Whitehouse, Golf, Flying and Blues Awards

Hello friends and family.  Sorry it's been a few weeks.  I've had some great experiences that I can share with you.  We finally had a few days without rain, which allowed the Gold Coast to dry up.  Ironically it is pouring down rain outside as I write this, but we've had some beautiful days the past two weeks.


School is in the midst of Midterms week.  Last week I had a big assignment for Database Management and a test in Australia: Dreamtime to Dust.  The test went relatively well.  I got an 85 percent which is equivalent to the lowest A here.  If anyone wants to know any facts about the geological history of Australia, I'm your man.  It is actually fascinating stuff.  I have grown up my entire life in Catholic school systems so learning about evolution is quite interesting.  I haven't heard back from Database Management yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
This week I have a few papers due, and a test in Database Management on Wednesday.  Another week of studying.


Since my last post, I have spent a lot of time hanging out with the guys from the golf team.  We played golf last Friday (the first day of no rain in weeks).  The course was almost completely underwater.  We were a bit too eager to get out and play.  Following the round we were completely muddy and the course was full of cart tracks.  O well.  At least we got out.  The following day, the guys convinced me to buy a ticket for an event called WHITEHOUSE.  This is consistently one of the most popular events at Bond.  Everyone dresses up in all white, and we are bussed to a pretty classy location for appetizers and an open bar.  The venue was incredible.  We were in a nice, multi leveled banquet room of a hotel right on the riverfront.  Of course, it was raining which made things very interesting with everyone in all white.  Regardless, we had a great night.


The week was mostly consumed with studying and trying to keep up with school work.  Mondays we play on a social sand volleyball team.  Big win last week.  Wednesdays are Res Wars in which all the residence halls on campus compete in different sports.  Last week was Netball which is like basketball mixed with Ultimate Frisbee.  The hoops do not have backboards on them.  I still don't really understand the rules.  It was very fun and we get free pizza, so even the losers are winners.


The golf club started social golf on Fridays.  This week we played at a new course close to campus.  It was hilly and tree lined, much more similar to the courses I play back home.  The previous courses were more flat and long.  I got to meet some new people and had a great time.  I also finally broke 80 for the first time in Australia, conveniently weeks after when it actually matters.  Where were those 78s in Perth?!  That night we all got together for some drinks.  One of the res fellows (the people in charge of keeping order in the dorms) invited us back to his apartment for beer pong.  This may sound odd and illegal, but remember that 18 is the drinking age and students are allowed to consume alcohol in the buildings.  Therefore, the 24 year old res fellow was just being hospitable.  Haha, anyway, we had a great time.  I had some high expectations from the Aussies as I am an American.  They have the belief that Americans play beer pong far too often (probably true) and every American is quite good at it (probably not so true).  Either way, it was fun to socialize with the Australians over some American drinking games.  (U.S.A. was undefeated that night).


Saturday was the highlight of my days here in Australia.  The captain of the golf team, Andrew, invited me up to go flying with him.  He has his pilot's license and is in the final parts of training for his commercial license (so he can get paid to fly people around).  Myself and another member of the golf team joined Andrew for a flight around the Gold Coast from about 3000 feet.  It was a clear day and we had some incredible views.  Truly one of the coolest experiences of my entire life.  There are some pictures on Facebook, but they really do not do the experience justice.  After we landed, we had to contain our excitement a little bit, because we had a formal awards ceremony to go to for Bond University Sport.  The Blues Awards, as they are called, recognize the top athletes and teams for the year in Bond Sport.  The golf club actually received honorable mention for the best club on campus.  Andrew won three different awards due to his fine performances in both the Northern Uni Games and Australia Uni Games.  We all went out that night to celebrate and ended up going to a bar where the local Rugby team was also present.  I had drinks across from some legends of Gold Coast rugby.  It's funny how completely oblivious I would have been had it not been for the numerous people that kept coming up and taking pictures with them.


Again, this week is hard to put into words how much fun I really had.  The fun will only continue next week as our group has a trip to Sydney planned.  I mentioned this to the guys on the team, and they will be joining us and showing us around Sydney.  James is from Sydney and Andrew actually has a family friend that owns a 70ft sail boat that docks in Sydney Harbor.  Friday night, James is showing us the night life of Sydney, and Saturday Andrew is taking us all out with his friend on the boat around the harbor.  Barbeque on a boat deck under the Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera House.  Are you serious!?  It should be an unforgettable weekend.  A true testament to how well the Aussies have been taking care of me since I've been here.  I really cannot thank them enough for being so good to the ol' Yank.


I've kind of developed my group of SLU friends and of course have had some great times with the golf team.  This has given me a great balance of hanging out with Americans and Australians (and really all kinds of international students).  A really unique experience, and friendships I will never forget.


But don't get too jealous.  I certainly have my days of missing home and missing all of you.  I love to hear updates on all of your lives.  And believe it or not, I do love getting Facebook chatted about the epic Blues games that I'm missing.  It is really hard not getting to follow sports here.  Today was probably the hardest day: Blues overtime win, thrilling NLCS final, and MIZZOU upsetting Oklahoma and then rushing the field?  Wow.  Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade being here for the world, but fall sports in America are always fun to be a part of.


Hopefully you all are enjoying the finals days of warmth.  We're all ready for summer to come.  I'm far behind on my Australian tan, so I have some work to do before I get home.  So far the golf tan is dominating the beach tan.  I'm sure that will change soon.  Please let me know how your lives are going.  My Skype name is jon.schwendeman if any of you are looking to Skype.  Other that that, I love getting emails at jschwen2@slu.edu.  And of course, Facebook is always another option.  Can't wait to hear about everyone's lives in the States!  Talk to you all soon.




Jon

Feeling at Home

So it has been raining for the past few days.  Non stop.  And tonight we've had gusts of wind strong enough to where we're wondering if Gold Coast is in the midst of a tropical storm.  Hopefully not.

The good news about the rain is that it has given us all a chance to get to know one another.  We've had a lot of time to rent movies from the library, hang out, have discussions, and just have a good time getting to know one another.  I think it is finally sinking in that I'm not just a tourist here.  I'm living in Australia for the next few months.  I'm not longer consumed by this idea of fast food tourism.  You know, go to Sydney, take a picture of the Opera House.  Go to Cairns, get a picture with the Reef.  And move on.  Instead, I'm learning to enjoy the little moments.  I'm trying to find the memories that won't be saved on film.  I've surrounded myself with a group of people that I'm very happy to call my mates.  We're all starting to feel at home.

It's been a really cool feeling.  Tonight was a night where we sat in the room eating pizza, watching YouTube videos and pulling out old school songs to listen to.  Nothing huge, nothing epic.  No drunken stories to pass along, no bar tabs, no chaos.  Just the feeling of being at home with your buddies in Australia.  Nothing better.

I'm excited to see where these next few months will take me.  It's been a heck of a ride so far and I can't wait to keep going.

Perthect Week

So I just got back from my week's trip to Western Australia.  It was an incredible week.  I'll try to update you on what's been going on since my last post.

Wednesday's training session was really cool.  Not only did we get our swings critiqued, but we also worked on our mental game.  We put on a headset and learned the science behind the mental side of golf.  The ideal swing occurs right as you are switching from left brain to right brain, so we worked with a machine that measured our focus, muscle tension, nervousness, etc.  It was really, really cool. 

Thursday's night was a lot of fun as always.  Unfortunately, at some point throughout the night, the button on my camera broke off.  The camera still works, but I just don't have the actual button to press down to take the picture.  Bad timing.  No camera for Perth.  I'm in the process of finding a replacement part.  Wish me luck.

Friday was really fun as well.  We got last minute student tickets to the National Rugby League Semi-final match.  The local team, the Gold Coast Titans, were playing the Sydney Roosters about an hour north in Brisbane.  We made the trip only to see the Titans get dominated.  Regardless, the trip was a great time.  The atmosphere there was unlike anything from the States.  Maybe a mix of European soccer and the NFL.

Saturday we went to the beach.  Ho Hum...

Sunday we caught a 5:30 am shuttle to the airport to leave for the Uni Games.  I had met the golf team Wednesday at the training session and they seemed like great people.  After the trip, I can confidently say that they are some of the best friends I will meet on this trip.  As a team, we had high expectations for ourselves.  We came into the tournament expecting to win.  Unfortunately, no one on the team played exceptionally well.  There were 7 golfers on the team and the best 4 rounds count each day.  We did not do a very good job at balancing good and bad rounds.  The second day we all had pretty poor rounds, while we all played well on the last day.  O well.  We finished 4th overall, missing out on 3rd place and a medal by 5 shots.  This was incredibly frustrating considering that the total score was out of more than 1300 strokes.  Bond always does well in Australian Uni Golf Competitions.  Well enough in fact that as we were walking to the bus the first day of competition, all the other universities on the bus made a pact to not let Bond win.  Needless to say, there were happy faces when we didn't make the medals.  The course we played was incredible.  It was called the Vines Resort and Country Club.  The Johnny Walker Classic is played there every year by the PGA tour.  I can't begin to explain how difficult the course was.  It was a great time all week with themed social activities taking place every night.  It was a little difficult for the golf team to get any rest.  Many teams had a few matches throughout each day with a lot of down time.  Our day started with breakfast at 7:30am, walk to the bus at leave on the bus for a one hour commute to the course at 8:30, tee times ranging from 10:30 to 11:30, long round of golf, bus back to the hotel at 6, arriving at 7.  We had Bond dinners most nights that we left the hotel for at 7:30.  Quick showers, quick dinner, and then it was time to go out.  By the end of the week we were all exhausted.

Perth was pretty fun.  We only had one day off to really see the town.  We had lunch at the brewery on the water, then went to a pub overlooking the town and ocean.  Really cool, relaxing day with the golf team.  Now, however, I'm back to real life.  I have to catch up on all the work I've missed.  Midterms in three weeks, then we're off to Sydney for Halloween weekend.

The weather in Gold Coast has been extremely disappointing.  It has rained probably 1/3 of the days we have been here, including the entirety of last week (say my friends that were here).  The locals say that it has been a very long time since the Gold Coast has seen this much rain.  O well, more time for studying right?

Hopefully I can get my camera fixed and upload some more pictures for all of you.  Thanks again for keeping in touch.  It's always great to hear from everyone, so don't be afraid to Facebook me or e-mail at jschwen2@slu.edu.  I'm sorry to hear about the Cardinals (trust me, one of my best friends is a huge Reds fan and I hear about it quite often).  I am pleased to hear that the Rams have won there third game in their last 29.  Great work guys, you make St. Louis so proud.  I am jealous that I will not be attending the Blues' home opener in a week.  And I am not okay with the fact that I have to stay up until 10 pm to watch the Ryder Cup.

But how can I complain?  It's been wonderful here and I'm sure it will only get better...