Day 7: Bond University & the Markets

On Friday morning, I hired a pricy taxi to take me to Bond University to meet with reps about a potential study abroad program. The campus is absolutely breath-taking! The view, the lakes, the modern architecture and new buildings (the university is just over 20 years old)! From the moment I arrived, I knew I was in the right place. Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson" playing on speakers in the quad! After a campus tour with a study abroad admissions liaison, I had a wonderful lunch of fish and chips in the university dining area with the head of the program. The parallels between HPU and Bond are staggering, and they compliment HPU in terms of programs/courses that we don't have available. I can't wait to move forward with the arrangement!

After an equally expensive ride back to the hotel, I hopped in with Dr. Zarick for a trip to the local Harley Davidson shop. Once there, I realized that I don't (think I) know anyone who rides a Harley Davidson other than Dr. Z, so I had no one to buy for.

Every Wednesday and Friday evenings, the beach boardwalk opens up to vendors, craftsmen, and other services. It's quite a festive occasion. I purchased a boomarang for my nephew (or maybe I'll keep this one for myself). Sorry, Leigh Ann. No pink boomerangs yet, but I'm still looking. Then I went looking for dinner. At the convenience store/grill, I had seen an assortment of burgers and promised myself that I would try one before I left. Now, along the crowded boardwalk was my chance. I ordered a hamburger, loaded. I must note that I knew what was going to be on it when I ordered, and I was suspicious to say the least. But I'm sure I would find these toppings on a Top Chef Australia dish, so I tried it. Keep reading and you'll quickly figure out why I had ice cream for dinner that night...

Surfers Paradise is a place where:
- a can coke costs $3 and people buy them anyway
- Asian punk and goth are not only accepted but celebrated
- my WV slang "right on" is being replaced by Aussie slang "spot on"
- the place to be on Friday night is the boardwalk market
- the music videos playing on every flatscreen at the market are:
Rod Stewart's Young Hearts
U2's Angels of Harlem
Cindy Lauper's Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
New Edition's Candy Girl
- Cadbury is king of chocolate
- Madonna is queen of cool
- surfers trade boards for business suits and return to work after their breaks
- women change clothes in the parking lot after a day on the beach with no one holding a towel
- if you're right, you're wrong... on the roads and on the sidewalks
- countless numbers of cultures intermingle without confrontation, sideways looks, or prejudice
- a drunken teenager may fall over you at any given time as you eat in an outdoor cafe
- the crosswalks chirp when it's time to walk and click when it's not
- American and British 80s music is played and enjoyed by all ages and nationalities
- if housekeeping thinks you're messy, they will "help" you organize yourself
- toilets have 1 button that depresses in 2 different ways and the water goes down without spinning or going down... chug, chug, chug
- old Jon Voight movies are shown during prime time
- use of an electrical outlet requires flipping a switch to turn it on
- turning on light, outlets, and A/C in a hotel room requires the patron to slip the room key into a slot by the front door, thus turning off everything when the patron takes the key and leaves
- vendors tie-dye with mud
- a 20-something man wearing silver sparkling fairy slippers on a city street is not an uncommon sight

And finally...
- a hamburger consists of meat, lettuce, grilled onions, a slice of beet, a fried egg, and a side of bacon the size of a center cut of country ham steak. "Sauce" available upon request... mayo, tomato (not ketchup).