Are you ready to rock?

It's Monday - the start of a new week. Most people would spend their Mondays at work or at school ... not me. I have the day off, so I haven't been doing much. But, we did book our Spring Break trip today. Hard hit on the ol' credit card ... but I'm SUPER excited. We're spending 16 days traveling up the east coast, starting in Sydney and ending in Cairns. Along the way, we'll be attending surf camp, sailing in the Whitsunday Islands, camping on Fraser Island and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. Hard to imagine that it's only 25 days away! Time flies here. Sadly. We leave Friday, April 10. Can't wait to write about all of it :)

This past weekend, we went to Sydney again. Can you tell how much I adore that city? We caught an afternoon train on Friday and spent the night in a hostel. On Saturday, we woke up early and headed to the Sydney Cricket Grounds for the Sound Relief Concert. We promptly took our spot in line and waited for the doors to open at 11 a.m. And, although it was general admission, we ran like hell once the gates opened and secured a spot about four rows back from center stage. Coldplay started the day off. What an amazing performance. They were incredible! A few Australian bands followed ... and our next big performer took the stage at 5:30 - TAYLOR SWIFT! I was about 10 feet away from here and screaming like a little girl. You can imagine it, I'm sure.

This was hands down the best music festival I've ever attended. It was ten hours of live music, and included Coldplay, The Presets, Josh Pyke, Taylor Swift, The Bee Gee's with Olivia Newton John, Jet and others. All of the proceeds went to the victims of the recent bush fires and floods in the area. All in all, we helped to raise 5 million dollars. Wow. That should give you a rough estimate as to how packed the place was! We were right in the center of the mosh pit. Which, I have to admit, has always been something I wanted to experience. It's officially been checked off the list. What's worse than a rowdy mosh pit? A wet one. Yes, it started to pour down rain right before Taylor Swift took stage. Did that stop anything?? No way. The music continued - and the crowd get even crazier. It was AWESOME.

We took a late night train back to Newcastle after the concert on Saturday night and spent all day Sunday on the beach. The waves were the biggest that I'd ever seen them. I attempted to 'ride the waves' like all of the guys were doing. And, you guessed it, I almost drowned. So, I think I'll stick to the beach for a few days before trying that again.

This weekend is Surfest, Newcastle's largest event. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the competitions ... and attending the Wine & Wave festival, of course. 

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day! We ordered a keg and we plan on having a sweet ShamROCK the House party. I think we might need a few lessons before we try and set up the keg, though. They are extremely different from the ones back home. If you wish to order a keg, you have to order a magic box with it. This is a giant black box, filled with ice and has a tube coiled around it. You put the keg on top of the magic box, and turn the gas on, which carbonates the beer and sucks it from inside the keg. The beer then travels through the ice tubes and comes out in your cup ice cold. Sounds cool and confusing. Let's hope we can figure it out. Our balcony has been yearning for a big house party :)

T-minus two weeks until my parents arrive! They are ecstatic about bringing me my own suitcase full of clothes and other necessary items :) Can't wait!

I'll check up with you all again. No worries :)

XOXO, Jennifer Lynn

After the rain. Can you see the huge crowd behind us?!

So close to Taylor Swift!

A gay ol' time

This past weekend we went to Sydney and experienced our very first Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras celebration. Upon arriving, we somewhat knew that the weekend would be crazy and that we were sure to witness things that were new and ... semi-awkward. I've been contemplating exactly how I was going to describe this experience to everyone back home and I've come to the conclusion that there are no words.

For once, I'm speechless.

I mean, how can you really put it into words? It might go something like this ... 

We woke up super early on Saturday morning to ensure that we could get 'the perfect spot' for the parade. So, we made our way to Oxford Street at 10:30 a.m. - the parade started at 7:45 p.m. We found a bar with an upper-level that had windows overlooking the halfway point. So, we settled down and ordered our first beer for the day. Nine hours and many beers later, the parade began. There were people EVERYWHERE. Our window seats proved to be quite useful, because I couldn't imagine being in the madness on the street. The streets were filled with intoxicated heterosexuals and homosexuals, all of whom were content on showing their 'free spirits'. Love was definitely in the air.

The parade was filled with everything from Dykes on Bikes to Demanding Dominatrixes. A lot of the floats would stop in front of us and put on a show ... and 90 percent of these shows would have been Rated R by the American Motion Picture Association. Instead of going into all the details, let's just say I have officially seen it all. It was a great weekend, though. Whether or not you support that lifestyle, the atmosphere was truly amazing. It got a little out of control, but for the most part, everyone was interested in defying the norms and just letting their free spirits out - which is sort of what Australia is about!

Here are some pictures of the evening. I have PLENTY of stories, but I'm sure not everyone is interested in them. So, I'll save them for a rainy day :)

Today, we had to check out of our hostel by 10 a.m. - which was brutal. But, we got ready and met up with a family friend of Beth's. We went on a ferry across the harbor and had a fabulous lunch at a restaurant at Manly Beach. It was gorgeous. And, we got our first glimpse of some of Sydney's main attractions. See below.

We're heading back to Sydney this weekend for the Sound Relief concert with Coldplay and Taylor Swift, among others. I'm stoked! Stay tuned :)

XOXO, Jennifer Lynn

Upcoming Adventures

Hey All.

My first day of school is tomorrow! Apparently there are no tutorials during the first week of school, leaving me with only one day of classes. Pretty sweet. Wish me luck tomorrow!

We've been planning a lot of things to do lately and so last night, we all sat down and filled in our new Uni planners. Turns out, we're booked solid until the middle of May! We've got some super sweet things lined up. Be sure to check this blog often so you can read all about it. Here are some of the things I've got to look forward to:

• This weekend we're heading to Sydney for the Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras! It's said to be a huge, crazy party all weekend. We've already bought some sweet outfits and we can't wait! The estimated attendance? 700 to 800 THOUSAND! Bring it on.
• On March 14, we booked tickets to the Sound Relief Concert. This is a last-minute benefit concert that is being put on to raise funds for the bushfire victims. Who's coming?! Coldplay, TAYLOR SWIFT!, Jet, Josh Pyke and about 10 others. Can't wait to hear Taylor!
• March 15 - there is a St. Patrick's Day celebration on Beaumont Street in town. I'm hoping they serve green beer here.
• On March 21 and 22 Newcastle hosts its largest event, Surfest. Tons of surfers from around the world come into town to compete for the winning title. Along with watching the surfers, there are a lot of side parties and activities going on ... such as the Wine & Waves festival at Merewether Beach. 
• On Friday March 27, we have tickets to go to the MTV AUSTRALIA AWARDS, hosted by Pete Wentz and Audrina Patridge. How exciting is that!? We get to line the red carpet and go indoors for the main show. Beyonce, Kings of Leon and The Killers are performing. I'm definitely going to need to go shopping for this. 
• Then ... on March 29, my parents arrive in Newcastle!!!

So that's enough to take me until the end of this month. Sounds thrilling, right? I think so. Can't wait to write about them!

Today we went shopping. I know what you're thinking and the answer is YES I WENT AGAIN. They've got adorable clothes here. Summer is officially over :( And now we're just waiting for fall to come to town. All of the locals say it gets 'really cold' in the winter. I was concerned until I realized their idea of really cold is 50 degrees fahrenheit. Can you tell they've never been to Iowa?

It's still beautiful here, though. Mid 80's and sunny! I spend most of my days on the beach soaking up the sun and watching the surfers. Tonight is Wednesday, which is the Uni party night. Most pubs and clubs have really good drink specials and the pubs are packed with students. You could say it's like Thursdays in Iowa.

We just had dinner (Sloppy Joe's, finally!) and now I'm going to take a nap before the evening festivities begin! Catch up with you all later!

XOXO, Jennifer Lynn

School starts on Monday

It seems as if it's been ages since I last sat in a lecture hall and I've got to tell you - I don't miss it at all! But, starting on Monday, school officially starts :( I shouldn't complain, though. I have one class on Tuesday and three classes on Thursday. And, according to most of the current students, attending lectures is optional - you only really need to go to your tutorials. Following that ideology, I have one class on Tuesday and one class on Thursday! I'm loving their education system better every day.

We've made two really good friends from South Carolina - Mary Kathryn and Samantha. We met them at the hostel while we were all looking for a place to live. They've stumbled upon some bad luck and still haven't found accommodation. So, they're living with us until they can find an apartment. The search is hard! We got extremely luck with the place we have and I can't imagine how frustrated they must be. We love them and we're hoping they can find a place close to ours!

We have the best neighbors in the world! There are three guys living in the room next to ours and we've quickly become friends. They came over and set each of our computers up with their Internet information - so we've got free Internet now! Now, it'll be much easier to update this and stay in touch with family and friends back home.

Australia is still amazing! We've had great weather lately and so we've taken advantage of the beach. Today we went on a dolphin cruise in Nelson's Bay. Unfortunately, I had a little too big of a night last night and so the dolphin cruise wasn't all that enjoyable for me. I know, lesson learned. I did get to see some dolphins, though!

After living down here for a few weeks, I've become much more comfortable with my surroundings. Yet, there are still some minor differences from home that catch me off guard sometimes. I love the new and unfamiliar factor of living abroad. Everything is different and so each day is filled with trying and seeing new things. I wake up each morning with no agenda! I might try to conjure up a part-time job while I'm down here. I get the feeling that it may do me some good. If I spend the next six months doing nothing but going to the beach and partying, it might make it harder to adjust to life back in America. Plus, it would be nice to have some extra spending cash since I seem to do such a great job at spending money. I've been shopping a few times already. It's an addiction. But, when going out at night, the local girls get extremely dressed up in dresses and heels. So, obviously, we have to fit in. I look at it like we're simply helping the economy :)

There are definitely products that I miss from back home, though. I sure can't wait for my parents to visit - I'm fully expecting them to supply me with the things I miss most.

Until then, here are some MORE pictures of Newcastle! As soon as I find international stamps, I will be writing some post cards.

XOXO, Jennifer Lynn

I can't believe I can call this home

Here are some pictures of our new bachelorette pad! As you can see, we're definitely getting a bit spoiled :)





^^^ This picture shows our balcony from the outside. As you can see, it wraps around the entire apartment and never ends! (Our apartment is the bottom one) We're on the fourth floor, so we get a view of the harbor :)

Now, ready to visit? We've got room for guests :)

XOXO, Jennifer Lynn

I'm no longer homeless!

Yay!!! We found an apartment!!

It's been awhile since I last updated - it's been hard finding time to get on the Internet. Plus, this week is the start of Orientation Week and so we're pretty booked. Classes start on Monday! I switched around my classes so I think I only have class on Thursdays. Pretty sweet.

I'm on campus right now, so I can't put up pictures of our apartment. But, my new address is:

Jennifer Straub
489 Hunter Street Apartment 402
Newcastle West, NSW Australia 2300

I will post pictures and a video as soon as I can. I can't wait to show it off! It's absolutely gorgeous. I never thought we would actually get this one! When we went to go view it, there were about 45 other people interested in it, too. We must have made a good impression, or just got REALLY lucky. There are three bedrooms, all with double beds. The floor plan is very open and we've got a corner apartment so it has a HUGE wrap-around balcony where we can look at the harbor and look behind us at the city, too!! It's got stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, our own laundry facility, comfy suede furniture and surround sound in the living room. Literally, I'm in love. We wake up every morning and have breakfast on our balcony. We have three guy neighbors right next door and last night they had us over for a BBQ. They invited some of their Australian friends and we chatted the entire night about the differences between America and Australia. Let me tell you - there are a lot.

Otherwise, we've been busy familiarizing ourself with the city. Since school hasn't started yet, we spend most nights familiarizing ourselves with the bars. With all the students coming back into town, the nightlife is great. And, so is the weather. I think I may have got a little too much sun at the beach yesterday. Oh well, I just chalk it up as experience. The fact that they don't sell any sort of sunscreen below SPF 30 might be a good thing after all.

We're on our own now, so we have to learn how to cook for ourselves. We had a craving for Sloppy Joes the other night so we went to the supermarket to get the ingredients. Well, none of us knew how to make them and every time we asked a local to help us out, they looked at us like we were crazy. Note to self: Sloppy Joes must be an American dish. If anyone out there knows how to make them, could you please leave the recipe as a comment? Or, e-mail it to me? Mom, you'd be so ashamed of me if you saw me walking around the store like a wandering idiot wanting nothing more than the recipe for Sloppy Joes. Haha, it was great.

I'm loving this city a little more every day. With all the college kids coming back into town, it's been booming! I wake up in the morning, go to the beach and go out at night. I've said it before, but ... this is the life! Our next big activity is booked for next weekend. We're taking a dolphin tour in Nelson Bay. Hopefully, if the dolphins are feeling up to it, we'll be able to swim with them.

My parents are officially booked and I can't wait for them to come visit! That, and I'm getting very anxious to take Andy around Newcastle. Until that day arrives, I'm quite content making new friends every night and having a blast. It's definitely going to be hard to leave. But, our lease isn't up until September so I won't be getting back to America until mid-August. Seems like a long ways away, but I have a feeling it'll go by fast.

There is one slight problem with Newcastle, though. When walking home at night, you've got to be careful where you step because cockroaches are abundant. It's disgusting and you should have seen my reaction when I saw my very first one. Oh my, they are nasty little things.

Other than that, it's been great! I'll post a video of our apartment as soon as I can :) That, and I hope to post some Australian photos on facebook soon!

No worries, mate :)
XOXO, Jennifer Lynn

Wine!

The apartment we were hoping to get is probably not going to work out. Our applications were accepted, but the landlord was only interested in leasing out for 12-months. Well, as Uni students, we're looking for a 5-month lease at max and the only advice we were given was to sign up for a 12-month lease and break the lease when we were ready to leave. However, that involved fees and a huge risk of finding a 'sublease' for 7 months when we are done. Headache.

We've got two appointments tomorrow to view two more apartments. So, once again, we're hoping for the best. Fortunately, we haven't let our housing misfortunate ruin our spirits. We've met a lot of people and we thoroughly enjoy the scenery and nightlife that Newcastle has to offer. We just wish it would stop raining once in a while! Temperatures are supposed to soar again in a few days - time for the beach!!!

Today was Amanda's 21st birthday so we decided to celebrate. We went on a tour of the Hunter Valley wine region. So gorgeous! We visited 5 different wineries and sampled NUMEROUS wines, cheeses, chocolates, relishes, chutneys, ports and liqueurs. It was a blast and the countryside was beautiful! Since we came on a Monday, the wineries weren't busy at all and we got 5-star service. Plus, at every winery, sampled glasses upon glasses of wine. Talk about an all-day buzz. I now know everything there is to know about wine - how to taste it, how to distinguish it from others and how it's made. Mom and Dad, you'd be so proud. Turns out - I prefer a sweet white wine. How about that!

AND - I saw my first kangaroo today! Actually, the very first one I saw was lying dead on the side of the road. Sad. But, after a bit of 'Roo Hunting', we spotted about 20 or so along the roads. We even stopped the tour bus so we could get out and get a better photo. We got about 15 feet away from two of them. They are so adorable!!

We went out for a nice harbor-side dinner tonight to celebrate Amanda's birthday. We met 2 girls and one guy from the University of South Carolina and we've become pretty close so they joined us. They are also studying at the Uni this semester so we've got some good pals to hang out with. Dinner was amazing. I didn't understand many of the terms on the menu, but I ordered salmon and it came glazed and paired with a bunch of stuff - all of which was amazing. You just don't get great seafood like that back in Iowa.

It's 11:30 p.m. and for the first time in a long time, I think I'm going to make it an early night and get some sleep. After a day of wine, I think I could use the rest. 

No worries, mate

XOXO, Jennifer Lynn