and i still complain...

this is where i live. it's beautiful. but it rains. a lot. 

and i mean flooding. monsoon. there are some days 

that look like this, though. it may be crowded. it may 

be dangerously crowded actually but i love it.

byron bay

it's my home for the next three years. my school is 

only 30-60 minutes inland through amazing green 

pastures. farms. villages. i would hate driving over to 

san jose every day for school, but i really don't mind

this drive (at night it is horrible, though).

school's going well. i'm still getting used to the 

different grading scales and all the other random 

things that are so different than any other school 

setting i've been in. i've met some great people. my 

roommies included in this. i live with three other girls, 

although we haven't really had many days when it is 

only the four of us in our house. we seem to have guests 

at all times, which is great, but a bit tiring. but please, 

if anyone wants to come, please do, and we'll have some 

good times. i live with a girl from san diego who is getting 

her equivalent of a teaching credential at southern cross 

university (where i go). she even lived in santa cruz for a 

bit, too. small world. another girl is from adelaide in south 

australia and she isin the same program that garrett is doing 

(permaculture, farming stuff). the other girl is from cairns, 

which is up near the great barrier reef. she went to this school 

called SAE which is some kind of sound and engineering place.

these are the people actually paying for the house we live in. 

here are some fun people who've been here lately.

besides all the lovely people that come to visit, playing

in the surf, buying lots of chips (french fried), and drinking

lots of ginger beer, i do go to school.

it's good. not too much work, but enough. i work six nights 

a week at a vietnamese/western food restaurant, so i don't 

have much time to hang out. enough time to get some surf in, 

though.

here's a pic of our boards (garrett's, mine, and rachael's).

so basically byron is great. it's been beautiful the last few 

days, although really crowded (it's a long weekend) i am 

really enjoying the sunshine as we slowly approach winter. 

i have felt a bit overwhelmed lately, a bit stressed, but am 

starting to figure it out. i'm poor, i'm busy, but i am having 

a good time. that is really what matters.