Snow (Hey Oh) - Red Hot Chili Peppers

Last Tuesday we went to the snow! Nick, Eli, Rachel and I headed north to Mt. Buller around 5:30 am. It took us about three hours to drive all the way up there and we were going to have to stop in town to rent ski and snowboard gear and buy lift tickets, etc. Realizing about an hour into the trip that I completely forgot to bring my camera, I was extremely let down, but Nick snapped a few that I hope to get a hold of before I leave the country.

Rachel and I decided to rent skis- I am pretty experienced on skis from my past family vacations in Park City, Utah, but Rachel had only skied once before. In fact, this trip was the second time Rachel had ever even seen snow! Nick and Eli are both pretty experienced skiers, but they decided to try their luck on snowboards this time around. We were all fairly tired from the drive when we first arrived on the mountain, but it was amazing to see how we all perked up once we saw the snow.

As always, it’s impossible to capture the beauty that surrounded us up on that mountain, but I spent the day soaking it all in. After spending a bit of time on the bunny hill, Eli and I explored more of the mountain, finding a few blue (intermediate) runs that we could ride pretty well! I was impressed with how quickly I picked back up the sport, but I was more stunned by how well Eli taught himself to snowboard. We explored a massive amount of the area- even making it up to the summit a few times. Avoiding the black diamonds wasn’t too hard- and the snow conditions were a lot better than I expected. The morning snow was beautiful and full of powder, but by the end of the day it was definitely more challenging snow- icy at the tops of the runs and slushy at the bottom—it became quite a workout at some points! But, I was very proud of myself- I only fell a handful of times the whole day!

My favorite moment I brought home from the snow was during one of my last runs down my favorite blue, called Shaky Knees. There was only one other person on the run with me- a bloke who was pretty far down the slope. I saw him stop fairly abruptly and it made me slow my speed and open my eyes- and what did I see? A bumbling wombat slowly lumbering across the snow. I stopped a few yards away and both my viewing partner and me stood in awe of the spectacular nature in which we were surrounded. We let the creature pass by us and watched him head for, what we assumed to be, home. Heading back to civilization from the snow was a bit of a melancholy experience, but I was so lucky to spend my day in such an amazing place.

Saturday we headed to Phillip Island, south of Melbourne to see something I only ever expected to see in snow: penguins!!! Phillip Island is home to fairy penguins that grow to be about 30 cm tall. Eli, Brayden, Shelby, and I spent an hour or two on the sand before heading to the Penguin Parade. We walked the beach and although it was a little chilly, the waves Bass Strait (a part of the Southern Ocean) were stunning.

While at Phillip Island we also had a chance to stop by the Chocolate Factory- a scrumptious little adventure. We took the tour of the chocolate museum- which was fantastically interactive- we even got to make some of our own treats! It was a calorie-filled adventure that I think we all enjoyed a little too much.

So after the sand and the sweets, we headed to the main attraction- scheduled for sunset. The Penguin Parade consisted of watching the adorable fairy penguins make their way home from their day at sea. Every morning at sunrise the penguins leave their burrows that are all around the beach and the surrounding bush and head out to the ocean. Then, every night at sunset they return home. It was unbelievable to watch about 600 penguins make their way out of the water in sets of 50 or so. We were able to sit just a few feet from the little creatures and it was unbelievable to see them so close up and personal! Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures, but I will never forget the mental images! I feel so lucky to be able to experience something that happens every day! This world sure is a breathtaking place.

And, this lucky girl gets to experience even more of it as I head off to New Zealand for spring break with my friends Chris, Brian, Laura, Ana, and Silvia. I cannot wait for what is to come!

Dance, Dance - Fall Out Boy

Sitting in the second row to watch the Australian Ballet was incredible. To hear the ballerina’s feet hit the stage and to hear them breathing so heavily proved what amazing shape the dancers really have to be in.

Laura, Ana, and I decided to have a girls’ night on Thursday while all of our friends went to the Swinburne Residences Ball. (The ball tickets cost $80 each and we would have had to buy dresses… we decided it wasn’t worth it). So, we headed to the ballet. Just a block or so from Flinders Street Station in downtown Melbourne is the State Theatre. Ana learned that they had a student rush- where if you went 2 hours before the show began, students can get tickets anywhere that is available for $32. Hence the reason why we were sitting in an area that normally costs about $180 a person.

The ballet was called “Edge of Night” and featured the music of Handel. It was split into three parts titled: At the Edge of Night, Halcyon, and Molto Vivace. Unfortunatly, we arrived 15 minutes late and missed the title piece, but we were let in for the second two and were blown away. Halcyon was a beautiful love story that was portrayed with flowing movements and a classic ballet performance. It was exactly what you would expect to see out of a fabulous ballet piece. Molto Vivace on the other hand, was absolutely fabulous in a completely different way—it was HILAIROUS! In a surprising twist, Laura, Ana, and I found ourselves cramping from laughing so hard. Colorful, adorable, full of life, spark, and personality—Molto Vivace was by far my favorite ballet- and probably one of my favorite performances I’ve ever seen.

Friday night Laura and I went out with a friend of mine from one of my classes. Matt wanted to take us to the classy part of Melbourne and we ended up at a bar called “Silk Rose” where the average age was probably around 35. It was… interesting… especially watching the cougars hit on Matt and watching how older people dance with each other—it was a little glimpse of what I might be like in about 10 or 15 years. After Silk Rose we headed to the casino for a bit and Laura gambled for the first time—and lost $5. It was pretty upsetting for her. Overall, it was a pretty casual, but entertaining evening.

Saturday was another casual night on campus at my friends’ Chris and Brian’s apartment with Ana and Laura. Laura and I had been fighting with technology all day—both of our phones decided to go on the fritz and we had hopes that Chris could fix all of it. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, but a relaxing night with close friends was just what the doctor ordered.

Sunday (last night) was the celebration for my friend Brayden’s 19th birthday. We went to a bowling alley downtown Melbourne where, if you buy a drink for $6, you get a free game. Well, after 7 hours of bowling, it’s needless to say some of the group was a little messy. But, I think we accomplished a pretty solid birthday celebration for Bray.