Lake Oconee

Okay some more strange things- so many people write in pencil not pen. I'm actually one of the few who write in pen! It is also really easy to spot an international student at the dinner table- they will be using a knife and fork, not just a fork!

I went to The Municipal Court of Lawrenceville to write a report for an assignment. It was very interesting. There were lots of traffic offences and people were even in court for home maintenance violations!

I helped out with some yard work at a nearby YMCA. It was nice to be able to see their facilities, I put out pine straw, did some weeding and cleaning up.

I have also discovered that I can in fact throw an American Football, I can even make it spin. We also go rock climbing on Thursday nights. This is fun and a really great work out!

This weekend we went to Lake Oconee with some of the GRSP students in my area. There were twelve of us all together. We stayed in the homes of local Rotarian's. The house I was at was surrounded by a gold course!

On the way there we took a scenic route. We saw huge distribution centres and homes. We also stopped in a little town called Maddison for a late lunch.

On the Friday night we all had a southern BBQ dinner together and then listened to an opera singer who lived in the area. It was really personalised and he had an amazing voice.

On Saturday we worked with Habitat for Humanity. This meant we were putting frames for houses together for those less fortunate. They have a program where people must apply for these homes and they have to help build it and pay back the cost of materials over a period of time. Their motto is "We provide a hand-up, not a hand-out."

That afternoon we went to the lake. The weather was not the best, but it did stop raining for us, and the weather never stopped me anyway! It was great to spend some time together. We played a bit of volleyball and Frisbee, and got dragged around behind a boat which is always fun!

That night we had burgers for dinner and then listened to a talk about the local area. We then did some karaoke. Which was great fun and by that point we were all exhausted.

On Sunday the four of us at GGC all went to a BBQ hosted by one of my host families. We were pretty tired, but had a really nice time. It was a good chance to meet some of the other host families.

The Lake House

So the bikes in America are different, and I learnt this the hard way. I slammed on the front brakes thinking they were the rear ones going down a hill and went for six (no one here gets this expression!) The brakes are around the opposite way here.

  Monday 7th is Labor Day here and we were invited to someone's house by Lake Lanier. We had a great time paddle boarding, kayaking, jumping off stuff and getting towed behind a jet ski.

This past weekend all the GRSP students got the opportunity to all meet up again. The student weekend was hosted at Clayton County, about an hour and a half from GGC.

We got together on Friday evening, had dinner and then stayed with host families in the local area for the weekend. There were three or four students with each family. The family I stayed with were very nice and had a cute little dog, similar to mine back home. 

On the way back to their home we spent some time with a small group of students at another home, it was a great chance to have a good chat with some people.

On Saturday we met back with everyone for team building activities. In groups, we had to build boats out of cardboard and duct tape. These boats had to not only float, but carry someone a short distance. Only two boats didn't sink, ours wasn't one of them.

The event was held at the same place The Hunger Games: Mockingjay was filmed, so that was pretty cool. There was a little water park too, so we got to go on watersides and a trampoline in the water.

We all had dinner together that night and we had a Model UN and then there was a DJ. It was really interesting to hear different perspectives on current issues like refugees and technology.

On the way back to the weekend host family's house we stopped for ice cream, so that kept me pretty happy! Then we were back the next morning to all go back to our schools. It was all over very fast.

Dragon Con 2015

Today I learnt that all the cons I have been to in Perth are tiny. Dragon Con is huge. It spans across several hotels and there are people absolutely everywhere.

We got there early to buy tickets to get in, you could only buy tickets online a year in advance. The line for registration, or to get your entry tickets, wrapped around the building and down the street. Luckily we all decided to pay cash and the line moved quite quickly. I got a badge to get in, instead of a crappy wristband.

I had pre-purchased a photo with Robbie and Stephen Amell, so we raced over to another hotel to get there on time. We went up and down different floors until we finally found where to go in the giant maze.

They were both really nice and even a little bit shy, especially compared to Nathan Fillion and John Barrowman! I thought it was funny we all had hats on. The line to have that photo moved really fast and it was over too soon.

There was a room called the Walk of Fame, full of booths where you could meet celebrities, have a chat to them, get autographs and sometimes photos.

They had a huge parade which went on for a few hours, we didn't stay and watch, but got a few glimpses of it as we walked between hotels.

We then wrestled our way through people to get food and pretty much picked the place with the shortest line. We walked over to another hotel to look at the vendors. This was two huge warehouse sized levels of people selling toys and games. We were packed in there like sardines. When we left the line to get in there was even longer then what it was to get in. I did enjoy looking at everything.

There were cosplayers everywhere and we got a chance to sit against a wall in one of the hotels and just watch people go past. I got a bucket, which is just a cocktail in a small bucket. I don't even know what it was, but it was pink and yummy.

We also walked through where all the artists were, which was a huge area too. About the size of the whole show floor in Perth. Some of the art was really incredible. I bought a Firefly and an Agent Carter print.

By this point our feet had had enough and we called it a day. While there were so many people, we were very lucky with lines and didn't have to wait long.

It was a great day and a totally new experience! I'm sure there are a few people back home who are at least a little bit jealous!

First GRSP Meet up

Alright, so a few more strange things, some people are eating cheese on yoghurt! There are a lot of people wearing socks and sandals, and heaps of people in jeans and jumpers even though the weather is hot!

I also had a few issues with the dryer. No one hangs the washing out, they all use dryers. When I went to use it, it didn't dry anything at all, I thought I was doing it wrong, but it turns out that dryer is broken!

On Friday all the Georgia Rotary Student Program kids met for the first time at the Conclave. We registered and had individual photos taken and then we got a chance to talk to everyone over lunch. Later got some information about Rotary and rehearsed some songs for the Cabaret we put on the next night.

Late in the afternoon we all mate WAPI's. It is a Humanitarian Project one of the Rotary Clubs do to help people in third world countries. WAPI stands for Water Pasteurization Indicator and it is something quite simple and cheap to make. It indicates the right temperature water gets to when it is safe to drink-this saves resources used to get the water to boiling.

That evening we had a buffet dinner with traditional southern food. There was brisket, corn bread and peach cobbler. We also went up on stage and introduced ourselves to all the Rotarians. That night we were all distributed to the local Rotarians' to stay for the weekend. It seemed a bit funny for me because the Conclave was held at my college, but I got to spend the evenings with another student.

On the way back to the hose we stopded at a drive through ice cream place! I had Oreo and coffee ice cream.

We were back at the college early the next morning for more information, talks and photos.We had lunch in the dining hall and then went for another rehearsal for that night. We also practiced our individual and group talent acts.

The Cabaret show was a great success! We did well performing the songs with everyone in the short time we had to learn it. It was great to see all the different acts. Some people sang, some people read poetry, some people danced and some people did skits.

I did a lip sync battle with the other students at GGC. It was a great laugh and we had fun, I performed Down Under by Men at Work!

That evening there was a bit of a party for all the students with a DJ. We all danced and it was over very quickly!

On Sunday afternoon a Rotarian kindly bought tickets for the four of us at GGC to go to the play Memphis, at the Auora theatre. It was a small venue's and the musical was fantastic! That evening we all went out to dinner with one of the girl's host family. It was a really nice outing.

Six Flags and Eagle Rock Production Studios

So I have had a few funny things said to me, my favourite being "Have you ever seen a kangaroo?" Also encountered a few more strange things, for example the cheese is orange!

I went through my first week of classes. The first week is add/drop week which means you can change your classes around as much as you like to have the ideal schedule. Unfortunately I am a different type of student and I was not able to do this on my own, but had to ring up and get a registrar to change it for me.

I think in the end my timetable is pretty good; Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays and the rest of the week off! I just have online content to do on Thursday and Friday. Some poor kids have class on a Saturday!

Dorms

I also got the chance to explore some of the things the college offers. They have a really good Health and Well-being Centre which has a nice gym, pool and offers fitness classes. The three of us GRSP girls had a go at the Combat Kickboxing class which was hard work, but heaps of fun!

The food situation is pretty good too. We get unlimited access into the dining hall and while there are burgers and chips, there are plenty of healthy options too. I get to have my omelette every morning so I'm pretty happy with that!

For lunch you can also pick out the meat and veggies you want and they fry them up on this huge hot plate to make a stir fry! Plus you can get fresh pizza, pasta and other things too. There is even a waffle machine! There was an ice cream machine, but it is out of order at the moment!

The four GRSP's at GGC had all decided we wanted to go to Six Flags and we worked out that there was only one day that we would be able to go before the park closed over winter. I pre-purchased our tickets online as it was the cheapest option.

On the morning we wanted to go it was absolutely bucketing down and this caused so much stress! I was on the phone trying to see if we could get a refund, even though I knew they wouldn't do that.

We ended going anyway, we could at least go on a few rides and have a look around rather then wasting our money.

When we arrived we were hopeful-we could see blue skies! All the roller-coasters were closed, but there were some rides we could go on.

Luck was on our side, slowly one by one rides started to open. It was great, the rain had scared everyone off so we had pretty much no wait time! We were able to go on pretty much everything, including the water slides in the mini water park inside.

There were some pretty cool rides and lots of Batman stuff which suited me! I even bought a Batman bucket hat, I had been looking for a bucket hat that I actually liked for a while now.

There was Gotham City, with a Batman roller-coaster, a Joker circular coaster thing, Harley Quin spinning ride and The Riddler roller coaster, plus The Batmobile!

There was a really cool Superman roller-coaster. As we were waiting to go on we saw how it worked, and while I was very excited some of the others were less so! You sit down and pull the safety bar over your head, and then someone comes and checks, and then they lock it with a bolt, and strap your legs in! Then you get tipped forward and fly along the track like Superman! This was my favourite ride.

There was also this roller-coaster where you stand up! You can adjust the seat to your height and then it locks in.

We stayed the full day, 10.30am-8pm, and we were all pretty exhausted. On the way back home we stopped at The Varsity, a totally new experience for the others.

On Monday I went to Eagle Rock Production Studios with Peachtree Corners Rotary Club. It was a really interesting experience. We got a tour and got to see a few sets and sound stages. The guide was very knowledgeable and easy to listen to. This studio will be primarily for TV shows as it is not really big enough for movies. It used to be a warehouse for Kraft, which makes its layout quite unique.

Dorm Life

First of all a few more strange things I have noticed, there are air conditioner vents in the bathrooms!

Last Wednesday I moved into my dorm. Four other international students moved in with me too and we all share a little apartment. There are two GRSP girls, one from Sweeden and one from Colombia, and two girls from Brazil. There is also a GRSP boy from Colombia in another dorm.

The room is quite a good size, but the bed is quite high. Later on the next day a group of us all lowered mine and another girls bed. It was quite the team exercise! We share a bathroom between two, and have a living area with a TV and a kitchenette.

We got pizza for lunch, and pre-ordered meals for dinner as the dining hall wasn't open yet.

On Thursday we had international orientation, where I had looked up a lot of the information already. We were very well looked after though.

There was an event in the afternoon called a CLAWnival which had lots of little stalls and a March Through The Arch which is a tradition for the college. We got free lunch and diner too.

Friday was Bear Essentials which was long and I did know some of the information from other university orientations. We managed to finish early though.

Friday night I went to The Heroes Ball which was a function for military, police and firefighters in the area.

 It was at the Braselton-Stover house, a very fancy building built in 1916. It was a nice evening with lots of drinks and dancing.

On Saturday some international students went to The Mall of Georgia and Super Target. There were so many really nerdy shops, and a really cool hat shop which took all my strength not to buy anything! I also spent $200AUD at Target! Just on hair and shower products, so that should keep me going for a while.

There was also a party organised for students on Saturday. There was some food, loud music and a big inflatable water slide.

Today a group of international students were taken to Fort Yargo for canoeing. The lake was about 40 minutes from the college. It was a long day, we went paddling, swimming and had burgers and hot dogs for lunch. The water wasn't cold at all, and it looked like a stereotypical canoeing lake that you see in movies!The shopping and canoeing was organised for us by the college.

We have had a few issues with the dining hall not being open when we go as they have limited opening hours before classes start, and connecting with the wifi at the college, but hopefully these issues get ironed out once classes start tomorrow. The last girl to move into our dorm also moved in today, she is a local student.

First Week In

So there are a few things I have discovered that are actually real or a little bit strange. First of all, they really do have yellow school buses over here! They also have mouth wash in the toilets and the cashiers at the bank just stand behind a desk with no glass. Target is also massive. Salt and Vinegar chips are in a blue packet, not pink and while the bacon is just not the same, it wasn't as bad as I was warned it would be.

The houses are also really different. They seem to be bigger, on bigger blocks, and they all look very similar. Also, there are pretty much no fences!

I also went to my first Rotary meeting over here. This one was for The Rotary Club of Braselton, which meets at breakfast time. They meet in this lovely club house at a golf course. They had a buffet breakfast before the meeting. The meeting was shorter than any I have been to back home, but they do the same sort of things, talk about past and upcoming fundraisers and that sort of thing.

I also did my presentation, I just talked about myself where I come from, what I do and showed them some pictures. I think it went just fine.

On Saturday there was an event the Rotary Club was involved in called Tug of Love which is a tug of war over a mud pit. Different teams battle to raise funds for children with disabilities. It was a really cool event to watch. After the event I helped with the ribbon cutting as they announced the name of the new camp where the event was held.

After that we went to get some gelato and ice cream, yes both, we had to compare the two! My choc chip cookie dough ice cream won that battle.

On Saturday I also got the chance to look in an antique store which was huge. It had three levels, and it wasn't even the biggest one! I really like to have a look at that sort of stuff, I find it all very interesting. I also found a stash of comics and bought Superboy #1 which was printed the year I was born, 1994, and it was in really good condition.

On Sunday I went with my host family to explore downtown Atlanta. On the way we stopped at a little Cuban place for lunch. I got a Cuban sandwich, which is a bit like a toasted sandwich in a flat press. It is a really different style of food, I don't even know if there is anywhere in Australia to get this cuisine. It is quite a big meal that fills you up.

We went to The Westin' Peachtree Plaza and rode up 73 floors to the observation deck on top. It was a really great view and I got lots of great photos.

We then walked down to The Olympic Park to have a good look, there is lots of water for people to sit and put their feet in and for kids to play.

On the way back home we stopped at The Varsity which is the worlds largest drive-in restaurant and has been open since 1928. Here you don't order from an intercom, a person actually walks up to you, and you can also eat inside. There are six others in Georgia, and are known for the phrase "What'll ya have?" It certainly was a experience! I just had a frosty orange, which tasted like soft serve mixed with Fanta. I'd like to go again and try some other stuff they have too, and maybe buy a cap! They also have these paper hats you can have, like the crowns at Hungry Jacks/Burger King.

Today I went to have a look around the college, it is a very big campus much bigger than uni back home. Most of the buildings are new and they are more spaced out than any uni back home. It's also very green, and it looks like there are lots of places to get food.

I also had a look at some comic book shops. I managed to stop myself from buying anything, but I know where to go when I need more to read.

I also went into this little boutique style place for beer. It was like nothing I've seen before, and you can buy a growler of beer which is a glass jug with a handle. They had cider, so I bought a quart for about $12.

I'm in America!

The four of us, Mum, Dad, Renee and I got up early to leave for Perth Domestic Airport. After I had one last cuddle with the dog, Jaz, we were on our way.

I had to line up, instead of self-checking in as I was on an international transfer flight. While I was waiting in the queue, a few friends arrived to see me off, which was very sweet and nice, especially as the sun wasn't even up yet!

Once I had checked in and we were through security we had time for a quick coffee before I had to board. I was probably the last one to board after hugging everyone.

The flight to Sydney was mostly uneventful, even though the pilot said there was an auxiliary power issue and they were manually starting one of the engines, or something like that!

Anyway, arrived on time in Sydney and caught a shuttle bus to the international airport.

As soon as I got through immigration and security, boarding had started. On my way though I was stopped and randomly  selected for explosives testing, so I was taken into a little interview room for them to swab my clothes and belongings. The officer announced it to me like it was some sort of prize! It was obviously negative and I was on my way.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

I was on the huge airbus A380, that has an upper and lower deck! Luckily I was seated next to a nice girl who had studied journalism and now worked in marketing-small world!

We were very well fed on the flight. We had dinner, then they brought out hot chocolate, ice cream, fruit, hot dogs, chocolates, cheese and biscuits and then finally breakfast in the morning.

On arrival in Dallas I had to go through immigration, my line was a bit longer as I had a visa. That was all fine and then I had to collect my bags to go through customs. The bloke pretty much said "yep off you go" and I was through. I had to drop my bags off again so they could be loaded onto another plane.

I had to go through security again, but this time I had to take my shoes off too. I also had to stand inside that machine with my hands up to be scanned, instead of the normal metal detectors. It took a few attempts for me because I moved.

I then had to hop on the sky train to take me to my departure gate. Dallas airport is huge!

The flight to Atlanta was pretty quick and a bit bumpier than the previous two flights.

When I landed I went straight downstairs to baggage claim and somehow missed where everyone was waiting for me, but it didn't take long for them to find me.

It was really great to finally meet everyone and we all went out to dinner which was really nice.

On the drive to the restaurant I got to look at all the different things I would like to explore, like the home ground for the Atlanta Braves and the home to CNN.

The waitress refilled my drink before I had even finished the first and there was even mouthwash in the bathroom, which was interesting.

Then I got to go back to the house where I'll be staying before I move into the college, and I was glad to get a good sleep.

Supanova 2015

This year I went to Supanova on the Sunday, I really don't think I have the stamina for the whole weekend. After one full day I was exhausted.  

We trekked it out to the convention centre, my sister, my friend and I, about an hour before the doors even opened. There was one particular guest who I wanted to see, and I wanted to get a good spot in the line to meet him. 

 My sister and my friend waited at one door to run to line up for the photo, and I ran in to line up for an autograph. I knew Perth was pretty excited to meet Nathan Fillion. 

 My plan didn't quite go according to plan. Nathan wasn't going to come out for autographs until after my scheduled photo time. So I ran to the photo line, and ended up being about third in line and we had to wait an hour before our photo. 

 The wait was worth it though! He was so nice and just before our photo he said "pretend I'm cool". Meeting him was pretty quick and we were able to pick up our photo straight away, and I'm pretty happy with it. 

I then raced over to his autograph line, which didn't start moving for about half an hour, so my friend and sister went to check out the showroom floor. When I got my autograph I had to quickly chose which photo to get signed, and then I had the chance to have a brief chat with Nathan. He is really nice and shakes everyone's hand. 

 Next stop was Nathan's panel which we waited an hour before going in, we did get a really good spot though. He answered lots of questions, and gave everyone who asked questions stickers or tattoos from his upcoming production Con Man with Alan Tudyk, or little tid bits from Castle scripts. 

After that we were starving and begrudgingly handed over money for over-priced food. I also got a proper look at all the exhibitors and had a good look at the things local artists had put together. 

 I bought a few comics from my friend. I got some off her last year, and I was excited to get the next editions. Her work is really cool. You can check it out at MN Productions. 

To end the day we went to Elizabeth Henstridge's panel, she plays Agent Jemma Simmons in Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. She is really sweet and lovely and great to listen to. Nathan also ran onstage to take a selfie with her! 

This year's Supanova was great, and I hope I am back in time for next years!

Party in the USA

Last Wednesday, 10th June marked my twenty one years on this earth. We did our usual family breakfast and presents quite early in the morning. Everyone else had to work, so it meant I had an early start, and then had to clean up once they all left.

That evening the four of us went out to Hilarys for cocktails and burgers. It was really nice being together looking out over the water, even though it was really cold.

The next few days were spent setting up for my party which was a Party in the USA theme. I had photoshopped my face onto Miley Cyrus' body for the invite.

Each time I invited a friend over, I'd look away and then Dad would have them doing jobs for him to help set up.

We had flags, lights, a smoke machine, a bubble machine, music and even a cutout of Uncle Sam and the Statue of Liberty, all set up at our home.

We had 77 people come through on Saturday night. Everyone got along well and there was plenty of talking and dancing. We had hot roast beef rolls, mini hotdogs, pizza, meatballs, crumbed chicken, popcorn, ice cream and a Captain America Birthday cake made by a family friend, with matching cupcakes by Cakes by D'Lake.

I had a great night and it was really nice to see everyone.

I have also booked my flight to Atlanta for August 3rd and I have received my visa. I have been emailing back with my host family too. They are really nice and it sounds like we have a lot of things in common, one of those things is liking the beach, which is great to hear! I have a host family while I'm away, but I stay on campus for most of the time. I still have a few things to sort out before I go.