Is showering really necessary? A philosopical question.

Now that I am halfway through my time here in Australia, midterms have unfortunately arrived. I guess this means it's time for me to get in touch with my inner student, however, I have been having some trouble finding her. So, according to the rule of procrastination- it's time for me to write my next blog post.

The two weeks previous have been hospital visit free- so there's a success story for all of you. I have  only had one brief encounter with the police, which included a lost wallet, an actual anxiety attack, and a phone call ensuring its safety at the police station with everything including my 50 dollars in tact (only in Australia). So with the exception of this, things have, for once, been seemingly undramatic. Anyways, here is what I have been up to:

The other weekend, Shand and I made our way up to a little beach town called Byron Bay. Byron is known for having some of the world's best beaches alongside an eclectic little town that has become famous for its inhabitants called the "Byron Bay hipsters."

Now for those of you who know Shand and I well- your presumed reaction that we were beyond excited to go anywhere hipster infested is completely spot on. At Carolina, the 6 guys with any "edge" seem to all be attracted to other men (yes, I've hit on a few of them to find out that "I just wasn't their type"), so it was finally our chance to sit and stare at the tatooed beauties around us. And this time, it would be without our girlfriends at Carolina gaping over at us in horror as they drag you back over to the bros in their basketball jerseys with the Nike airs and backwards hats to match. Byron would be a welcome change of pace.

An overlook with Byron Bay in the distance

But upon our arrival in Byron, we came to some very quick realizations. The main two being: 1. We would not be finding our hipster husbands here. 2. Byron was not "quirky"... It was Asheville on steroids.

Never before have you walked around and seen the images of John Lennon and Yoko Ono reincarnated so many times before your eyes. They were on every street corner. When I said that Shand and I liked hipsters- we were more thinking hipsters that have real homes, and maybe even a job.

John and Yoko's home- "from little things big things grow"

Additionally, having a tattoo on every crevice on your body was apparently a good enough replacement for real clothes, and a face without a piercing was like a girl without her makeup on- naked and just not a thing. Brown and blonde were swapped out for reds, blues, and greens, so needless to say, there was never any lack of visual stimulation. And had I been hungover, looking anywhere around me would have been cause for an even worse migraine.

But hungover I was not because in Byron Bay, shots are illegal. This perplexing concept became even harder to understand as the bar to go to on Saturday nights did not have a dance floor, but rather a series of tables to dance on. It's one thing to hand me tequila and tell me to go figure it out. But to hand me a 10 dollar Smirnoff ice and then expect me to end up on top of a table in my little white dress- you're asking for a lot here.


After ending up at a biker bar post table-dancing (in the classiest way possible mom and dad, I promise.) and having a guy's pickup line include telling Shand she was exotic and Jewish (#what), we decided to call it a night.

As Sunday rolled around, we decided to cut our losses with the hipster search, and indulge in excessive amounts of shopping, icecream, and tanning to console ourselves.

Another moment of silence for my bank account....and my bikini body.

After being treated like outcasts for a weekend due to the mere fact that we showered, Shand and I have come to the conclusion that Byron has provided us with one of the most "cultural" experiences to date here in Australia, as well as a solid tanning base for our 10 day upcoming trip. 


On Friday Shand and I leave for Spring Break 2013 round 2. We will be going to the Whitsundays, which is a collection of islands on the Coral Sea, and then off to a town called Cairns where us and 5 friends have rented a beach house to go snorkeling and diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

As usual- life is tough out here. So on that note- Ill brb because I have a second spring break/tanning session to take care of. You all have fun in your respective cubicles or classrooms.

Until next time,

F