Surfer Swag and Fascinators

The past two weeks have been entertaining to say the least. Last weekend I went to a Surf Camp at Seven Mile Beach about 3 hours away. We stayed in some beachside cabins and the whole atmosphere really made me feel like I was at summer camp. Unfortunately we didn't have the best weather but the rain at least held off until we were out of the water. We arrived Friday night and took a walk down to the pitch black beach before heading to bed. Bright and early the next morning we had our "wetties" on and were paddling in the sand on our fake surf boards learning all the techniques before heading into the ocean. I found it a little surprising that the hardest part of surfing wasn't even getting on the board, but trying to get past all of the waves. I struggled a lot trying not to get pummeled over by the surf and it was definitely exhausting. But I was able to stand up and ride a few small waves by the second lesson on the first day. Don't be fooled by how cool everyone looks running on the beach with a surf board tucked under one arm, because those things are heavy and big... atleast for beginners they are. My arms were so sore the next day I could barely move. But all in all it was an amazing weekend and a really good experience.

Next on the agena was an event called "Foster a Fresher" in my ressie. A returner is paired up with a fresher (anyone new to uni, aka me) for the entire day. We wore white shirts and got labeled with permanent marker and got to meet more people in our ressie. The next night was Gender Bender which the aussies go crazy for. Men in dresses, tights, heels and lipstick. Girls in beards, hats and hoodies. Obviously the guys were more entertaining to witness but the whole event has been hyped up since the start of the semester- There was even a drag show!

Sunday we went to the Opal Stakes Horse Races in Canberra, which is a Kentucky Derby-esque event on a smaller scale. It was my first horse race so I wasn't too adventurous with the betting. Just like back home everyone gets very dressed up and the women display fashionable and ornamental hats and fascinators. It was fun to get dressed up with the exception of the blisters I have acquired from walking around in heels all day.

Countdown:
New Zealand: 10 days
Melbourne: 3.5 weeks
Blue Mountains 5.5 weeks

On my agena:
Another trip to Sydney
Bateman's Bay for some beach time