Coming of Age in Australia

This week was my BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!  It is the last week of classes, so everyone is really feeling the pressure of impending deadlines and ferocious assessments, but my *wonderful* housemates and neighbors all took some time off to get together to celebrate my 21st :)  I'm not gonna lie, they're pretty much the best folks ever.  It's no secret that I've missed having Mexican restaurants on every corner that we default to about once a week, so they treated me by driving out about 20 minutes away to a decent Mexican joint.... OOOOOh it was good to have refried beans and enchiladas again!

This semester has really been amazing, and that has a lot to do with the fact that the people I live with are so great!  From the beginning, they have made my roommate (Nikki, another exchange student from North Carolina) and myself feel loved and like a part of the group.  There is NEVER a dull moment, and there is always someone around to help with procrastination, which is the most important thing for friends to do.

Here's the crew!  In the above picture is my housemate Alex, myself, roommate Nikki, neighbors Bri, Jess, Delfina, Jovi, housemates Amy and Edwin, neighbors Nicole and Ella, housemate Kyle and neighbor Aaron, with the picture being taken by another neighbor, Huw.  We're all in the same building and are in and out of each others' houses all the time.  Fun, fun times always abound.

Above are some of the guys, Aaron, Edwin, Huw and Alex.  They keep things interesting, that's for sure.

After a very satisfying dinner, we went back home for an Australian dessert-- Pavlova!  It's basically just meringue in cake form, which is ridiculously sugary and DELICIOUS!  The edges get crusty, which is the best part.  It was lovely.

Then, as if I do not consume altogether too much sugar as it is, I was given EVERY FLAVOR OF TIMTAMS!!!!  My friends know exactly how much of a fatty I am :)  I'm going to come back to Tennessee fat and happy and extremely depressed about having to leave all of these amazing friends.  They're the best!