Kangaroos in the Garden, and other stories...

So I've definitely not updated this as often as I have been intending to, but its quality, not quantity, right? Ahem. Not that I would claim that my musings are particularly full of quality either though, but never mind.

So I've spent the last two weekend seeing something of New South Wales, including a trip to Orange, to see the lovely Miss Kelly Wade-Johnson, a fellow ex Uni-Haller, and also an epic 8 person trip to Jervis Bay. Things may never be the same again after a couple of hours spent playing Ring of Fire and of course, Never Have I Ever. By the end of 3rd year in St. Andrews, Never Have I Ever became more of a game of catching people out because, let's be fair, living in hall we knew pretty much who HAD done what, and when. So playing it for the first time with people - always revealing.

Anyway, Jervis Bay is gorgeous. It chucked it down with rain most of the time and I ended up throwing up due the choppy water on our dolphin searching trip (nice, I know...) but apart from that, simply stunning.

And also, we saw kangaroos. Yes, I know I'm in Australia, but they don't exactly bound up the main streets of Sydney or go chill out under the Harbour Bridge. But apparently, they do live in the more rural areas...and just wander into town for an afternoon relaxing in the gardens or by the side of the road. Immense. I definitely felt like I was in Australia as we stood looking at these incredible animals.

And now its Friday again, and I can't believe another week of my time in Sydney has passed. 

Life on a blow-up mattress

This week has not entirely gone according to plan. Having moved into a new flat on Tuesday - a cheap room, own room for myself and my friend - and it even had a TV,  was pretty much right in the middle of town and the office...yes, it was most definitely too good to be true. Tanya and I did not have our own room, we were in fact sharing it with hundreds of bedbugs. Or so it seems, looking at the amount of bites on our bodies. Not an ideal situation. Needless to say, we moved out of the flat pretty sharply. Although apparently 2 nights is plenty long enough and I definitely can't wear tank tops or shorts for a few more days unless I want to be looked at as though I'm contagious. I'm not, incidentally. No bed bugs actually live on me...

So we're technically homeless, though of course that's not strictly true. We staying on a blow-up mattress at my work, which is also where my boss and colleague are living. Which, I'm not going to lie, has been a lot of fun. I think the two people I work with are absolutely brilliant, and it's great getting to know them better. We have been out the last two nights and also went walking yesterday afternoon.

It's also reminded me that I do enjoy meeting new people. It's very easy when you have a group of friends to just stick to what you know, what's fun, and what's comfortable. And there are a lot of strange people in Sydney. But there are also a lot of interesting people that you miss out on when you're out as a group. Friday night, two of us went to the apartment downstairs and had a brilliant time - we'd never met any of the people before yet they forced us to drink their mojitos and eat their burritos. I only hope that I can be that welcoming! They were all a little older, late twenties I guess, I felt completely comfortable, though clearly conversations around marriage and house buying are a little beyond me right now. Thank goodness, I feel I should add.

I can't actually quite believe that it is Sunday again. The weeks just fly by here, much as they did during my last year at St. Andrews, and another week of work awaits. Which really isn't a problem. There's also plenty to look forward to, particularly a mini St. Andrews invasion. Karen, a girl I knew from the Bubble, arrives in Sydney Wednesday morning, and I could not be more excited. We aren't even particularly close, but I love this little slice of Scottishness. St. Andrews is such a unique place that I feel that you have to have lived there to truly understand. I've become friends with another girl in Sydney who I never even met in St. Andrews (I hardly thought that was possible!) and it's great getting to know her. And incredibly easy to find a range of topics to talk about...And then, on Thursday, a guy I met in Melbourne is coming over from New Zealand for a few days - and he went to St. Andrews too, though graduated the year before I started. And, to top it all, one of my closest friends, Emma, has booked to come out here in April.

It's strange though, seeing people you know from a completely different context, out here. I mean, one of the one hand you have a tiny Scottish town - and probably my favourite place in the world. On the other, you have the most populous city in Australia, home to the Harbour bridge and the Sydney Opera house. Without a doubt, my four years in St. Andrews had a massive effect on the person I am today, and I wonder if I'll look back on my experiences as a Sydneysider in a similar fashion in a few months time. This is the only time I've ever lived in a city but I don't think it's going to be the last. Now there's something I never thought I'd be so excited about...