Traedogg Down Under

Life has a funny way of humbling you when you think you have it all figured out. I think its God’s humor to be honest… him chuckling from above as he shifts your life quickly and harmlessly away from what you spent so long perfectly planning out. And although you may not realize it at the time, when he shuts one door he has left another one open leading you toward something so perfect you couldn’t have planned it yourself after all. That is what I’m beginning to realize anyway as the days move on in OZ. (what Aussies call Australia).

I did not get the internship position at Draft. In past semesters, they have had room for up to three interns based on their work load, but this semester they only had room for one. That spot ended up going to my older, more advertising savvy roomate, Britt. Although I couldn’t be happier for her, it has left me again with no internship and left to wait patiently for what God has in store for me. I spoke with my internship coordinator, Larry, and he gave me three other possible options for a Marketing/PR internship: A position at a huge casino/hotel on the harbour “Star City” helping with their marketing, an art gallery downtown Gallery 4A and a internship with One Basketball. (One of their basketball leagues in Australia from what I understand). I told him any of these positions would be wonderful, and he gave me a contact for One Basketball who I am going to try and call tomorrow. So we will see how it goes.

In being here nearly five weeks now, I am beginning to learn that there is no sence in crafting this master plan for your life. Because lets face it, life is unpredictable… yet that is part of what makes it so endearing and what makes each day new and exciting. I’m guilty of worrying, A LOT about things I cant control. It is one of the characteristics I hate most about myself; it is needless and just a collossal waste of time. Being in a new place where there are endless uncertainties, I could worry myself sick if I allowed it. But thankfully, I’m learning the importance of LIVING. Just BEING. Living each day to the fullest–embracing its challenges and reveling in the sheer joy it brings.

Having dreams is important, but drafting out a plan for your future just isn’t. Life has a strange way of working itself out in its own time, at its own pace. I find it challenging to let go sometimes and just roll with the punches… but I’m working on it;) You’ve just got to have faith…and in the mean time…while you are patiently waiting for all the answers to reveal themselves to you..you have to just live and appreciate each passing day for the blessing that it is.

On one of the most goergous afternoons in Sydney yet, me and three of my roomates Jen, Bree and Anna went to my very first Aussie Rules Football game (They all went the following weekend in Melbourne). It was so different then anything we have in the USA. I cant really even begin to explain the rules because i spent the whole game trying to figure out how it worked, but, lets just say the sports it is closet to is rugby and soccer. Basically, its a bunch of really fit guys running around on a field twice as big as a soccer field for 4, 30 minute quarters! I dont know how they do it!! But they toss or punt and catch the ball up and down the field to their teammates.. and once they are close enough to the four “posts”, they try and punt it through the uprights. If it goes through the two center, more narrow posts, it is 6 points, and if it goes through either of the two outside channels, its 1 point. (so the games are very high scoring and up tempo. The final score for our game was 101 to 60 something.. the Swans won of course! It was a great afternoon.. and I may have even managed to get a little color on my face for the first time since I’ve been here! I posted a few pictures on snapfish: www.snapfish.com user name: tlswartz@wisc.edu password: missyou…. now time to hit the books before another week of school… week five already.. yikes!

Ok… so, the purpose of me going to Australia in the first place was to complete an internship for 8 credits in my field of study (Mass Communication: Pr/Advertising) and finally, after four weeks of waiting for my professor to organize himself, I had an interview today! The company I interviewed with is called Draft Worldwide. Their sister organization is Lowe Hunt Worldwide and in Australia, both offices work on the same floor in the same building. Draft specializes in promotions, direct marketing and digital marketing within the field of Advertising. This past January, they were one of two firms world wide to recieve five out of five stars in Advertising Age’s Agency Reviews, so lets just say, I will be learning a lot from some of the best!

The “interview” was not really an interview at all. Two people, Karen Jackson and Guy Lovell spoke with me (Karen works for Draft and Guy for Lowe Hunt) and they were both AWESOME. Both were in their mid-upper 20’s andwere so layed back and easy to talk to. If/once I start working there, I will be primarily working for the two of them. During the “interview” they basically just talked about the company, and asked me what I was looking to get out of an internship with them. In the process of chatting with them, I found out I would be working 3 days a week from 9-5, but they said it was no big deal if I strolled in at 9:30… or had to leave early some days, or come late other days, as long as I told them. They said the experience is basically what I want to make of it, and they would try hard to expose me to as much of the entire advertising/strategic process as they could (including going to some TV/creative shoots) and sitting in on some focus groups and interviews). (Although, I’m sure there will be pleanty of grunt work as well!) From what it sounded like, the company is extremely layed back and fun, but incredibly bright and hardworking (thats a great balance to have!). Also, for those of you who dont know much about working in an advertising agency, it is really casual (dress wise, lots of people work in jeans) and many of the workers are young! The “interview” ended wtih Karen saying she would contact me probably on Monday to let me know what is going on, but from the way they were talking, it sounded like they were planning on me working there. I didn’t even get one of those “So why would you be a good fit for Draft” types of questions;) So I’m not even sure when my first day will be, but the process is finally rolling!

On another note, I took my first “exam” today and it really sucked;) You take the exam online, whenever/wherever you want (so obviously its open book/open note) and it was only 20 questions. However, you only get 25 minutes to take the exam, and of course the exam asks you all the little nitpicky details on 250+ pages of reading since they know your book is in hand. I finished the exam in the time allotted (thankfully) but to be honest, it was all a blurr! I cant even remember more then 1 question on the test! (and that one i know i got right!). I also had to take it in the library b/c i was worried about the internet problems at our house… and you wouldn’t believe how hard it is to think when a group of asians are talking/laughing at the computer next to you!! Oh well! I’ll find out how I did later today.. but to be honest, for once I dont really care! I feel like most of the “learning” I do in Australia will not be in the classroom.

Those are the big updates for the week! To reward myself for my intense morning, I’m going to spend the rest of the day at the beach! And probably most of tomorrow too.. its supposed to get up to 74! Sunday I am going to an “Aussie Rules” Football game (which is a cross between rugby and american football) so that should be real fun! I’m already going through football withdrawls and the NFL and college season hasn’t even started yet! Next week I am also going to a play “Over the Rainbow” at the opera house. Its about the life of Judy Garland. Other then that, my main travels/events are over for a while now as I’m getting further into the swing of school! Hope all is well at home!

Ok. I really dont know where to begin this entry so I’ll just start with the scratchy feeling in my throat that appeared out of nowhere on Wednesday night (it will soon play a huge role in my weekend). So by thursday night(when I’m set to take the greyhound bus 12 hours from Sydney/Melbourne) this little scratchiness has worked itself into a beautiful sinus/head cold. Determined not to let it ruin my weekend, I armed myself with dayquil, cough drops and tons of kleenex and set off for my 12 hour journey to Melbourne.

Despite getting less then two hours of sleep on the bus, the bus ride wasn’t as horrible as it could have been. I sat next to a friendly women from India who chatted with me for a bit and on the other side of the isle were two Jamican men who were fascinated with my Ipod and drank literally 6 Pepsi’s a piece on the 12 hour bus ride. I arrived in Melbourne on schedule (8:00am), and despite being loopy from a sleeping pill i had just taken 4 hours earlier, I managed to wander the 10 plus blocks to my hostel (following my little map of course) Flinders Station.

Flinders Station was hell on earth. For 20 bucks a night, my room was smaller then a college dorm, and included four bunk beds, a dresser and a light. No phone, no closet, no towels, no little mini travel shampoos. Nothing. (Good thing we did not spend much time there!) Literally five minutes after I arrived, My roomate Bree, our friend Rachel and her 16 year old brother J.R (self-proclaimed future president of the united states) walk in–they flew (smart). We quickly left the hostel and roamed around melbourne for the day/evening, capping it off with a TERRIBLE dinner in China town (the chicken in my cashew chicken was unrecognizable)!

A 630 wake up call the following morning began our 13 hour tour on “The Great Ocean Road.” Still feeling like hell, yet pumped for the day, I dragged myself out of bed only to be slapped in the face by the misty rain and freezing temperatures with nothing but a fleece. But “No Worries” as we were greeted by our friendly tour guide, Matt (who had a hilarious Australian sense of humor) and a bus load of 20 foreigners.

The best way to describe the 13 hour tour is by pictures (www.snapfish.com username: tlswartz@wisc.edu password: missyou). There are no words to explain the beauty of what I witnessed. There are 60 pictures, but stick with them, because they get better and better as the day goes along. Some of the highlights of the tour included: a walk through a koala park, journey through a rainforrest, a helicpotor ride with my friend Bree over easily one of the most beautiful landmarks in the world (the 12 apostles), the london bridge, and the bay of martyrs at sunset. Other then not feeling 100 percent it was truely an INCREDIBLE tour.

If anyone is still reading at this point.. it is from here on that I had a brush with death.. twice. So, being the thrifty (or shall I say cheap) person that I am, I decided to book a 7:15 flight out of melbourne b/c it was cheap. Problem was, our hotel was a good 40 dollar cab ride away from the airport, and the free shuttle from our hostel didn’t leave until 600 which wasn’t early enough for me to get to the airport on time. So, 10 blocks away from my hostel is a sketchy bus station that has shuttles on the hour to the airport for 13 bucks. My only option, obviously, was to catch the 5:00am shuttle.. meaning a 4:00 wake up call to walk 10 blocks in the freezing cold. .. but lets set up the scene a little better.

Our hostel was in downtown melbourne. Not only did I not get one wink of sleep due to incredibly clogged sinuses, but the shouting of the drunkards out at all hours of the night, followed by a massive fight that broke out right around 3:00 right outside my window, followed by the sound of not one but two squad cars blazing onto the scene, was just about enough to deprive me of any sleep I would have gotten. After hearing all of this, I decide it’d probably be wise to have the front desk call me a cab so I dont have to walk the 10 blocks to the bus stop at 4:30 am. So I wander down to the front desk with my comfortors, sheets and towel (25 dollar deposit for all of that) and im informed that the person who is supposed to be working there is “next door cleaning up from the fight… there is blood all over…” So after waiting all the time I possibly could before missing my bus, I ran the sheets back up to my room and told my friends to drop them off for me and collect my deposit (they are flying out monday morning) before setting off on foot.

It is now 4:40 and little Traci is wandering down the streets of Melbourne with her huge travel backpack and purse in hand to find this sketchy bus station. I truely have never been more scared for my life… not because anyone tried to come at me.. but just feeling alone and vulnurable in a foreign city at 4:30 am. (dont worry mom and dad.. I knew I’d be ok b/c i had St. Christopher on;)). Also, the route the people at the hostel gave me to the bus station involved walking past three “gentlemens clubs” that just happened to be clearing out as little Traci is walking past. Wonderful. But to make a WAY to long story short.. I got to the airport and on my flight just fine.

This is where near death experience number two comes in. I’m on my flight feeling SUPER congested, but hanging in there. The flight is only 1 hour and 15 min from Melbourne to Sydney… so I’m like.. NO PROBLEM! But, as the plane starts to descend, the pressure to my head/sinuses was excruciating. My ears are trying to pop.. but probably due to my congestion, they wouldn’t. So all of a sudden I start feeling this splitting pain over my left eye…It literally felt like every single vessel in my eye was popping one by one and I truely for a second thought my left eyeball was going to pop out of my head. I’m not lying… it was that painful. So i just let the eye tear up, rubbed my temples and prayed until the plain finally touched down. Upon landing, I inspected my eye-still there thankfully;) but one of my ears is still plugged! Then, I had to find out how to get home from the airport without paying 40 bucks fo the cab! But I was SO proud of myself. I took the train (13 bucks) downtown to the Circular Quay (somewhere where I have taken the bus home multiple times), then walked right over to my bus stop and swipped my bus pass for the $2.50 ride! How do you like that problem solving!

So all and all, it was a very exciting weekend. I really learned a lot about myself. I am a lot stronger then I thought, a lot braver and can fend very well for myself thank you very much.. even when not feeling well. However, traveling through life is much more enjoyable with someone at your side….and from here on out.. I’d prefer not to be alone again;)

I’m headed to Melbourne, Australia from Thurs night-Sunday morning with a few of my roomates/friends to roam the city. (The trip also involves a 12 hours bus ride one way on the good ole greyhound, so that should be interesting;)). I will definitely post an update when I get back to fill you in on the weekend… .. oh.. and HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!!!! I LOVE U!

Rumor had it Monday nights were “Crab Racing” nights at a bar downtown called “Scubar,” so naturally, with no class the next day and no internship yet, the roomates and I decide to go check it out. We get there at 8:00, (when they advertised the races were going to start) and are told the races don’t begin until 9:30. Luckily $6.90 pitchers of beer were able to distract us for the next hour and a half. When we arrived at 8:00, we were one of about 20 people in the bar, but when 9:30 rolled around, (on a Monday night keep in mind), nearly 200 were there–the excitment was mounting;)

The MC finally kicks off “The races” by asking for a female volunteer. At this point, we are pushed SO far back from the “racing table” that we wouldn’t even be able to see the races, so my roomate Bree (who like me had only one drink in her at the time) shoots her hand up to volunteer. She is selected and quickly is brought up to stand on the “crab racing table.” The MC tells her her first job as volunteer is to rile up the crowed for the races (this involves dancing on the table top in front of 200 peopel by herself!) Bree was SUCH A SPORT and got up and shook her stuff;) Immediately, the MC asks…. “Have you ever heard of the Scubar Challenge?” and as she says no… the male portion of the crowed lets out this HUGE roar! Bree soon finds out that the “Scubar Challenge” involves taking off two items of clothes from her top half for a free teeshirt and free drinks. (At this point I was DYING for her.. i never would have gotten up there) She had a jacket on, so that was one item, and then my roomates and I get this great idea to tell her to take off her bra, instead of her shirt! (Sorry boys!) So, poor bree plays along and in front of all these people, earns her free shirt and drinks! (Although her and I weren’t really drinking.. so she gave the free pitcher to my other roomates!)

After all this initial excitment, we finally work our way up to the very front row for “the races.” What crab racing is, is literally a bowl of crabs that have numbers on their back, and people in the crowed get to sign up for a number. Then, the crabs are released in the center of the table, and the first three crabs that make it to the outside of the table win, and whoever signed up for those crabs get prizes. So after three rounds of these races (they do one race ever 45 min or so) we ended up with a few free teeshirts and hats. (some were given to my roomates by guys who won them!) Of course I didn’t win, but Britt’s crab “Poop” came in second place! (pictures of the night out can be found on www.snapfish.com user name: tlswartz@wisc.edu password: missyou)

It was definitely an interesting night–not your typical night out at a bar, but we ended up having a really good time! Even poor Bree survived the “Scubar Challenge…” (next time she’ll know better not to volunteer!).. .oh well.. YOU LIVE AND LEARN!

Ok.. so.. three new blogs for you guys to read in one night. You can see the difference having the internet at my fingertips makes;) This story was to great to pass up though. I’ll make it short. So, Anna, Jen, Bree and I were sitting at the nice steak dinner we made for ourselves when Jen poured herself a big glass of juice she just bought from the store. She was like.. “Oh my god this is the best juice I have ever tasted!” And we all proceeded to take a sip. (It was a bit sweet for my liking… but good nonetheless). Over the course of dinner, she finishes her glass and our roomate Alex comes home and joins us at the table. (this is a key point.. you’ll see why in just a minute).

So, Bree decides she wants some of the juice so she pours herself a glass and jen another 1/2 a glass. At first she is drinking pretty quickly.. but over the next few minutes, you can tell shes struggling taking it down. Finally Bree goes.. “Oh wow.. this is really getting sweet (and pours a little water in with the juice).” Alex hears this and goes, “Are you sure its not cordial? A lot of Australians drink Cordial…you are SUPPOSED to add water to it!” Bree walks over to the fridge, and sure enough… Apple Raspberry Cordial. The directions: add FOUR PARTS WATER to ONE PART CORDIAL!! Oh well! YOU LIVE AND LEARN!

YESSS!!!! FINALLY! Today is a historic day at 28 Melody Street. Jen, Bree, Anna and I all witnessed the first moment that broadband internet was officially connected in our house!!! (And then all proceeded to IM one another from different rooms on our laptops b/c we were so excited!) (Six girls sharing one dial-up connection and one computer was beginning to get problematic…. so was walking 30 min to school and 30 min back just to use internet!) That being said, I will be able to check email, post pictures and blog with much greater ease! the pics from the bridge climb are already up! But its saturday night and the four of us are making ourselves steak, mashed potatos and corn on the cob for dinner! Hope all is well at home!

Well, like I said, I knew there would be pleanty more “Live and Learn” entries and some how I’m guessing most of them will involve food and dining out! This Live and Learn is not as embarassing or as costly as the first… but just a very strange dining experience. After the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb (I will recap that below), my roomates and I decided to stay downtown and go out to eat at a cool resturaunt in Sydney. Being the nerd that I am (here is where you all can chuckle b/c you can totally picture me doing this), I took the time to sift through Sydney’s “Enternainment book” of coupons and pull out every coupon for every restauraunt within a mile of downtown Sydney where we were. Then, after the bridge climb, I made my roomates wander around the city trying to find these places so we could use our coupons;)! (hey.. it was a good deal.. 25% off the total bills at really nice places!)

We finally get to a place we all agree on on Pitt street (one of the main streets in downtown sydney) called the Coolabar. At this point, we were all starving after the bridge climb and took forever to decide what to order b/c everything looked amazing. I ended up going with the chicken fajitas (for 20 bucks.. one of the moderately priced items on the menu) and they were excellent! Trying not to stuff myself, I saved nearly a full chicken breast worth of chicken, guac, sour cream and cheese and was intent on saving them for lunch the next day. One of the things we have learned here (after waiting 30 minutes for the bill at dinner one day after we were finished eating).. is that they never bring the bill unless you ask… so feeling awefully smart, we ask for the bill and then request a to-go box. The waitress looked at us puzzled and said, “we dont do take away here?” And we were like. ” Oh, well we have leftovers and we just need a small container to put them in.” And she was like, “we don’t do “take away,” at this resturaunt we dont even have any containers… we have a bag I could give you?” (The thought of my chicken, guac, sour cream and cheese thrown into a bag flashed through my head…..)… “Thank you anyways…” I blurted out quickly, and she walked away! NO TO GO CONTAINERS! COME ON!!!! So the roomates and i had to stuff ourselves.. b/c come on.. you cant let guac go to waste! (Nick, I know you’re proud of me for that one!) But apparently, resturaunts here can be Dine in, Take away, or both.. and if its both, its not prob to get a container, but if its only dine in.. good luck! oh well! YOU LIVE AND LEARN!

About the Bridge Climb… I’ll just say it was one hell of a view. (excuse my French). Its not really scarry at all b/c they have you attached to safety ropes and the climb up the arch of the bridge isn’t as steep or as narrow as you might think. But its about 3 1/2 hours total b/c you spend the first 45 min or so inside putting on your hott looking “bridge climb suit!!!” (its a one piece..soo hott.. i will post pictures monday).. and they run you through simulations of some of the ladders and steps you face on the way up. But the view of the city and the harbour is INCREDIBLE! They take a ton of pictures of you and your “group” (about 12 people in each group) on the top of the bridge and along the way, and they outfit you with headphones so you can hear the tour guide talking and pointing out landmarks around the harbour. Then, when you come back in, they give you a complementary photo of the group because you’re not allowed to take cameras with you on the climb. So, unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to show you pics from the actual “bridge” for another 3-4 months, but I have a few I’ll post from pre/post climb as soon as I can!!

For those of you who know me well enough, you know that from time to time, out of no where I come up with these deep thoughts I readily share with whatever unsuspecting being is in earshot. So as not to disappoint anyone who may be missing these comments, I thought I’d use this entry, when nothing else of importance is going on, to share a few of my reflections. (for those of you who dont know me well enough to know I do this from time to time… STOP READING NOW! haha;))

Anyways, being dropped in another country oceans away from everything that is familiar is as challenging as you might imagine, but in a good way. And in being here just 2 1/2 weeks, I have not only gained a deep appreciation for the Australian way of life, but an even greater appreciation for America and the little things about it I so often take for granted….like:

cheap diet soda: (cost nearly $2.50 a can here.. so i’ve curbed my bad habit!)

cheap alcohol: (out at the bars you cant find a drinkin cheaper then $5, (most are 8-12) and in stores, for example, a small bottle of sky vodka (small) is $35 bucks!

louis rich turkey bacon: (and many many other American grocery products that you could never find here)

Feeling comfortable enough to participate in class discussion

having any sort of basic cultural/political/societal knowledge about the country I’m studying in (which would help drastically in class discussions and in writing papers for class)

Knowing my way around a campus, and feeling like an upperclassmen (right now, you’d never guess i was older and more knowledgable then 3/4 of my peers)

American sports!! (their version of “sport” is SO different… cricket and lawn bowling is HUGE.. as well as rugby and Aussie rules football (nothing like nfl)

having more then 1/2 my classmates speak english as their first language

Understanding the rules of the road (their driving is SO crazy.. who drives on the left side!)

Knowing how to use campus resources (especially the library, and how to spell and cite properly in papers)

Having a TV in my house! (although its good for me to use my freetime more constructively!

BUT… in adapting to these differences/challenges… I have also learned a few things:

Its ok to ask a million questions….. A smile is universal… the majority of people are inherently good and kind-hearted…everywhere you go there will be people that support you and care about you…. I have an AMAZING family and friends and an incredible boyfriend back home (but i knew that already)…. its ok to feel out of place and to struggle- you can only grow from it….

But anyways… enough deep thinking for one day. Nothing too noteworthy to write about on this second week of school! We are doing the sydney harbour bridge climb tomorrow (a three hour climb up the top of the rafters of the bridge)… so that should be intense! I will post pictures from it this weekend!