Day 16: Tonight's Menu: Awkward Sandwiches and Goon Punch

Last night starts with the village’s big back to school party, theme: out of this world. They were the ones giving out free bbq so I make a small effort to dress like an alien and put on leggings and a red puffy vest. Ok, so I don’t look that much like an alien, but I’m trying. We head down to the Well and they end up making us wait an hour before cooking the food. The RA’s are also providing us with goon punch so I go grab a glass. Goon is boxed wine, it is to the Aussie college student what Natty is to the American college student: cheap, abundant, and gross. They call all their vat “punch” and it pretty much always contains cheap wine and champagne, which is weird, but I go with it. Later the burgers come out (I haven’t seen buns since I’ve been here, always sandwich bread) and I grab one and talk with friends. One of my friends is joining the crew team, its such a shame, I really liked him. A bit later the DJ plays a string of American songs (including Kiss Me Thru the Phone!!) which means I promptly hit the dance floor and probably make a bit of a scene. By the time he starts playing techno again the dance floor is considerably more crowded. After being here two weeks I can somewhat sing along to two techno songs. The first is called Bonkers I believe, I really love that song. Dave the Australian I found at a bus stop introduced it to me. The second is this song that says over and over “pick a side mf” in a really gangster voice. I heard it on the radio today, and they don’t bleep out the f word here.

After being out of this world for a bit we head back to my room and I change. The troops are then rounded up and we catch taxis to Kings Cross. A large amount of the troops are already considerably wasted and I have to be Kash’s mom during the taxi ride and tell him to shut up and quit complaining that the driver is taking the wrong way. We get to the club, Soho. My roommate Violetta always manages to befriend bouncers, DJs, and other various establishment personnel practically everywhere we go. She knows the DJ tonight and we all get in for free. So I’m back in a club. The downstairs dance room in this one is massive and resembles a tin foil cave. By now, I feel like I can handle techno, heck maybe I can even enjoy it a little bit when they play Bonkers and such, but on this particular night they are playing mostly house music. Oh my gosh. I can’t stand house music, its so awful, but we carve out a niche on the dance floor and I make the best of it; you know, break it down a little bit. A little later I spot Violette assaulting the DJ and then the two of them canoodling. Haha, right on cue.

A friend of ours from the elbow trip meets us and brings a friend along. We all end up out on the balcony upstairs because he wanted to smoke or something. By this time my voice is back to zero and I’m communicating using the technique developed last semester in Bruno’s with Rekha when I was on vocal rest before the talent show (fond memories). Basically I keep a text message open and type out whatever I’m trying to say and stick it in the person’s face with whom I’m trying to communicate. Friend from the elbow trip is a little drunky and starts leaning on me, which I accept because he is a little drunky. We head to the dance floor and I find out that he is leaning on me not because he is drunky but because I think he is trying to hit on me. He’s for sure trying to hit on me. So I’m trying to keep my distance and still be polite and am a little caught off guard by the whole thing. About that time an attractive Aussie makes eye contact with me from about 15 feet away. Five minutes later we’re dancing together. Well I think this is hurting other boy’s feelings so I’m trying to yell at Helen to start talking to him or something and distract him. She only succeeds in doing this about 2 min and then I’m stuck in the middle of a big awkward sandwich with one of them trying to dance in front of me and the other behind me. Ok, time for a bathroom break.

I hide out with Helen and our other friend Caroline for a pretty long time letting my ears ring. The ringing is much nicer than the house music. When I finally reemerge elbow boy is nowhere to be found and Aussie says he’s heading out to the balcony for a minute. I run into my other roommate, Lindsey, and we’re all pretty ready to get out of this place. She goes to tell her other friends she’s leaving and I go looking for cute Aussie. I can’t find him sadly, but tell his friend to tell him I was looking for him. His friend offers to give me his number but I refuse it and decide to count this one as a missed connection.

Outside the club we see a member of the drunk troop who has a huge X drawn across her forearm indicating that she has been kicked out for being too drunk. She keeps trying to tell me she really isn’t that drunk while fumbling around and dropping her credit card amongst other things. She’s freaking out about her coat that they won’t let her go back in to get, but she’s sent Vi back in to grab it. Just then, I notice Vi, holding her coat and arguing with a bouncer. I walk up and butt in the argument to announce that we’re leaving and then take off to hail a cab. All-in-all, this has been very entertaining, haha. I just realized I have no idea what happened to elbow boy.

After I brushed my teeth I was walking back into my room and thinking, gosh I’d really like to talk to Peyton right now, or God. And then I realized I can in fact talk to God so I told him I’d really like to talk to Peyton. Right then, I got a text message, from Peyton. Sa-weet! Turns I can send and receive American texts.

I slept with the window open because my room smelled really funny when I came home last night. Waking up this morning was wonderful, there was a nice breeze going and birds singing and all that. I get up and plot a course to Surry Hills. On the first day of every month they have a market there that I’ve heard is really good. Helen and I make the trek down there on foot and stop for some very delicious sushi along the way. It is really, really good sushi; and quite affordable. The market is really cool. There are stalls there with people just selling their old junk and other people who make really neat clothes and jewelry and the like. I spot a cute dress I like on a $10 rack but am sad to see it’s a size 10. Too big right? I leave it behind. Helen informs me later that they have different sizing in Australia and that a size 10 will actually fit me quite nicely. I head back and buy it. I haven’t tried it on yet, but I’ll let you know. After milling around for a couple of hours we walk back home.

Its really early, but I’m now super exhausted, probably from walking several miles today. I think I’ll be getting ready for bed now. Yea, its 8:15. I’m hoping my voice will come back since I’m taking an early night. I have skype set up in my room now! Skype me! (mom & dad)