The Hyjinx Hotel
On October eighth, it was my friend Katie’s 22nd birthday! My housemates and I planned her a surprise party before we went to the Hyjinx Hotel. While my friend Nicole and I brought her to lunch and went shopping, my other housemates made her a chocolate cake and decorated it with strawberries and flowers. She was very happy with the surprise, and I think it made her feel like she was at home.
The Hyjinx Hotel has dozens of rooms that were comparable to Escape Rooms. However, each room was created with a different set of rules and you were scored according to how well you followed them. We went into five rooms in total and each one was a new exciting setting and experience. The design and decorations in the hotel were nothing less than extraordinary. Even the employees played a role to make you feel as if you were in another world entirely. Overall, everyone had an amazing time at the Hotel and we want to visit it once more before we return home.
Destination Seeking
Earlier in the week, I was on the phone with my Dad and he asked me the question if I was planning on leaving the city soon. I answered enthusiastically that after I am done with two more weeks of school, we are headed to Hamilton Island, located in Queensland! I am stoked for this trip, especially because we don’t have any classes. It’s interesting to think I will have two spring breaks this year. I’m not upset about it though, it just means more time to travel! I started researching some other places I want to visit, and I am going to soon be booking a trip to the Gold Coast and also rent a Airbnb with my friends in Jarvis Bay. The waves at night in the bay have a bioluminescence light so my friends and I are hoping to see that before it leaves the coastal waters!
New Tastes
After being in Australia for almost two months now, I have acquired a few different tastes concerning food and style. Mali, my housemate and I have been making different types of stirfry’s and pastas all week. I think that if I told my family I’ve been eating vegetables while being here, they would actually faint. I used to be the pickiest eater on the planet, but now I am willing to try anything and so far, I have loved it all. When analyzing the different styles here, I feel people dress in more expressive ways. People here show their personalities through what they wear and I admire it. Also, people dress up a lot more as well, you rarely see people in the city wearing sweatpants and sweatshirts. Unfortunately for me, my taste in style goes well beyond my budget so I have to hold off on shopping too often.
Classes & Students
There are a lot of differences between my classmates at Hope College versus here at the University of New South Wales. For example, there is a larger age gap. I even have a 40 year old woman in one of my classes that I have become friends with. In addition, there are a lot more exchange students that go here. In one of my classes, the professor asked each exchange person to raise their hands and 2/3 of the class did. I have met students originally from Spain, Denmark, China, the Netherlands, Britain, etc. It’s comforting to know that I am not the only student in class that’s learning in a completely different style than what they are used to. Lastly, for many of my professors, this is not their only job. In my Consumer Behavior course, my professor is working with a company in New Zealand to bring their product to Australia. She even gave us an assignment to work on in groups that creates a new advertising campaign for the company. They will use what we come up with to finalize their advertising campaign. Nonetheless, the differences here are not difficult or scary, if anything they are inspiring.
I can’t wait to share with you my future ventures, stay tuned!
Kassie Lamar