The Day of Three Spiders

The Powerhouse Museum, once I had found it

My 2nd photo essay.

Tuesday I went to campus to find my classroom, picked up my first reading package from the copy center, hung out at an EU club BBQ and played giant Jenga. My class today was in the Old Teachers' College building, a place I scoped out thoroughly. I also made the mistake of sitting on the grass on campus, which was very pleasant and relaxing but also allowed me to bring a spider home without realizing it. That afternoon I had a phone call from my family and in the evening I went to my first class, which was okay. We have to sit in rows, though, and that makes the class seem a lot bigger than it is.

Another shot of the museum. So nice!

Although it's hard to see, this is a green parrot with a  blue face that was sitting on my windowsill one morning. My preliminary research tells me it might be a lorikeet of some kind. You can see it has a blue head, red and yellow ring around its neck and a green body.

For some reason that day, I kept seeing spiders.

The first spider I saw that day, and the largest live one I've seen so far in Australia. This was about the size of my thumb, and I saw it on a web in Victoria Park. It was eating a dragonfly.

The second spider of the day, this was in the Old Teachers' College biology display. It's one of Australia's giant spiders- a Funnel Web Spider. It's about the size of a human palm.

This is the full display

One of the cool old-fashioned windows inside the Old Teachers' College

Hall inside the Old Teachers' College

Old Teachers' College exterior- Charlotte Bronte anyone?

A newer building on campus. I think it's the New Law Building.

My school with people!

It's still the height of summer here. This is a flower that was blooming on campus.

Another view of the pond in Victoria Park

Okay- it's really hard to see, but you see that dark spot on my Australia book? It's a jumping spider I discovered in my apartment that evening just before I had to go to class. In my apartment! I was terrified it might be a crazy deadly biting poisonous spider. I caught it in a glass and took it outside, but I  ended up being late to class.