What a night that was. The performances started a bit after dinner, and everyone filed out to grab a place in the outdoor seating area/amphitheatre of sorts. It was incredible to see what talent I-House had to show: singers, dancers, comedy, fire-twirling, I-House has it all! Though I didn’t think of signing up to do a reading until the day of, it was just as fun to be in the audience appreciating the talent in front of me. I was particularly impressed with the vocal group’s song from Rent, and not just because I love that musical, but because of the unbelievable solos. My favourite dance of the night would have to be the Bollywood/Indian dance five of the girls did, which then changed to hiphop halfway through! As for the most entertaining performance, it’d be between the boys that did the four chord medley (it was raging on Youtube a few years ago, so if you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a look here) with their own added flair, or the couple dozen boys who enthusiastically performed “Sexy and I Know It” similarly to how LMFAO does in their video (also worth seeing here, just to get an idea of the show we were given). All in all, a spectacular display of talent!
Other note worthy events of the week would be getting killed in Assassin just after Performance Night, delivering my presentation over my final writing theory paper, and taking a day trip into Kiama with one of the Australian girls I’ve gotten closer with recently. Getting killed was upsetting to say the least, but at least I can walk around I-House without looking over my shoulder, unnecessarily paranoid! My class presentation went reasonably well, and I received some compliments too. Now it’s just a matter of taking all the feedback and research I’ve done and putting it down on paper, so there’s the goal for this weekend. I spent Friday in Kiama with Charlotte, who showed me a few really neat, quaint shops with all kinds of crafty odds and ends, as well as a lolly shop (candy store!). I picked up a few presents for people back home and a couple little jewellery items for me, including bikini earrings and a giraffe necklace! Definitely a day well spent shopping.
Most of us had a calm Friday night – Mario Kart in the games room and wandering around I-House – in preparation for Saturday’s big event, Harbour Cruise. I got ready with Kathleen and Elana at midday and wore a green and blue hand-made dress that I bought in Cairns. Since the cruise was in Sydney, a group of us (me, Kathleen, Mitchel, Ves, Chris, Mark, and Pat) took the 1:50 train up to the city to eat and walk around before getting on the boat. We got off at Darling Harbour and went to the mall where we divided and conquered the food court. My kebab (pronounced bab, not bob like in the states, and is more like a grilled pita/sandwich/wrap thing) was absolutely delicious. Definitely one of the foods I’ll miss most from Australia. Then we made our way – in style I might add – toward Lowenbrau brewery to meet everyone before getting on the boat.
We had beers at Lowenbrau, and it completely reminded me of Hofbrauhaus in Newport. There was even an “HB” stein, so I think they’re probably sister-breweries or something of the sort. Either way, it was nice to have a touch of home, that gentle reminder, halfway across the world. After Lowenbrau, we walked to Sydney Harbour where we saw everyone from I-House looking their finest.
Once on the boat, we were served drinks and snacks throughout the night, and the whole boat was open to us. We watched the sun set behind the city and Harbour Bridge and took pictures at dusk with the Opera House as our backdrop. Downstairs, we danced like we always do, except this time there was a little extra celebration and excitement when “Sexy and I Know It” came on, one more thing that will forever remind me of Australia. The boat went around the Harbour for hours, but it seemed like only a short time before we were pulling back into the dock. Once off the boat, everyone split off into groups to either continue the party around Sydney or head for the trains. Having had a full day of adventures, Kathleen, Chris, Annabel, Charlotte, and I opted for the trains and made our way back to I-House. By far one of the most fun, most surreal nights I’ve had here. To say I’ve boated around Sydney Harbour while watching the sunset, dressed up with some of the best friends I could hope for brings a smile to my face every time I think about it.
Sunday morning, however, was a bit less pleasant as the sunlight streamed in my open window and I heard people coming in the gate, only just back from Sydney on the early morning trains. Still, I had signed up to play the inter-college sand volleyball, so I went to breakfast and got ready for the day. Unfortunately, it was only Mitchel and I who were keen to be alive and play at noon. Turns out, barely anyone from the other campuses showed up either, so we just played for fun with anywhere from three to six people per side, depending on numbers throughout the arvo (afternoon). I haven’t had such a good upper body workout in so long! I woke up on Monday with the sorest arms and shoulders, but we had so much fun just playing around that it was entirely worth it. Hopefully, we’ll get a chance to get the nets back out before I head home, because I would love to play some more volleyball.
This week has been another full of schoolwork: a draft to workshop for my fiction class on Monday, a lit presentation over Twain on Tuesday, and a French exam on Wednesday. I’ve finally drawn up a study schedule for the next few weeks, and I realize I’ve got 9500 words to polish or write before the session finishes in the next few weeks. Yikes! On top of that, I’ll be narrowing down my choices for grad school and hearing back about my application to study in France next session. Still to look forward to is next week’s Formal and any travelling I can squeeze in. As my time rapidly dwindles, the pressure to DO seems to be coming from all sides. So with that, here’s to buckling down for the next few busy weeks, and celebrating when it’s over and completed! For now, I wish you a less stressful week than the next few I’m sure to endure, and I’ll catch up with you on the other side :)
Here and there,
Kiley
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