Pink blitz= Pure bliss

Hello loved ones! Apologies for the delayed blog postings….Things have been wonderfully hectic and I have struggled to make time for posting. ;) As you can imagine I have done much since my last post, keeping busy at pretty much all times: going to the beach, socializing, surfing, studying, planning mid-semester break (trip to the Great Barrier Reef), etc. etc. etc. Due to the fact that I have done so much I have just decided to post pictures and describe each in a few short statements (this is not all inclusive of everything but it is a good start). So here is goes…

My roomie Kate and I! She is currently spending time in New Zealand swimming with Whales (literally swimming with whales)

Aussie roomies: Alice, Kate and I: Girls night out dancing :)

Meat pie lovin ' at 2am at "Harry's Meals on Wheels". People love meat pies here...basically meat pies consist of different kinds of meat and veggies baked in a doughy outer lining...often topped with peas and potatoes...YUM 

Beach volleyball! This dude (American word apparently) and I (Jared) played 2v2 against two older Aussie guys. They had clearly played for many many years.....which means yes...they "beat" us.

At the beach with Isabella (friend from England)

Bar Beach (I jog/walk here at least 2 times a week)

Izzy :)

My girl Eva (from Germany) and I went surfing!!! It was an absolute blast! We were taught by a surfer that had been surfing since he was 5 yrs old. Typical surfer: tan, longer hair than me and super relaxed. And just as I thought.. surfing is not as easy as it looks. Although, we both stood up multiple times! We are currently working on getting wet suits of our own so we can go out on our own :)

Potluck with other international ladies

The next series of pictures are from a day spent biking and hiking. Since being here I have been trying to find places to hike and I finally found an amazing spot the other day. It is called Glenrock. Glenrock is known for being an amazing mountain biking area although it has nice hiking trails as well. My friend Marcus and I biked to Glenrock (a decent ride with many hills), parked our bikes at Glenrock, hiked around and ate lunch by the water.

Not a very clear picture but there is a beautiful lagoon with the ocean in the background. 

Sundial 

Where we ate lunch

Marcus's first EVER peanut butter and jelly sandwich! I guess it's not very common in Germany? ;)

At the end of an amazing day biking. Check out dat moon! ;)

Coffee with Eva on trendy Darby Street. When you get chai tea (and other hot drinks) they serve it to you out of a glass cup with a spoon to scoop the foam before drinking the delicious drink.

The next series of pictures are from a day spent rock climbing with the moutaineering club. We went to a beautiful place called Port Stephens (about 1 hour drive from Newcastle) where we were climbing right next to the beautiful blue water. For those of you who have ever climbed on real rock you know that it is not easy (Except for Kella)! Friends and I did several climbs and then spent the rest of the time exploring the rest of the area and relaxing on the beach.

My friend Nick from Minnesota 

My friend Tobias and I

Ryan from New Mexico, quite the goof ball

My girl Jackie trying to do appear as yogis

Leonie, Eva, and Jackie

Another bike ride Marcus and I just recently did was on a well known bike path called Fernleigh track. We road the entire path and eventually made it to a beach called Red Head beach.

In addition to all these pictures of activities I have done, I have also been playing on an indoor soccer team (we are called the Pikachu Killers) as well as on a basketball team with a girl that I met from Washington state!

Curious about the pink blitz=pure bliss title? My home gurll pink blitz is my bike (I know she sounds pretty kick-ass). When I ride with her it is pure bliss.

Peace Corps update: For those of you who do not know, I have applied for the Peace Corps in order to join upon graduation. I had my interview this past week view webcam. I am pleased to say that it went very well! As of now my representative is trying to place me in the health sector which I am more than excited about. I am still waiting to see if I have an official offer but things are looking up! Thank you once again to everyone who has been an amazing support. In my interview I was asked, “Do those close to you support your decision to join?” I couldn’t think of a single negative reaction I had gotten from any of my friends and family. I am blessed.

Cheers!