cool people

So, just so you know, my third shift at work went much smoother. I didn't break or spill anything and Allie and I went for a drink with everyone after we closed. I didn't work today and I don't work again till Tuesday so I'm happy about having a break. Although Allie did just freak me out a bit ago and asked me, "aren't you supposed to be at work?!" which literally made my heart skip a beat. But I'm 99% sure I don't work again till Tuesday... I think. Blah!

So, I wanted to tell you a little bit more about my housemates. Let's start with Manon, my actual bunk-bed mate. She's French so she's instantly cooler than any American because she speaks French, English, Spanish, Italian, and German which just blows my mind. Her English is amazing, but most of the time she chooses words that I say to repeat in my exact tone. Her first choice was "groceries." Try saying that word over and over and NOT making it sound weird. It's all cool though because I have started to do the same with her, but the words I enjoy hearing her say the most are usually curse words. I have decided that cussing is so much more hilarious and inoffensive with a French accent. She also jokes around in English which I have heard is the hardest thing to do in a foreign language. Today at the beach, for instance, was pretty much a non-stop giggle-fest on my side. She is so much fun to be around! We co-bought a shirt/dress today at the Bondi market and we are going to send it back and forth to each other traveling pants style. I can not wait for that to start. Anyway, Manon is 20 and is here on an internship dealing with human rights. After this she goes to Argentina to study (in Spanish!) for a semester before returning to France. We get along SO amazingly well. I can't wait to make her come visit Texas!

Next we have Mike and Philippe. They live in the room next to ours and they are from Belgium. Both studying and here on internships as well. They also speak a multitude of languages and have such a good grasp of English that they are hilarious. Mike was having trouble saying the "ow" sound so he repeats the word "Howard" all the time but his mouth opens incredibly big when he says the "ow." He chose the word Howard because of the show The Big Bang Theory; he loves it. Now we have taken the word "Howard" and changed it into a way of saying something is cool. Today I got a text from him that said, "Hey roomies, the temperature is Howard in bondi, just perfect. We're waiting on you! :-)." I almost died laughing, but he was right it was perfect out there. His friend, Philippe, just got here last week and hasn't stared working yet. When Clark and Allie first saw him they couldn't believe he was real because he's quite pretty. They both have such a big crush on him, but not anything compared to this Chloe girl. She's French as well, but not a friend of Manon's, she's just random. I first met her Thursday night and she was ATTACKING Philippe. I mean hard core trying to make out with him at this bar. He was pushing her away and almost knocked over the table. I could not believe it was all really happening. When I first got there I said hi to him and we were talking and she came and stood right by my face inbetween me and Philippe and wouldn't let me talk to him. I had to grab his arm and drag him away from her when we wanted to leave. It was so nuts! Now it's a joke/threat for Philippe every time we go anywhere. She actually came to the beach today and set her towel right in front of Philippe's even though there wasn't really room. I mean, he is really cute and he's a totally nice and funny guy, but chill out girl! I havn't gotten to know him as well as some of the others, but I like him a lot so far.

Katie moved in the same day I did and she is from Germany. She's really funny as well (I really like the way they explain things in English... we've decided that Americans speak lazy English and the foreign speakers all use many more words to explain things, most of which are perfectly appropriate). She is a world-champion walker and has been everywhere! When you see her and ask what she's been up to you're amazed at what all she accomplished in one day. If I ever want to go anywhere, I can ask her and she's already been there, twice! She also has a bunch of random job-ish things like handing out flyers for this yoga place in exchange for free yoga classes (I was J). BUT, the most hilarious thing about Katie is that she recently got a "real" job where she will be decorating Christmas trees all around the city! She had like 3 interviews for this position and they are really serious about their decorating styles. She can't wait to start and I just can't wait to see her trees!

Katie shares her room with two girls from Columbia who are here studying English. They don't really hang out around the apartment much. They seem really busy, but the times I do see them they are nice! Hopefully they will cook some food for us soon and be a part of the group more...

The back room has Bastian and Michael, both German. Michael is here on an internship like everyone else pretty much. He's really nice and went to church with me and Allie last week. He works kinda late every evening which is a bummer because he's super cool. He met a bunch of people at this other church that he goes to and he hangs with them a lot, too. Tomorrow is his night to cook though, so I'm looking forward to hanging out with him more! Bastian is here on working holiday like me. He's 19 and just finished his service year in Germany where he worked with Alzheimer's patients. He is living and working in Australia for a year before he starts Uni because he doesn't know what to study. He'd like to study fashion merchandising, but apparently that's expensive to study. Hearing about their college experiences makes me so annoyed that we have to pay so much in the states to go to school. It's kinda ridiculous.

So that's pretty much my house. There are apartments above and below mine and there are usually people in and out from both of those. For the most part everyone is cool... and I'll just leave it at that. I'm going to take a page out of my friend's book and not talk bad about people... or complain in my blog. :) Hope things are going well back home for everyone! I'd love to hear about it, either way!