Hi Everyone!
Here are some photos taken when my friends and I went to Fina, which is the world swimming championships held in Melbourne at the Rod Laver Arena. We bought tickets for the day swims which are just heats to qualify for finals which are held at night. Those tickets were $200 so we decided to go for the cheaper ones! I got to see the number one swimmer in the world, Michael Phelps!!! Wow what a nice body, oh and of course a great swimmer! I saw a few Canadians race, and I had my little flag out! :) It was a great experience, and it felt good supporting my country :)

This was another good weekend, I say that everytime, but it's true :) I travelled to Phillip Island which is two hours south of Melbourne and on the way the group stopped at a petting zoo and we fed kangaroos and saw almost every other Australian animal. Then made our way to The Nobbies, which are the scenic pictures on the blog. There are normally seals all over the rocks but it was quite rough the day we went so they were all hiding. It was SO beautiful and we managed to get there for sunset! Afterwards we went to a beach on the other side of the island around 7:30pm, just as the sun was going down and we watched the world famous penguin parade. The penguins only come out at night, and everyone sits in bleachers along the beach and watch the penguins come out of nowhere take a swim and then march up the beach back to their homes. It was probably the coolest thing i've ever seen. We weren't allowed to take pictures because the flash disrupts them but I bought a postcard of the act! haha It was a full day, we arrived home around 11pm, so exhauted and set our clocks back for day light savings and got a well needed extra hour sleep! On Sunday I watched my first Cricket game, one of Nicks friends was playing in a National final, and quicked ass, so they all tried to explain the rules to me. It's becoming more clear but I think only Aussie's will only fully understand the game...haha I hung out with my Canadian friends that day, because they leave Monday, but we are hoping to meet up in Noosa (Sunshine Coast), north of Brisbane for the easter break. My friend Erin and I have booked flight for 5 days...We are doing some planning tonight but we hope to canoe the everglades in Noosa, surf on the beaches, visit the Steve Irwin Australian Zoo, hike the Glasshouse mtns and go to Brisbane to visit a friend of mine who I met here! So I hope that all works out, and if I do get a lot of my work done before I go, I might extend the trip and go to Byron Bay for a couple days! There is so much to see and so little time. After easter break is over we have seven weeks of school left. That is extremely scary considering it feels like I arrived a couple weeks ago. time is flying, but I'm trying to make the most of it while I have the chance! I hope you are enjoying the pictures and some of the comments! I hope everyone is doing well, Lots of love
Kira

ok a couple more pics.
1. This is Erin(Ontario) on the left and Steph(Oregon) on the right. I have a mix from North America. This was orientation week at Uni and it was a rescue theme, so we went as rescue angels. Walked around the whole city wearing these...people were amazed!!!
2. I got the best view at the concert, Wolfmother. Poor Nick I'm probably killing him...haha

1. Picture of Nick and I at the Melbourne Arts Center where he performed his play, Angels with Dirty Faces.
2. Me doing my favourite pose at the Arts Center.
3. I two Canadian girls, Crystal and Nicole at the Wolfmother Concert after the Formula One races.

So another awesome weekend has passed! Some Canadian friends of mine are here backpacking for the next few weeks, so I've been living the tourist life for the last couple days. This week was the Melbourne Formula 1, Grand Prix (car racing) for those who are not familiar with it. I got a free ticket on Saturday and went with Nicole, Crystal, and Kirsten (Canadian girl friends) for the day and watched car races in beautiful weather. The races were held at Albert Park which is in St. Kilda, and has a lake in the middle of the track. It was gorgeous to hang out there all day, plus it is definately a male sporting event so there were guys galore :) we were in heaven...haha After the races there was a concert on the grounds, and Wolfmother was playing. They are an Australian band but have become really popular in North America and have just finished playing with Guns and Roses. Wolfmother played for an hour, so we just got to drink beer, dance and watch people crowd surf, although I was pretty close to doing it myself. I got hoisted on Nick's shoulders for a bit so I got the best view in the house! So that was my St. Patty's day, didn't wear any green but the spirit was definately there! Afterwards we went for beers and had an early night.
I know you all will love what I did Sunday! Nick invited me LAWN BOWLING :) and amazingly I had the best time ever! haha It was organized by one of his friends, so there were 15 of us, and we got lessons and played a few games. I'm pretty impressed with all the old people that play it cause its not an easy game...it was good fun, bowling and drinking beer in the sun! Afterwards we went out for a group dinner, chatted about the win, and going back to do the same thing in 50 years to compare our pictures! haha that would be a sight. "
That night I met up with the Canadians and there UK friend Neil who they are staying with in Mlebourne on Brunswick st. It's a cool, artsy part of the city with very trendy looking people. We sat at a bar called the Black Cat which was filled with couches and lounge chairs inside and drank beer while enjoying the atmosphere!
Now I'm in the computer lab attempting to get some work done, since weekends I can just write them off pretty much. I have three shifts at work this week, but they are very unreliable when they call, but I'm still glad I'm making a little bit of money while I'm here! So life is great, friends are awesome, and studies are good! I hope everyone at home is happy and healthy....I hope to get some pictures posted soon so watch out for those :) Talk to everyone soon
Lots of Love
kira

I'm sorry for the lack of postings in the last month, but I am still alive and loving Australia. I'm finally settled in Melbourne and school is two weeks in. I'm doing full time units, all of which are psychology courses and will transfer back towards my degree. I love the classes so far. For each class there is also a two hour tutorial every other week and it gives the students an opportunity to get to know the professor and other students and become more interative with the material and others in the class. Student life is awesome, lots of partying and of course some studying :) I have met so many intelligent, diverse, outgoing people and will definately make some life long friends from it.
Last weekend I took a 4 day trip up to Sydney to visit a friend from Canada, and toured around there. Went to Gay Mardi Gras, which is the largest gay festival in the world! Very interesting, but a lot of fun! I climbed to Pylon lookout on the Harbour Bridge and saw amazing views of the city. Walked around Circular Quay, where the bridge and Opera house are. Probably the most amazing sights I've seen in the last month..haha I got some sun when I visited Bondi beach, but it rained when I took the ferry to Manly beach, but overall the experience was very good and I definately hope to go back to Sydney before my travels are up.
Melbourne was definately an excellent place to come to study. The city is beautiful, the people are so friendly and there are endless things to do and see. I have been to a play, which my friend Nick was in, visited very lively bars and pubs, walked along the Yarra River, went to a movie in the Botanical Gardens called moonlight cinemas. It's a huge screen set up in the park and you just bring a blanket and sit on a hill and watch. They start the movie as the sun goes down, and it overlooks the city lights, and has a very peaceful feel to it!
Tonight I will be going to my first footy game which I can't wait! It is a mix between rugby, football and soccer, but a lot more rough! It is just a pre season game but should be a good one!
I have many more pictures to post when I get a chance! Hope to get to it soon, but with all the studying I'm doing I have a lot less time on my hands...hehe I wish...
anyways, I'm enjoying life, and loving Australia just as I thought I would. I hope everyone is well back home. I miss everyone a lot and think about you all in my travels!
Lots of love from Melbourne
Kira xoxo