Big things in Australia!

On my way to the conference I pass the Supreme Court of Western Australia. In their front yard there are five gigantic pen nibs. I was absolutely thrilled to find my first big things in Australia.



I'm presenting my work at the conference tomorrow. Turns out pit and mine restoration is a pretty big deal around here and I'll be presenting in the main theatre, the biggest room at the conference. So big that it holds over 700 people. I tried to snap a picture of the stage because it really looks nice. I'll get my friend to take a picture while I'm up there tomorrow.



Last night I went out to the student social event. It was at a very posh bar that served $9 bottles of beer. I met some friends though and we decided to find a cheaper place. We ended up at a Belgian beer house which served $9 pints of beer. Anyway. I had a really great time. I was out with a German guy, 2 Spanish girls and a Spanish guy, an Irish guy, a girl from Italy, a guy from Uganda, and 2 Aussies. Collectively, they decided that I was the one with the accent, thought my name was unusual, and wanted to hear all about Sidney Crosby. The thing is, they could understand every word I said, but I could barely follow what they were saying. So, I think their logic about the accents is flawed. Luckily, I can hold my own in a conversation about hockey. O, and they all thought the tea at the conference was horrible and I had actually thought earlier in the day that the tea was far superior to any tea I have ever had at a conference in Canada. I kept that to myself.