Happy Mardi Gras!

This has been quite the exciting week…well the weekend was so exciting that it made it all seem that way.  I made it through week 2 of Uni without too many problems except the severe lack of motivation I have to actually do my work.  I really don’t understand how anyone can be expected to write papers, learn vocabulary, or read journal articles when there is so much to discover.  I devoted the first part of my week to school but by Thursday evening I allowed the weekend to begin!

Abby and I went to late night shopping together at the gigantic shopping centre across the street from Uni.  On Thursdays the shoppes are all open late which is great for Abby since she always works until 5:30.  We both came out of our clothing adventures pretty well.  Self-control is a serious issue with so many fabulous things around.  We also did our weekly grocery shopping.  I honestly do not know what I am going to do in life without the huge fruit and veg market at the centre.  It has become one of my favorite places.

This is what a perfect night looks like for Abby and me.

On Friday I was off to the beach with a group of friends that I met at Surf Camp.  We went back to Manly, yay for the 3^rd trip in a week and a half!  It was the perfect day.  We had blue skies and tons of sunshine.  We stayed basically the whole day.  We read, talked, ate, ran, and swam.  It was so relaxing.  We finished off our day with some fantastic ice cream.  Although it was the most expensive ice cream I have bought in quite some time for the tiny scoop they gave me, they did offer free toppings.  Basically I had a cup full of hot fudge, caramel, sprinkles, and an ice cream topping.  That night we went to our friend Danny’s house for a BBQ where I tried Kangaroo burgers for the first time.  I must say that I like it.  Abby came as well and she said that it is some of the healthiest meat you can eat so we’re going to have to stock up!

Manly Beach Day #3!

We woke up on Saturday ready for a long day in the city and that is exactly what we got.  Carly, Danny, Matt, Abby, and I journeyed into the Rocks area of Sydney (the oldest part of town where the ships that first arrived in Sydney landed).  We went to the most amazing place for brunch called Pancakes on the Rocks which Abby and I had done a bit of research on.  This place is amazing.  There are queues (lines) out the door for it 24 hours a day!  We soon joined the fan club for this place.  They have a section of the menu called “Famous Pancakes” which everyone else ordered from while I stuck to a big breakfast called the Aussie Sunrise.  The others all had pancakes, some regular, some chocolate topped with things like apples, nuts, bananas, cherries, and all of them had ice cream on top!  I had pancakes, eggs, bacon, and grilled banana and pineapple.  We were stuffed by the time we left, but we were also very happy to have found a new favorite place to eat in the city!

Brunch at Pancakes on the Rocks!

After brekky (I hope you’re all enjoying the free Aussie vocab lessons I’m giving in my posts…) we did some shopping at the Rock’s Markets which operate every weekend.  It’s basically just a huge farmer’s market with hundreds of stalls.  They have everything from food to clothing to jewelry.  It was fantastic, though the boys weren’t quite as enthusiastic.  Even though we had just eaten an hour before, Carly and I couldn’t resist a chocolate covered strawberry/banana kebab, I mean how often do you come across one of those.  It was definitely a necessary purchase.  After torturing the boys enough we started our trek across the city to Oxford Street where the Mardi Gras Parade was going to be held.  We arrived 4 hours early to get a good spot and we certainly did.  We bought cheep stools to sit on which got us through the wait as did the games we played and the entertaining people around us.  We were right up against the barricade so we had a fantastic view of all the festivities.  The parade was absolutely ridiculous.  The festivities started a bit early with the so-called “pre-gaming.”  We were all given rainbow flags and fiber optic wands as well as free condoms. *From here on out the story gets a little scandalous so the faint of heart can skip over some parts of Mardi Gras*  We saw all kinds of things in the 3 hours of parade.  We saw biker babes, Sydney lifeguards, Taronga zoo keepers, JOAN RIVERS, assless chaps, plenty of shirtless women, and tons of support of the lesbian, gay, and transgender community.  No matter how fun or risqué the parade may have been, the main feature of the night was to show support for this community and fight for their equality.  It was wonderful to see so much encouragement.  From the police to the transport system to the airlines to schools to banks, everyone was out offering their support and acceptance.  The city came together for a night of crazy fun, yes, but I saw something much bigger.  I saw the city come together for a common cause that often leads to argument and can even tear people apart.  On Saturday night, though, there was no arguing.  The parade showed me a glimpse of what this world could look like if we all were able to see beyond the minute differences that separate us toward the common life we are all trying to live in the best way possible.  On Saturday I was living and enjoying life in harmony with 10s of thousands of people, straight, gay, transgender, bisexual, young, old, tall, short, drunk, sober, from nations all around the world.  We didn’t care about the differences that separate us, in fact, we were celebrating those differences with the passing of every float.  It was a truly beautiful thing.

Carly eating her half of our chocolate covered 

strawberry/banana kebab at the Rock's Markets.

This is what happens when you wait for a parade to start for 4 hours...

"Pre-gaming"

The real thing begins!  Sydney Lifeguards.  

The Queens.

Support Love.

The Queens Down Under know what they're doing.

JOAN RIVERS!

Animal Rights.

Sex and the City dancers.

Beautiful.

My favorite part of Mardi Gras was this man's hair.

Once the parade ended we made our way through the thousands of people toward Hyde Park.  We actually walked there in the middle of a major Sydney road which was shut down because of the night’s festivities.  It was so strange to see a street that had been buzzing with traffic a few hours earlier, completely overtaken by a river of people.  We eventually made our way across the city to Darling Harbour to meet up with some friends.  On the way there, our night got quite interesting.  We saw some things that will never be forgotten.  It all feels a bit like a dream now!  Here are a few of our crazy sightings, all of which lasted for a few minutes in which we were completely safe, comfortable, and happy (that’s just for you Moma – so don’t worry!)…

#1 We saw 5 people, who looked like 13-year-olds, get arrested.  They did not just get arrested though, they were body slammed and tackled to the ground and they all resisted arrest.  I felt like I was watching an episode of COPS only it was real life.  One girl screamed for like 15 minutes.  Now, Mom, don’t worry.  We were in a very public area and quite far away from the actual scene, we just happened to have a good view. 

#2 We saw some lucky couple having a great time together…on a children’s playground!  Seriously.  This was the same playground that Mom and I played on while we were at Darling Harbour.

#3 We were hit on by a male prostitute.  Really.  Again, Mom TONS of people around.  Cops around even.  NO danger.  All we got was a one liner which we didn’t even respond to.  He legitimately asked if we were “looking for a good time.”  It was hard to hold in the hysterical laughter as it was pretty late.

Okay, now back to the real sequence of events beyond the funny stuff.  We made it to a pub to meet up with our friends where we hung out until pretty early in the morning.  We met a really cool guy from Figi who told us all the awesome things we need to do while we’re here.  At the pub we debated for nearly an hour on what the rest of the night would entail.  We had all come to the city with the expectation that we’d stay for sunrise, but when the last bus at 3 was drawing nearer we started to question the decision based on how tired we were.  All of our indecisiveness was enough to drive anyone crazy, but we finally made up our minds to stick it out and watch Sydney wake up on Sunday.  After leaving the pub, I was starving so we started our trek toward the Opera House together in search of food.  All that was open was Maccas (McDonalds), but I happened to remember that Pancakes on the Rocks was 24 hours.  We seriously went back and I had pancakes yet again.  Now if any of you have ever been to breakfast with me, you know just how happy I was.  Pancakes are perfect…end of story.  After recharging and watching Carly nod off throughout all of the meal, we decided to walk to the stairs of the Opera House to get our blood moving again.  Even though it was cold and we were exhausted, watching the city come to life was nothing short of spectacular.  I have been to the Opera House many times now and it continues to amaze me.  Every time I walk up to the Harbour or drive over the Bridge on my way to the city, it is like I’m seeing it all for the first time.  I don’t think that I’ll ever get tired of that view.  I found something completely new in it at dawn, though.  Without the thousands of tourists surrounding it, it is even more spectacular.  We enjoyed the silence of the morning as we watched the sky turn from black to pink to purple to blue.  We didn’t talk much because we were all so mesmerized by the moment we were in.  The realization that we’re in Australia watching the sun come up after 24 hours in the city hit.  In my mind every sunrise is a gift, a miracle really.  It is proof that we’ve been given another day to use in whatever way we see fit.  With a view of the Harbour, I saw in that sunrise, all the possibilities that lie ahead.  I saw the possibility of adventure.  I saw the possibility of change.  I saw the possibility of love.  I saw the infinite gifts I am given every day with the movement of the sun from East to West.  I saw a great deal of hope in the Sydney morning on March the 7^th.

Oxford completely flooded with people.

Trip #2 to Pancakes...

Sydney just waking up at 6 am.

The Opera House with no people, a rarity.  

Sunrise from the Opera House.

Good morning Sydney.

Exhausted, but looking good, and ready to run for the bus home.

As you may imagine, I found our decision to stay in the city a great one!  I was still rocking and rolling, too.  Well I was until we missed our bus and had to sit at the station for 30 minutes.  I fell asleep at the bus stop and had to get up and pace to stay awake.  I fell asleep on the bus home and had to set my phone alarm to make sure I woke up before my stop.  Abby and I basically ran inside with all the energy we had over, jumped in showers to wash 24 hours of amazing fun off, and finally fell asleep in a bed by 9 am!  What a day, what a day!  It was fun it was crazy it was a learning experience. 

The rest of Sunday went quickly since we got up at 2 pm!  It was filled with homework, laundry, and vegetable eating since those were things that were neglected over the past two days. 

Well there’s my week for you.  I sure enjoyed it!  I am having a blast here if you haven’t caught onto my enthusiasm yet.  I am making so many exciting plans for my travels while I’m here.  I cannot wait to see the rest of this country.  Right now I’m working on mid-semester break plans which tentatively include visiting friends from the summer camp I worked at in Melbourne and Adelaide and going on a safari in Western Australia.  No matter what I do, I know that it will be a fantastic experience.  Who knows what’s to come?  I don’t want to try to predict it, but I’m definitely ready to embrace it and live it to the fullest when it arrives!

I hope that everyone is well and that you’re having adventures of your own.  Shoot me an email and let me know how things are going in your lives J  Also, if anyone needs a vacation spot, plane tickets are at an all time low and I’d love visitors!

Infinite Love!!!

Anna