aspen, colorado

last weekend i played in a rugby tournament in aspen with the university team - Ruggerfest - supposedly the biggest rugby tournament in the world. it was kick-ass fun!

we left on wednesday night for the 12 hour car ride. driving through kansas was hella boring as it's all flat, but coming up to the rocky mountains in colorado was something else! the mountainscapes we're breath-taking!

KANSAS.

VS. COLORADO!!!

not only were the views breath-taking, but the women and the mountain air were just as much so. aspen is realllly expensive, so everyone living there is super loaded, making them, by default, pretty damn good looking! and the mountain air - because we were 7500ft up, it was difficult just walking up stairs let alone running around, until you kind of adjusted.

we weren't to play until saturday, so instead spent our time watching other grades play, and partying it up!! there was some good quality rugby played, and there were teams from all over the US, and even europe. i got to play in all three games on saturday, but sadly, we lost all three. this didn't dampen our drinking spirit however, and i had no idea what i was in for that night...

BEST RUGBY PITCH I HAVE EVER PLAYED ON

rugby dudes
probably the greatest bunch of blokes out. saturday night was one of the best nights EVER! without going in to too much detail (as is the rugby dudes code of conduct), there were about 30 of us plus two kegs, equalling a lot of male nudity and some of the funniest shit i have ever seen!!!

all the rookies had to put on individual shows for the seniors, and this commonly appealed to the lowest of low forms of entertainment. there was also a "kangaroo court" session where grievances were aired and punishments/embarrassing forms of ridicule were handed out. once again, funniest shit i have ever seen!

great team bonding weekend away, no doubt to be continued throughout the season...

home sick? hell no!

it's been just over two months since i left home, but i can't say i've been homesick any time yet. time has flown, i haven't even had time to think about home! although i am kinda craving mum's cooking...

class

i am really only taking two required subjects, the other two are free electives, these are:

architectural design studio 6
practices in sustainability design
intro to philosophy
general psychology

design studio is 4 hours a day, 3 days a week, as opposed to one 6 hour class a week back home. we have a work shop, and each student has their very own workspace in the studio - the facilities are great!

it is a design/build studio which means the designs won't remain on paper, but we'll be building them! we will be building furniture e.g desks and chairs for a studio space, i.e kick-ass fun! so far we've had to model a human joint, and i've also learnt to weld, by making a gun.



SIX ITERATIONS OF AN ELBOW

GOT MYSELF A GUN... HOW AMERICAN OF ME!

the other three electives are very interesting, making studying for them not so arduous. there are a lot of weekly readings, and i've already had two tests, three weeks into semester.

frats/sororities

so pretty much it's just like in the movies. all the frat dudes are in polos, khakis, and boat shoes, and the sorority chicks are banging! they're cut copies of each other and at the "rush" they're all wearing the same clothes, so it's like an army of good-looking girls!! i've heard about some pretty strange initiation rituals, and i've heard the sororities have really strict rules also, like they can't drink together, or have a boyfriend during certain stages of initiation, but i will investigate further to bring YOU the facts!

drinking

waaaay too much drinking going on!! alcohol is at least half price here compared to back home! you can buy a keg with 150 schooners for $100! $1 drinks nights!! MADNESS!!! needless to say the nightlife is wicked here - the strip of bars on the main street or house parties, it's all good.