But that's not really how I function - I always have far more going on than is probably recommended. I will definitely have to reign myself in for the next 16 months and scale back my curiosity/social likfe so that I can do well in this program. Even today I woke up feeling like I could barely breathe because I could feel all of the day's tasks putting pressure on my shoulders. Or maybe it was oppressive, humid heat we have been surviving lately. It is hard to tell.
I tried out a choir on campus Wednesday evening. I miss singing, and it was a good opportunity to meet more people. I got into the room and shyly made my way to a seat (yes, I can be shy). After a brief rundown about the choir, I was offered a seat in the Tenor's section. For those unaware of how choirs work, the singing levels go (from highest to lowest): Women - Soprano and Alto; Men - Tenor and Bass. As you may have noticed, I was delegated to the men's section, yet again (the last time was in France), to bless the men with my sultry low voice.
The practice was confusing to me as everyone else knew the music and the pieces were sung in fragments and quickly swapped out for other songs. Being that I didn't have the music on hand, I was especially confused about what I was singing. Luckily, Tenor Nelson (the other guy from the bus stop incident) sat next to me and let me clutch his music in my sweaty hands while I followed the practice in a daze. I was surprised, as well, to see that the choir practice was 3 hours long (roundabout). Considering my workload for my program, I am wondering I have time for the choir (with that amount of commitment) after all.
Something else about the choir (and most clubs on campus) that has turned me off is the cost. Unlike in the US, universities in Australia (or at least UQ) do not offer free extracurriculars. The gym costs an annual fee for students, on top of the normal school costs. The gym PLUS the pool is over $600 for the year - a number that made me gasp. Group clubs also charge a fee for participation, in addition to the stipends they receive from the university. The dance club has a fee. The yoga club has a fee. The choir costs $40 for the year. Yeah sure, it's not that much in the grand scheme of things, but right now I'm loathe to sacrifice any cash where I'm not completely sure it will be put to full use.
In other news, I am practicing my bicycle skills finally! I decided to force myself into learning how to ride a bike while I'm here by buying an annual pass for the city bike program. I am learning how to ride a bike now, and I suck at it.
Yoga Pascale has been patiently and wonderfully dedicating time over the last week to help me figure out how to stay afloat on a bike, and I am forever indebted to her kindness and support. It's pretty clumsy to look at (no, I will not be videotaping our lessons), as I am used to using my ample hips to drive my movements. That means I fall over a LOT on the bikes. She encourages me when I get aggravated after I've slipped and fumbled, and she runs next to me while I pedal to remind me to keep my hips level so I don't bump into the tree I already hit a couple of times.
I now understand that I am truly someone who likes to face her obstacles head-on...because I've hit a lot of things so far.
Yoga Pascale also has been providing my classmates and me really great yoga sessions after our academic classes. We asked her to teach us so we could all feel better physically and emotionally after our grueling days learning. She obliged, and I must say I really like her way of leading the class - she keeps you relaxed and calm while you fight a hard position, and congratulates you when it's over. If you're ever in the area, I HIGHLY recommending letting her peacefully lead you into a downward-dog for an hour.
I ran into Photosynthesis Drew on Thursday night, and he invited me to join him at a Sustainability Meetup dinner. I was happy to get to hang out with a new friend AND meet even more Aussies (...to the detriment of my workload). I learned a lot about sustainable projects in Australian and New Zealand. There was a part where one of the people there described all of the ways the US has negatively impacted the rest of the world through media and the "American Way of Life". I'm not very patriotic...but even I felt compelled to defend the changing American lifestyles and shifting national interests by the younger generations. Perhaps I should have reminded them that Rupert Murdoch was Australian at birth...
Last night the water ladies and I met up for some wine and cheese by the riverfront. It was a perfect night of chatting about school, joking around, and sharing stories with each other. The wine was great, the cheese brie (also known as delicious). The company was fantastic. It was a relaxing way to end a busy week and kick off a stressful weekend. We had to hide the wine from the police (no drinking in public here, either) by filling our water bottles with the vino...which means we're definitely in college again.
Another food note: Beetroots are put on burgers here sometimes. I ended up getting this jacked burger a few days ago with a beetroot, tomatoes, some pineapple...and a sunnyside egg (?!?!?!)...on top of a beef burger. You know, that might sound like a horrible combination, but it was actually quite tasty. I've been told beetroot are put on many other things here as well, but I'm going to have to take this introduction slowly, methinks.
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