19) Climate change

The German approach to recycling in general is brilliant and humbling. The local councils in England are patting themselves on the back just for sticking green weelybins outside our houses. Every student building here has a “Pfand” system with the glass bottles from vending machines; you pay a euro for a drink, but get 15 cents back if you put the bottle in this machine afterwards. Genius! A mechanised, instant financial benefit seems to be a rather more effective way of getting everyone to recycle, and also provides an alternative to begging for homeless people unable to get onto Tubingen’s BigIssue-equivalent scheme (and also a great excuse to host a party, as the bottles everyone ends up leaving pay for the alcohol you provided the night before!).

Talking about climate change, it´s pretty ridiculously hot here right now. As in debilitatingly so. The daily walk to my lectures now involves embarrassing detours into the few shops I’ve found that (shock! horror!) have air-conditioning. Whilst a week ago my feigned interest in the products inside attracted no attention, I now get strange looks from all the shop assistants (who clearly must be assuming I´m either unhealthily slow at making decisions or a recovering shoplifter). And I KNOW that air-conditioning is a waste of power, but it’s a blooming necessary one when it’s 34°c!! This week I nearly fainted during fitness aerobics because the main sportshall not only didn’t have air-conditioning, but didn’t even bother opening its windows.

Which has led me to another interesting discovery; despite the weather getting warmer everyone here is in complete denial. The only concession I can find is that flip-flops seem to be allowed. Whilst I used to mock the townies in their undies, I now find I´m getting a bit homesick for some English weather-induced insanity. Sure we don’t get such heady extremes of weather, but we do make the most of what’s thrown at us. When three flakes of snow hit the ground the MET sends out a national warning. When even remote specks of sunlight filter through the clouds we strip off, desperate for some of those free UV rays. We huddle over barbeques too proud to go inside, and we sit in hours of traffic so that we can enjoy the weather in a place other than our own town (because sunshine only happens when you’re on holiday, ergo you must go somewhere else when it’s warm).

Everyone’s walking around here like it’s normal for it to be warm. Moreover, they take this weather for granted. They´re actually getting on with every-day life, madly assuming the weather will last until the weekend. I know. Crazy. Sadly my professors also have this ambivalent attitude to the sunshine and are giving us just as much work as before. Crazy. Like I have time to work! The sunshine must be experienced. Must. Be. Outside. Must. Get. Sunburned.. ………………………………

18) Ode to the wilhelmstrasse Menza

The main meal of the day, for students at least, happens at lunchtime. In England I normally hurry down a sandwich whilst working, but here it’s a fully-blown three course meal. Whilst this may sound a little bit pricy, the opposite is actually the case; the student “menza” or canteen, an enormous and ugly 1960s building, offers a main meal with soup and salad/desert for 3 Euro. Granted the food is sometimes a bit dodgy, and granted you have to stand in a queue for 10 minutes, but it’s nevertheless an essential part of Tuebingen student life. Everyone eats there because it’s such good value for money, so you always end up finding someone you know to sit with even if you turn up alone. The food is unceremoniously slopped onto “prison”trays by inevitably unfulfilled and grumpy dinner ladies, so I particularly enjoy saying “Danke” to them loudly and cheerfully. Their startled looks of horror and anger are always worth it-a silent tribute to my 13 year old innocent school days, when annoying the dinnerladies still entirely satisfied my need to rebel. …What a lot of heartache I could have saved myself if I´d have left it at that…

Another feel-good-factor the menza gives you is the ability to indulge in every student’s favourite pastime; moaning. Complaining about the quality of what you’re eating whilst eating it is a fundamental part of the menza experience, and makes the fight through the cloud of smokers and flyer-giver-outers outside its doors all the more worth it. The minor detail that you are infact choosing to eat the food, rather than being forced, by no means inhibits this. Taking a leaf out of Bush´s approach to climate change, we chose to ignore this truth…

The end draws near…

What started off as “Yeah Polly, I’ll be in Sydney maybe for a couple of months” soon turned into Cathy staying a good 6 months! And she is now the first to leave Sydney from our little group (the road trip group) which not only signifies a solo appearance at netball on Thursday nights now, no more road trips and no more music concerts – but it also means that the departure date for all of us is now looming and approaching with haste.

 

Cath and I had hoped to join our travels as we were both set to go to New Zealand and Fiji followed by LA. Unfortunately because of our tickets and when we had to use them by, Cathy having to work and myself at Uni we just couldn’t get out dates to match, consequently Cath has gone travelling on her own, we said goodbye to her last week and it was all quite teary actually! The weekend before we had a meal out and then a few pubs in Coogee (student central, especially exchange students!), followed by toasting her last night on Thursday drinking some Passion Pop in front of “The Breakfast Club” and then all came together to wave goodbye at Central station on the Friday night. She’s doing the east coast in next couple of weeks and then joining up with Aine and Seamus in New Zealand. I’ll probably next see her in December at my birthday party back in England.

 

So the realisation is starting to set in that I am actually going back home. And there is just so much to organise! I fully couldn’t sleep the other night because things just kept going round and round in my mind of things that I had to do! I ended up getting up and writing a list! Nightmare! There’s been times this year when I’ve felt like time is going so slowly and I was really getting the chance to do everything that I wanted to do. And then you reach this part of the exchange and the weeks seem to just fall away, especially as I am still at uni and still working two jobs as well! I finish work next week though and hope to get all my assignments out of the way this weekend, which will free up time to do any last minute things that I’ve been meaning to do the past 12 months!

 

I have booked a final trip to Melbourne; I’ll be there for a couple of days as soon as I finish classes on the 4^th of June. My flat mate Cat in Edinburgh is travelling with her boyfriend and she’ll be here in Sydney for my last few days which is really cool! So it’s all go go go. I’m sure my reflection on my exchange year will be far more insightful and reflective in a couple of months when I’ve done all my travelling and am safely back in the bosom of my family, so for right now I’m just going to make the most of Sydney!

A night in Russia in Sydney

Saturday comes around and you brainstorm…what shall we do this weekend? That club…that bar…this party…that place…no…Let’s go be different and have a nice civilised meal at a top rated Russian Restaurant in Sydney. That was the plan anyway, and for a while we stuck to it.

 

After rushing home from work, whipping out a pretty pink dress I hadn’t worn in a while and pleading with the almighty for a bus to come soon because it was bloody cold, I met up with friends at The Coachman on Bourke Street. Straight to the bar for a free cocktail…Ben knew the owner’s daughter and that’s how we had managed to score one of the best tables in the restaurant, right in front of the stage for the show later on, and that’s apparently how we got our cocktails. I’ll take that.

 

We went with the set menu and the entrees were all laid out ready for us when we got to our table. I had never eaten Russian food which was one of the reasons why we were so keen to go to this place, my only idea of Russian food was the potatoes that they made vodka out of…oh how ignorant I was. Although I don’t like fish and thus couldn’t sample a couple of the entree delights, everyone said they were amazing and they looked delicious, and this from someone who doesn’t eat fish…the salad was delicious and we delved into all the little bites that ranged from salad, to pate and these little cream cheese cakes with tomato and olive.  This was followed by peppers stuffed with chicken mince and melted cheese. The main course was lamb chops, chicken breast, potatoes and garlic seasoned grilled vegetables. The meal finished with a fruit mousse cake and coffee.

 

Marina, the owner’s daughter who had sorted us out, was on the table next to us having dinner with some family friends but pretty much ended up sitting with us. She was amazing, making sure we had everything we needed and that included vodka. A lot of vodka, three bottles of vodka between five of us, shots every 5 minutes. Apparently that’s Russian. I like the Russians.

 

And then there was the show. It was awesome!! These three perky petite little dancers frolicking about the stage, in these Moulin rouge get ups, it was definitely entertainment and they were certainly limber…splits, cart wheels galore and they didn’t hold back either flashing their frills all over the place! It was hilarious! And then there was this mad violin player, he was phenomenal, oscillating between these atmospheric, dramatic, harmonious tones that hushed the crowed to these fun, upbeat, mind blowing solos that demanded the crowd clapping in beat. As soon as the show ended the patrons were up there strutting their stuff, busting the moves. Loved it.

 

It was just so fun. So much fun, I’ve never been to a place like it, had such a good time and learned how vodka should be drunk. Although my memory might be quite hazy after coffee, one this is very clear…I am not Russian…unfortunately. We’re heading back there for my last Saturday night in Sydney for a farewell dinner with a bunch of mates; hopefully it will be as fun as last weekend!

Neighbours Night – you have to.

Ok, so I’ve already briefly mentioned one of the great dramas to emerge from Australian TV but there has been a significant omission that needs no introduction. Australians are often baffled by the English and their apparent obsession with Ramsey Street. Healthy admiration not obsession, that’s what I say. But Karl Kennedy touring British Universities with his band, televising Neighbours twice a day as well as an omnibus just doesn’t make sense to most Australians.

 

In a desperate bid to fit in as much Melbourne time as possible before I head back home I flew into the Victorian capital for a few days, squeezing in a couple of nights out, shopping in Brunswick Street, an AFL game (Essendon got absolutely thrashed unfortunately – but you know…good game…), visit to Melbourne Museum and finally the Monday evening at the infamous “Neighbours night”. I met up with Nixie who is currently on exchange from Edinburgh to Melbourne Uni, she organised the tickets etc and I crashed on her floor that night.

 

For $40 a pop, you turn up at this “traditional English pub”, get yourself one free drink, find a space somewhere…anywhere…and prepare yourself for the evening’s activities. The place is absolutely packed and the host identifies the two token Australian’s in an ocean of British back packers. On in the background is a massive to screening old episodes of Neighbours, so funny! Immediately conversations erupt over the scandal that unfolded at that time, the person that left because of an affair with them, or when they killed her because he had a car crash with that person etc, glimpse of old hotties brought memories of teenage crushes right back, particularly Billy Kennedy. It is definitely an evening tailored to the commodity of the “traveller” with the embarrassing things the host makes people do for vouchers and prizes (kissing strangers, dance offs, singing the national anthem – you see my point).

 

People get into groups for a mass pub quiz which has general knowledge questions and then a lot of Neighbours specific questions, the prize was $500 – that would have been nice. And then they bring out “the stars”. That night we were able to meet Karl Kennedy (standard…I think he’s there every week), Stu Parker (so hot), Connor and Janel. A pretty good line up I would say and they were all pretty funny and banterful on the ole mic, god knows how many times they’ve done it though! Fair go though, they went round absolutely everyone, and that place was PACKED, had a chat with people and everyone who wanted a photo got one, smiles and kisses galore.

 

And then the end of the night…Alan Fletcher and the waiting room…I’m not gonna lie…it’s like watching your dad singing The Killers when you see Dr Kennedy up there “rocking out.” It’s cheesy, cringey but bloody brilliant especially when you hear the chorus of “Susan…Susan…Who the f#*k is Susan?” and even more so when you have a few beverages down you. It’s such a fun night, something to do on a Monday night and embrace fully the Australian drama that has brought us Kylie, Delta and ahem…Holly Valence? Hmmm. Maybe just stick to Kylie.

http://www.neighboursnight.com.au/

Exchange Expo at UNSW

I received an email from both exchange offices here and in Edinburgh regarding an exchange fair that was happening at UNSW asking whether I would be available to help out at the “Edinburgh stand”, I had an hour in between classes so offered to come then to meet Sandra and lure any potential exchange students to Scotland’s beautiful capital.

 

After locating Sandra [Edinburgh’s rep] and the little Burg set up, I put my “Edinburgh head” on and prepared to big it up. There was a UNSW student there helping out as well, she had been on exchange in Edinburgh for a year so it was cool chatting to her about places and things she would miss and what was different and all that jazz. Inevitably with any conversation about life in Edinburgh, our chat soon led to a discussion on the “Filling Station” cake shop on South Clerk Street. That soaked up a good ten minutes or so and whilst she wistfully complained how much she was going to miss it, I relished in the realisation that in but a few short months I would be able to return to that sacred oasis of sweet sensations. It’s literally like stepping into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory – good times.

 

I proceeded to rave about the quirky metropolis that is Edinburgh, from the funky little shops that you find in the old town ranging from crafts to full witchery, to all the pubs in the grass markets especially when the rugby’s on and the men whip out the quilts, the bars in Newtown, 50p drinks in Massa and the greatness that is Potterow. One of the things that people always ask me over here is about the castles in the UK.

 

“So do you live in a castle?”

“Do you go to uni in a castle?”

“Is it like Harry Potter?”

“Do you know Prince William; didn’t he go to uni in Scotland?”

 

So a fair amount of time was chatting about the amazing architecture in Edinburgh as a whole, buildings like the Law and archaeology departments, but then of course I did mention that we also have structures like the great Appleton tower to dampen the view just slightly. But the Edinburgh castle, Arthur’s seat and general picturesque view of the city seen on the various brochures on our little display table seemed to grip imagination more, thankfully.

 

As I could only stay for an hour I didn’t get a chance to chat to that many people. What it did make me realise though is how much I am looking forward to getting back into life at Edinburgh. I love it out here but I am so pleased that I’m excited about my last year at Uni back in Scotland. Raving up all the things that characterised my first two years of university life got me thinking about all the things I have to look forward to when I get back in September including those freezing mornings and bitterly cold wind!

Being an extra on Home and Away!

So when people think of Australia, what do they think? They think sun, sea and sand. They think kangaroos, koalas and crocs. They think Steve Urwin, Mick Dundee and Heath Ledger. They think the Harbour Bridge, Ayers Rock, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Opera House. And these are all valid Australia beacons, the things you see on postcards. But what people also think is…Home and Away. Ok. I’m sure a lot of people don’t actually immediately think of Home and away. But I certainly do. I’m a big fan as already noted from our little trip up to Palm Beach in the summer and tea with Mark.

 

So one afternoon I’m babysitting as normal, picked the kids up, gave them afternoon tea, play at the park etc, and then Isabelle (‘the mum’) comes home a little late all stressed about work. Being the delightful young woman I enquire about her dilemma which is when she informs me that Home and Away are filming at UNSW next week and she’s in charge of all the logistics including getting extras to be in all the scenes and she’s had a few people pull out. This was my chance. CAN I BE AN EXTRA ON HOME AND AWAY? The answer was a resounding yes. Sublime.

 

So very early on Wednesday morning I made my way to the quad at uni where the filming was to take place. It was freezing, we’re all there in our big coats and hats, and then they make “Matilda” strut around in a little singlet and hot pants! Ha! So I focused on my performance, concentrated on not staring too much at “Matilda” and tried to get as much camera time as possible, aided by my exceptionally bright coloured jeans that were sure to grab the eye.

 

The story line was that Matilda (I understand that those who don’t follow H&A will not have any idea what I’m talking about but bear with me) has just broken up with Ric (That’s drama just there), she’s just started uni (hence the university ‘scene’) and is deliberating as to whether she should embark on a new relationship. The guy who was chatting up was apparently a ‘typical student’. We all thought it was a bit strange that H&A’s idea of a student was someone who wore a school blazer from a 1850s English public school and a satchel. Of course the extras were to bring reality to the scene and that where we came in.

 

We were split into groups and then set on certain routes around the quad, routes we were to repeat, crossing over the camera, miming, laughing, and being “studenty”. As was desired I definitely got some serious camera time…at one point I could have tripped up Matilda a metre from the camera – surely I’ll be able to spot myself?! Only time will tell…it’s all going to get very complicated with heading back to the UK and then being behind the Australian episodes – the only solution is to watch every episode. A sacrifice I’m prepared to make.

 

Conclusion: Claim to fame.

Road Trip to Jervis Bay April 08′

Road trip take two. Along with all the usual suspects from February’s little excursion to Nelson Bay plus a few others, we were back on the road off on another exciting weekend away!! This time to an area south of Sydney called Jervis Bay about 3 hours away, although once again we may have got lost…and added approximately an hour to our journey…life is hard without a tom tom at hand.

 

We left on the Friday which was ANZAC day here in Australia which is a big deal! ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (I think) so it’s a national holiday to commemorate soliders and in particular the battle of Gallipoli. Roads are blocked off, parades march, trumpets sound and it’s a really special day for the collective memory of Australia. ANZAC biscuits incidentally are delicious, big oat filled cookies which were sent to the troops back in the day – yum!

 

Loaded with CD mixes from the nineties, munchies galore and questionable directions to our accommodation, we took the scenic route down the coast, stopping off a couple of times on the way. We stopped at….the blow hole…and yes…it is how it sounds, a hole that blows. I’m just googling it now so I can better explain what it actually is before I embark on an inarticulate monologue which really tells you nothing at all. Ok, here’s the official line “Under the right conditions, large waves enter the mouth of the Blowhole & compress the air within the inner cavity.

As the retreating water leaves, it is forced upward by the compressed air, as the mouth is still blocked by the receding wave. The escaping air causes the loud “oomph”, which accompanies the water spout. “So the gist is that there is an impressive “oomph” of water. Maybe you have to be there…

 

We finally got to our lodgings. As there was a big group of us, 12, we hired two cabins for a couple of nights in this little holiday village. The cabins were awesome, and we were right on the beach. Now I had expected a pretty dismal weekend of weather to be honest, it’s been raining in Sydney the past couple of weeks and the temperature has most definitely dropped, but as luck would have it, the sun decided to shine on Saturday, which was glorious. A bunch hit the beach in the morning for early surf (I’m still pretty sure the sharks are waiting for me so I skipped this little activity) so we chilled on the beach in the morning and figured out the plan for the afternoon. Some headed to another beach for some snorkelling action but found themselves attacked by seaweed, a couple went kayaking and the rest of us went on a horse ride through a close by forest which I loved! I used to horse ride when I was really young and loved getting back into it, although I found that my allergies had not subsided and by the end of the two hours I was sniffling, eyes were puffing, a rash was building up and my throat was tightening…all worth it though of course!

 

Then we all headed back to the cabins with particular tasks – food for team one, alcohol for team two. A couple of hours later and we were well fed after a bbq on the balcony and making our way through the grog. We had planned to stop off at this water park called Jamberoo near Wollongong on the way back but apparently it was winter now and the place was closed. So after another morning of beach action and surf, we all met in town (just like a bustling little seaside town in England) for some lunch before we made our separate ways back to Sydney – some to re-visit the amazing blow hole, some to see its wonders for the first time and others to get lost on the way back again. All in all it was another awesome weekend with everyone!

17) Back…play

Being part of the international student community is a great chance to experience different cultures, and I have to admit that a bit part of my year in Germany has involved developing an appreciation for Mexican food. All Americans that I know here miss it so much, and at first I couldn’t understand why. Luckily, they decided to show me. What followed can only be described as multiple moments of gastronomic bliss. At the last Mexican evening hosted by my friends, they took things even further by not merely providing Mexican food, but also creating a Pinyata. After several tequilas, we all stood infront of the animal and, in turn, took whacks at it. Nobody quite knows why, but I recon the tradition stems from some kind of practicing for would-be-warriors. That said, we all failed miserably at actually hitting the object (a few tequilas too many) so the training didn’t work very well…maybe that’s why the Mexicans lost to the Spanish (feel free to correct me, my history’s a little hazy!).

With the amazing weather, I have also been able to participate in a less exotic tradition here at Tuebingen; the Naked Man in the park. He is like a mascot of the university, and apparently without fail comes to the old Botanical Garden where the students hang out every summer. So tanned that he could feature in a skin-cancer add, he walks around the garden doing “exercises” in his tight Y-fronts (although last year he wore a red thong, apparently). These exercises consist of Yoga positions that leave little to the imagination. In general he likes to perform these infront of female students trying to do work. It may sound scary, but I feel very privileged to be able to witness this living legend. All hail the Naked Man, may his fitness regime never end.

I have also participated in some rather less controversial traditions this month. Anne on my corridor celebrated her 25^th birthday and decided to have a “children’s birthday” theme. We all sat in the garden surrounded by balloons and glitter, and played party games. I never realised pass the parcel wasn’t universally played! It was quite amusing trying to teach everyone the rules. We also played a fantastic game involving chocolate and a dice. Everyone took it in turns to roll it and when you rolled a six, you got to eat the chocolate. The only problem being that it was wrapped up in newspaper, that you had to use a knife and fork, and that you first had to put on a hat and gloves before you could attack the yummy goodness. Meanwhile, everyone else continued rolling. It was hilarious to watch everyone struggle away and definitely brought out our inner children again! We also played a game inspired by jess, a Chinese student. She sat and pronounced German theologians the way that the Chinese say them, and we had to guess who she meant. Not as easy as it sounds.

16) Back…Work

Back-

Sorry for the lack of a blog for so long, it’s taken a while to get back into my routine, and everything has been pretty busy. I returned to Tuebingen four weeks ago, after going home for the Easter break. Since coming back I have been constantly aware that my time here is coming to an end, and I will be so sad to leave this place. Picking up my friendships from where I left them was really easy, and it’s been fun to start a new semester knowing where everything is and everything that I need to do-the first week of my winter term was a little bit overwhelming, whereas this time round I got straight back into things. It’s made me see how far I’ve come and how much this place now feels like home.

 I’ve tried to sign up for some more daring uni options this time that will push my German more, and so far this seems to have been a good strategy- in one of my lectures I only understand about 30% of what is being said. It’s been good to go through this and stop myself from getting complacent about my German, and is really inspiring me to step up to the challenge. Hopefully by the end of this semester I will be able to keep up! Despite taking more options, my workload has actually decreased a little because I am now faster at reading German and preparing for classes. I’ve started feeling able to participate in discussions in class, and have been really enjoying all my options so far. The standard of teaching here is very high, and I feel so lucky to be able to take part.

I’ve realised there are different levels of understanding that exist-last semester I was just about getting the basics of what was being said, whereas this semester I feel like I’m understanding the more complex things too. Going through this process really makes you see language in a whole new way-I thought one day it just clicks, but actually it’s a gradual process of ups and downs that never stands still. My German either improves or gets worse, there doesn’t seem to be a plateau stage!

It’s really exciting to be able to approach my subject in a different language and see how it affects what is being said. The way that German works lends itself really well to philosophical arguments, for instance, because the words are so exact. It’s been a really humbling experience too, as learning here constantly shows me how little I know. Theology students in Germany have to learn Hebrew and Greek, which is not the case in Edinburgh. I never really thought it was that important until I came here, but having these languages just enables you to approach the subject in so much more depth that I am really jealous of everyone who can. I only have one year left in Edinburgh so I’ve left it a little bit late to them start up.

My cunning plan of buying friendships by cooking cookies for people on my corridor last semester paid off, and I get on really well with everyone. I don’t want to sound like some cliché-spurting year abroad enthusiast, but I really would recommend doing this to anyone and everyone. It’s just a great way to make new friends and have new experiences. The weather here at the moment is phenomenal, so my days are filled with meeting people in the park, eating icecream, and having BBQs. It’s just a great experience.