wouldn't it be nice if the world were chocolate?

Cadbury's has a tour of their chocolate factory in Hobart, Tasmania. Is there really much more that needs to be said? The only disappointment was that, due to health regulations, you can no longer just grab chocolates off the assembly lines as you walk through but instead get a box of chocolates at the end. Health, smealth. I didn't really care much about the process but it was heavenly just walking around inside the factory surrounded by the chocolate scent!

Port Arthur

Many people in Australia can trace their family tree back to one of the convicts that was sent here in this colony's beginnings. The transportation sentence was often for something like stealing a loaf of bread in England or pickpocketing. Port Arthur, on the south tip of Tasmaina, was a centre for convicts who got into trouble while serving their 7 or 14 year sentence elsewhere in the colony. These were the bad boys of the system and were thus treated accordingly: sent to the coldest, most isolated spot in the colony for a few years of hard work, living in crowded conditions . Reasons to be sent to Port Arthur included anything from disobedience and talking back to your work gang superiors, trying to run away, or murder.



This is another one of those places that is all about the stories and the fascinating history. We began our exploration of Port Arthur with a card representing one convict, following his path through an exceptional exhibition. Then we joined up with a tour lead by superb story telling guides who told us about the horrors of the place or some of the enlightened changes--this is the first prison system in the British Empire that saw a need to seperate young boys from adult males. A teacher I work with has an ancestor who was sent to the boys' prison at about age 13 and, once freed, he settled in Australia and never reoffended.

At night, appropriately an exceptionally dark and rainy one, Damo dragged me along to the freaky ghost tour. Damo tried to tempt fate by casually strolling through the worst part of the prison grounds--the insane asylum and isolation cells, risking an encounter with one of the mad spirits they warned us about. Damn skeptical Damo.

Cinco de Mayo

I just got back from a very nice weekend in the city (i.e. Melbourne) with a few other exchange teachers. Americans, Canadians, and British celebrated the Mexican independence with maragitas and salsa. Then we went for yum cha (dim sum) the next day and out to the comedy festival that night. Melbourne, and possibly all of Australia, does not have spectacular sushi (this is the collective opinion of the Canadians) but they do have good Chinese food. Damo thinks it has to do with WWII--Japan was hated for many years after Kokoda (and the larger threat of their almost invasion of Australia) . Kokoda is like Gallipolli of WWI for the Aussies. One word just sums up so much tragedy.

We were at Flinders station when one footy game was over and another was soon to begin and everywhere you looked were fans decked out in their teams colours. The MCG holds something like 100 000 people so you can just imagine the crowds. It was so exciting! Next week will be my first AFL match: Freemantle vs Melbourne.

Always wash your hands after being out in public. This little tidbit of information comes courtesy of the little drunk 13 year old who puked on the train, left her soiled tissues (given to her by some nice person) on the seat and then spit up again by the door, wiping her mouth on the handrails. Who does that? Well, drunk little girls obviously. Too gross. How many people unknowingly touched that the rest of the night?