August 9: Called home, did some university work, and made some really ugly chocolate chip cookies (but they were delicious, so good enough). Someone came by today to fix the leak. Yeeey, but now there's a literal hole in the kitchen ceiling, fun.
August 10: Second trial shift at Calico. I once walked around with two plates on my arm—yes, I was proud of it. I felt a bit rushed by the owners. I was doing something for the first time and was immediately told to do it faster, "no one is going to pick up your slack," which was nice. Otherwise, it was a good shift. By the end, the lights were already off, both owners were at their own tables, and they asked if I could come back on Thursday. Yesterday, he told me we'd see what happened after this shift, so I thought we'd discuss whether it was a good fit at all. So I asked them if we shouldn't talk about it. A standing conversation with them, both at different tables, ended with them saying: they want me to work more than I want. They told me to think about it and let them know tomorrow. Not the most pleasant conversation, but I'm glad I'm not just committing myself to anything. Signed up for archery club, looking forward to it : )
August 11: Had a slow day. I let Calico Café know it wasn't going to happen; I'm here for my exchange, not to work half the week. I ran around Blackwattle Bay; the view is still beautiful! Did some grocery shopping and cooked dinner (two housemates were walking through the kitchen, so we had a quick chat). Spontaneously went to the movies with my American friends, a horror film: Weapons. I initially thought I didn't like horror films (after seeing The Conjuring), but I actually like them now, haha. We laughed at some of the jump scares (after being shocked, of course). Back home, I watched some university stuff.
August 12: Had a nice call and catch-up with a friend from university on my way to my lab. First lab session of Beyond the Genome, biology lab. It took some getting used to; they all grab a keyboard, mouse, and box of gloves upon arrival and use gloves for everything. I sat in a random row because I didn't know anyone yet. I met a few nice people, a few of whom are Australian. That's the group I'll be working with for the coming period. The experiment itself wasn't much, so I finished early and then sat with the group on a large staircase on campus and chatted for another hour. I made naan/flatbread at home, which was suspiciously easy. The evening ended with trivia with the same group as last week (Mean Girls).
Aug 13: Chem lab, still introductory. Then SUMS rehearsal again, fun! In the evening, I went to my friends' house and watched a Studio Ghibli film in their building's cinema (three of them live in the same student building). Well, the film was on, but we got distracted chatting pretty quickly. I think we should watch it again. They ordered pizza (I was a bit late because of rehearsal), and one of them was a mac and cheese pizza, haha, I didn't even know that was a thing. We had a great time. We talked about going on holiday together for the midterm, maybe to Uluru or the Gold Coast, fun!
