What time is it? SUMMER TIME!

Hey All,

Summer has started and so has the long awaited 3 months of holidays! The last day of my 'junior year' was so much fun but I always imagined that at the final bell of the school year, students would all throw their papers up in the air and break out into song just like the gang in High School Musical. But as if all my wildest dreams hadn't been answered, no one broke out into song and no one threw papers up into the air.

After getting over my initial disappointment of no singing or dancing, the first week of summer began and I got to start it off in an exciting fashion. Amy was the co-director of a day camp called Creative Capers and she asked me to lead an art class for the 1st and 2nd graders. Going with the theme of magic, I helped the small group of 13 create magic wands, magic carpets, magic hats and paper bunnies. I had so much fun watching the kids have fun and make things they were so proud of to show their parents.

That weekend, Marc took Caroline, Jeremiah and I to the New River Gorge to go white water rafting! It was a beyond an amazing experience full of scary but amazing moments including floating down the New River, rafting down huge and dangerous class 5 rapids and seeing a bear for the first time.....EVER! When I first was told about class 5 rapids (the second most dangerous classed rapid) I was so scared that 1. I would fall out of the raft and 2. That I would get caught in the rapid and drown. But, as you can clearly tell by the fact that I am updating my blog, neither of those things happened! Thank god!

An example of what white water rafting looks like

The next week was my first week at a stay away summer camp, Conservation Camp at the beautiful Camp Caesar in Webster County, West Virginia. This week was full of firsts; first summer camp, first time I ate a smore, first time shooting a gun and first time repelling of a cliff. I started off the camp not knowing anyone, any of the camp songs or anything about how a summer camp is conducted, so I was up to learn anything and everything. The camp was split into four groups; the Strip Croppers (the team I was in), the Game Managers (this is game as in deer and rabbits not board games like I first thought), the Forest Rangers and the Conservation Officers. Each group was lead my four junior counsellors for the first two days and then three people were elected by the group to be the leaders. I was fortunate enough to be elected by my group and lead the group in our meetings and at council circle in the nights. Speaking of council circle, that was one of the things I will always remember, not only did we have lots of fun performing skits, songs and yells to the other groups, it was full of sincere moments where I felt connected to the people and environment around me.

Conservation Camp Campers '13

Council Circle and Campfire

Shooting a shotgun

In the afternoon, we had a few hours to go around and participate in various organised activities including repelling, shooting (a shotgun and .22), arts and crafts, cooking food outdoors, rowing and archery. I participated in as many activities as I could and my favourites included shooting (of course!), foods (again, of course!) and archery. On the final night, there was an awards ceremony where they announced junior counsellors for next year, alternate junior counsellors, and two major awards (one for male and another for females). I was shocked, astonished and blessed to win the major award for the females, giving me the opportunity to come back to the camp next year fully paid for (well everything except a plane ticket!)

The next week was just as exciting as the first two as I made my way to Washington, D.C. to stay with Amy's cousins Beth and Julie and their daughters Annie and Kimi. The first day that I was there, Annie took me to Georgetown where we shopped and went to the world famous shop Georgetown Cupcakes (you can watch the show on TLC).

Georgetown Cupcake Store

Tuesday was an exciting day! Annie took Kimi and I to a theme park in Southern Virginia called Kings Dominion. The day started off well filled with roller coasters, thrill rides and funnel cakes! But as the day went on, the weather turned sour and by the afternoon, a thunder storm rolled in and drenched everyone and everything that was outside! So we decided to cut our losses and leave while we were still having fun and not so wet.

Waiting under shelter for the rain to pass

Thursday I went into DC for the day and spent the whole day visiting things that I didn't get to see the last time I was there. The city was bustling as I walked through the mall taking in all of the magnificent things that DC has to offer. I walked around the Washington Monument which was covered in scaffolding after sustaining damage from the earthquake last year. Next, I went to the Smithsonian Natural History of America museum where I went to the diamonds exhibit. This is where I fell in love with so many diamonds! Countless diamonds, ranging from 2 carats to 1000 carats, lined the walls in small glass cases. Each were treasures from centuries ago that had been owned by royalty and the social elite.

Marie Louise Diadem given to Marie Louise by her husband, Napoleon

Hazen Diamond Necklace designed by Harry Winston, Inc.

I then ventured to the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History where I was able to see the original Star Spangled Banner (the American flag that inspired Francis Scott Key to write, what is now, the American National Anthem. Seeing this significant piece of American history made me feel so lucky to be in a country dubbed 'home of the brave and land of the free'.

Next, I ventured to the ultimate symbol of America, the White House. Although I had been there previously, it looked like a completely different place due to the warmer weather that is brought with summer. I also was able to get a whole lot closer because the barriers that were put in place after the Boston bombings had been taken down.

The Truman Balcony and the South Lawn

I then went around the White House to the North Lawn and saw the entrance to the White House which I had never seen before. 

Entrance to the White House and the North Lawn

To remember this occasion, I went to the White House gift shop where I was able to have photos taken of me with some replica things in the White House including the President's podium and desk as well as a photo of the Oval Office. 

President's Desk

President's Podium

Oval Office

Due to my fascination with the Kennedy's, I really wanted to go to Arlington Cemetery and see where JFK, Jackie O and their children were buried as well as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Changing of the Guard Ceremony. The highlight of the day was being able to see JFK's burial site and being able to experience a little piece of history. A cart took us all around the cemetery and it was so emotional to see row after row after row on rolling hills of the headstones of soldiers who gave their life for the freedom of the United States. I was shocked to learn that it takes up to 8 months to be processed to be buried at Arlington Cemetery and there is a funeral every 30 minutes.

View of Downtown from Arlington Cemetery

JFK's Burial Site

JFK, Jackie O and their children

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

Rows of White Tombstones

Saturday was my last full day in DC and the Pavlik's took me to the National Zoo where I saw a panda and elephant for the first time! The weather that day was so hot that I thought I was going to melt but being able to see so many cool animals that I had never seen before made it all worthwhile.

Sleepy Panda

An Elephant spraying water into its mouth

Meerkat!

The next week I went to Forensic Science Camp at WVU in Morgantown where I was able to learn so much about forensics and give myself that head start to my university degree. Some of the highlights were learning about trace evidence, learning about different drugs and their effects, doing fingerprinting and being able to put everything that I learnt that week into practice by going through a mock crime scene. The mock crime scene was by far my favorite part of the day because I got to experience what it was like to be a CSI. The crime scene was split into different areas to be inspected by different teams and my team got the upstairs. The house was so hot and the suits made it even worse! I thought my team did well until we discovered that we missed a key piece of evidence - the gun! None of us thought to look the back of the toilet for evidence and by doing so, we missed the most important fact in the story. I will always know now to check the back of the toilet for evidence!

Before the mock crime scene all suited up!

After Forensic Science Camp, Jeremiah, Caroline, and I went to Parkersburg to golf with Amy's Mum and Dad, Margie and Jim for the weekend because they live on a golf course. I had a lesson to learn how to golf in the morning and spent the majority of the day out on the course perfecting golfing and my technique. When we weren't golfing, Caroline and I went driving around the plantation in golf carts. We took turns driving and sitting in the back. Caroline went a little crazy going over speed bumps but we couldn't stop laughing and I had the best time driving around with her being silly! I had a lot of fun and cannot wait to go back! 

Jeremiah, Caroline, and I on the first hole

Lining up my shot

Swing and....

HIT!

That weekend was the family reunion in Canaan Valley where the Weintraub, Hamric and Pavlik families meet up every year for a day filled with fun, games and competition as well as a good catch up.   The three sports that we played were corn hole, softball and volleyball. Corn hole was won by team Margie and Jim (Annie and I, or Team Spandex as Marc dubbed us because of our tight shorts, were eliminated in the second round). Volleyball was so much fun but a little scary for someone like me who hasn't played competitively. Our team was called Little Girls and Taylor because Taylor was the only guy on our team! Softball was the last sport that we played and it was by far the most interesting! I played my best here making it home every time that I batted. The game took a turn when Mary Jane was stung by 3 hornets in the face so we had to adjust the field and make sure that we were all safe from being stung! After the games, we got ice cream and went back to Jay and Heidi's for a bon fire and to let off fireworks! I enjoyed letting off the fireworks because it's something that I cannot do in Australia. The next morning we had breakfast and all set off for our next adventure, for me it was another week in DC!

Winning softball team

Softball team #2

LGT - Little Girls and Taylor

Team Spandex (as we were dubbed my Marc)

Volleyball Team #2

For my second week in DC, I spent more time out of the city and more time at amusement parks. That week Caroline, Kimi, Julie, Beth, and I went to a water park, aquarium, Dave and Busters which is a video game arcade, and the mall. We went to the water park on the hottest day of the week which was a good relief! The best thing about the park was the wave pool and water slides! The aquarium was also another great day because I got to see animals that only live in America including a sloth! I really wanted to take home the sloth. The day at Dave and Busters was by far the luckiest day! On my first game I won the 500 ticket jackpot and Kimi won the 1000 ticket jackpot on another game. She won so many tickets that a worker had to come and replenish the ticket dispenser because there weren't enough tickets!! 

The reef

The reef from a higher level

Going to the Rainforest

Under the reef

Dolphin Show

The dolphins

A Sloth!!

This had to be by far the best summer of my life and I am so thankful that I got to experience so many different things over the course of 2 months. School has started again and I am happy that I get to see all my friends and the best part is that football season has started and so I get to experience another huge aspect of the American culture. Friday nights will be my favorite by far not only because of the football game but because I get to be the mascot for the school which I am excited for!

Until next time,

Ellie 

xoxo

Washington, D.C!

Hi all,

A few weekends ago, I had the amazing opportunity to go to Washington DC and it was better than I ever expected. Although I was only there for one day, I saw so much! Amy and I went on a tour of the city in a tour bus and it was by far the best way to see all Washington has to offer in just one day.

We drove past the White House, the Supreme Court, the Capitol, the Washington Monument and so many other famous landmarks. The tour was going much shorter than we planned so Amy decided we would hop off at the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial (which I did a research paper on in English this semester and got an A+ for!) When we arrived at the Lincoln Memorial, it was packed!! There were so many people, but I didn't care because just being able to be at a place which I have only seen on TV and dreamed of going was amazing. I took heaps of photos in the mall and in front of Abraham Lincoln's statue before we went and saw the Vietnam Memorial.

When we arrived, there was a guide speaking and the stories he told of loved ones coming to the memorial and leaving gifts for the fallen moved me to tears. I may not be an American citizen but I felt proud to be a part of the society that these men and women proudly gave their lives so that freedom could reign. After walking the memorial, Amy and I got on a bus again and finished the tour where we met up with Amy's aunties. From there, we all went to the Crime and Punishment Museum where we spent the rest of the afternoon.

The exhibits ranged from wild west criminals to mobsters to modern day criminals and new techniques being used to fight crime. This especially interested me because its what I want to do after university and so it only made me more excited and prepared for what is to come in university. At the museum, they also film the TV show FBI's Most Wanted and so we got to go and see the set and read about the cases on the show and the show's host.

I cannot wait to go back in a few weeks because I have fallen in love with Washington, D.C. It is a beautiful city that is full of so many things to do!

This week also marks the final week of school before summer begins and that also means saying goodbye to the senior class and all of the friends that I have made who will be graduating. It also makes me think back to when I graduated and how amazing it was. Next month is halfway, but I don't want this experience to end because it has been everything I have dreamed of and more!!

Until next time,

Ellie
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Spring Break!

Hey Guys,

Spring Break was one of the most relaxing but fun weeks of my life. It started on the 29th of March when Amy, Caroline, Jeremiah and I left early in the morning to drive 10 hours to Florida! While it was a long drive, I got to see more states of the United States including Georgia and North and South Carolina. We stopped for lunch and snacks and after 9 hours of driving we arrived in Jacksonville to stay for the night. The next morning we drove an hour and a half to our final destination, Ormond Beach. There, we met up with Amy's parents and Amy's brother's children, Izzy, Jake and Jesse. 

Our hotel was right on the beach so before we did anything, all the children ran onto the beach. This was the first time I had seen the beach in close to 3 months! While it was much cooler than what I am used to, just being able to see the beach (something I took for granted) was great! Later that day, Amy's brother and sister and their families arrived and I soon felt a part of their family because they were so welcoming.

The next few days consisted of relaxing on the beach, playing beach soccer as the sun set and boogie boarding in the waves. It was great to just relax and not have to worry about school or rehearsals. The children all had so much fun racing between the cold sea water and the scolding spa water. 

On Tuesday, Amy took Caroline, Jeremiah, Haley, Izzy, Jake, Jesse and myself to......DISNEYWORLD! It was one of the greatest experiences of my whole exchange experience! I saw Cinderella's Castle, which was one of my dreams! It was so beautiful and seeing it evolve as the sun set was beautiful! We went on heaps of rides including the wild west ride where I was partnered with Caroline and we both felt like we were going to fall out, but that made it more fun! As the night progressed and the park became fuller with people, the ride wait times became longer and so we just walked around taking in everything including the fireworks and laser show at the castle. It was a great way to spend the day and I cannot thank Amy enough for taking me there!! 

Unfortunately, the WV State Thespian Festival was on the same week as Spring Break so I had to leave early but I don't regret it one bit because I had so much fun rooming with Izabel and Shayna, watching so many acts, doing workshops and, of course, performing. The festival was 3 days long and it included a dance on the 2nd night which was so much fun because I got to have fun with all of my theatre friends and the new friends I met at the festival. That night we had dinner with Huntington High and it was great to get to know people, who were considered our rivals, as our friends and form friendships that will last forever! 

The spring break week was one of the best of my life and I will never forget the memories I made during that week!

Until next time,

Ellie 

xoxoxo

3 Months Later

Hi all,

I cannot believe three months ago I left Australia to start my exchange program in Charleston, West Virginia, United States of America. In those three months, I have learnt more about myself and the world around me than I could have ever imagined. I have the most amazing host family that are so willing to show me everything about America and all it has to see. I have the most amazing group of friends at school who are always there for me and teach me so much about life as an American teenager.

Sometimes it feels like these three months have flown past but then there are also times when time couldn't go any slower. But every moment has been amazing and I wouldn't change it for the world! An exchange program has been 10x better than any holiday I could have taken to America. I feel like I am seeing the backstreets instead of the main roads and highways. I'm seeing all of the smaller things that no tourist could ever see and that's why this experience has been so amazing. I get to see the daily lives of people who are so different to who I am and being able to see what they do makes me reflect on some of my own choices.

Since my last blog entry, I have been fortunate enough to travel to Ohio for a day and that one day was amazing! Unfortunately, Amy had to attend a conference so it was just Marc, Jeremiah, Caroline and myself exploring all Ohio has to offer in one day. We spent the majority of the day at COSI (pronounced co sigh), Ohio's Science Museum, where we each picked an exhibit that we wanted to explore. Caroline's choice was first and she chose Poseidon, an exhibit about the Greek myth and water. It was so cool to walk through a tunnel and ending up in a water playground. There were water guns, pipes to build and waves to make everywhere and we spend a large majority of time in that exhibit. The next exhibit we went to was my choice. In honour of my Dad's love of space, I chose to go to an exhibit on space. We played games simulating a flight landing, docking the ISS (International Space Station) and refuelling mid-flight. Then we walked through a gateway which lead to an open area that allowed you to fly a space probe, ride in a simulated space ship and explore what it is like to live in the ISS, with all the food and space laid out to give you a realistic standpoint. While in the space exhibit, we were given the opportunity to ride a unicycle on a tightrope in mid air. Jeremiah and I were the only ones to do it and it was so scary but so much fun at the same time! We left to have lunch at a German Jewish restaurant (Marc's choice as he loves this kind of food!) and it was amazing! I had the best meal ever! It was a sandwich shop and those sandwiches were amazing! After retuning to the museum, we went to Jeremiah's pick of exhibits, Life, where we raced each other in reaction times, went into an echo free room, saw medical advancements and exhibits (like real fetus') and tested our strength and flexibility. The last pick of the day was Marc's and he chose an exhibit called Maze. There we enjoyed several mind puzzles, mazes, optical illusions and thinking games. After enjoying all the museum has to offer we went to an ice cream shop that boasts it is the best in Ohio. Taking my exchange motto "Try everything you can and take every opportunity" I decided to pick flavours of ice cream I had never tried before. I picked a of trio baby scoops of salted caramel, wild berry sorbet and lavender ice cream! It was amazing and they are definitely (from my perspective) the best ice cream I have had since arriving in the United States. After taking a stroll around the Ohio streets, we went and picked up Amy and made our way home.

In next week is SPRING BREAK! And I am fortunate enough to be able to go with my host family to Florida! I am so excited for this holiday and to finally feel some warm weather. Its about a 10 hour drive down to Florida so we will leave on Friday morning and hopefully get there Friday night. Amy's mum, dad, siblings and their spouses and children will be there as we play on the beach, go to Disney World and have a nice relaxing week off. Unfortunately I won't be able to stay for the whole week as I have to leave on Thursday to go to STATES! My thespian (acting) group at school won our regional division making us eligible for the state competition at Marshall University on the friday, saturday and sunday of Spring Break! Im so excited to compete and have fun with my theatre family. They have all been telling me stories of what states is like and how much fun they have so I am beyond excited to go and enjoy the time off.

School has been the best thing of my exchange program because I have been able to fully immerse myself into American life as a teenager. Plus, I have met so many people that are so different and diverse. They always keep my days fun and exciting and they are all so interested in Australia and what we do and don't do (contrary to popular beliefs). Every day is a new adventure with these people and I cannot wait for the next one to start!

Today (23rd of March) is my Dads birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD! I'm a little sad that I wont be  able to be with him today but I hope the gift that I sent him makes up for it! I love you Dad and I hope that you had a wonderful day and Alex and Mum got you some great gifts and helped you have a great day.

Three months away from anything is a very long time and thinking that I haven't seen my family and friends in that long is so surreal. Some days are better than others as I miss my family and friends on some occasions but then I think that they wouldn't want me to be sulking around while so many opportunities pass me by so I have learnt to put my homesickness aside and make every opportunity my own and live this time to the maximum! 3 months down, 9 months to go! Im so excited for these 9 months and all they have to offer!

Love you all!

Ellie
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

Update :)

Hey Guys,

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I have had so much on lately! I'm just going to include what exciting things I have done rather than go over all the days :)

So February 14th was Valentines Day! Valentines Day in America is so much different to that in Australia because they get so much more into it!! At the shops you buy small 'valentines' which are square cards that you write messages on for all the people you want to. They usually come in packs of 30. This year I wanted to go all out for Valentines Day in the American Spirit! I bought a basket and filled it with candy to give out to all the people at Capital High (especially considering that I wouldn't be able to give everyone a valentine and I don't know everyones name!!) So Valentines Day rolled around and I was able to wear as much pink and red as I liked! I got to school and saw the Valentines Day you see in the movies. Lots of roses and candy! I got to my table of friends and was met by Jalen, a guy from theatre who is so hilarious, who had a huge, and I mean HUGE, teddy bear for me! How sweet!! I gave out candy and valentines to my friends and started the day! By the end of the day I had gotten numerous valentines from all my friends plus candy and donuts (thanks Mallory!!) and I even got roses!! I also got engaged via ring pop! It was a great day!!

The main reason I haven't updated my blog is because I have been so busy going to rehearsals for the Region 6 Thespian Festival in which we will verse 4 other schools to get a place in States. Saturday the 23rd was the Regional Festival and the week leading up to it was so intense with rehearsals! We would run from straight after school (3:30pm) till about 8pm! Going over lines, blocking, costumes, transitory filler and so much more dedicated our rehearsals...but I wouldn't have it any other way because it gave me time to get to know the amazing people (and actors) that star in the play alongside me. They are the best bunch of people! They work so hard and are so kind, generous and welcoming. They are now my extended family <3 So Saturday came, and so did the 5am start!! We got there early to welcome each school (as Capital High was hosting the event!) and take them to their prep room. The nerves built and built. Mr Corbett gave us the best pep speech and we did a energy circle...then it was time to perform! I am a bird and the Dirt Merchant in this play, two very small roles, but that gave me the opportunity to watch and help others :) From what I saw, I thought the play did well and I was so proud of the performance that everyone gave! Then it was time for the results! After voting for Thespian Council, the results were announced.......Capital High........FIRST PLACE! WOOOOOO! We all jumped up and down so happy at our achievement! It was so rewarding for all the hard effort that everyone put in. I am so proud of my theatre family and how amazing of actors they are. They have truly defined my experience in such a positive way and I cannot thank them all enough for everything they have done! I love you all!!

So thats the major things that have happened in the past two weeks. On Friday and Saturday, I will be travelling to Columbus Ohio with the Weintraubs which will be my first out-of-state experience!! So excited!!

Miss you all,

Ellie xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox

3 - 10 Feb 2013

Hi all,

This week has been quite an eventful week, full of new experiences and tiresome rehearsals. Heres what happened this week:

SUPERBOWL SUNDAY (3 Feb 2013),

This would usually go with last weeks but I thought it deserved a full report!! Sunday marked my first ever Super Bowl experience and trust me, it was worth the 4 hours it took to play the game! As I had (and still don't to this day...) no idea which team was better than the other, my Dad informed me to go for the San Francisco 49ers over the Baltimore Ravens which seemed like a logical choice to me. I got home after at 5:45 after a small workout to find the lounge room set up and food awaiting consumption including the traditional chicken wings and greek salad with a key lime pie for dessert. The game started and I was so excited to final watch a Super Bowl live on TV instead of hearing about it the next day but by the 30 minute mark I was beyond bored...there were so many ads some of which were funny but most of which were just boring. But by the half time show I was excited again to see Beyonce perform with the slight hope that Destiny's Child would perform together (they were my favourite band when I was younger!!) and they did!! After the half time show I had no real interest in watching the game but I did want to watch the end so I decided to go and have a shower and when I came back I saw on the TV that the power had gone out (it just proves when I leave everything stops ;)) The game resumed and after a long struggle, unfortunately the niners didn't win :(.

Monday 4 Feb - Friday 8 Feb 2013

This week was full of rehearsals because the competition play is less than 2 weeks away!! We also had the musical auditions (which everyone in Advanced Acting had to participate in to get a good grade) so my friend, Shayna and I sung 'Fabulous' by Sharpay in High School Musical 2. We just had fun with it and didn't take it too seriously because we knew we couldn't sing too well. The rehearsals got more intense after Wednesday and we had 4 hour rehearsals!! The most exciting thing that happened this week was the excursion (or field trip as the Americans call it) to West Virginia University. We departed from Capital at 8am and began the 3 hour bus ride to north West Virginia, more specifically Morgantown. We spent the day learning about the Theatre programs available to study. We had a tour of the facilities (where I found out that there are 30 000 students enrolled at WVU and in your freshman year of university you must live on campus) and had lunch and dinner before we saw an opera show performed by some students at WVU. Carmen was the show and it lasted a long 4 hours, by this time it was 11pm and we still had to travel 3 hours home. We didn't get home till 2:30 am Saturday morning.

Saturday 9 Feb and Sunday 10 Feb 2013

Due to the excursion, I didn't get to travel to Canaan Valley with the Weintraub family so I spent the weekend at home, which was relaxing and nice to have some time to sleep in and watch some TV. It is also a long weekend because of a teacher training day so it's going to be a good weekend of doing absolutely nothing which I haven't been able to do in a long time!!

Until next time,

Ellie xxxx

21 Jan - 2 Feb 2013

Hi all,

Sorry I haven't posted in 2 weeks, the internet crashed and I haven't had time to write the weeks summary...until now :)

Monday 21 Jan - Friday 25 Jan 2013

Monday was Martin Luther King Jnr. day, and I was lucky enough to be able to listen to President Obama's Inauguration for the first time ever!! It was so great to hear him say the oath and then give his speech. It will be something I will never forget. This week was crazy with rehearsals for the competition play. A rare thing also happened this week, I experienced my first 'early dismissal' due to bad weather!! I got home at 1pm and had the rest of the day to relax...I even got a small nap in because I have been so tired from waking up early and going to bed late for school and rehearsals but I wouldn't have it any other way!! I also had my first ever exam and of course it was Algebra but I think I did well so thats a plus. Not much happened during the week especially with school and rehearsals on.

Saturday 26 Jan (AUSTRALIA DAY!!) and Sunday 28 Jan 2013

WOO! Happy Australia Day everyone!! I celebrated this Australia Day the best way I could think of...with friends and family. My theatre friends (shout out to you all...love you guys xxx) and I went to the mall and had the most exciting day ever. We went shopping and I made them all honorary Australians for the day and even gave some of them temporary tattoos of the Australian flag. I gave everyone a toothpick flag so they knew it was Australia Day and they could remember it. We tried to se a movie but they were all R17+ and my friends are mostly 16 so that didn't end up happening (an Australian MA15+ movie somehow equates to an American R17+ movie...don't ask me how it just does ok?!?) This was the best day I have had so far and I cannot thank everyone enough for it!! On Sunday, I had a belated Australia Day party with the Weintraub family and I even made them pavlova (which they absolutely loved!!). Overall, this weekend was great!!



Monday 29 Jan - Friday 31 Jan 2013

This week was a eventful week. On Tuesday, I had my first ever Capital High School Theatre performance for the incoming freshmen and I think it was a success because they couldn't stop laughing (don't worry...it's a comedy). We only performed the first 5 minutes just to give them a preview of what they could be a part of if they decided to join the theatre program when they come to Capital. The audience included my host brother Jeremiah, who later said that it was a great performance. That night, we performed once again for the parents and of course Amy and Marc were in the crowd. They also said that I did a great job so I am proud of myself. On Wednesday we had another early out, only this time it was scheduled. So I got home at 1pm and had a relaxing afternoon. Friday was a snow day so I had no school at all!! WOO! I got to have a wonderful sleep in and a relaxing day.

Saturday 1 Jan and Sunday 2 Jan 2013

Due to the snow, I haven't been able to do much at all, so this weekend has been a stay at home weekend where I have had a Law and Order: SVU and doing my English questions. Tomorrow, I am going to Amy's church to help out in the nursery so that will be exciting, then I am going to the YWCA (gym) to play (or learn) how to play basketball with some friends.

I love you and miss you all xxxx

Until next time,

Ellie xxxxx