Crazy Night in Newie

PLEASE quote me when I say this:

Newcastle, Australia is the sketchiest town I've ever been to.

Period.

I've already had to press the emergency button on the train AND report old suspicious men pacing around my dorm, but tonight's events take the cake!

Sooooooo, my friends and I decide to hit the town tonight to party. We get on the bus at about 10pm and get off in this TOTALLY dodgey part of downtown to go to this Irish pub. This place was SO run down. Let me just paint you a picture here, okay? Alright so you walk in, the walls are peeling, it reeks of smoke, loud rock music was shaking the whole building, the bathrooms look like a tornado just went through, a HAIRBALL was found in a girl's drink, etc... oh and my favorite part was how we payed money to play pool but the white cue ball was missing completely and they gave us 1 and a half pool sticks (and yes, we literally got a HALF of a pool stick). I feel like instead of a cute dress and heels, I should have been wearing gang colors and a leather jacket.

Moving on....so we were there for WAY too long and I really really really, DESPERATELY wanted to go home, but no one else did. The bus we took, to get there, picked us up right infront of my dorm and dropped us off right infront of the pub. Very easy. So I told the girls I was going to take the bus back (and after a LOT of arguing) they finally let me before going on to the next place. Sooo I'm sitting there, and after they're way out of sight I realize the next bus doesn't come for an HOUR. The bus stop is covered in grafitti, and OH! not to mention- the place we were at had BULLET holes in the window!!! Not even kidding. BULLET HOLES. So I figured I can't wait out there alone for a whole hour. I couldnt take a cab because I only had 4 bucks in cash on me. So I start walking towards the train station... people are honking and yelling things out their windows, homeless people, in the dark, asking me for money EVERY two steps. I see the train station and theres literal GANGSTERS at the bottom of the steps. And I'm not calling them 'gangsters' because I'm from Scottsdale- but they were literal thugs. So I quickly turned in the opposite direction.

So the very first cab that passed, I flagged down and told him the deal and THANKFULLY, in his cab, he had a debit card machine. Has anyone EVER seen that before? Definitely a first for me. I was so so so so relieved to be off the street. But what does this cab driver do? Rips me off, and takes me an ENTIRELY different way back to my dorm than I've ever gone...so after only 5 blocks (but SOMEHOW 29 dollars and 30 cents later) I'm back home safely at TEDs. Thank GOD.

Please spare me the lectures on how terrible it was for me to seperate from my friends because I'm now FULLY aware of that, and it won't be happening again, I promise. I didn't put this up to worry you guys about my sketchy city (so hopefully it didn't) but I just thought I'd share how my night ended. Lovely.

Miss you all a TON

--LP--

P.S. HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANTHONY!!!!!!!!