True Blue: Pink Palaze

I love living away from home.

I miss ya, Mom and Dad, but there's something about fending for yourself that just feels great.

I've been on my own in Berkeley for two years, but it's so different being across the ocean! Normally, I call my mom walking home from class-to avoid the creeps on Telegraph-and am often talking to my brother through some form of social media. But here I can't just call my mom when something's up! I was craving enchiladas last night and wanted to make my mom's recipe, but I had to send her an e-mail and wait like 10 HOURS for her to wake up and then for me to wake up to see the recipe. Even instant messaging hasn't conquered the international date line yet.

Most students here live at home and commute to uni. It's not as common to live in dorms (or colleges, here) or in an apartment. A lot of kids go to the university that's closest to their home and continue to live with their parents while going to school.

In America there is this massive culture involved with going away to school. Most of my friends moved away after we graduated high school, and if they didn't, they desperately wanted to. I love you, fambam, but I was more than ready to leave when I did. Pretty sure you were ready for me to leave, too.

There's definitely a lot I feel I would have missed out on if I had commuted to school, or was still commuting to school. Coming home to my parents house after going to a frat party sounds reeeeeally weird, and I wouldn't have had those late night hallway conversations with my floor, or midnight donut runs, or post-practice feasts and dance parties at the B&B. Living with other college kids is the most fun part of college! I can't imagine coming home from a midterm to mom cooking dinner and Weston playing Playstation. Like yeah, sometimes I think that'd be really freaking nice, but there's something about having to cook for yourself, run your own errands, and do your own laundry after that midterm that makes me feel self sufficient and grown-up.

Soooooo that's my take on living away from home. It's amazing. PLUS it gives you two homes! Actually by the end of this I hope to have 3. The Pink Palace here in St. Lucia, the B&B up in Berkeley, and good ol' Lepanto in San Diego.So many places I feel at home!

(I just wanted to note that when I typed conversations the first time up there, I actually typed conservation. So....my major is taking over my life.)

This week is busy with running errands and working on assignments.

Monday I literally could not do anything. I was so exhausted from the tournament over the weekend that I pretty much stared at my computer all morning, spaced out in my classes, and took a nap that afternoon....before going to play another frisbee game that night. Which my body thoroughly objected to. The shin splints are so real. I should do something about them....

Something besides what I did Tuesday! Barefoot pick-up soccer after classes? Bad idea, but so much fun. The lights went out on us but we kept playing anyway.

Found this walking across the bridge into the city. NO SEGWAYS?!?! C'mon Australia.

Another #oneclasswednesday was spent treating ourselves to an amazing breakfast in South Bank and some produce shopping at the farmer's market.

Like, LOOK AT THAT. That is legitimately CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM on French Toast, with cocoa nibs and grapefruit, covered in syrup. I'm sorry, America, but Australia WINS at breakfast. Shout out to the website UrbanList for giving us all of these great restaurants to try in Brisbane. This place was a tiny little organic coffee shop called Merriweathers, where everything is locally grown and produced and of course, delicious.

Always drinking coffee...

Wednesday night I went to frisbee, and woke up Thursday quite sick from being out in the cold and rain for too many days. BUT one must persevere! I can rest later! HAHAHAHA

Thursday night we began celebrating Martha's birthday!

a few very obviously edited pictures from the dessert/cocktail bar...

We went to a dessert bar cleverly called Cowch where we all got super sweet drinks and a massive dessert pizza. DESSERT PIZZA. BEER FLOATS. CALORIES.
After Cowch we met some other friends at a bar in the city to hang out a bit. There was a great reggae band and a ton of uni kids going crazy because who can really dance to reggae besides that one old lady hippie everyone knows (OR MOM, that old guy in tie dye at the Michael Franti concert. Or Julie Boegli, because really she could dance to classical music and make it look cool.).
Friday was my most productive day ever. I got so much work done! Going to the library is effective! That night we stayed in and had a 100% stereotypical girls night, complete with baking cookies and Eat, Pray, Love. Which I was NOT expecting to enjoy because I can't handle all that cheesy finding yourself stuff but it was SO GOOD. Go Julia Roberts, you rock.
Saturday we prepped the house and went over to the neighbors-other American kids-for a BBQ, or as they called it, a Man-B-Que. No veggies allowed, only giant slabs of meet and craft beer. And that night we TRULY celebrated Martha's 21st! Some PIIIICS....