Australia Study Abroad

So as I was sitting in my room, flipping between the two channels of T.V that I have here, I found myself torn between the two options, an hour long infomercial for “Bumpitz” or Antiques Roadshow. After seeing a man crushed upon learning that his antique clock wasn’t actually from the titanic’s wreckage but instead an heirloom worth only “fifty pounds” I decided it was time to blog, so here I am. As of now things have been going great. The biggest thing was that classes started! This week however was just the “lecture” week, meaning I only had one, two hour class per day where in next week I will have those plus an added hour “tutorial” after each lecture, yay! My first class began at 8:30 am, and the location on my schedule read “Hoyt’s Theater, Theater 2”. I thought perhaps this was some kind of grand lecture hall, however upon asking a fellow student where this Hoyt’s was located, I was directed to the Broadway Shopping Center, aka the mall across the street from my apartment complex. Confused, I walked in and followed the groups of students with backpacks, logically thinking they would take me to the classroom…in the mall? I continued to follow them until they stopped where there was a mass of students, hanging out right outside the movie theater. I was very confused, and then when the professors arrived the students started to walk again, so I followed, past the ticket booth, the snack concierge (where there actually was someone working), and watched the students disperse into the different theaters. It then really dawned on me that I was going to a lecture, in a movie theater, theater 2 to be exact. This month theater 2 featured AVATAR, awesome! However this morning, it featured BUSINESS LAW…not quite so awesome. I entered, and found my seat, put my water bottle in the cup holder, and prepared to learn. The professor entered, and went over to computer that was at the front of the theater and then the screen came alive!! with POWERPOINT! The letter T on that screen was about the same size as if I stood up straight and put out both of my arms. The lecture was interesting, but as far as being in a movie theater, that made it even more interesting. I thought to spice it up maybe next week I’ll bring some popcorn and wear my 3D glasses. I think that would be a great way for the school to advertise to prospective students…hire the man who does that movie phone voice..”This week at The University of Notre Dame, Business Law..in 3D!! Next week, Finance…in surround sound!!” (as you can see I’m already practicing my marketing skills). The rest of my classes this week were in regular lecture halls on campus, but equally as interesting.
As far as out of school activities, I was able to go snorkeling which is something I wanted to do as soon as I arrived. I went to Manly beach with a few local Australians I had met where we spend the day bodysurfing and sun worshiping. We walked down a boardwalk that took us to a really local part of the water, where there were much less tourists called Sandy Beach. Here there was a little inlet, that was actually a marine reserve. We threw on some snorkel gear, which people just happened to have on them, like one would bring a towel and sun block to the beach with them, and jumped in the water. It was so cool because it wasn’t like a touristy group thing with a guide, this was just a bunch of locals doing what they do. It was such a cool thing to look down in the water and see fish that were half the size of me, really colorful fish, huge shells, beautiful coral, and little squids swimming around. Australians going to that little marine park to snorkel is like when American’s go to a woodsy park to ride their bikes or go for a nature walk, it was a really great experience. However I failed to realize that snorkeling requires your back to be open to the sun, for numerous hours, with the water just magnifying the suns power. It's kind of like when you cook pancakes, usually when you put the batter on you flip it so that first side cooks perfectly, but you forget to time the other side the same so when you take it off to put it on the plate the other side is just black. Let’s just say when approaching someone for the next week, I looked normal, but when I walked away I would hear a few snickers…whoops :)

and here is a picture of Shelly Beach where we went snorkeling, truly a little piece of paradise!

G'day! It's officially Saturday morning here, and I was awoken by the skwaking sounds of a wild parrot outside my window, which happens to sound something like a mix of a tire screeching and a boy going through puberty trying to sing...delightful! Aside from that there is something very cool to be said about seeing a parrot just chilling outside your window. Yesterday was such a great day. It began with the morning trip to the "Gloria Jean's", Australia's Starbucks, where I grabbed a coffee and read "The Australian", their kind of New York Times. Now this was my second day grabbing a large iced coffee, and the first time I ordered it I noticed it was very sweet, thick, and very milky. Not only that, but I felt very full after I finished it. So this time I asked if I could get a little less milk. This is where the man behind the counter told me that's not possible, because what's in the coffee is essentially a quarter straight coffee, and three quarters vanilla ice cream. Well good morning calories! I'm very impressed that Australian's drink this as their morning beverage of choice, and even more so that everyone here isn't rolling into the door on their Jazzy scooter because they have just become too large to walk. So I just went for a medium plain hot coffee instead, at least this time I knew the heat would keep me safe from the ice cream.

I then proceeded to go back to my apartment where I spoke to Danielle, another girl who is here from Sacred Heart and living in Sydney. We decided to meet up for lunch at Circular Quay (pronounced key), a part of Sydney Harbour. I was so excited to go and visit Sydney Harbour because I hadn't been there yet, and this is where the historical Sydney Bridge is and the Sydney Oprah House. I took the bus, it was about a 10 minute ride, and arrived a bit early so I found a nice bench to hang out on. I saw a man in a green jersey, sunglasses, and an Australian type cowboy hat approaching me. As he got closer, I noticed he had a beer in each hand. I started to get nervous, in New York City, as a younger girl, it's never really a good thing when an older man holding beers and walking in not such a straight line approaches you. Well as soon as he walked over he let out a huge "G'Day mate! You look a bit lonely, how are ya?!" He then proceeded to tell me that he and a few of his "mates" were waiting to go to a Cricket Match, and that I was more then welcome to join them. I kindly declined, but he sat with me for a few minutes and we just talked. He then said goodbye, wished me luck, and went back to his table of fellow Cricket goers. I love Australia. This theme of everyone being so open, welcoming, and friendly is seen constantly here, it's so wonderful.

So Danielle finally arrived and we did quick version of the usual touristy stuff, (we were going to be here for over four months so we knew we'd have plenty of time and opportunities for explorations, tours, pictures, and all that jazz). It was great seeing a familiar face. We went to The Rock, which is this adorable shopping center with lots of little cafes, shops, and a little outdoor fresh food market. We then said our goodbyes, knowing we would see each other soon at orientation, and I went back home.
I had no idea what I was going to do that night, so I decided to just go grab a drink, and bring a book. I went to this bar called the Broadway Cafe, and sat at an outdoor table. Suddenly it started to rain, and as soon as I went to grab my things and go inside, I noticed that no one else was doing so. Because it was so hot, the rain actually felt very good, and unlike at a bar in New York City where everyone would have ran inside, everyone just covered their drinks and stayed put. It was great. After all, it's just rain. There is something so interesting about being on your own like this. I mean, I just sat at the table with a drink and my book and observed. Even walking down the streets alone, you really get to take it all in, in a way that would otherwise be impossible if you were with someone. You are forced to observe the little details of sight, and get a great chance to listen to all the sounds. It also forces you to be independent, it's go out, or starve. When I returned back to the apartment two boys that Iived right next to me, who I had previously met were outside and invited me to join them for dinner. I was hungry and had nothing to lose so I went. One boy was from Turkey, and the other from Switzerland, and we went to an Indian restaurant...talk about a culture immersion. The great thing about living in a student housing complex like this, is as lonely and scary as it is coming to a different country alone, there are tons and tons of people in the same boat as you. So every time you pass someone in the hallway, or ride in an elevator with someone, you always spark up a conversation. These conversations usually consist of things like where are you from, how long have you been here, where are you studying, and can easily end which an exchange of numbers. So far I have met people from Switzerland, Turkey, Yemen, Latvia, Colombia......and New Jersey. I think everyone should do something like this, because as similar as many cultures are, they are also vastly different, so there is so much to teach as well as there is to learn.

I have no idea what today's agenda is going to be like but I know, as usual, some little adventure will come out of it...no worries!

And these are just some new friends that Danielle and I made in Sydney Harbour. No big deal.

Here's a shot from the rooftop view of my apartment complex of Sydney at night.

In Sydney! Longest extended day of my entireeee life. Left for the airport around 2. The originally plan was to take a large roller bag to check and a carry on… fail. Ended up with three bags to check, a carry on, my backpack, and of course my teddy bear, what can I say I’m a bit of an over-packer. My excess baggage and I arrived at JFK around 4, where it was time to bid my parents farewell. This was a toughie, because as excited as I was, this is where it really hit me that I’m leaving. Mom started to tear, and I gave both her and my father the biggest hugs I could muster up. The trip was broken into two parts, first, JFK to L.A, then L.A to Sydney. Though there was an hour break at L.A before I headed to Sydney I was still staying on the same plane. This plane was a massive 747, and as soon as I boarded and the lovely Australian flight attendants gave me a “G’Day” I couldn’t wait to land.
As soon as I entered the plane I saw massive comfortable seats, and thought to myself “damn straight they have big comfy seats, 22 hours on your butt is a long time.” That was row 1, I was row 71…so I kept walking…and walking...and the seats got smaller…and smaller…until I saw my row. The expression on my face dropped like a little kid running downstairs Christmas morning only to find their orthodontist under the tree holding a sign that says “Congratulations! You’re getting braces for Christmas!” I’ve had more leg-room in the backseat of a Porsche and more cushion on a stadium seat. Thank the lord I’m such a little person. The first 6 hour chunk of the trip wasn't so bad, except for the fact that I would love to know who decided to make Amelia the movie choice, because honestly nothing says in flight entertainment to me like a movie about a woman who dies in a plane crash. Aside that all went well, landed, took a walk around LAX (where my mothers advice was "if anyone comes up to you and asks if you want to be a movie star, that's probably not what they're after"...what a let down) then got back on for the long part. There’s just something about looking at that little TV screen on the seat in front of you, with the little map of the world and the little picture of your plane (that if proportionally correct you could fit the population of California on it), and under destination time seeing 15 hours that is just kind of soul crushing. However, I was able to sleep for a lot of it, which helped for the time change when I landed in Australia, because it was about 9 in the morning. When I arrived I went through customs, where upon seeing a tiny little girl wheeling a cart with three huge bags on it I faced some questions, rightfully so, considering I could have fit the whole Brady family, Alice included, in my luggage. After they checked me for fruits, nuts, and animals, (which unfortunately I left my whole bunch of bananas, bag of acorns, and the raccoon that goes through our garbage at home), I was free to go. I then got in a cab and headed for my apartment complex, Unilodge.
Once I checked into Unilodge, I couldn’t wait to see what my room looked like. I opened the door and there was my loft, complete with a little kitchen, desk, bathroom, flight of steps, and on the loft a closet and bed. Now, as nice as it is I can’t really say it was designed efficiently. First off, downstairs is a dresser with a T.V on it, yet there is no couch. Second, the steps are a two foot wide, very tightly wound spiral staircase. Considering my luggage was not only super heavy but a few pieces were longer than two feet, and the closet was upstairs this proposed a complex challenge. Do I take everything out and bring it up one pile at a time, or do I struggle and try to lug the bags up the little staircase? I went with choice number two, and a few rug burns later and bruises later…success. After 22 hours sitting on a plane, then sweating the entire trip from the airport to my apartment, mainly due to my obscene amount of luggage, all I wanted to do was shower and take a nap. But noooo, there were no sheets and I had no toiletries. I then had to go out and get these things, and others like hangers, a phone, outlet converters and all that fun stuff. Luckily there is a mall directly across the street of Unilodge so everything was right there. And even better I could use my smelliness to deter people away leaving the lines shorter for me. The culture differences could be seen immediately, on both large and small scales.
I was in a drug store looking for deodorant and couldn’t seem to find it anywhere. The idea of living in such a hot climate and not using deodorant seemed preposterous to me so I went and asked someone at the counter. The lady pointed me to one of the aisles; I walked down it and didn’t see any deodorant. I kept looking, and looking, thinking I had missed it or something. This also wasn’t something I could just skip out on getting because I am planning on making friends here. So I went back, and asked again, and the lady walked me over to the same aisle. Well there were no plastic bars that dispensed odor fighting bacteria, instead was a wall of aerosol cans. Apparently that’s what the antiperspirant of choice is here in Australia, just fascinating. Even better was watching me try and figure out how to call home. I landed hours before I went to the mall to get my phone, and I still haven’t talked to my parents yet…it was all I wanted to do. I get this prepaid phone and spent a total of an hour and a half trying to figure out how to dial NY from Australia. I called the front desk where they kept telling me to hit the “hash mark.” Well it took me to go down to the desk for them to show me that a hash mark is in fact the pound key. It makes more sense to call it a hash mark, considering that’s actually what it is a picture of, and not a “pound,” whatever that is, yet I couldn’t make that connection. Then when that didn’t work they told me to hit the “plus” sign. Naturally I figured that must be the name for the “star” key…wrong again. It’s called the star key here to, the plus sign is dialing two zeros before you dial out. Then you need to dial another 1, then the area code. So essentially after all of the combinations of pounds, stars, zeros and one’s I could come up with, it took a girl outside my room from New Jersey on the phone with her boyfriend to physically show me how to do it. Though it took me a while to figure out how to work the phone I was able to answer the question of how many blondes does it take to call America from Australia. It takes one blonde and 2 hours.
So here I am with a few days ahead of me before orientation just to get settled and figure out the wonderful city of Sydney. It’s only been one day, and aside from the few complications everything has been just wonderful, the people in this city are so nice and helpful! It’s 86 and sunny, and I have a whole new world awaiting some exploration, so I’m off!

here's a shot of Australia from the plane!

So here it goes, tomorrow's the big day. This period of playing college drop-out is soon to be over, I'm about to get thrown on the barbie. The timing for studying abroad second semester is great. As everyone headed back to school after winter break, I was left in New York with my family and a great big gap of time for all the bonding we could squeeze in before I leave them for four and a half months. And the best part is, that as much as family time is great, you become ready to leave just as much as you're parents are ready for you to leave. As wonderful as bonding with the parents has been, playing games of scrabble while episodes of Law and Order dwindle in the background, I'm just itching to get back to my college life. However one little thing stands between now and the experience of a lifetime....a 22 hour plane ride.
Now honestly, how does one prepare for 22 hours sitting on a plane? Oh, I've done the math...I could watch titanic 9 times, and still have an hour left over, and Rose still won't let go. Or even better, I could watch 44 episodes of The Nanny....Fran Drescher's voice for 1,320 minutes anyone? The trip there is going to be an adventure in itself but I know it is so going to be worth it. I'm am emotional ratio of about 70% excited, 15% nervous, and 15% sad to leave my friends and family (disclaimer: mom and dad, it's not that i'm just a little sad, it's just that excitement is overruling that feeling right now). To go from sitting on your butt for three months, to get up, hop on a plane, and be in a totally different country on the other side of the world alone is just hard to grasp. Oh well, here goes nothing...Goodbye America, hello down under!