G'Day Mates!

Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Day 33: Tuesday April 14

    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.