just like sledding, each run calls for another "hike" back into the waves to go again. I will definitely enjoy doing more of it when it gets warmer (if I can find a surf board). We wore full wet suits, but the water was maybe like Lake Superior? They mentioned the temperature, but I am still getting used to everything in celcius. I am pretty sure I overheard that the water temp doesn't change much throughout the year... I hope for some hot summer temps to encourage a lot of water activities!
We had some wonderful meals at our meeting place at a large hotel. Most of the other students had the priviledge of staying here (I forget the name off the top of my head). We enjoyed a couple of the bars and wondered through some shops. I ate some gummy shark at "Fish 'n Chips". I ordered the #4 without asking what type of fish they use and didn't find out until after I finished. It was white, a bit soft, and a relatively thin fillet (that I had grilled). One guy worked behind the counter to prepare the meals.
We also did a little mountain biking on a trail along the ocean and stopped to see some little tide pools. Afterward, we played in the sand and had a game of American touch football. I believe I made an interception ;) It was great just tearing around and being a kid... We congregated in one of the girl's rooms that had heat and played some cards and such with a bit of wine and beer from an old keg one of our buddies found as he left the room to "go to the bathroom". It was quite a hilarious stunt and I'm sure will be a lasting inside joke...
We arrived back yesterday and had an orientation to sign up for classes and take a tour of campus today (Thursday). On a bus tour of Warrnambool, we made a couple stops and saw a couple kangaroos and koala. Both let us approach real close, which was quite unexpected. A lady warned not to get to close and personal with the koala, as they can be a bit "mean" sometimes. I'm sure I would bust out my claws if a curious human got too close as well!
I posted all my pictures so far on facebook. I am wondering if there is a place I can do the same on here...
I forgot to mention... We saw a couple whales from a lookout point over the beach in Warrnambool. They were most likely southern right whales; a calf and its mother?
The town/city reminds me of a quaint vacation spot. Shops, big beach, bars, cafes, trails, a huge pier... We took the train from Deakin to Geelong; then the bus from Geelong to Lorne. As we got closer to Lorne, the road reminded me of the road to Hana on Maui. I also fell into flashbacks of our research observation site on Maui; the cliffs dropping off to the big blue...
We stayed in a rather rugged hostel. It was a few house/building accommodations with bunk beds. Cute, but cold... We sort of passed around the space heater to heat the room before bed; closing the door to trap heat in for sleeping. We were part of about 200 international students from all of Deakin (Melbourne, Warrnambool, and Geelong.. I may be forgetting a campus). The first day we tried surfing, which was great fun and quite exhausting. Just like sledding, each run calls for another "hike" back into the waves to go again. I will definitely enjoy doing more of it when it gets warmer (if I can find a surf board). We wore full wet suits, but the water was maybe like Lake Superior? They mentioned the temperature, but I am still getting used to everything in celcius. I am pretty sure I overheard that the water temp doesn't change much throughout the year... I hope for some hot summer temps to encourage a lot of water activities!
We had some wonderful meals at our meeting place at a large hotel. Most of the other students had the priviledge of staying here (I forget the name off the top of my head). We enjoyed a couple of the bars and wondered through some shops. I ate some gummy shark at "Fish 'n Chips". I ordered the #4 without asking what type of fish they use and didn't find out until after I finished. It was white, a bit soft, and a relatively thin fillet (that I had grilled). One guy worked behind the counter to prepare the meals.
We also did a little mountain biking on a trail along the ocean and stopped to see some little tide pools. Afterward, we played in the sand and had a game of American touch football. I believe I made an interception ;) It was great just tearing around and being a kid... We congregated in one of the girl's rooms that had heat and played some cards and such with a bit of wine and beer from an old keg one of our buddies found as he left the room to "go to the bathroom". It was quite a hilarious stunt and I'm sure will be a lasting inside joke...
We arrived back yesterday and had an orientation to sign up for classes and take a tour of campus today (Thursday). On a bus tour of Warrnambool, we made a couple stops and saw a couple kangaroos and koala. Both let us approach real close, which was quite unexpected. A lady warned not to get to close and personal with the koala, as they can be a bit "mean" sometimes. I'm sure I would bust out my claws if a curious human got too close as well!
I posted all my pictures so far on facebook. I am wondering if there is a place I can do the same on here...
I forgot to mention... We saw a couple whales from a lookout point over the beach in Warrnambool. They were most likely southern right whales; a calf and its mother?
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