Aussie Room Tour.

So until now I moved here i've never lived on my own, which was a big leap when I decided that the first time I would move out would be to the other side of the world. My friends and family have been nagging me for pictures of my room and I suppose doing this post would be a good way to remember it after i've left as well.

Little panorama shot of the main part of my room. Behind me is the kitchen and bathroom.

So i'm in a little studio apartment near to my University campus, which is a bonus when I have to be up for a 9am lecture (which still rarely happens but don't tell Mum). I love having my own little kitchen. I'm no where near Jamie Oliver but i'm trying to start to learn how to cook more things. 2 months in and i'm still a bit rubbish (I set fire to spaghetti last month) but i'll get there eventually!

Smallest chopping board ever.

Definitely my favourite thing about my room is having a balcony. I don't really spend a lot of time on it, I just love the fact that I have one. When it gets to around 3/4pm the sun is in the right position for me to do a bit of sunbathing!

The view from my balcony.

My second favourite feature in my room is my tapestry. One of my friends from back home (Tom, who's blog you can read here) has one and I loved it so much I decided to copy him like I always do. And I also have a slight obsession with elephants at the moment.

Probably the only time my bed has been made all semester.

And of course, here's the must-have photo wall filled with all of my favourite people. There are a few photos that have been added after living here such as the Harbour Bridge group photo and me chilling with a Koala.

My collection of photos - most of them of friends and family back home with some additions from Australia!

Next to my photo mirror I have my mini scratch maps stuck up. These came in a Travel Journal that I bought from Waterstones in the UK. I have a full scratch map at home but these mini ones are perfect to take with you and i'll probably stick them up in my student house when I get back to Leeds too.

Also with my Harbour Bridge certificate!

The bathroom is pretty standard with a small shower, loo and basin. It was a bit dull when I first moved in so I brightened it up a bit with a nice shade of bright pink. I also have a washer/dryer, but I don't use the dryer part as i'm terrified i'll accidentally shrink my clothes. Hanging my clothes on the balcony dries fast enough anyway.

My exciting bathroom!

My desk has the usual stuff, TV, DVD Player, notebooks, reading books, pens, DVD's etc.

My desk: mostly used for procrastination.

So there's my lovely first little flat! Unfortunately I don't have long left in it now. Soon it will be time to start packing it all away and giving some of the things I can't take home to my friends that are staying.
𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝

Weird Questions Tag.

One thing I like to do when i've run out of ideas for my blog is to look for a questions tag to answer. And here's the latest one i've found!

1. What's a nickname only your family calls you? My Mum calls me Kevin, after the Kevin and Perry sketch when he turns into a teenager...apparently that's what I was like...
2. What's a weird habit of yours? I can't watch the TV unless the volume is on a multiple of 5...
3. Do you have any weird phobias? It's not really a phobia but bananas freak me out. I just can't trust them.
4. What's a song you secretly love to blast out and belt out when you're alone? A lot of the time when i'm in the car I love to belt out any Bruno Mars songs.
5. What's one of your biggest pet peeves? I have to choose one? I have a lot. I think my top one would be loud eaters, whether it's chewing with your mouth open, talking with your mouthful or just generally being a loud eater. It makes my blood boil.
6. What's one of your nervous habits? When i'm reaaaally nervous my legs tend to shake a lot. I did the Harbour Bridge Climb in Sydney a few weeks ago and my legs were going nuts (i'm scared of heights).
7. What side of the bed do you sleep on? All of it.
8. What was your first stuffed animal and what was it called? I had a clown called Mister Clown. I know, very imaginative. My sister has him now.
9. What's your usual drink order at Starbucks? If it's warm out i'll get a Caramel Frappucino, but if it's cold i'll get a Caramel Latte. Yum.
10. What's your guilty pleasure TV show? Either Jeremy Kyle or one of the Real Housewives TV shows.
11. Which way do you face in the shower? I'm a claustrophobe so I always face out of the shower.
12. Do you have any weird body 'skills'? I can squint my eyes?
13. What's your favourite comfort food? Biscuits & cookies. Yes, there is a difference.
14. What's a phrase or exclamation that you always say? "Fantastic" (in a sarcastic way).
15. Time to sleep, what are you actually wearing? So I guess this is the way the world finds out I sleep naked.

I now tag my main man Thomas to complete these questions.

𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝

April.

To kick this month off, we went to a Traffic Light Party (if you've never been to one, essentially you wear green if you're single, yellow if "it's complicated" and red if you're in a relationship). Usually you wear coloured shirts but this one was dress in black and you get coloured glow sticks. We had a pretty good night but the venue wasn't that great so halfway through we bailed and left to go to our favourite nightclub.

Bre, Tarrena, Me, Priya and Lou ready for the Traffic Light Party.

Unfortunately April saw me settle down with a bit more Uni work that I had to do. I keep forgetting about the main reason I came here and that it can't always be parties every night and catching up on my sleep during the day (maybe). So the partying lifestyle took a bit of a backseat this month with me trying to save up money for a trip to Cairns (Queensland) at the end of the semester too.

My building sometimes has activities for the residents to go on for free, and the first one me, Priya & Tarrena decided to go on was Go Karting & Laser Quest. We were split into 2 groups for the Go Karting and I came 5th out of our 7 in the race... I blame it on the no power steering, that was bloody difficult! We then went for a game of Laser Quest where I came 2nd out of 15, hell yeah.

So a guy from our Uni here decided to throw a party where he lives on a farm. He hired a DJ, put on a bonfire (with marshmallows), there were lights everywhere and there were many games of beer pong. The whole night is just one big blur to me but what I do remember is a lot of drinking, a lot of dancing and a lot of roasted marshmallows. At around 5am I eventually managed to get a little bit of sleep - 1 hour curled up next to the bonfire on a pile of soot. The hosts parents then made us all bacon and egg sandwiches which was amazing. Soon after we all piled back onto the bus and made our way home. All in all it was a brilliant night.

Priya, Tarrena & I after waking up next to the campfire in a field at 6am.

So yet again, we decided to go to another international boat party. You were encouraged to come in your national dress/colours, so I went in my navy top and tied some red and white ribbon to my wrist, then tucked a Union Jack into the loop of my jeans. It was a good night and after a lot of dancing on the boat we then made our way to the party bus to be taken to our favourite club, Billboards.

Tarrena (Australian), Priya (Canadian) and Me ready for the Boat Party.

The morning after the boat party, Priya, Louisa and I needed to be at the Uni campus at 9am for a trip to Phillip Island (this is where the Hemsworth brothers grew up). However after a night out, this can be quite difficult. And after a phone call from Priya at 8:55 that woke me up, I was very surprised that I even made it.
Once we made it to Phillip Island we went for a coastal walk along the beach and then up along the cliffs. The views were gorgeous. On the way back however I managed to cut my foot on a rock (as we were walking along the beach we all decided not to wear our shoes). Typical me. So then I had to walk back a mile with sand getting into my cut. Not very pleasant. When I was patched up we walked to the sand dunes where some of the others slid down on boards into the sea. After that we made our way to the Penguin Parade, where every night penguins walk 4km back to their little homes. They were adorable!

Group photo with Woolamai Beach in the background.

So I obviously wanted a permanent reminder of my first big adventure, so I went to get my first tattoo. I had a bit of an entourage/support group that insisted on coming; Kiri, Nikole, Priya and Tarrena came to cheer me on/laugh at my pain. The joke was on them though, it didn't really hurt. I got the map of Australia not only as a reminder of this awesome opportunity that i've had, but because it's also a reminder that i'm stronger, braver and a lot more capable than I ever thought. I've already said if you went back in time and told younger me that I was living here I wouldn't believe you, and I think this has made me grow up so much as a person. Don't get me wrong, I still have the brain of a 5 year old sometimes, but living here has already taught me so much.

Goodbye tattoo virginity!

So that's April. I can't get over how incredibly fast this has all gone. Here's to my last 2 months Down Under!

𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕒𝕓𝕖𝕝