And We Danced

While I have been here a few people suggested I see anything I can at the Fox Theatre, just to see inside. I got that chance when I said yes to seeing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. It was not the normal venue they would perform at, but they wanted to do a small intimate sit down show.

Friday afternoon I met up with some girls at Oglethoorpe University. We got ready, walked to get fancy pizza for dinner, and then got on the train.

The whole exterior and interior was spectacular. The roof was just incredible, so much so that Macklemore got all the lights turned off so we could all see. The concert itself was just awesome.

Even though we had seats, we didn't do any sitting. We were dancing and singing the whole time and just having a really great time. It is a bit hard to sing along to rap, but that didn't stop us. It really was worth it. My favourite performances where Same Love, And We Danced, Can't Hold Us, Irish Celebration and Thrift Shop.

After the show we went back to Oglethorpe University and to a frat party. It was pretty packed inside the frat house and we had to wait out in the cold to get inside because there were so many people. It wasn't really my thing, but good to experience it.

On Saturday we spent some time exploring the Oglethorpe campus before going to stay at another student's host family's house. The house was huge! They had a pool, a pond, a room full of model trains, a theatre room, a bar and many bedrooms. It was nice to spend some time with some of the other students.

We went to another frat party. This one was much bigger and at a different venue, rather then the frat house. It was good, but not something I would want to go to all the time.

Savannah Take Two

Okay, here's another weird thing; I have noticed many people here seem to have about 17 different dressings and oils in their Subway sandwich instead of just one! I don't understand how the bread holds itself together.

A group of the GRSP students went down to Savannah to catch up. I went down on Thursday and we arrived early in the evening after the five hour drive. That night we went to a roof top bar which overlooked the river, it was really pretty. Then we went to a nice place for dinner, and to an ice cream place which kept me happy!

We had big plans for the next day but it rained so we had to make some adjustments. We went into downtown Savannah after a late breakfast and had a good wonder around. We had coffee and I had a cookie dough brownie which was yummy! That night we went out for dinner and then we went out dancing, we had a great time.

On Saturday we went to Wormsloe Historic Site, we drove and looked at the nice houses and went for a long walk. We also went to Tybee Island and went for a walk along the beach. It was so cold and windy! We saw the house and the swing from the movie The Last Song. We all want out to dinner at The Crab Shack and had a bit of a seafood feast. Then we went back and all watched a movie.

We all had a really nice time.

Martin Luther King Junior Memorial Weekend

For this long weekend we had a leadership conference in Atlanta. On Friday at noon all the students came together had lunch, and then explored the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. After, we had  a discussion about the things we saw and it was very insightful to get a perspective from other students. That evening we went to Slingshot Entertainment where we had dinner, bowled and attempted to conquer the Ninja Obstacle course. While some of us were more skilled, we all talked and had fun. That evening we all stayed with our weekend host families.

On Saturday morning I got Avengers waffles for breakfast before arriving at Oglethorpe University! There was also a continental breakfast before we started the days activities. We had a Fierce Conversations seminar where we talked about the principles, meaning and objectives of Fierce Conversations. “A Fierce Conversation is one in which we come out from behind ourselves, into the conversation, and make it real.” We learned about transformational ideas, The Beach Ball Model and how to coach conversations. We had lunch in the Oglethorpe Dining Hall, where we were well fed; I liked that you could make your own sandwich (peanut butter, honey and banana if you were wondering)!

Then we continued on into the early afternoon where we stopped and participated in the Stop Hunger Now service project. This involved us packing a vitamin packet, some dehydrated vegetables, some protein and rice into a bag to be sealed and sent to someone in need.  Each bag fed six people and we packed 10, 368 in two hours. Then that evening we all broke into smaller groups to have dinner. It was nice to spend some time together in a more relaxed setting.

On Sunday morning we were back at Oglethorpe University for the last activity before we were all off to our respective colleges. We had to come up with a service project that could win $10 000 to help implement our plan. We didn’t really win anything, the aim was to get us to work together in small groups to fight a problem connected to one of Rotary’s core values. It was facilitated by the Rotaract Club of Atlanta. It was really great to hear what everyone came up with.

Then today a few of us went for a big long walk to downtown Lawrenceville. Forty five minutes there and forty five back, it was really nice outside. It was sunny even though it was -1 degrees Celsius which is confusing! We got coffees and cakes and had a great time. I got a strawberry cupcake which was so good!

Orlando and HARRY POTTER

The first night in Orlando was cold for Florida, but much warmer then the last places we had been to. We landed early in the evening and were pretty tired from traveling so we had dinner and called it a night.

On our first full day we walked to one of the outlet stores which most people told us that we couldn't walk to. We didn't get anything in the first few shops and we started to worry, but that didn't last long as we made our way through and all came away with a thing or two. For dinner we went to this really interesting Italian buffet. I have never seen anything like it, they had salad, pasta, soup, pizza, bread and Italian desserts. The tomato soup was really yummy.

On Wednesday we got up early to get the bus to Universal Studios. I had made a game plan the night before and we decided to do all the Harry Potter stuff first. We had to clear security first and once we did we headed straight to the back of the park to Diagon Alley and went on Escape From Gringots. Even though we went on as soon as it opened, we still had about a 30 minute wait! It was really great though, the whole walk to the ride was inside the bank, and exactly like the movies.

Then we went on the Hogwarts Express to Hogsmeade which was located inside Islands of Adventure, and went on Forbidden Journey, the walk to the ride was through the Hogwarts Castle which was really cool. Both rides showed video while you moved around in a car on a track and wore 3D glasses.

Next, my sister and I went on Flight of the Hippogriff, and the Dragon Challenge. Both were roller coasters and I liked them both. We walked around Hogsmeade, went in and out of the little shops and had some Butterbeer. It tasted great, but very sweet. it was just like we were there. Then we went back to Diagon Alley on The Hogwarts Express and explored. There was a dragon on top of Gringots that actually breathed fire!

We went on the Men in Black ride which was very cool, you actually got a gun and had to shoot aliens. We went on The Mummy ride, which was like the one in Singapore-an indoor roller coaster. That was our favourite ride. After that we watched the parade which wasn't as cheesy as we expected. There was Dora, Minions, Spongebob and even dancing fish on roller skates, which impressed us!

An early start for the next day, Mum, my sister and I went straight on the Rock It roller coaster. I didn't really like it as it banged my head around too much. Then we went on Shrek 4D, and on the Transformers ride, both the same as the ones at Universal Studios in Singapore, but we still liked them, We walked through Springfield which was cool, went on The Simpsons Ride and my sister got a giant doughnut which we shared. We also went on the E.T. ride which, while for little kids, was really cool and there was so much to see on it. We saw the Terminator show which I thought was pretty cool.

Then we went over to Islands of Adventure and all went on Flight of the Hippogriff. Dad and I went on Ripsaw Falls, which is a log ride and we got soaked, then we all went on The Spiderman Ride, and Doctor Doom's Fear Fall, which I really liked.

Another early start the next day, and our last day at Universal. We went on The Mummy ride twice in a row, then the Men in Black ride and E.T. It was raining a lot so we had to try to dodge the rain a bit. We went to Islands of Adventure and saw a stunt show called The Lost Voyage of Sinbad. Then Dad and I went on the Jurassic Park River Adventure were we got wet, but we remembered spray jackets this time so it wasn't too bad.

My sister and I convinced Mum to go on Doctor Doom's Fear Fall and she did like it. Then we all went through Seuss Landing where Dad made us go on this really lame train ride. We also saw another show called Poseidon's Fury which had special effects with water. Then Dad and I went on Ripsaw Falls again, we stayed dry, but our shoes did not!

My sister and I convinced Mum to go on the Dragon Challenge, but she didn't like it that much. We also spent some more time in Hogsmeade drinking Butterbeer. Then my sister and I went on Doctor Doom's Fear Fall for the last time before we left Universal for the last time on this trip.

On our last day in Orlando we got public transport to have a look at Disney. We went to Disney Springs for some food and shopping. We got the free Disney public transport to try and have a look at some of the parks, but we couldn't see anything. When we went to get the bus back to our hotel it was raining, and when we got to the bus stop it was closed and we had to walk to the next one. A bit of a disaster, but a funny story.

Now it's back to college for me and back to Australia for my family, wont be long before I'm back home!

New Orleans and Dad's Bloody Gumbo

We left Memphis on New Year's Day and headed for New Orleans. The traffic was pretty quiet. On the way through we stopped at Jackson, Mississippi and had a look at the state capital. The town was really quiet so we had lunch and then we were our way. We stopped at a rest stop and all thought it was far more exciting then any rest stop back home- there was a big park, with benches, vending machines, flushing toilets and even a security guard!

We all found it amazing driving in, all the roads were high up on stilts as it was all surrounded by water. We arrived in New Orleans late in the afternoon and the hotel was pretty busy as the Sugar Bowl was on that night. We were exhausted and glad to watch it on TV as it was very cold.

The next morning we drove into town. We parked near the water and then went for a long walk around The French Quarter.  First stop was coffee and a sports shop where we did not walk away empty handed! We then walked around the area and down Bourbon Street. The whole place had a lot of atmosphere. There were many people and street performers. All the buildings were really cool to look at, it also seemed like it was totally okay to just walk around with an alcoholic drink in hand!

We then went for a drive around and had a look at the Hurricane Katrina Memorial where they had 108 graves for those who were unidentified or unclaimed. We then drove down Saint Charles Street which was lined with  old wooden mansions which were really pretty. We went to a park opposite Tulane University and had a bit of a look at the university too. It was big and old and actually reminded me a bit of Guilford Grammar School back home.

Then today we drove about an hour and a half to Oak Alley Plantation, a sugar cane plantation. The main house was surrounded by oak trees which were over 300 years old. The house itself was originally owned my a Frenchman called Jaques Roman and it was built in 1837 by slaves. It was interesting to learn about the home and sugar cane production of that time. The plantation is still used today.

On our drive back it was incredible to see these huge boats that seemed to just drive beside the road. There was a big levee that separates the road from the Mississippi River.

We then drove with the intention of going to the Louis Armstrong park but dad wasn't wearing his glasses when he put it in the GPS and we ended up in this really sketchy part of town! We eventually found it and just had a look from the car. We also had to wait for the bridge to be lowered as a boat went by, and we all found that pretty exciting-we don't have them back home! We then went to Saint Charles Street for dinner and dad finally got some gumbo that he had been going on and on about.

Memphis,The Blues and The King

On Wednesday we packed up and headed from Nashville to Memphis. The drive was quite nice, and the traffic wasn't too bad. We stopped at Casey Jones Train Museum and had a bit of a look around.

We arrived in Memphis early on the afternoon and went to Sun Studios. It is where Elvis was first recorded; Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and many others also recorded there too. It was really interesting and still operates as a recording studio. Then we headed to Beale Street for an early dinner. We had chicken wings and ribs and listened to this guy singing blues and playing guitar. It was really cool.

On New Years Eve we went to Graceland. We went on a tour of the mansion first. I found it very interesting. The place was left as it was when Elvis lived there. There was fabric on whe walls and ceiling in the pool room, and shag green carpet on the ceiling and walls in the living room. We also learned about the history of the mansion, and the life of Elvis. We really enjoyed our day. We particularly liked looking at all the Elvis' cars.

We also went to the Bass Pro Shop in Memphis. It was a massive pyramid building and even had a pond with fish, alligators and so many guns and cross bows. We went out to dinner and had cocktails and drinks in our hotel. A quiet New Years Eve for us and we have a long drive tomorrow.

Nashville and Country Music

On Monday we had breakfast and packed up to drive to Nashville. We stopped for fuel first and it took a bit of figuring out to determine how much fuel we needed as you had to pay first and it was in gallons. We made good time, but then we spotted a Nike outlet store. Soon after , and eight pairs of shoes later we were on the road again.

We drove through Chattanooga it was very hilly and pretty, but we didn't stop as it was pouring. We stopped at Starbucks for a bit to wait for the rain to die down as it was so heavy and then made it to our hotel in Nashville. 
On Tuesday we drove into downtown Nashville to go to The Country Music Hall of Fame. It was really interesting. I liked the old videos of musicians and kids dancing, they also had Elvis' Cadillac, and a Keith urban exhibit.

We had nachos for lunch and then made our way down Broadway where all the bars are. There were performers in all of them, even at 2pm. We went in and had a look at Coyote Ugly, where they had filmed scenes for the tv show. We walked to the court house and then stopped for coffee.

By then it had gotten dark so we went into a few bars on Broadway. The music was really great and had an awesome atmosphere. There was this old guy going from bar to bar dancing with these tap shoes on. There was a lot going on as there was a hockey game, a competition between college bands, and they were setting up for New Years.

Christmas in the South

Okay first of a couple more differences I have noticed; they call icing sugar, powdered sugar here and they don't have caster sugar here at all. This proved slightly challenging when making shortbread, but we figured it out.

We arrived in Atlanta on Christmas Eve after several delays. The cab arrived late at our hotel in New York, and then our flight was delayed, and then delayed again and then there was a ground stop in Atlanta because of weather so we were waiting in the plane on the tarmac, and then we eventually made it after a bumpy flight, and then we finally made it through Atlanta traffic (which was actually pretty light) on the wrong side of the road to our hotel. We were all ready for a good nights sleep.

My sister got up nice and early on Christmas morning in our hotel room and woke us all up. We then had tea and opened a few little presents under our sharpie-drawn tree.

Then we were off to spend the day with my host family. We went over there in our jammies and had mimosa's, before having breakfast, opening presents, and then a little while later we had ham for lunch. There were also plenty of sweets too! We had a really lovely time and were very spoiled!

On Boxing Day we went to have brunch with my other host family. We had mimosa's, eggs, sausage and muffins, and it was good to catch up with everyone. We also caught up with my other host family in the afternoon. Everyone was excited to meet everyone!

On Sunday we got up and had breakky and then drove to Georgia Gwinnett College so I could show everyone around. We went to Walmart too, and then The Mall of Georgia to get our shopping fix.

Then we drove into Atlanta to The World of Coca Cola, it was interesting to learn some of the history, watch the bottling process and then tasted all these different Coke varieties from around the world. We ended the day with a meal at The Varsity which was both gross and delicious. The traffic was heavy- no surprises there, for our drive back to the hotel to pack up our gear ready to move on to the next place in the morning.

New York, New York

Last Saturday I flew to New York to meet up with my family. The flight was not very exciting, but there was a little dog travelling in the seat in front of me! I got a cab to the hotel and found it strange that I hadn't heard from them seeing as how they were supposed to arrive before me. Turned out the worst had happened-no Wi-Fi! Anyway, after that and some reuniting we went for a walk around Times Square. It was so busy and the streets were very packed!

The next morning we got up early so we could fit the most into the day. We walked through Times Square to Bryant Park where there were these little markets and a huge Christmas Tree overlooking an ice skating rink. We then made our way to Grand Central Station to have a look, it was incredible inside. We could picture where all the scenes were from all those movies!

We also walked to The Chrysler Building and Saint Patrick's Cathedral- the largest Catholic cathedral

in America. We were able to have a look inside, even though there was a service going on. We had a look at the Christmas display in the window of Saks on 5th Ave and then walked past Trump Tower, where there were all sorts of protesters, before going into Tiffany & Co. I had a bit of a look, and my Mum and Sister bought things. It was quite cold by then, but we went for a walk through Central Park anyway. Again we could picture it just like we had seen in the movies.

On Monday we got up even earlier and got the subway to Lower Manhattan to see The Statue of Liberty. We had to go through so much security before boarding and then it was only a short ride over. I found the history of it very interesting. The thickness of the statue is that of a coin! We climbed to the top of the pedestal and had a very good view. We also got the ferry to Ellis Island, and learned a bit about new immigrants to America, this is no longer in use. While we were  in that part of town we went to the 9/11 memorial, it was quite unusual but was a place of reflection.

The next day we went up to The Empire State Building. The view from the top was really incredible, and they had a bit of a museum on the way up. We went 86 floors up, it was a bit foggy, but you could see as the fog moved. From there we walked to Macy's and had a look at the Christmas display for the Peanuts Movie, but we liked the decorations they had inside better. My Mum and Sister also bought handbags!

We were starving by then and got a bite for lunch before walking to Maddison Square Park,which had a really nice Christmas tree and a gingerbread village, the Flatiron building which I found very fascinating, and Little Eatily.

On our Last day in New York we caught the subway from Grand Central Station to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was raining, so we walked over it all huddled under umbrellas. After that we got the subway back and stopped at a place called Burger Heaven for lunch before going to the Museum of Modern Art. There was some cool art there including Starry Starry Night by VanGough, which I recognised from Doctor Who! There was also a Picasso sculpture display, as well as work by Monet and Pollock.

We then made our way to the Rockefeller Center go  to The Top of the Rock. They warned us there would be zero visibility, but it was our only chance. It was windy and rainy up the top, but you could see as the fog moved. It was difficult to time photos though. We went to M&M's World after that, which we couldn't believe existed, before having Dallas BBQ for dinner. That was a really huge meal which we shared.

We managed to fit in most of what we wanted to, and we all would like to go back, but just to visit. New York is just a bit too noisy for us quiet little Aussies!

A Light Show and a Christmas Party

Okay a few more strange things I have noticed; a jumper is not a jumper here, they don't know what that is at all, just sweatshirts. Also, I have never seen so many people wearing those 'sport' sandals and cargo shorts or pants before in my life!

Last Wednesday night I was invited to dinner and to the light show at the Atlanta Botanic Gardens. We had really great pizza for dinner and then burned it all off walking through the gardens. They light up the whole gardens so it is really pretty. I found it funny that the volunteers wore almost the same uniform my Nanna wears back home at Kings Park.

Then on Thursday night the three GRSP girls at GGC went to the Duluth Rotary Club Christmas party. There was entertainment by some musicians from  the local high school and then we had a really tasty meal and of course dessert! We had a lovely time.

School is done for the semester, so now I am staying with my host family until I fly to New York to meet up with my family. Not long now! I found this nice little place near where I am staying. There is a lake and a dam, and on the other side of it is this nice little creek with lots of rocks. It is great to climb around and to look at.

Last Saturday we went to Little Five Points in Atlanta and wondered around the little shops and thrift stores. I saw many ugly Christmas sweaters. We then went to this place called The Vortex which 'has the best burgers in town', and I must say they were really good. The place itself was very cool, you have to be 21 one to get in and the entrance is a giant skull. They have a huge book with all the drinks they have, and they even have a burger that costs $80; it's called a quadruple bypass! I opted for a regular sized burger. The interior is decorated with skeletons, road signs and other cool stuff. It was a cool place and I'd like to go back.

On the same day back home my family had a Christmas party and they made a cardboard cut out of me! I kept getting pictures of all their friends posing with me!


Yesterday I went to the graduation for my host brother. The ceremony was nice and didn't drag out too long. Then we all went to this Mexican place for lunch which was really good, and then a few of us managed to get tickets to Star Wars:The Force Awakens. It was by chance that we happened to get tickets on the first showing and I enjoyed the movie. I don't want to be that person that gives away spoilers, but stuff happens...