Today was a busy day. It started off with Emily and I being
the only ones to catch the bus. Or so we thought. Turns out they all decided to
get a later one but at first we were a bit worried. Once we had all arrived and
settled into Questacon, Sivan and I started our day busking with Emily and
Christy. I walked them through the insects (explaining what they are, how to
hold them, how to show the kids, introducing them because they have names) then
Sivan and I set up our music trolley. The music one might be my favorite
because there’s a lot you can do and talk about with the kids. It was still a
little early so to get some attention, Sivan and I sang the blues. Well, she
played the harmonica and I played the drums and sang the blues. I put on my
best “blues” voice I could and sang about my baby leaving me and having no
money. We were definitely the crazy Americans but it worked because lots of
kids started coming up and asking if they could play with us.
Afterwards I spent my lunch break
shopping at the Q-Science shop (yup, just buying more stuff) then we headed
outside to help build rockets. What happens is we have an air pump attached
to…a tube and a…launcher button (clearly I know all the technical terms). The
kids use paper and tape to build rockets that we pump up and they shoot them off.
The emphasis here should be “the kids” ‘cause you know those 5th
grade science fairs where you see a 10-year standing next to a perfectly built
volcano and the kid is like picking their nose and clearly not caring at all
but the parent (s) is right next to them with a big smile on their face and
showing off all “their kids” hard work? That’s kinda how rockets were. The only
time I really saw many kids building their own was when Sivan or I were
helping. We explained the three basic parts needed (body, cone, and wings) then
either provided hands to hold pieces while they taped or tape to put down while
they held. Everything else was up to them, as it should be. And some of them
actually did pretty well. The downside was me crawling on the ground at the end
of the day picking up the hundreds of scraps that had been dropped there but
such is the life of a teacher. By the time the clock struck three, we were
packed up and ready to go. It was perfect timing because as we were walking in,
I walked right into Mel and Jake.
See, remember last week when I visited and I met Mel’s
friend Christy? Well, turns out I made a good impression because she invited us
over for a game night! So, we hopped in Mel’s car, stopped at Wooly’s for some
bubbles (aka champagne) then headed to the house. We weren’t due for a little
bit so I made a quick call to Adam on the unlimited wifi (still my two favorite
words), which was a nice bonus. But soon we were out the door and walking down
the street (Christy lives in the same neighborhood). Moving along, we made it to Christy’s to find that another familiar
face was there: Jill! It was pretty much a party. I also met Christy’s
husband/Mel’s other friend, Grant. We spent some time chatting and then sat down for a game of Camel Up! The premise of the
game is that there are 5 camels and they are in a race. The goal is to have the
most money at the end of the game. You win money by betting on who will win or
come in second each leg and who will win or lose the race as a whole. It was a
hoot and relatively quick (aside from the chatting and joking around but that
was the best part). We got through about three games before Grant was ready to
join us and Jake showed up for dinner. During this time Christy’s two little
ones, Gwen (3 yr) and Mark (6 mo), made appearances as well. They are just
ridiculously adorable. Gwen is sweet and a little shy but if you get her on
Frozen or Barbie, then you’re good. She even shared her freeze-dried ice cream
(which was definitely yummy, btw) that Mel had brought her. And Mark is just a
happy little guy who is always smiling and likes to move. He let me hold him
and was just bouncing around it my lap and having a grand old time.
Once we settled we brought out dinner and that’s when the
night got even better. Mel had made a mild chicken curry (something I’d never
had before) and Christy made green beans with fetta cheese (also never had) as
well as a lovely salad and some brown rice. The whole thing was fantastic! I
helped myself to seconds of pretty much everything. Then for dessert, Jake
brought out some frozen mango and Grant brought out some rum raisin chocolate
(other things I haven’t had). Suffice to say, it was definitely a success.
During and after dinner, talked a bit about all the things I’ve never had and
how most people would possibly consider me a picky eater (I’m currently
visualizing several family members nodding vigorously in agreement) but I must
admit that I’ve tried pretty much everything I’ve been given here and have yet
to be disappointed. The rest of the night was a complete blast and flew by for
me. After dinner we ended up on the topic of music and the group began sharing
all their best Australian suggestions. We listened to a couple and I liked them but am currently hardcore blanking on names right. Come back to me in a few days. Christy even started to make a list for a potential mix cd.
We ended with the game Coup. Basically there are 5 roles
(Captain, Ambassador, Assassin, Duke, and Contessa) and each role has an action
and a counteraction. Example: The Duke can take three extra coins and can block
people form taking foreign aid. Or the Captain and the Ambassador can both
steal coins and block others from stealing coins. Only you know your roles and
you are allowed to lie about them to do actions that you aren’t actually
capable of. If, however, someone thinks you are lying about who you are then
they can challenge you. If you are lying and can’t show the card you claim to
be, you lose one of your lives aka card. If you are telling the truth though,
you show that card and they instead lose a life/card. Then you get a new role
so that both your roles are secret. The point of the game is to collect coins,
kill other people, and be the last one with a life left. It’s a lot of fun
because you have to be able to bluff a little or be inconspicuous and just read
other people. I was actually pretty proud of myself because I won our first
round! But that was all ha. Playing games with Mel is crazy but fun because she
is a straightforward person but not so easy to read so she can just mess with
your mind.
After a few more rounds, we said our good-byes (mine, quite
sadly, for a very long time) then headed back to Mel’s to meet Shorty, who was
so graciously taking me home. Although before we left, Mel came down the stairs
with a present for me: the Raiders beanie!! Remember like 20 posts ago when I
said we went to the Raiders rugby game our first weekend here and I saw the
coolest knit hat with horns on it and it was the first thing I wanted in
Australia but it was a promo thing so I couldn’t get it and I’ve been searching
ever since and was going to go on ebay and buy it? (and if you don’t remember then
I just recapped it for you) Well I finally got one! Somehow it got brought up
at dinner (probably because I haven’t shut up about it this whole trip because
it is seriously bomb as hell) and Mel said she had an extra one and she would
give it to me and then I promptly declared my love for her (because seriously
she has become my Australian fairy godmother). Anyway, eventually we made it in
the car and all the way home where I bid them goodnight, left another note on
the fridge, and promptly passed out with a smile on my face.