Epic.

Im going to put this out in the universe because I have to: rugby puts american football to shame. Especially when played by people who have no idea what they are doing. Last weekend, Christ College girls played against Fisher College, and Mattie literally broke a girl's leg. An ambulance had to come and everything. Bobby got a shiner on his right eye, my friend Jenn got a bruise that even today still takes up half her face. During this past Sunday's game, American Mary continued to tackle even when concussed. Alyssa has the scariest black-eye. Big Rob on the boys team bulldozed a kid down. Tim clothes-lined an opponent.
Im sure professional rugby is scary and intense, but when people are amatuer rugby players, the paramedics should be on stand by...actually last weekend, they were.

That game was incredible. We fans screamed our hearts out, singing our super sexist, anti-feminist chants everytime we made a tri (touchdown).We all were sitting together boo-ing our opponent: Jane College. Even the losers from the past (Fisher) came down to support Christ. Go Black Pigs! Okay, I realise the irony of our mascot. Not only am I living CHRIST College, my mascot is a PIG. It's like the universe wants me to be in the most un-Jewish environment known to man.

Following the game, we fans hiked up the hill to get ready for a party of a lifetime. Of course Christ had to celebrate the victory! It was the first time in well, a long time that the girls team had kicked any butt. The boys team just won the championship for the 7th consecutive year. Translation: a Sunday night dance off. That night, the American girls INVADED that dance floor and brought out dance moves that should have stayed in the 1970's. (Our parents would be so proud). Of course we had to bring out our Zumba moves too! What is a dance party without Zumba?? Um, definitely not a party at all. I really couldn't tell you what I was doing. I was gesticulating; that is what I was doing. Amy summed up my night very well: "Al, you were just flailing your arms and dancing and somehow you were engulfed by people!". Apparently, everyone loves crazy bar mitzvah dance moves...just a little bit of Jewish spice to get the party going.

So yea. That has been my few days. Rugby, celebration, psychology class, finishing up an art project, preparing for New Zealand. I leave Monday super early in the morning. It should be a good time.

oH! Yesterday I went to Zumba as usual. Zumba, for those who do not know, is basically a latino dance party disguised as exersize. The zumba gods sometimes sneak in some english speaking songs but with new base-lines to match the speed of the dance moves. Yesterday in class, the horrah came on. The HORRAH. Of course, my zumba friends came up to me and said: "Alie! This is the Russian dance thing we told you about from our first day of class!". Ya. Russian my butt. That is JEWISH music. And for the record, I do not appreciate people using such a joyous, celebratory song for exersize class. That song was written and designed for running mindlessly in a circle and holding hands with relatives you only met when you were five (or who mistake you for your mother...depends which bar mitzvah you attend). That song is not meant for leg ups, squats and a ridiculous number of jumping jack-like moves. And OF COURSE because it's the Horrah, each time the song repeated itself, it had the need to go faster. The purpose of this horrah characterisitc originally was to weed out drunken relatives at the party...but for zumba, oh no. How about faster leg lifts, squats and jumping jacks. Not okay, zumba; NOT okay! As a Jewish ambassador to the island of Tasmania--scratch that. As the ONLY Jew on the island of Tasmania, I refuse to let you zumba go-ers to use that song. The Horrah is designed only for joy, getting dizzy, and rocking out the grapevine dance move--NOT for sweating. Amen.

I like being a hippy, thank you very much

My hair is luxuriously long and is only washed 3 times a week. I no longer shave my legs (granted I wear PANTS everyday). I play guitar in my room, on the beach, on the streets...and guess what? I enjoy singing John Denver tunes, James Taylor, and (my personal favorite) Don Mcclean. Christ almighty it finally happened: I am officially my mother.

I mean it was bound to happen, right? I came out of that woman's womb her twin (disturbing as that sounds) and spent my entire childhood development trying to be something other than her. Even in college, I refused psychology classes, confident in the fact that I wouldn't enjoy them just because my mother does.

Well, all I have left to say now is: oops? I listen to most of the songs she listened/s to (except for that Israeli cd you have..), I am studying the same subject she works in, and to top it off, I look AND sound AND act like her. Being my own human being is just not feasible! I guess that's why I chose to visit the most remote place on the planet...so that no one truly knows that I am in fact, a clone.

Well, the Jody II set off on a backpacking adventure this past weekend: giving my father an anxiety attack of a lifetime. To be fair, I did have a massive psychology research proposal due the day after I returned, however, I managed to finish my homework before leaving on the trip. So no worries, pop. Lisa convinced me to join her on a trip with her rock climbing friend Will: a bizarre character from Tasmania. He drove us to his shack near Port Arthur (Southern Tassie) where the other trekkers met up with us.

The trip consisted of Will, Lisa, Pete (english), Anna (Swedish), and Ryan (Malaysian). All were post graduate students working on becoming professors or finishing up their theses. These were intelligent people. Ryan asked the fatal, inevitable question: Alie, what is your major? As the focus of the dinner conversation turned to me, I disclosed I was majoring in Fine Arts. Yup. That was it. Apparently, Will, Lisa, Pete, Anna and Ryan are all in the science department. Excluding Lisa, these people were all various types of Chemists with at least their masters. Two had Phd's and two were working on getting theirs. Oh and Lisa is getting her degree in Physics with a minor in math. That was a fun moment.

Anyways, at the shack, the 6 of us prepared a pre-hike feast: home made pizzas! We all packed our packs and hit the hay around 11. At 6:45am, we got up, dressed in hiking gear, and set off for quite a strenuous hike. We hiked about 20 or so miles in two days. That is a lot for me, ladies and gentlemen. I don't care how fit of a person you are, eight hours of hiking is a bit excessive. Day one wasn't too horrible. There were some vertical treks but those were solely because we were hiking on the cliff on the Tasman peninsula. Towards the end of that hike, we attempted to make our way to Mt Fortesque to make camp. Okay. We were in a rainforest. It was wet. To get to our campsite, we had to walk down a seriously steep hill covered in dead, slippery leaves and rocks coated in moss. I fell. My butt pain rivaled that of my first snowboarding trip. But it was worth it. Mt. Fortesque, in the middle of a luscious jungle, was incredible. We pitched our tents, put on warm layers (as it was FREEZING) and began cooking dinner. Eight hours of walking, even for the fittest of people, causes fatigue. That being said, the sun set at 4:45pm. We finished dinner at 7. Everyone was dead asleep by 7:30. Yup. Incredible.

The next morning was tough: partially because my quads were sore, and partially because I had found leeches on my legs the night prior. Either way, I was less enthusiastic about the massive hill we had to climb to get out of Mt. Fortesque and onto the track for Cape Pillar. I had a brekki of dehydrated apples, packed up the tent and sleeping bags, re-checked my legs for leeches, and off we went UP. As I have said before, if there is any direction to go in Tasmania, it will be up! And up we went. We dropped our packs off at the other top of Mt. Fortesque, and commenced our day hike to Cape Pillar.

That hike wasnt so bad, just long. Pete and Anna were slower walkers so I had some company (finally). Will and Lisa were like the friggin energizer bunnies! Give them ten minutes and they were out of eye/ear shot. Ryan was somewhere in between speeds so every once in a while we would see him. There was no group unity on this trip. Good thing the trails were decipherable.

Before we arrived at the cliffs, we passed by a stream to fill our water bottles. We drank the water without purifying or adding tablets to it. In most of Tasmania, you dont need to purify water. The forests are so secluded and rarely visited that rivers are healthy, clean and clear.

Pete, Anna and I made it about 15 minutes from the point we were going to, when Pete decided to share that he had hyper-extended his knee. Anna, who was already a knee-cripple, suggested that we begin to hike back. Well, Lisa had my water and food, Will had the map, and Pete and Anna were both on the injured players list. So back we went. The entire group finally met up at around 4:00 to where we left our packs. Just on schedule to watch the sun go down.

I hope you just read that previous line: we were watching the sun go down. Funny, hiking at night was never on my itinerary. We had finished the day hike, but not the hike back to the car park. We had 5km to go, which, without injured human beings, is about a 2.5 hour walk. I walked with Ryan this time, speeding up and trying to beat the setting sun. At about half way to the car park, light just disappeared. We were in devil territory, and we could hear them. My head torch was not bright enough and I fell, once again, over my feet, rocks, and bushes. I am just a graceful human. Ryan later asked if I had slowed down because I had sprained my ankle. I didn't have the heart to tell him that I slowed down because I couldn't walk in the dark. ;)

Oh, I forgot one important detail of the trip. All these seasoned hikers had the same brand of shoes, pants and shirts. Partially, I am sure it was a designer thing; however, it was partially because those clothes are the best to hike in. My pants, though a synthetic material, were not backpacking appropriate. That is how I got leeches. Additionally, I kept pulling up what I thought was my pants but really I was just giving myself an atomic wedgie for 6 hours. This resulted in some serious injuries on my thighs (thank you circulation cut off) and now I have to waddle to class. Note to self: I am buying hiking pants and shirts before my scramble (which is 7 days long, not 2).

So that was my trip. Adventurous, social, with a sprinkle of lovely weather. Today I decided to be a student again and go to school. I went to the grocery store at Salamanca near the art building and picked up a bushel of apples for $1.98. That is mega cheap! On the way back to art school, I realised I had extra time before the bus came. So, being my hippy self, I sat down on some rocks on the water front and stared off into the bay. As the sun was setting, a penguin looking bird began swimming right in front of me. He looked up at me, acknowledged my presence and kept on swimming. Moments later, he plopped onto a rock right below me and migrated his way up onto the rock I was sitting on. This bird (I named him Daffodil-Daffy for short) sat next to me for 15 minutes. I stared at him for a while and he would look at me and then just stare off into the bay. People walked by and looked at us as if we were crazy. One man remarked: "Looks like youve got a new mate!" I guess I do now. I tried giving him some bread but he wouldn't take any. Instead he shook his head, ruffled his feathers and showed me his wing span. I got up to leave and he just stared at me. I wanted to take him to my dorm room, but how would I explain that one to Christ College? "Hey guys, you know how we cant have cats or dogs? Can I have a bird?" Thankfully, Daffy didn't follow me to the bus, but he did watch me walk away. It was such a strange experience. Maybe I will see him tomorrow and take a picutre to show you.

Alright. Time to go for now. I have to prepare for tomorrow--its my 7 hour studio day! Yay! Oh, and Sam? In case you're reading this.. I know I am my mother, but I learned my hippy-ness from you.. You just cut your hair and got a job...sold it to the man!!! muahaha!

on a more serious note..friend making 101

I don't know if I'm delusional from the food consumed, but I thought now would be a great time to blog (instead of finishing my psych research proposal).

Tonight was a great night. Over the past weeks, I have befriended a group of people who cook in the kitchen around the same time I do. Sherry and Fiona are my two closest friends of the group: both chinese students. We decided a ways back to have a teaching dinner: they would teach me how to cook a classic chinese dish, and I would teach them a Jewish dish. Well, as these things typically go, a party of 3 turned into a party of 15. 15 close, good friends who each brought a cultural dish. Two Americans cooked Mexican, someone made a classic American pasta salad, I made Kugel, Rohan (australian) made coconut biscuits, and Sui Ching and Keiv (Malaysain) cooked chicken curry. It was a meal literally from around the world. We even cracked out some Italian food and made some garlic bread.

This dinner was perfect. All my favorite people were there. Lisa came for a while, Temi ate with us; it was really ideal. At the end of the meal, I served the Kugel and everyone learned about a new food. It was a smash hit. We all sat around the table laughing and the atmosphere was blissful. We laughed about cultural differences; laughed about language difficulties; laughed about studies. I found it funny how sometimes Sherry and Kiev used me as a translator for one another. They both speak fluent Chinese, but solely used english at the table.

Our dinner gathering, that began as a dinner for just three, transformed into a dinner party. No alcohol, no loud music, just good people, enjoying each other's company. Sometimes I think people forget how important it is to appreciate one another. The reason the dinner was so successful wasn't because the food was spectacular, nor was it attributed to everyone knowing each other. The dinner was a success because everyone for a moment, loved each other. Okay, that sounds like a hippy statement, but it's the truth. I sat between Corey and Kiev, two people of whom I don't always hang out with, and we were best friends for the entire meal. Everyone bonded.

As we all left the dining room to clean up, I became sad. I am so bad at goodbyes. I know, I have over 40 days remaining. That is plenty of time. But in the large life spectrum, that is nothing. I really and truly love these people and I know that when I leave for home, our relationships will change. A few "oh em gee I miss you!" on facebook or perhaps a skype date once in a blue moon, but if I have learned anything from goodbyes, it is that our friendships will change. Is it really that selfish of me to want one thing in my life to remain the same? I am so sick and tired of how dynamic life is. Leaving for college back in '07 was difficult, but because I was entering Whitman for the long term, I entered friendships fearlessly. I left Whitman for Tassie knowing I would be returning to the same people I have grown to love. But what of the friends I have made in Tassie? What are to become of them? It's weird because the best friends I made at Whitman took me almost a year to establish. In Tasmania, it took only 3 months. This group of friends is my world. They are the ones I trust, the ones who insist on celebrating my birthday even though they have finals, the ones I don't want to have to fly across the country/world to go to visit. Sometimes I wish that I didnt have friends here. I would be fine with hanging out with acquaintances. I can leave acquaintances. I cannot leave friends. I dont want to leave friends. They make me who I am, and without them, who am I? I would like nothing more than to cook a stupid, simple dinner with these people and just be with them. I want to go home, I do. I love home. I love my bed, my home friends, my family. But then why did I have to go and be ambitious and find a new place to call home? Hobart! psh, what kind of name is that? Ho-bart. It sounds like a hick version of the BART in San Fran. Could I have not just been content in Walla Walla or Los Angeles? Are two homes not enough? Come on Passover morals, kick in aleady! DI-freaking-AYNU.

But no. I came to Tasmania and met the most spectacular human beings this world has to offer. I forged a new family, a new community.

I know I dont have any contact with New Jew anymore, but I really have to thank that school. It taught me powerful lessons and values: the importance of deciphering a big thing from a small thing, learning through exploration and risk, and most significantly, the power of a community. The reason why this dinner was so successful was not just because we are all amicable persons, but rather, at that moment, we were a functional community. This dinner though simple, was in the words of Bruce Powell, a big thing. It demonstrated a shared respect of everyone at the table, an equal friendship.

There are many different kinds of friendships--those that last a lifetime, and those that last a few moments. Whatever kind of friendships I have created here in Tasmania, I hope and pray that these people know what kind of impression they have made on me. I hope that they realize the significances their lives have played in my life.

Now on a completely different note: I am going backpacking tomorrow!! Woo!! Lisa invited me on a hiking/mountain climbing adventure with Tasmanian people who I dont know (but Lisa does) and it shoud be epic...and cold. I will be sure to post photos and details later. As Ian so kindly mentioned to me today was that my trip has been defined by three main factors: hiking/backpacking, studies, and going out. Yea. Well, now we can add to the list making friends. OH. I FINISHED MY CHAIR IN METAL WORK!! I am a welding PRO. You guys have no idea. None whatsoever. Professional welder. It is a functional, weight supporting device also commonly referred to as a chair. Now I have to make a frame and a container and I can leave that class satisfied :) Catch yall later!

-Alie