This place is just crazy. I'll be walking and come across the most beautiful building I've ever seen just to find out it is the corporate office of some company I've never heard of. This, however, is the Parliament. And I stared at it for a long time.

The internet has been out in the building for the past 24 hours so that's been rather annoying. I finished reading "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominique Bauby and it sort of made me want to jump off a roof... in a nice, soft, poetic way. (Alie, you should totally find this book in French. And Britty, I'm sorry I hijacked your book and brought it to Australia.)

I was going to go to orientation yesterday but after I had already walked there decided against it. It was near 90 degrees. And the thought of a tour sounded torturous. I read we get a free back pack though. Awesome.

The past four days have basically gone like this. I wake up, get ready & make a list. My iPod and I walk to Rundle Mall, trying to spice it up by taking different routes. I buy as many things as I can carry home, walk home, sweat, get inside, unpack my things, turn off the air, open the balcony door and get some food. Then I stare out the window for a long time and confirm with myself that yes, I am in Australia. And then I usually watch some news and maybe a sport that I don't know the rules of. And then go outside and walk around. And then come back and stare out the window again.  It's the perfect life.

School will start soon and my ideal lifestyle will totally be corrupted, but that is okay. I like school.

I bought alcohol yesterday. (Sorry mom) And it felt like I was doing something sneaky. I was scared the whole time. haha. And then on Oprah they were discussing how important having a glass or two of wine a day is so naturally, just to be safe, I had two.

I bought a cell phone today, mostly because the internet was out and I wanted to call and complain. Actually, I was really angry about this. I don’t know why I am trying to sugar coat it. I came home, was exhausted and walked all the way back to Rundle Street just to buy one. Then I spent an hour on the phone with a man I could not understand (and who could not understand me) who kept annoyingly referring to me as "Miss Hansen" as if to make the situation better. I think I finally got through when one time while we were waiting for my information to go through he asked me how my day was going, and I said, "STRESSFUL" with great force. Anyways,  I purchased the cheapest one (go figure) and I'm actually quite positive that it is the exact phone I have at home, just a slightly newer model. 

The peanut butter here sucks. I think I am going to starve. On my second grocery store excursion I decided to purchase some jelly to try and cover up the suckiness of the peanut butter. It sort of worked. Jethro, you should bring me some Jif. And preferably the crunchy kind.

Here are some pictures of where I live. It looks kind of boring at this point, but then again, I have been instructed not to put anything on the walls. I am going to have to find a way around this.