Saturday, July 5, 2008

Aghhhhh!

The past few days have been nothing short of crazy. I'm meeting some pretty cool people, the weather has been either glorious or detestable, and school starts tomorrow...

All the international students went on a train ride through the Taieri Gorge. The cars were all built circa 1920-ish (I think), which means I felt like I was riding the Disneyland Railway because everything was so ornate. We're talking dark wood, small chandeliers, the works. I finally got my hands on some meat at the BBQ we stopped at, breaking my unintentional vegetarian streak. For the return journey, I stood outside on the small porch thing that rests on the back of each cart. Sheep were everywhere, and when we careened through any one of the myriad of lengthy mountain tunnels, the wind rushing past my body sounded like the choirs of hell all preaching at once. Yeah, it was that intense. 

Yesterday saw extreme rain and wind. I sat and read until heading out for the night. Beer here gives me insane hangovers, but the party was definitely worth it. Ridiculously individualized students from all over the world were crammed into one small flat, and most of the conversations were so choice. There was this one monstrously sized Canadian with a shock of crazed blonde hair, an even wilder beard, and teeth the size of something that teeth usually aren't as big as. He played guitar and knew the most ridiculous songs. 

Today we went out for breakfast and I had the most ornate french toast.The bread itself contained berries, and the two pieces were divided by an incredible fruit salad and whipped cream so thick that, should I have felt like jumping on a trampoline, it would have served the purpose. Shit, what a terrible analogy. 

Anyway, a trip to Baldwin Street (the official steepest street in the world) soon followed. And holy shit, it really is steep. Apparently last term some girl wheeled a "shopping trolley"  all the way to the top, got in, and then died from serious head injuries during her attempted descent. Anyone who would even consider going down that street attached to a pair of wheels is probably on their way out anyway. I mean, it's so steep that I can tell I'll be having recurring nightmares about being back at the top again and somehow falling off. Maybe that says more about my general state of paranoia than how steep the street is, but whatever. That's all for now... Take it easy, everyone. 


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