Ok, so it has been a long time in the making, but I think I finally almost feel comfortable here. Yes, a car and a job and maybe an off-college living situation would make me even more comfortable, but I am finally developing a circle of friends who I will miss, and I am enjoying the sunny days by the lake. Also, I am feeling more comfortable around the printing studio– with the ferric chloride, turning on/off the right switches and releasing the pressure on the presses when I’m the last one to leave– and I have been starting to explore different printing ideas besides lino block. I do love my lino block prints, but the copper is much more enticing for me. I’ve been printing leaves as well, and I feel really excited about them 🙂 I didn’t take any photos of the leaves yet, but I plan to try a few more new things tomorrow.

A new friend here took to get my nose pierced downtown yesterday. I’ve been thinking about doing it since before I came to Australia. It will just be that much cooler to say that I had it done in Australia 🙂 another thing I can take back with me that won’t weigh down my suitcase. I have to decide on which pots I like enough to take back with me, and I have to figure out how to pack them so that they won’t get broken on the flight. I am going to try and fit all of the pots I can into my carry-on… I’ve seen how the big luggage gets thrown around. It makes me nervous as to how I will transport my bigger mushroom prints. They have to fit somewhere… I was thinking about the bottom of my suitcase underneath the support bars for my clothes in some sort of protective case. I know that I will be taking this teapot back with me: