It’s been about 4 months since I moved onto International House in Newcastle, Australia and it has only gotten better over this time. The community of students has begun to feel more and more like family and the thought of ever having to leave them or Newcastle is so upsetting. One of the many perks of living on International House with the other 250 kids, is all of the events and get-togethers that we get to hold almost every weekend. Over the past month we’ve had numerous events, starting with the Freshers Vs. Returners Rugby game, which was all the second year boys playing against the first year boys. This was such a fun and entertaining event, as all the girls and the boys who didn’t play got to watch our friends go head to head against each other in rugby. Rugby has easily become one of my favorite sports to watch since I’ve been in Australia, I’ve been to two Newcastle Knights games, which is the local Newcastle team, and they were rowdier and more thrilling than most sporting events I’ve been to. But being able to see all my guy friends participate in the sport was all the more enjoyable and hilarious and even after the game we all celebrated back on campus in the middle of our courtyard. Last week, we held another event called Splendour on the Knoll, named after the Australian music festival, Splendour on The Grass, which we just held on the front lawn of our college. Two of my guy friends DJed the event and we had a dance party with the whole college, which was another great highlight thus far. This past weekend although,was one of the most fun events I’ve experienced. Our college had a Farewell dinner and dance, kind of like a sorority/fraternity formal at home, where everyone dresses up and goes to a nice venue to celebrate with their friends. Even though Farewell is bittersweet, as it is the last official event at International House, everyone was so joyful and in good spirits. The event was even held at the Merewether Surfhouse, which is a beautiful restaurant right on the oceanfront and we all arrived right before sunset. People got to make speeches and give out awards, and some were even pretty humorous, highlighting some of the more hilarious moments from this past semester. Even though I’m saddened the last real event of the semester for International House has come and gone, finals are approaching fast, and will definitely help keep my mind off it.