2009 in Review

And I think it’s gonna be a long, long time…

A little, sad preface:
This will probably be my last post. My adventurous year abroad has now come to an end and I’m settling back home and into my (relatively uneventful) old life. If you’ll excuse the cliché, it’s almost like I haven’t been away at all – Manchester already feels distant and unreal – a dream sequence in a daytime movie. Or perhaps I have a mild case of the much-dreaded PED (Post-Erasmus Depression)? Either way, I’m determined to actually bring this blog up to date, as much for my own benefit as for you guys… 

After Barcelona, my days abroad were well and truly numbered. Knowing this, (nearly) everyone met in our flat kitchen on the night of the 6th for an early Xmas party, complete with a proper Sunday roast (and everyone’s much-loved Yorkshire puddings). We exchanged secret Santa pressies (got an ‘UP’ poster), and spent the night chatting and playing board games.

Woke up the following morning to the much dreaded last-day-in-Manchester. Rather appropriately, Manchester put on it’s dreariest, so after bundling up (i miss layers), had a sad last wander round the city, before heading back and packing up all my worldly (well north-hemisphere-y) possessions. Unable to take all my stuff home with me, I made a big miscellaneous pile of my crap in the middle of the kitchen table, and called a free-for-all. 

That night, our flat, along with some of the old Cavendish crew, trouped down to curry mile for my farewell dinner. The levy kids had made me an amazing farewell scrap book, filled with heartfelt messages and assorted memorabilia – photos, brochures, and tickets of all the places I’d been and experiences I’d had. Not wanting to get upset on my last night, I promised myself I wouldn’t read it until on the plane.  

One last hazy night of pretty heavy drinking, and with just 2 hours sleep, I was on the train with Sophie and Bryn (who had graciously volunteered to join me) heading one-last-time to London. I was incredibly grateful both for the help and more importantly, the company! It was only after we said our goodbyes at Heathrow, and I sat down inside the terminal for a solitary 2 hour wait, that the reality of the situation really hit home. And it took quite a lot of self control to keep from blubbering in the middle of the airport.

As for the actual entire day of flying, things weren’t as smooth as I would have liked. First, we were delayed for an hour on the tarmac (something about being unable to retract the causeway), then I had a bottle of duty free Johnnie Walker seized at Hong Kong (despite having already gone through security once), before spending a good two hours or so debating which of the two elderly Chinese ladies sitting either side of me I should wake up so I could get out to go to the loo (answer: wait patiently until either wake up for breakfast). All this with zero hours sleep. Gotta say, not the most enjoyable 24 hours of my life. 

Anyway, Mum, Dad and Nicole met me at the airport, and we drove around a humid and overcast Sydney, stopping for milkshakes by the Harbour Bridge, before finally driving home to Newy.

So after 11 and a half months, 10 countries (yes, I counted Vatican City :p), and 55 blog posts (who would have thought I’d actually regularly update this thing?), this is the end of my awesome year abroad.

Sigh.

So finally, I thought it appropriate that that I conclude with the:    

 Things I will *already* miss most about Manchester:

BUT most importantly, I’ll miss all the awesome, amazing people – from the internationals and Cavendish crew (wird), to the summer Q3’ers, the friends of Levy (still sounds like a cult to me) to D22 Cambridge. Thank-you to each and every one of you for the best year of my life!!

Barcelona

OK – a quick post for a quick trip. Just came back from 2 days in Barcelona with Sophie, Byrn and Gavin. Good fun, but very hectic. Basically, we only had one full day, so we made the most it. Heading down the famous La Rambla avenue in the morning (lots of buskers, tourists and markets), followed by a trek up to Montjuic mountain in search of an elusive cable car. Once we reached the summit, we discovered (to our dismay) we could have saved ourselves the sweat and tears by catching the underground up the mountain. Argh. And we didn’t even ride the cable car! (granted, it was pretty expensive and as the other station was closed for repairs, it literally went nowhere). So, after taking in the views, we all caught the metro down to the beach and had lunch (…at McDonalds…I swear everything else was closed!)

After a deliciously Spanish Big Mac, off we went to check out Sagrada Familia, the massive Roman Catholic church which dominates the Barcelona skyline. Beginning construction in 1882, it is not expected to be completed until 2026. Once again, we were too cheap to go in, but the outside looked amazing.    

As the sun started to set, we caught the tube to the base of yet another mountain – this one a tad easier to scale thanks to a series of escalators conveniently running all the way to the top. So from one of the highest point in Barcelona (Park Güell) we had an early picnic dinner (bread, cheese and champers), watching the last rays of the sun set over our very busy day.

Click Here for more pics!

It’s the Final Countdown (dah nah naaaah nuhhh…)

…do do doo do dooooo!!

It’s official. I’ve begun the countdown. Only two weeks till I’ll be trekking back down to London and jet-setting off home, leaving frosty Manchester in my wake.

And it’s all finally started to sink in…

Despite the rain and the cold, I’ve grown strangely attracted to the city, and as if to rub it in my face, Manchester’s never looked more inviting. Christmas fever has well and truly hit, and everywhere you look there’s lights and decorations (and an open air ice-skating rink!). Yesterday, Starbucks gingerbread latte in hand, I explored the famous Manchester Christmas markets – rows upon rows of wooden stalls – stretching the entire length of the city centre. And the atmosphere was amazing –everyone being all festive and merry, browsing the stalls, gorging on delicious European cuisine (German Bratwurst, Spanish Chorizo, Belgium waffles!!) and drinking loads of hot chocolate, beer and mulled wine. I can really start to see the appeal in a winter xmas.

Anyway, catch-up time. Turns out I was a bit optimistic in my travel plans – Oslo (officially the world’s most expensive city) had no cheap accommodation, and all the youth hostels had been booked way in advance. So that trip was off the table (oh well, the flights had only cost us 4p). And as for Amsterdam, although I was really keen to go back, by the time we all got our act together in our flat, the MMU trip was also already booked out. Grr.  

But Barcelona is still very much on for the beginning of December (even if it is just for two days).

Oh, and while we’re kinda on the topic of countdowns and Christmas, on the 12th I went to see Manchester’s Christmas lights switch-on. Like Bonfire night, this was another big calendar event that took me slightly by surprise – thousands of people crammed into Albert Square to watch the concert, lights and fireworks – they even had X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke perform (*cough*)

Happy New Year!!

On a side note, we were all very well behaved, unlike those damn rioting Brummies.

What else? Last Saturday Sophie and I went to see a matinee performance of Beauty and the Beast at the Opera House, which was good fun (despite the masses of loud ill-behaved children). But apart from that, things have actually been relatively quiet over the last few weeks – been slowly trying to get the motivation to finish at least some of my essays before coming home. Also caught another cold currently doing the rounds at halls, so I’ve been good and haven’t been going out very much. Mind you, I’m imaging that might change over the next two weeks…

x.  

This is Halloween, everybody make a scene!

As predicted, life is starting to get just a little bit hectic. Last week was a designated “reading” week at uni (effectively a nine-day-weekend), and rather than trying to get my work done, I instead made the most of a week with no early morning classes. It started on Halloween Eve, with a trip to Varsity for their Bonkers Halloween party. All the flat dressed up in white face-paint, fake blood and torn Primark t-shirts (that unsurprisingly didn’t last the night), and we drunkenly shuffled down Oxford Rd. And while we may have been one of the only groups in costume, it was fun night nonetheless.

(Click HERE for more Halloween Pics)

Halloween itself was a bit of a farce – my phone died, I kept loosing people, and everywhere was absolutely packed, with most clubs adopting a one-in-one-out policy. Thankfully I stumbled across some of my flatmates on their way to Canal St, so partied it up at the village the rest of the night.

*

The next night, Bryn and I went to see Adam Hills’ new show ‘Inflatable’ at the Lowry Theatre. Being a big fan of spicks and specks, and having caught bits and pieces of his stand-up before, I was expecting likeable, light-hearted comedy. I wasn’t expecting him to be quite so hilariously insightful and really, really good.

And a previous show I found on youtube

Despite a fairly sizable audience, the show was also pretty interactive – people shouting out suggestions, getting on stage, one-to-one discussions. There was even a 20 min Jerry Springer-esque routine at the beginning of 2nd half which Hillsy’d devised on the spot to deal with a quarrell between a father and daughter – fell a little flat mind you, but was nice to see him tailor the show to the audience. Interestingly, he blogs every show he does, so you can read about all the antics here (scroll down to to the Nov 4 post)

In conclusion, Adam Hills now officially hold the title as my favourite one-legged Australian comic.   

*

A few days later it was Guy Fawkes/Bonfire/V for Vendetta (Remember, Remember the Fifth of November) night. Crazy English – St George’s Day (England’s national day) passed without celebration, but a day celebrating the capture and execution of a man trying to blow up the houses of parliament is one of the biggest events of the year.

So at 7pm, bundled up in our scarfs and beanies, Cambridge and Cavendish halls basically emptied and everyone headed out, en-masse, down to a park in Fallowfield to watch the fireworks. And after the obligatory ooh-ing and aah-ing, we all trampled across the muddy field to the overpriced, Grease-inspired fair ground!

And more Bonfire Night photos HERE

Awww, you guys

So I wake up this morning, feeling a bit down and out (essays…ergh), go down to reception to check my mail, and what do I find?

A MASSIVE PARCEL!!

Some of my friends from home had sent me a 21st pressie, consisting of a really nice leather wallet, a small satchel, and an awesome scrap book, filled with messages, photos and notes from throughout the year (including Rini’s 2009 collection of nonsensical acronyms) to fill me in on all I’ve missed. It all was incredibly nice, and has seriously made my week (albeit with a twinge of homesickness).    

A huge thanks to everyone involved!! Miss you all, and can’t wait to catch up (and party at mine :p)

xoxo

(And yep, now I feel really heaps slack cause I know I’ve missed some people’s b’days – promise I will make up for it when I get home)

A Matter of Time

Those of you who know me well know that time-management has never been my strongest suit. And as the days here keep getting shorter and colder, and the Chrissy decos start going up (I kid you not), I’m becoming increasingly aware of just how little time I have left abroad(….and how I really should start trying to organise myself *cough*). So despite my being back at uni and “studying full-time” (on a side note, I’m now officially enrolled – only took ‘em a month to sort it all out), I’ve decided screw the education, I’m gonna try to cram as much stuff in as possible over the next 6 weeks…

(…and that includes multiple screening of UP! Dug and I are so alike…)

Now the other day Ryanair (yes Trent, we all know you love Ryanair…seriously, enough already) had yet another free flights sale (to combat an anti-Ryanair BBC documentary), so naturally I went a bit travel mad and am now planning 3(!) more trips overseas. First up is Oslo (7th-9th November), followed by a pre-organised MMU coach trip to Amsterdam (19th-22nd), and finally a few days in Barcelona (2nd-4th December), all before I have to head down to London to fly home on the 8th.

*sad face*

Combine all this travel with all the other end-of-year stuff (Halloween, Bon Fire Night, etc.) and having to complete four 3,000 word essays (wow, that’s like…12,000 words!), my schedule’s looking a bit tight.   

Oh, and in other fun news, the other night I went out drinking with my housemates and woke up the next morning in bed, all covered in blood and bruises, and no-one knows what happened to me…

As a guess, I’m thinking some stairs may have been involved. But I’m OK now.

Seriously

The New Qantas Ad…awww

Gotta go back, back, back to school again

Was back in bleary Manchester on the 17th, and feeling less-than-enthusiastic about my return. Then, quite literally overnight, some 90,000 students descended upon Oxford Road, eager to start another academic year consume stupid amounts of alcohol…

…and suddenly the whole place became a lot more interesting

I, too, did a bit of moving around – this time into Cambridge Halls, where I met nine lovely fresher flatmates, all keen to explore Manchester and its nightlife. So all I’ve really been doing over the last couple of weeks is drinking and eating vast quantities of free Dominoes pizza.

Ah, the enviable life of a student

Among the partying, last Wednesday I also headed out to Levenshulme with Bryn and Anthony on the belief we were going to Gavin, Sophie, Fi and Pete’s housewarming. When we got there, however, I discovered it was all a secret plot to throw me a surprise 21st. They’d decorated the house, downloaded an all-Aussie playlist, made a cupcake-birthday cake and had individually wrapped 21 presents, which had included an assorted mix of Australian confectionary (and a DVD on tractors…don’t ask :p). I was floored. And really touched by the thought and effort everyone had gone to.

Though it hasn’t all been fun and games – it seems the summer holidays did little to improve MMU’s administrative abilities. Despite attending another international students welcoming day (yes, human bingo was involved) and handing in all my required paperwork, I am still unable to officially enrol, and no-one seems to know why…very frustrating.

I did, however, get my wallet back yesterday, which was a big plus. And in completely unrelated good news, recently learnt that dad had scored an awesome job in Brisbane, so he and mum are moving up there today. Very exciting!

Anyway, that pretty much brings me up to date (for the first time in a long while). And with just two more months before I come home (*sniff*), I’m not sure how often I’ll be posting from now on, being occupied with uni and whatnot. But if anything exciting happens, I’ll be sure to let you all know. Also below is my new postal address if anyone’s interested.

x.

Wake Me Up When September Ends

Argh…I’m so over airports right about now. For the third time in just two weeks, I find myself sitting in Dublin airport, really, reeeaaalllly borrreeeddd. And today I’ve got a 6 hour wait for my flight back to Manchester, giving me the perfect opportunity for an update (…and at the bargain price of just 6.90 Euros an hour :p). It will probably be a long update too – after three months of "summer" boredom, it’s been two very hectic weeks. And it was all sparked by my recent (and ongoing) bout of homelessness…

As it turned out, my lease with Q3 Apartments ran out on the 3rd, so after scoring some really cheap hotel accommodation and flights on-line, I dumped all my stuff at Gavin’s new place and jetsetted off to the beautiful (albeit chilly) city of Edinburgh. I spent the next couple of days meandering  around the place, doing a free walking tour and taking in all the (free) Scottish sights and sounds (enough with the bagpipes already!). My last night in town also marked the official end of the Edinburgh festival season, so I joined a sea of thousands to watch the spectacular fireworks and music extravaganza over the castle – a display easily rivaling London’s NYE effort.

(More Edinburgh photos…)

I flew back to Manchester (via Dublin) on the afternoon of the 8th – my 21st – which ended up being somewhat uneventful. Made up for it though a few days later, when Bryn, Anthony, and I hopped on a coach and headed down to London (…yep, again). My third trip to the capital, its novelty had begun to wane, but I was nevertheless very excited to catch up with Nicole, who’d been on a 36-day tour of Europe. We met up, saw The Lion King on West End, and went out for some drinks. The next day, Nicole and Sharna went shopping while the rest of us checked out Greenwich and saddled the Meridian. As luck would have it, we had arrived on the weekend of the Mayor’s Thames River Festival, so that evening there were markets, performers and lots of other stuff going on. Perhaps most unusually was a ‘fire garden’ on the front lawn of Tate Modern, where you could sit (and drink) around dozens of fire sculptures and hundreds of smaller flowerpots of fire – very cool. Sophie came down from Bristol and met up with us, so we decided to spend the next day at Thorpe (theme) Park. It was a good day out, but the place had nothing on Alton Towers.

(More London pt. III photos….)

The next morning, after watching the changing of the guard (playing MJ!) and saying goodbye to Nicole, I rushed to Luton airport to catch my plane to France. Yet in my preoccupation with my passport, plane ticket and all my stuff, I somehow managed to drop and leave my wallet on the floor of the train, and naturally flew into a panicked I-have-a-plane-to-catch-and-have-no-money hysteria. Amazingly (and incredibly fortunately) I had a spare re-loadable cash card in the sleeve of my passport, so mum and dad were able to transfer some emergency money on the card and absolutely save the day…As I would later sit drinking in a Parisian apartment, struggling to communicate with two Frenchmen and two Italian ladies, it struck me that it had been one of the strangest days of my life.

Paris was by far the most fun two days of my summer – Sergio had graciously met me at the airport and driven me to meet his boyfriend Steve. Steve, who spoke fluent Italian and Spanish but limited English, also had two female Italian friends who were also visiting, and between us, the conservations flowed (and were translated) in English, French, Italian and Spanish. Hilarity ensued.

The next day I went on another free walking tour to orientate myself, and afterwards Sergio and I met up, and headed off to the Eiffel Tower, which surprisingly lived up to all the hype. We climbed to the second platform, and then caught the lift to the very top for a spectacular (and somewhat daunting) view.

On my last full day, I spent the morning checking out the Louvre, before climbing to Montmartre and having lunch among the artists (and tourists) overlooking the beautiful city of Paris. Met up with Sergio again in the afternoon and he drove me to Versailles to wander around the Palace grounds before heading back to the city for more drinks at Le Marais. My plane left obscenely early the next morning, so I pulled an all nighter before having to regretfully say goodbye to Sergio and his beautiful city.

(More Paris photos…)