first study break

Today marks the official beginning of my first study break. I am leaving tonight for Cairns, hometown of the Great Barrier Reef. I don't know how much time I will be spending on the computer, so just know that I will be coming home with tons of pictures and stories. It is my first time going on vacation alone and I am a little scared. I'm sure with my winning personality and charming good looks I will get by just fine. ; )

Down South (172 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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feeling a little helpless

So of course one of my biggest fears about being away from home for this long (and this far) was that something was going to happen and I can't get home. My brother had a soccer accident and broke his leg. Surgery went well, and after a lot of pain he will recover. Now I know this is not death in the family or a natural disaster, but it torn me apart to sit at my computer and see my brother suffering on the other side of the world. I just want to hug him. I won't fly home, but the thought has crossed my mind. Please keep him in your thoughts as I am.

Perth (72 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

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doing the tourism thing

I spent last Friday doing some sight seeing. I went to the Western Australia Museum and art gallery. Then I wandered around the city a little and had lunch. I am looking forward to my first study break, including my trip to Cairns.

chow down

So I don't know about you, but when it rains I like to eat. I thought I would share a few new foods I have had here. Enjoy!

Tim Tams are a chocolate biscuit made by Arnott's Biscuits, Australia. A Tim Tam is composed of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit, separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate.

According to Arnott's, around 35 million packs are sold each year – nearly 400 million biscuits, an average of approximately 1.7 packs per Australian^] Tim Tams were first put onto the market in 1964.^[] They were named by Ross Arnott, who attended the 1958 Kentucky Derby and decided that the name of the winning horse Tim Tam was perfect for a planned new line of biscuits.

Lamingtons are a sponge cake (or, more traditionally, butter cake) in the shape of a cube, coated in a layer of traditionallychocolate icing then desiccated coconut. They are sometimes served as two halves with a layer of cream and/or strawberry jambetween, and are commonly found in Australasian outlets such as cafes, lunch bars, bakeries, and supermarkets.

The chocolate coating is a thin mixture, into which cubes of sponge cake are dipped, and the chocolate is absorbed into the outermost layers of the sponge where it sets. The cubes are then covered with coconut and left to set.

They have traditionally been popular as fund raisers for Australian youth groups such as Scouts, Guides and churches to the extent that such fund raisers are called "Lamington drives."

Milo is a milk beverage with chocolate and malt, produced by Nestlé and originating from Australia

Kangaroo meat is used in barbecues, stews and various other types of cooking. The meat is also a staple part of the Aboriginal diet

Damper is a traditional Australian soda bread prepared by swagmen, drovers and other travelers. It consists of a wheat flourbased bread, traditionally baked in the coals of a campfire. Damper is an iconic Australian dish.

rain rain go away

The weather here has been so horrid these last two weeks, I can hardly work up the motivation to get out of bed most days. I am proud to say, unlike many of my friends, I have not missed class due to the rain. It is cold and rainy everyday, and I cling to the hour or so of sunshine we have in the afternoon. I've been lectured multiple times by my Australian friends that I should be grateful for the rain because of the great drought that has hit Australia over the last decade. The water table here is rising, causing the farmlands to become saturated with salt. A movement to plant trees is helping, but it is only with a few good hard years of rainy spring will the soil here have a chance to survive. This spring is due to be on of the rainiest ever, and I am not looking forward to that. I keep holding out for days at the beach in the middle of American winter and sending home pictures to my family while they start bundling up in the cold. I have my first exam tomorrow and I am very nervous. I hope it's not as hard as I'm predicting. All you can do is study your hardest, right? At least the rain helps keep me inside and working hard!

Do you believe in ghosts?

I'm not a hard-core believer in the supernatural, but I find when visiting sights where many people have died, there is something hanging in the air. Going to the prison at night certainly added an element of spooky to the maximum security center that was closed in 1991. The prison was built by prisoners in the 1800s, and then the prisoners were moved in. The tops of the walls surrounding the prison are covered with broken glass and razor wire, making me glad that I live a life of freedom outside of prison walls. If you look at the pictures, you can see some of the spirit orbs that haunt the prison halls. 43 people were hanged in the gallows at Freo, only one of them being female. I left the pictures of the gallows out of my album because I felt it was too graphic. I felt a little sick standing in that room, the tour guide telling us the timeline of a prisoner's last day on earth. The site has over 200,000 visitors a year, making it the most popular site in Western Australia for tourist. The prison will receive world heritage status next year, the highest honor a site can receive. I recommend you check out their site, www.fremantleprison.com .

Freo Prison 08/14/09 (34 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

back to the music

I made the trip to the University of Western Australia for choir practice. There is one undergraduate for three universities in Perth. It is a 45 minute commute, but after a night of practice I decided it is going to be worth it. I miss choir, and I can't believe it has been two years since I have sang in one. I was relieved that one of the pieces we sang was one I performed in high school my senior year. The majority of the choir members were older than undergraduate. Apparently their fees are higher, but they are still welcome to join. I was amazed that the same choir stereotypes (sopranos are divas, bass men never stop mocking altos) still existed in a totally different culture. I have been sadden by all the rain the next couple of days, but I am looking forward to cooking a new dish with some of my friends tomorrow night.

holy sunday

I went to St. Paul's church today in Perth. I thought finding a religious community may give me a sense of comfort and familiarity. A couple from the church who live near Murdoch picked me up in their truck this morning. They kept asking what I was having trouble adjusting to. What is different here that you find strange? What do you miss? What do you not like? They seemed disappointed that I was not as disoriented as they imagined. The church is small and cold. The congregation is about eighty people. The first service was a "band" service, consisting of one guitar, three violins, and a keyboard. The later service has an organ with more traditional music that I might have recognized. The couple that drove me finds the traditional church service to be dull, so I was able to witness a different type of worship. It was nice, but I missed being able to sing along with confidence. They also did not have communion, which to me is an important part of my worship service. During announcements, a woman I met before service stood up and pointed at me. "Everyone, this is Amanda from Chicago. She is here for the semester and will be here every Sunday to worship with us. Be nice to her.". No pressure, right? So I was swarmed with curious people after church, asking me general questions about my studies and my family. A large percentage of the congregation are couples, of whom one person is from the states. They came to the land of Oz, fell in love, and never left. I had no idea this happened so frequently. I certainly haven't met anyone here yet I would switch continents for, but the semester is still getting started. I went out to lunch by myself in Freo before meeting the other American students to go to the footy match, Australian football is intense and lacks the nice padding we have in the U.S. . I'm not in love with the sport, but it was fun. People here, just like at home, get very rowdy and drunk at sporting events. There was a lot less advertising during the game compared to american football, and no one did the wave. I came home tonight to find a dinner party of twenty people at my house. I'm staying in my room, too tired from the day to be social. A small note about my flatmates, they came in from their Saturday night out at 8 Sunday morning. Now that is a party.

my first AFL game (29 photos), by Amanda Fucinato

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

the start of a four-day weekend

I know, feel very sorry for me that I have a long weekend. I promise I will put the time to good use. I kept to my Madison ritual of celebrating the end of my first week of classes by treating myself to ice cream. I asked around where the best place to go was and everyone mentioned this new chain they got in Australia a few years ago. It's called 31 flavors. You can only imagine my discontent at the thought of eating American chain ice cream all semester. I settled for a different chain establishment in Freemantle called Cold Rock. As you may have guessed, it's the same thing as cold stone in the states. Freo is a cool city, but it's not my union. The ice cream was good, but Madison is way better. I know I promised to update after my class yesterday, but I ran into a cooking problem and had to run to the store. Anyway, my Aboriginals in Political Science class appears to be a very simple yet deep subject matter. I feel that I am at a huge disadvantage because I have not grown up in the culture that has this social issue. I plan on spending a little time this weekend reading up on the history of this issue, so that I can better participate in class. The good news is, the class does not have a final exam! My class today, Representation and Gender, also lacks a final exam. Things are looking good for me being home for good old American turkey day! My gender class appears to be average, run of the mill women studies class like we have at Madison . It will be nice to have one class where my comfort level is high. Other than school and ice cream, I am completely in love with my little space heater I finally got this week. I slept better last night than I have in weeks. Looking towards the weekend, I will be doing a bit of school work and going to my first Australian rules football game on Sunday. I can't wait!

back to school

I had my first day of class today. The lecture for human resource economics was very confusing for me. I'm not sure if it is because I have no background in economics or if it is because I have no idea how the Australian economy works. Honestly, listening to the professor talk with an aussie accent was distracting enough, not to mention seeing labor spelled "labour". I am sure if I put my mind to it, I can master a new subject and learn to spell words differently. It's not like I am that great of a speller in the first place. What is most intimidating is that half of our grade is determined by the final exam. As a victim of test anxiety, I am already sweating exam day. We got off of lecture early, and I found myself blissfully free for the rest of the day. I walked and picked up some cheese to make dinner, and then went to the library like a good student should. What I was met with were my textbooks for this one class, full of tiny print and math problems. Needless to say, two hours later my brain was fried. The amount of out of class reading is at least twice what we have at Madison. I will have to be committed to my reading and try to avoid the non-stop party at my flat. I won't go into details, but let's just say Madison is a sober campus compared to Murdoch. My flatmates stayed out until 8:30 a.m. on Saturday night. I think that's just plain impressive. I joined them for a trip into Perth yesterday in the afternoon. We had a lovely time walking around and exploring the parks near the spotless metropolis. I can't get over how clean it is here. There is no litter, and trees abound on every spot of land. I told my friends if they ever came to Chicago, they should be ready for a different type of city! This picture is of the oriental garden on campus. It is my favorite place to sit and read so far.