Beer and Quakkas

I really cannot think of a better way to watch a film then chilling out under the stars whilst eating a picnic and sipping on a cool beer. That must be what life is all about, but when I had the change I blew. I went to an outdoor cinema but I forgot the beers. I saw Slumdog Millionaire with a group of exchange students in Kings Parks something I indeed want to try again, with beer.



Later that week on a regular Wednesday almost every exchange student went on a pub crawl arranged by the international student organization on campus. An organization dedicated to organize events for study abroad students. It was a really good evening that ended up in a club that was packed already at 11 o’clock something I’ve never experienced in Europe. The opening hours of pubs and bars still surprises me as do the public transportation system… Yes I’m stingy and my reason is simply because I am a student so a couple of us thought we could catch the last train, but we ended up walking home. It took two hours to get home.

It feels like yesterday I arrived to Perth and still I’ve difficulties remembering what the last couple of weeks have given. Among us exchange students is there always somebody that arranges an event after school, so I’m never really bored and it normally involves a visit to the pub, a quiet night in with movies and dinner or a trip to the beach now and then.
We are a couple of exchange students that have formed a football team that plays every Monday evening. We’ve only played one game so far in a tournament arranged by the UWA sports club and so far we haven’t suffered a defeat or tasted the sweet taste of victory. Next Monday thou I’ll borrow some proper equipment from one of my teammates and thereby leading the team to victory or just make a fool out of myself. Our Captian has an injury so I’ll borrow his boots. André is the captain and founder of the team, a Danish law student which girlfriend is studying in Sidn… Ahh Guess!

Yeah we can relate.

Every Thursday I kayak after school as I’ve signed up for a course called “learn how to paddle”. This course covers all of the basics and safety on the water – which I already learned in a similar course in Denmark with Anne and Katrine, but it’s still very fun paddling away on the swan river. I’m pretty sure that we’ll end up doing the Eskimo. So far we’ve learned stroke techniques, how to maneuver the kayak efficiently and how to the wet exit. So when I return to Denmark I’ve to teach my dad how to control the kayaks that we are going have at Humlebæk – Please DAD

I spent a weekend on the beach since we were 16 exchange students out surfing from early morning on Trigg beach. All of us had signed up for a surf class through UWA sports. It was a wonderful day and I learned how to go sideways in the ways. It was so awesome that my friend Magnus had bought a board the day after. I am planning to follow his example when I have settled into my new place – Yes I’ve found a new place. Now I’m staying in a house in Leederville with Rose and Ben from New Zealand and Jacky from Australia. I managed to borrow a broken sofa that can be unfolded into a functioning bed, a table and some storage for my clothes. There is a garden where we cultivated different herbs and veggies, it’s awesome.

Last weekend I went to Rottnest Island a natural beauty and wonder with unspoilt beaches abundant marine life and wildlife. Vehicles are not permitted on the Island; therefore, the traditional way to explore the Island is on bike which is what we did. We stopped now and then to snorkel among a diversity of fish and coral species, and numerous of shipwrecks found around the Island. It really is a fascinating island found in such close proximity to a capital city. Rottnest Island has a variety of marine inhabitants, from exotic tropical fish, sea lions to the big manta ray – Unfortunately I only saw and abundance of different sized fish and species of coral. The most unique and famous animal on the island thou is the quokka, a small marsupial, which has the appearance of a small kangaroo.
We also went to a boat party after the only pub closed on the Island. We invited ourselves on board a boat, but we had to convince the captain that it was a good idea to let us go on board. It was certainly a good idea - So we stayed on board the rest of the evening.



Yesterday just the girls and I went to a national park in a friend’s car. The park is home to many different water and bush birds and in particular the endangered Carnaby's black cockatoos which are easy to sight and hear, additionally we saw Western Grey kangaroos and a presentation from an aboriginal, teaching us about the aboriginal way of life and culture.

Did he buy a bike?

I bought a bike not because I’m stupid but just a little bit tired of waiting for the busses. Yes it’s pretty hot, but we are going towards the winter down here so therefore a bike.
I follow the bicycle route along the Swan River to the university and fortunately always with the wind in my back because the wind conditions here are perfect for my part. Every morning the wind comes from the continent and blows towards the sea and in the afternoon when I’m going back “the Fremantle doctor” gives me a push while cooling of Perth as well. For that reason the wind is called “the Fremantle doctor” or “the doc from freo” as the aussies love abbreviations.
This week we had a couple of barbeques or BBQ’s and I arrived an hour late to the first one because of the public transportation almost stops during the weekends and after 8 pm. That was then I decided I had to buy a bike. So now I’ve bought a mountain bike in a store that gives me 40 % back if I return it after my stay and free service is included. That’s nice since one of my pedals already screams for some professional attention.



The BBQ was a great success; we found a spot next to the Swan River and used a public barbie which are common in every public park throughout Australia. Since my Dad is world famous for his abilities behind a grill the others suggested that I should stand behind the grill and grill the meat here among the Kangaroo steaks that were thrown on the barbie. I’m sure that we ate road killed kangaroos as many kangaroos are run over, but it was off cause superb prepared by the chef and tasted magnificent.



I didn’t stop the kangaroo frenzy as I eat kangaroo with some Swedes at my friend Magnus’s place the day after and they accidently bought light beer it must be a bad habit they have inherited from the Swedish society. At first we didn’t notice but it was a great laugh and a great evening. After the dinner we went out for a drink with other exchange students in a suburb named Subiaco or just called “Subi” among locals. We had a few beers in a real Australian pub, nothing much of a difference to the English ones, thou. They closed the establishment at 1 o’clock and we went to a popular club called Lama. For the first time ever I was dismissed at the entrance to a club. The reason I was wearing shorts, well I knew it was impossible they simple don’t allow it throughout Perth, but I wasn’t prepared to spend a whole barbeque and afternoon in 30 degrees wearing trousers, but the refusal marked the end of the night.



The following day the Swedes and I had planned a BBQ in Kings Park and we were joined by the Asian exchange students. We agreed to meet at the central station at 2 pm and do the shopping together. For some reason no one showed up beside me and the Swedes. For some reason the Asian thought we should met at McDonalds or they failed to inform us. Anyway, two hours later we had done the necessary shopping for groceries in the city center. All the others went by bus to Kings Park three kilometer away and I went on my new bike. They used more than an hour to get there while I used nothing more than 15 minutes on my bike.
When they finally came the Asian show really started. They are incredible hard to understand and they don’t understand any of our questions because they kept answering questions that we certainly didn´t asked about. They are incredibly hard to communicate with if just Susan my former colleague at the Department for Pharmacy and Analytical Chemistry had taught me more Japanese. Then at least I could communicate with them. (Susan is now in Japan with her “Boyfriendo” for six months – Her blog is on my blog list.)
The next day after a picnic I’ll never forget I went to see a golf tournament, Johnny Walker Classic, with the Swedes. So now I’ve some worth mentioning according to my Dad. The course was very placed in the “wine country”. We followed a Swede called Niclas Fasth all day. It wasn’t his best round according to himself. He kept swearing after each stroke. After the tournament we went straight to the beach and the cooling waves. It was a great way to spend some of the last hours of my winter break because my classes started the day after.



In Denmark I wasn’t that big a fan of the famous facebook, but here it’s an excellent way of keeping in touch with the other exchange students. Events can be arranged spontaneously and people just show up. We arranged a cinema trip to the open air cinema in Kings Park where we saw Slumdog Millionaire, it was great movie and I can strongly recommend it. Before the movie we ate the food we had brought as this event was a “picnic at the movies”.
I’m trying to arrange a trip to Rottnest Island 15 kilometer of the coast of Perth, an island with great opportunities to go snorkeling among turtles and see beautiful tropical reefs. It’s considered Perths playground and accommodation is hard to get during the summer months so it’s still not certain when we’ll be leaving with the ferry to Rottnest Island. The Island is named Rottnest (“rat’s nest”) because of numerous king size rats according to a Dutch explorer back in the settlements days, but it’s actually just an animal called a Quokka. A furry little fellow closely related to the kangaroos – so the best way to describe theme is to call them mini kangaroos!
I’ve also started to work out again and Dines, Søren and Ole are substituted with Peter and Magnus. On campus we have a sports center where we can do almost any sport known to mankind. So far we’ve only tried out tennis, but several different sports will follow.
So far School has been cool – Funny… I’m especially looking forward to a project I’ve been assigned to with the working title: “Characterisation of hepatospheres comprising mesenchymal and liver progenitor epithelial cells” and for you guys, thinking that’s sounds boring – you are so wrong. I’ll know my thirst for knowledge about how microscopes are working will be satisfied both my subjects have introduced several different microscopes we’ll be using throughout the semester. Maybe I should already make an appointment with an optician because I might need glasses after intense stirring into a microscope after half a year (And a picture of my project - lever cells)



The others in the house where I’m staying are cool enough. All of them work except Neil from Mauricio who is studying management. We usually just sit around and chat during the commercials so we’ve already spoken plenty since every TV show constantly is interrupted, so frustrating. I only watch to have a chat and an opportunity to “surf” the internet as the router is located in our living room. So conclude everything I’m sitting here its Saturday morning and I have just awoken from a long slumber after I was out yesterday in Fremantle and it was a great place! Well I’m off to play some Tennis with my Austrian friend Peter. He wants to be a Roger Federer look alike, but the truth is that he looks like Orlando Bloom just some bonus information to the female part of the readership of my blog.

Manuel

And I’ll be out of reach all day because I’m going to the beach after the tennis match and then to Fremantle visiting a pub or two!