Birthdays, Bush Trip, and everyday happenings in the "City Down Under"

So I have been super busy but bear with me because this is going to be a long post to catch you all up.... =]

Ok let’s start with my birthday, the BIG 20! [Thank you all for the cards/e-cards that you sent and everything! I really appreciated them] Well it was actually a 4 day birthday celebration! Derek took me out on Saturday night and gave me my wonderful birthday presents. He got me earrings and a shirt from Roxy! Then we went to get Mexican, which was AMAZING! I always love that Mexican food! mmmmmm....
On Monday it completely felt like a fall day, which made me so happy because I had missed those fall days back at Messiah. It really felt like my birthday! Well I dressed up for my birthday considering I have been kind of a bum since I have been here lol, when they tell you not to bring as many clothes as you want it kind of gets to slim pickings.... but anywho...we had class and my friend Casey made me cookies and remembered the story I told her about last year when my friends made me a cookie dough cake. Well she made cookies for the whole class and then gave me the leftover cookie dough! She was AMAZING! Then the whole class sang HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME, which in Australia is followed by HIP HIP HOORAY! said many many times....
After a wonderful day of classes, I got to head home to a meal cooked by my lovely host-mum! She made me garlic bread, spaghetti, and omgoodness you should have seen all of the food on the table.
Then I was supposed to go out to get Gelato with the School Class President Lisa and all of my roommates and Derek, so she picked us up and after much suspicious activity we got on our way...We had to make a stop off at school for one of Lisa’s folders *suspicious*! It turned out that a bunch of my friends were there to surprise me and spend my birthday with me! It was amazing! The best birthday ever in Australia!

Then we were off on Sunday on an hour and a half trip north of Sydney to the Bush. It is part of our Indigenous Cultures class that we went to this youth camp right near where our teacher lives. It was really interesting to see, we were placed in groups called totems and it was so beautiful where we were. We went out on hikes everyday and learned about the Aboriginal cultures, it was a really nice relaxing time to just think about a lot of things and hang out with the ASCers for our last group trip before New Zealand…which brings me to my next point which is……

I ONLY HAVE 46 MORE DAYS LEFT HERE! I cannot believe that time has gone by so fast! I am kind of freaking out because I have so many things I still want to get done here…But I am also super excited to go home and be with everyone. It’s def going to be bittersweet leaving here because I love all of my friends here and love everyone at home and its going to be hard to leave.

This past weekend we had our ASC break which was definitely well deserved! We had some people over on Friday for a Pool Party and then on to Mexican food, which was fun, fun, fun! Always love that Mexican Food and pool parties! On Saturday I lazed around and hung out with Derek and then went SHOPPING prob for the first time since I have been here…which is pretty good for me. I got two dresses, and I guess that Australia has been good to me because I have lost some weight, which made shopping oh so much better. Then on Sunday Derek and I went to Katoomba for the day and saw all the sights of the Blue Mountains. We found out that Australians are literal when they say things like “Giant” specifically talking about the “Giant Staircase.” We walked down the staircase which was super steep and then walked about 2 hours over to the other Giant Staircase near the Katoomba Falls. The hike was gorgeous! The falls didn’t have as much water as I had hoped but that’s ok. Then we walked around this part of the park that showed the old land mines that were over there, which was really sweet! Then we smartly decided to take the “steepest train in the world” up the mountain instead of hiking back up which would have taken another hour. It was totally worth it!

Well on a bad not I have been sick for the past two days and haven’t really been able to do much of anything. It must have been the stomach flu and it wasn’t fun…but Derek, Gail and my flatmates have been good to me and the sickness is finally over…
Just in time for me to get all my work done…This week will be a busy one!

Well that’s prob the longest update your going to see in a while! Haha
School is going to take over my life….catch you all later

Xoxo
Krys

ps. check out my photo website because I have a bunch of new pics up from all of these happenings! =]