I was browsing the web tonight and happened to discover that this blog of mine was rather prominently linked on the Gustavus home page, which made me realize that I’d fallen down in my job a bit and not updated this in nearly two weeks. It’s not like I didn’t think about doing it, but for the last week I’ve been really busy with the predictable end-of-semester flurry of papers, assignments and tests. Today I handed in my last assignment and my last paper, and took the last unit test before finals begin next week. I still have two days of classes left, but they’re just review sessions, and since I have nothing more to hand in I can take it easy for a night or two! My finals next week are on Thursday & Friday mornings, and then Nov 2nd, so this time next week I’ll be massively studying/freaking out about my Fluid Dynamics final on the 28th, worth 60%. Yikes…
So what’s happened in the Land Down Under in the last two weeks since I posted? Well, for starters, Australia held its federal elections back on Saturday the 9th of October. It was the culmination of a six-week campaign between incumbent Prime Minister John Howard of the Liberal Party (like Republicans), a close ally of the US, and challenger Mark Latham of the Labor Party (like Democrats). Not only did Howard trounce Latham in a landslide victory, putting him back in The Lodge for a fourth term, but Howard’s conservative Coalition (between the Liberal & National Parties) increased its majority in the Lower House of Parliament, and gained control of the Senate. It marked the first time in over 30 years in which the sitting PM was re-elected and his party increased its majority in Parliament, which made it an even more resounding victory for Howard. It’s been an exciting time to be in Australia, for both the Aussie and American election campaigns; since I’m a political junkie I’ve spent much of my time down here reading news articles about both elections. I also wrote an article about the Aussie elections that will appear in the Commentary section of this week’s October 22nd edition of the Gustavian Weekly.
Last week on Thursday I mailed a couple packages of TimTams to friends back home, and I got into a conversation with the girl at the Post Office. She was aghast when she found out that I didn’t even know the proper way to eat a TimTam, a TimTam Slam, so she told me how. (A TimTam is a rectangular chocolate wafer-type thing with chocolate filling in the middle, it’s soooo good!) First you bite off one corner, then the other, and then you dip one of the bitten corners into a hot cup of Milo, sucking on the other end. The Milo comes up through the TimTam, giving you a hot rush of chocolate, and simultaneously melting the TimTam so that you have to then just cram it in your mouth before it falls apart on you. And then when I told her that I’d never had Milo either yet, she was like, “okay, that’s it, I’m going in the back and making you a cup of Milo.” Milo is a chocolate powder somewhat like Nestle Quik, only much better. The proper way to make a Milo is to pour some powder into some milk and stir it all up so that it’s all frothy, and then add some hot water to it (and some Bailey’s if you’re adventurous). Delicious chocolatey goodness! I was just pleasantly surprised once again at the awesome Aussie hospitality and kindness that most everyone down here has. I mean, how many of you have had a girl make you a Milo while you’re waiting in the Post Office? 🙂 So then on Sunday night at Monash Bible Talks after we were all done with the main part of the service I made myself a Milo and did my first TimTam slam, it was fun. I think I’m gonna be busy doing demonstrations when I go back home, I just have to figure out how many packages of TimTams I’m taking back with me, hehe.
My classes on Monday were cancelled, so I went into a sports bar in the city in the morning to catch the Sunday Night Football game between my beloved Vikings and the Saints. But it was a double feature, as on one of the other big screens next to it at the front of the bar was also Game 4 of the Yankees-Red Sox game (the third screen had an India vs Australia cricket test match, so it was fun trying to figure out what actually is going on in that strange game, when both the others were on commercials). It was only the second American football game I’ve seen down here (isn’t Culpepper a machine this year?!), and seeing the Red Sox come back and avoid the sweep against the Yankees in dramatic fashion was an added bonus. I’d say that after the Twins, the Red Sox are my second-favourite team, so I would love to see them end the curse this year. Especially against the Yankees in Game 7 tomorrow/tonight (depending on your time zone!). Don’t get me wrong, I love Australian sports, but getting the chance to see an American game once in awhile has been a treat.
It’s been becoming more and more apparent that the end of the semester is at hand, because all the organizations are starting to do their end of year celebrations. For instance, this week was the last week of Tuesday activities for Christian Union this semester (Campus Bible Talks, growth groups and evangelism training). It still feels like I’m gonna be hanging out with these people for a long time yet, so I’m having trouble bringing myself to the realization that I only have less than a month left here in Melbourne. Tuesday was most likely the last time I’ll be around all of them as a group, so it was a bit sad, but I’m hoping to stay in contact with all or most of them. You never know, I might possibly be coming back to Monash for grad school too, so I might see them again. But all the goodbyes that will be coming over the next few days and weeks will probably be a bit tough, I don’t think I’m ready to say goodbye to my Australian friends quite yet. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone back home even more now since it’s getting closer and closer, but I’m also wanting to leave Australia that much less, I really do like it here.
My official Wisconsin absentee ballot arrived in the mail a week ago, and today I finally voted and stuck it back in the mail, to make sure it gets back in plenty of time before Election Day. I was pretty fired up to vote, since Wisconsin’s a battleground state this year, and since this is the first time I’ve been able to vote in a presidential election. I hope everyone that is reading this that is an eligible voter goes out and votes, it really is an amazing privilege we have. I also prefer the voluntary voting system in America, as opposed to the mandatory system in Australia, where every citizen 18 and over is legally required to vote, under penalty of a $50 fine if they don’t.
I’m not sure what I’m gonna do the rest of the week, I might go into the city one of the next two afternoons and take a walk around the botanical gardens in Melbourne. It’s supposed to be pretty warm the next two days as well, around 30 C (near 90 F); spring has most definitely arrived in Australia. Then this weekend my IFSA-Butler study abroad group will be having our farewell dinner, and then we’ll get to learn how to surf at Lorne on the Great Ocean Road on Sunday! I’m both excited and a bit nervous for that…
At any rate, if any of you want to see pictures of Australia or some of what I’ve been up to, feel free to check out my regular blog at http://www.seenoevil.org/~jared/blog/ . I haven’t gotten the photos from the Whitsunday Islands up there yet, but hopefully I’ll get a chance to do that this weekend. I’m also gonna try to see if Gustavus IT can help me get a couple of photos on this page too, to add a bit of colour and break up the monotony of text. 🙂