Aussie Karen: Depression Days

It's winter. It's dark and rainy, especially at night. You can't go out without a rainjacket or an umbrella because days are always going to contain rain at some point in time. Well, that's how it was the week before I left for New Zealand and that's exactly how it is right now. I don't know how to deal with this constant depressive weather. There is no snow; the city will never be covered in a blanket of white. Sometimes, I even like rain, but this kind of rain comes with brutal winds. The last week of school contained harsh winds and left many broken umbrellas lying around in the streets and in rubbish bins. The ones in the streets were probably disposed of well and swept away by the winds. My umbrella is pretty good for a compact one and already a couple of the structural members gave way. It's terrible.

The depressive nature of the weather, though, seems to fit with the mood and comes at a good time. It's time for finals, which means lots of studying and less going out. It's depressing weather that makes you want to sleep in, and never go outside. The former may not be optimal conditions for studying, but the latter certainly helps. The temperature is not near freezing, but walking in the rain and wind, and getting your pants cold and wet is an uncomfortable feeling that's dreaded a lot of the time.

I had my first final exam today. I was pretty worried about it, not having prepared for it as much as I would have liked to, but in the end, it went alright. I think I passed, and that's what matters. I still have 3 more final exams left to study for, and even though I am really not looking forward to studying, this weather is a lot better than sunny rays that make you want to go out and play :)

Unfortunately finals also mean that the term is coming to an end. The realization that our friends are going back to their home countries hit first two weeks ago at the last day of classes. I had just had my last class at UNSW, ever. With Joelle constantly playing Nelly Furtado's "Why do all good things come to an end?" or it just plainly being stuck in my head all the time, the thought of this 'good' experience coming to an end is more depressing than anything else: more depressing than the weather, and more depressing than finals. In the last couple of months, I've gained a new group of friends. Harry (UVA), Mike (Purdue), Mike (Cornell), Courtney (Georgia Tech), Ania (UNSW), Dom (...Germany), Kris (...Denmark), Sarah (UNSW), etc. We used to get together so often and then almost daily during the last 2 weeks of class. Most of our activities were at the beach or having a bbq or at someones place or at the spot and the only alcohol ever involved was wine with dinner. I love spending time with these people and I'm really going to miss them when we all take our seperate ways. I get to keep in touch with Joelle since she is a McGill student, but the USA guys will be hard to see again. I'm sure skype will help but it's such a sad thought to think about. Time has gone by so quickly and it running out even quicker. Already some of my friends have left. You never know when it will be the last time you see them.

(picture on the above-right: Kris, Harry, Mike, Khalid and I)

(picture: Joelle, Courtney and I)

Tonight I spent the evening with that group and it was, as always, great fun. Joelle and I made cookies. Then Joelle, Mike (purdue), Ania, Courtney, Dom and I went over to Harry's, whose twin brothers Steve and Blair are in town, for dinner. It was a delicious meal. Chicken Fettuccine alfredo with cool salad (avocados, dried berries, lettuce, cherry tomatoes) and homemade strawberry pie and coconut cream pies for dessert. yum. I brought Traminer Riesling (see image on right), a kind of really good sweet white wine. Haha, courtney really enjoyed that! So that was fun. I thought a bit about how much I'll miss them next semester, and found it really hard to leave, even though I was so tired I could barely keep my eyes open. But I managed to leave. And yes, it was pouring rain and very windy and cold. My whole front of my pants were soaked by the time I got home (25 minutes walk), as well as my shoes. And the rest of me was moist. If only I had known, maybe I wouldnt have taken a shower 7 hours before because I certainly got one on the way home ;)

I'm pretty sure that I'll end up going to the barbie at the beach tomorrow, and out into the city with them on friday. I'm just like that, always putting priority on friends. Especially friends I may never see again :(