KOALA!

Its now 12:58am on Sunday morning. I am very sad since I just discovered that my web cam will not work with the programs I set it up for. I was so looking forward to being able to talk to my family and Tim, but at this point its not possible. I am planning to look into other options. We found out today that you can get a new sim card for the phone for like $10 which enables it for international and local use and then you do a prepaid deal. That is seeming like a decent option since we would like to be more accessible to the folks we are working with here.

This morning after breakfast Hilary and I took a hike in the conservation park near where we are staying.

The scenery in the park was amazing. We even saw our first, second and third Koalas. The first two we saw hiding from the heat under a walking bridge.

Our hike ended up being 2 and a half hours. On the way we met a very nice couple who had lots of info to share about the animals we were seeing and hearing. When we got back it was just enough time to clean up before lunch. Unfortunately it still wasn't impressive. After lunch we got ready and did some research on the bus system. There is a bus stop right outside of where we are staying and we waited there for some time for a bus. We took it into the city to head to a shopping area. We were successful thanks to a bit of help from some of the other students on the bus.

We had been told about a store called the Reject Shop, which is supposed to be like a discount shop, and wanted to check it out. We were about to get a couple basic things, like air fresheners and fly swatters. Of course, we didn't want to spend much money so we found other says to amuse ourselves.

At supper time we called Helen and she came to pick us up. She invited us for supper at her house. We had what she described as a classic Australian meal which involved a couple lettuce salads, including one with a green called Rocket, potato salad, cucumber salad, meat/cheese/rolls, and such things. It was a perfect meal for yet another hot day. We decided to go see a movie and chose Gran Torino. We arrived right before it started and had to split up because the theatre was full. The movie was interesting and I liked it. But I found myself truly concerned for the first time about the images of US culture that are portrayed to other countries. It was very different at the end of the movie because where as in the US everyone instantly gets up to leave, people stayed through all of the credits and left at a leisurely pace. Helen and her husband brought us home and here I sit, finishing up posting. But now, It is definitely time for bed. Good night!