Another one of those updates
Entry posted by Sofee
1283 views
Sooo first up, the whole international exchange thing is canned. Every time I got close to getting it sorted, something would smash it all into tiny little pieces, and I'd start over again. I'm not going to go into details and relive the disappointment, but yeah, after all the effort put into this thing, it didn't work out in the end. I think that's the universe telling me that something mortal would've happened if I went through with it. Welcome to the real world, I guess.
BUT the whole reason I wanted to go on exchange was to spend some time in another country, another environment where I don't know anyone and I get to meet new people, eat new things, have an experience. So, rather than letting the failure get me down, I went in search of more international opportunities, not necessarily to do with my education. The one thing I had in mind for the entirety of uni was working overseas, perhaps in a summer camp or something. But I haven't worked with kids at all, and I'm kinda awkward around them, so maybe not. Some searching led me to the idea of working at a ski resort, and true enough, it's a thing! There are work fairs that go around Australia hiring people to work for ski resorts in Canada (!!), although you have to pay a hefty fee to be guaranteed a position. So, if all works out, I'll take a gap year after I finish uni (in 2018) and work at a ski resort in Canada for about 5 months. I absolutely LOVE skiing, and I miss snow, so this would be a great opportunity. Nothing set in stone yet though.
Another thing I looked at was volunteer opportunities. While searching, I stumbled upon something that perfectly suited my interests, which was volunteering in environmental sustainability in New Zealand. It probably sounds lame and boring to most of you, but I do think it's something that I would enjoy, with me doing something Geography-based and all. Basically, you get sent to Auckland, Christchurch or the more rural areas surrounding those cities. If I get a choice, I'd go to Christchurch - everyone says it's super nice and much better than Auckland. Maybe our resident El Benno11 can give some tips if I get in :P . I've submitted my application, so now it's just twiddling toes till I hear back from them!
Ahh what else has happened. I started and finished Game of Thrones a few weeks ago. Whew, what a masterpiece. Really good stuff. I love talking to people about the series - who's going to end up in the Iron Throne, what's gonna happen to Sansa/Arya, who's gonna finish off Cersei, all the possible theories about the happenings of the remaining 2 seasons. I've just started reading the books too. The last two episodes of season 6 blew me out of the water. Especially the last one - probably my favourite. I don't think I moved for the entire episode. I was too stunned, in my chair, with my jaw on the floor. I kept thinking, did that really just happen?? I'll rave about them day and night, I will.
I also finished the last seasons of Orange is the New Black and Orphan Black. The 4th season of OITNB was pretty disappointing to me tbh, and I was shocked to see that the ratings for the season were some of the best. It never captured me like the first few seasons, and left nothing to look forward to after every episode. Unpopular opinion - it was a boring season. It made me miss the days of bloody tampon sandwich. Orphan Black on the other hand, I think its 4th season was the best of the lot. The episode endings were never cliffhangers, but it still made me want to watch relentlessly into the night. I considered pulling an all-nighter to watch all 10 episodes, but thought it would be better if my mind was at 100% alertness so I could fully drink in every detail, every scene. Can't wait for its 5th and final season next year. I would recommend it to everyone and anyone. Next on my series-to-watch list is The Wire. I've heard good things about it, and it seems like a classic, so why not.
Oh yeah I also went to Sydney for a week in my semester break with bae. The trip did us a lot of good actually - it brought up a lot of unresolved issues that really needed resolving, and they were. Other than that, we had a blast of a time - sightseeing, shopping, doing LOTS of walking and exploring, eating, and playing Pokemon Go (which I'm not super into but she is). We had lots of experiences, including this one night we decided to go out and hit the gay bars, participated in a trivia night where we invited this nice Indian psychiatrist to join our team, proceeded to get hammered, had him drive us home (which, in hindsight, was an idiotic idea and could've gotten us killed, or even worse, kidnapped), and finally took our breakfasts to the sinks and toilets. We stayed in an Airbnb place, hence the 'house'. Never. Again.
I think that about wraps up everything. Oh - one more thing. Is anybody active here good at programming? More specifically Python? I'm taking a pretty advanced course in it (mandatory) this semester and I was rubbish at my easier Python unit a year ago. It would be great to have someone help out this pathetic programmer come assignments, etc.
Adios for now!
11 Comments
Recommended Comments