no worries
Jag pluggar i Australien under hösten 2006. Här kulturkrockar jag med allt och alla och utforska massvis av alldeles nya och uppfinningsrika sätt att göra bort mig, och delar med mig av dessa fantastiska pinsamheter till er. Grattis!
Day 0: Melbourne - Sydney
- Have a terribly boring 9 hour train ride with two friends. Have about two hours of sleep.
- Arrive in Sydney
- See the opera house and the bridge from every possible angle and distance
- See every other monument and attraction there is to see in the city core
- See the city from above from the Sydney tower (NOT worth the time and the money)
- Try the monorail
- Visit the Sydney Aquarium
- Eat diner at a fancy Italian restaurant
- Buy cheap liquor at a store named “Cheap Liquor”
- Drink it in front of the opera house
- Spend the night on a hostel for $19 (less than 120 SEK). If you totally ignore the fact that the room was shit and that there were both prostitutes and homeless people outside the entrance, it is a really nice price.
Day 1: Sydney - Coff’s Harbour
- Meet the people that will be your company (except for the two previously mentioned friends) for the next 11 days. Find that Canadian, American, German and British people are severely overrepresented. Find that Scandinavians are severely underrepresented.
- Take a group photo with the group of total strangers and leave Sydney.
- Consume alcohol.
Day 2: Coff’s Harbour – Byron Bay – Surfer’s Paradise
- Go to Byron Bay - a town where buildings higher than the trees are prohibited and shit like McDonald’s and Subway are banned, and the inhabitants are the most relaxed people ever.
- Stand on the most easterly point of Australia (yawn, tourist shit).
- Consume alcohol.
Day 3: Surfer’s Paradise
- Skydive.
- Go to Dracula-something-something, a theme restaurant/show/theatre/something with surprisingly many jokes about penises.
Day 4: Surfer’s Paradise – Brisbane - Toowoomba
- Go to Brisbane.
- Leave some people behind (some intentionally, some other not as intentionally). Pick up some new ones.
- Visit a retarded Opal shop.
- Take a boat ride around central Brisbane.
- Desperatly try to find a pair of flip flops that wont destroy your feet like the one you bought at Target for $6 (36 SEK).
- Go to a fake farm in the middle of nowhere and do a stupid “typically Australian” dance.
- Consume alcohol.
Day 5: Toowoomba – Fraser Island
- Consume alcohol at a retarded “bling bling”-party. Spend no more than 70c / 4:20 SEK on bling.
Day 6: Fraser Island
- Enjoy Fraser Island from a 4-wheel-drived bus and from an overpriced airplane flight.
- Swim in Lake McKenzie.
- Walk in the rain forrest.
- Consume Alcohol. Watch other people make fools of them selves by singing karaoke.
Day 7: Fraser Island – Rockhampton
- Go to a crocodile farm. Eat crocodile soup and crocodile steak. Hold a crocodile. Be impressed of how dangerous crocodiles are.
Day 8: Rockhampton – Long Island
- Realise that you are on a resort which basically host one wedding every day and that has wallabies walking around between the houses.
- Consume alcohol. Watch other people make fools of them selves by singing karaoke, again.
Day 9: Long Island
- Go to the Great Barrier Reef. Snorkel above it.
- Consume alcohol.
Day 10: Long Island
- Board a sailing boat and spend the day on it. Spend one hour on Whitehaven beach. Completely burn your feet and legs in the sun.
- Consume alcohol. Watch other people make fools of them selves by singing karaoke, again.
- Make a fool of yourself by singing karaoke.
Day 11: Long Island - Hamilton Island
- Leave the rest of the group with two friends, as the group moves on towards Cairns.
- Go to Hamilton Island. Realise that everything is insanely expensive, but have fun anyway, because it really doesn’t get better than this. Enjoy doing absolutely nothing.
- Consume alcohol.
Day 13: Hamilton Island – Ballarat
- Go “home”.
(And of course, spend four billion hours of sitting in a bus and do plenty of splashing around in swimming pools and on every beach you come across.)
...YES, everything is exactly as great as everyone says it is. Opera house included.
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Under den senaste veckan har jag hoppat fallskarm, hallit i en krokodil, snorklat over stora barriarrevet, atit pa en cheesig temarestaurang, supit som ett svin (bl a framfor operahuset) och bott pa ett vandrarhem dar prostituerade vandrar pa gatan utanfor.
Jag har ocksa saknat sverige mer an nansin, hatat Ballarat mer an nansin och an en gang kommit fram till att karlek suger, och sa har jag sakert blivit en battre manniska ocksa, vem vet.
Jag har fortfarande tre dagar kvar har i paradiset, berattar mer nar jag ar tillbaka till Ballarat.
Vi hors!
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2006-09-10
Things to do before you die
- Appear on tv
- Bungy jump
- Buy a sports car
- Climb the Eiffel tower
- Get nasty cancer but survive it
- Have a family
- Pet a coala bear (check)
- Ride a tram in San Fransisco
- See a Formula 1 race live
- See the leaning tower in Pisa
- See the Summer Olympic Games live, including the opening
- Skydive
- Spend at least one week in each and one of these countries: Australia (check), China, France, Greece, Italy, Japan, UK and USA, and at least visit Austria, Croatia, India, Spain and Russia.
- Spend at least one week on a tropical beach
- Visit Acropolis
- Visit the Colosseum
- Walk on the Great Wall and the Tiananmen Square
So much to do! =(
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2006-09-09
Svensk politik
Election in Sweden next week, so another one in Swedish...
Jag hade kunnat rösta på Socialdemokraterna. Hög skatt mot en stor offentlig sektor med gratis skola och åtminstone billig sjukvård, alla tiders.
Men jag har röstat, och inte var det rött inte, och här är skälen. Finns en liten risk att jag gör bort mig, jag har trots allt missat precis allt som har hänt i svensk politik de senaste två månaderna, men jag tar den risken.
1. Ingen vet tydligen hur stor arbetslösheten är, men en anställd som tjänar 15000 efter skatt, måste göra så att företaget tjänar minst 30000 per månad: annars går företaget back på den personen. (Arbetsgivaravgift, skatt, etc) Skräll att företag flyttar utomlands eller inte vågar nyanställa.
Finns ju bara en vettig sak att göra: Göra det billigare och enklare för företag att anställa. Men istället mosar in allt folk i menlösa "praktikantjobb" där de får slicka kuvert och skura golv för, bokstavligen, ingen lön alls, och fortsätta pumpa ut bidrag istället.
2. TV-avgift: Jag har en TV. Därför måste jag betala 2000 om året för att få SVT. Inte ens melodifestivalen och Kalle Anka på julafton är värt 2000 om året. Fan, inte ens 14 kanaler är värt 2000 om året, så kul är inte TV. (Ok, jag betalar ingen tv-avgift, men en vacker dag kommer ju en kontrollantjävel upptäcka att man har tv och så är man fast.)
3. Systembolaget. Inga lockpriser, ingen mängdrabatt, dålig tillgänglighet, inga kylda drycker, värdelösa öppettider, cp åldersgräns (köpa på krogen när man är 18, men inte på systemet när man är 20, va fan?)...
Jämför med, låt oss säga, hmm, Australien? Varje liten livsmedelsbutik har en egen spritbutik, som säljer sprit ur kylda lokaler för typ halva svenska priset, med samma öppettider som vanliga livsmedelsbutiker (ja, lördagar kl 20:00 kan man köpa kall öl). Det finns drive-in-affärer, och det säljs alkohol i skolmatsalen. Vill man ha Systemets utbud finns det affärer minst lika stora som de stora Systemen i sverige, men som säljer saker för typ halva priset då förstås.
Nu lät jag väl som en alkis, men kom igen, Systemet suger.
4. "50% av alla gymnasieelever ska läsa på högskolor/universitet."
Resultat: Eftersom det förstås inte automagiskt bildas fler jobb bara för att folk har mer utbildning, kommer det bara göra så att allas examinor blir mindre värda, och vips, så måste man ha två Magister-examinor för att få samma jobb som idag kräver en, och så får alla med sina värdelösa Kandidat-examen jobba på Ica istället. Dessutom kommer alla tack vare vår vansinnigt kassa myndighet "CSN" att ha svinhöga studieskulder och så kommer 50% av alla svenska invånare att gå i personlig konkurs. Länge leve kunskapssamhället!
5. Polisen har för lite pengar, psykvården har för lite pengar, skolor har för lite pengar, sjukvården har för lite pengar, och katastrofhantering funkar tydligen inte över huvudtaget i det här landet (estonia, tsunami-katastrofen, etc). Vart tar alla pengar vägen? Jo, till bidrag till alla som inte kan få jobb. Utmärkt.
GRRRRRRRRRRR
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hmm, better do this one in Swedish...
Det har blivit utgång av i den här staden många gånger nu... Men det här är första gången jag är nykter nog för att orka skriva en blogg om det efteråt.
Ok. Var börjar man?
Musiken kanske... Och det vill jag lova, enformigare musik än så här finns fan inte. Ok, rätt som det är spelar de Eric Prydz eller nån Roxette-mix, men det hjälper ju inte. Så går man till nåt annat dansgolv, bara för att inse att de spelar precis likadan musik (fast olika) på alla dansgolv. Suck.
Dansen kanske... Men, va gött, nästan alla dansar vettigt, förrutom de där som dansar som om de får ett epilepsianfall eller nåt. Och förrutom vissa utbytesstudenter förstås, inklusive mig...
Damerna kanske... Det ligger till så här, att i Australien har nästan precis alla människor mörkbrunt hår. Jag börjar sakna andra hårfärger nu faktiskt.
Bussförbindelserna kanske... Hur kan man ha en stad med 80 000 invånare utan att ha nattbussar? Inte ens på lördagkvällar går det nattbussar. Sista bussarna går 19:00 på vardagar, ännu sämre på lördagar och på söndagar går det färre bussar mellan campus och centrum än mellan Karlstad och Molkom.
...så ska man ta sig hem, så är det taxi som gäller. Underbart.
Röken kanske... Länge leve rökförbud.
Fast, allt är ju inte helt dåligt. Här har man ju trots allt ett fungerande studentliv, att gå ut på krogen en onsdag och hitta fler man känner än vissa kvällar på Nöjes känns ju lite märkligt. Och så är det ju faktiskt öppet till 3 också, jippi...
Jaja, det var den kvällen. Godnatt.
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2006-09-02
Lists, lists...
I had a feeling #4, maybe I'll write it later. My last post made some stirr, so I just want to point out that:
1) I will not hang a Swedish flag in my room.
2) I will not vore for neither Sverigedemokraterna nor Nationaldemokraterna.
3) I will not shave my head.
4) I concider having pizzerias in every street corner to be just as much part of the Swedish culture as lutfisk and dalahästar.
...and also, the comment about people staying where they came from were made on an Swedish internet forum, not by anyone I've met.
- - -
It's been a while since I wrote something... Let's start with what has happened since the last post...
Footy game: St Kilda vs Western BulldogsWathcing like 40 players kicking and punching each other and an oval ball on a large oval field, together with 47 120 other people is not something you do every day.
Unless you live in Australia...
Great Ocean Road bus tourSeeing the 12 apostles from a helicopter is not something you do every day. So is not seeing wild koalas either.
Being sick(I was gonna keep up this "not something you do every day", but I "can't be bothered", as they say.)
Acute nasopharyngitis, often known as the common cold, is a mild viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system (nose and throat). Symptoms include sneezing, sniffling, nasal congestion; scratchy, sore, or phlegmy throat; coughing; headache; and tiredness.I've had the worst cold ever. My only comfort is that I can never get this particular virus again: obviously according Wikipedia, you can never get the same type of virus twice. To bad that there is like millions of different ones.
Bacteria that are normally present in the respiratory tract can take advantage of the weakened immune system during a common cold and produce a coinfection. Middle ear infection and bacterial sinusitis are common coinfections.So the day after I was 37 AUD poorer and 10 pills of penicellin richer - and worst of all, I can't drink alcohol until wednesday. That sucks. (This saturday night was, by the way, the only night out EVER I haven't been drinking at least something...)
- - -
That's it.
I've also thought of a lot of shit that "might have been fun to write in the blog, but I can't be bothered to do that now, I'll do that later and just make a note about it somewhere"...
Actually these notes turned in to quite a long list... I'm tired of that now, so here it is =) (the titles is what I had in the list)
Things to do before you dieThat's at least one list that's getting shorter...
TravellingI've always envied all those families who does a lot of travelling. So here I sat, thinking "Goddammit, why can't never anyone in my family go anywhere?" Then it hit me, that I am in Australia, my sister and her (Austrian) boyfriend is in Italy, and my family is going to Norway for the "hurtigrutten". Then I thought, "nevermind, then".
KitchenThe kitchen on Frödingshöjd (where I lived before I came here), where cleaned once or twice every month by lazy and tired cleaning ladies. The kitchen here, is cleaned daily and thoroughly by optimistic and carefull professionals, but five minutes after the cleaning ladies has left, it's dirtier than the one on Frödingshöjd ever was...
HonestyFirst step on becoming a better huming being is to know your flaws.
I know about them all... =/
Some people here are seriosly WAY too honest. My favorite comment so far is:
"I don't think you're gonna find yourself a girlfriend here."
Note two things: I have never ever had ANY kind of intention of trying to do so, and certainly not expressed any intention of doing so. This comment was made completely "unprovoked", after regreatibly answering "nope" on the question "Do you have a girlfriend at home?"
Self confidence, down by 5 pts.
Sweden IMissing the Swedish nature, hmm, didn't expect that to happen. Well.
Sweden IIUt happens surprisingly often that you see someone you know, starts smiling and prepairing to say hello and all that, before you realize that the person you see in fact only looks exactly like someone you know in Sweden, and that Australia is not Sweden, and that Sweden is really, really far away.
SchoolExcuse me sir, can I get some responsibilty? Please?
Every week, I am
required to attend 4 clock hours of tutorings and lectures, and at another 3 times per week, I am
required to show a teacher that I have followed a four page long list of instructions telling me exacly what to do and in what order. (In total there is 16 clock hours scheduled each week.)
God dammit, it will show up on the exam and on the assignments if I understand or not anyway. Leave me alone and let me study when I want!
SpringSpring has arrived. Yippi!
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