Sydney!

I need to get better about blogging! I think that once I catch up (today!), it'll be much easier for me to get my stuff together and post regularly. Sydney has been quite an adventure so far... I've been here for almost 2 weeks but sometimes it feels like I've been here forever. I suppose I should start at the beginning.

We arrived in Sydney on February 15th around midday. The flight was fine and the 2-hour time difference extended our first day quite a bit. We arrived on campus after driving through downtown Sydney for the first time (it was incredible--I never thought I'd actually see the opera house and harbor bridge up close) and then had our first orientation meeting where we went over housing rules and rooming and such. It was really overwhelming but so exciting and when I found out who I was living with it was a huge relief. I've got 4 housemates (the setup is very similar to the townhouses at Saint Mike's--We have a kitchen, living room, dining room, and a bedroom on the first floor and then 4 other bedrooms, all with their own bathrooms/showers upstairs). I'm living with Nick Brown who is also from SMC, Wiley from Maryland, Aria from Oregon, and Geralyn from New Jersey. The first three are in AIFS with me so I got to know them a bit beforehand but Geralyn and I have gotten pretty close since she moved in and I've been hanging out with her and 3 other girls (Sarah, Chessie, and Kara) the last few days.

Our first day was free so we took time to settle in, do a small amount of grocery shopping, and just got to know the shopping mall and campus a little bit. Over the next few days, we had a harbor cruise, Sydney bus tour, a bunch of BBQs around campus (Aussie BBQs are a bit different than at home--they have sausage and chicken and use wonderbread instead of buns). As of now I've been to Bondi, Manly, Cronulla, and Newport beaches. So far, Newport is my favorite--we went a couple days ago and because of a rainstorm in the morning, and the fact that it it a northern beach meaning fewer tourists, we were literally the only ones on the beach. The waves at all of the beaches are extremely different too--Newport seems to be the only one where waves crash from one direction, making it slightly easier to stay alive in the water, but the waves are what you would imagine Aussie waves to look like--they're HUGE. Also, Aussie lifeguards make things better as well. We have been bombarded with the "swim between the flags" rule, as the rip is so strong that it often pulls people out. We talked with some Bondi lifeguards about this and about the fact that they're pretty much famous as they star on Bondi Rescue, a docu-drama tv show that is huge here.

The wildlife here is absolutely nuts, too! Instead of the crazy squirrels that we have at Saint Mike's, we have flocks of wild cockatoos and these anteater looking birds that look like mini ostriches with giant black beak-things. The birds are the biggest complaint in the village, or so I hear, because they squawk early in the morning--they are not beautiful sounding birds, either; they tend to sound like babies or dying cats. Thank god I'm a heavy sleeper. We also have MASSIVE spiders all around, something that doesn't bother me nearly as much as I had assumed it would. There are friendly rabbits running around campus too. Unfortunately I have yet to see a kangaroo or koala. I haven't eaten kangaroo yet either but have been told that it is a must-do by local Aussies.

Alcohol here is an interesting deal, as well. When we have drinks at home with friends we buy boxed wine, or, Goon, which isn't really wine at all. I haven't mustered up the courage to look at the ingredients but I hear that it is made with fish remains, or something. Beer is extremely expensive (a 6-pack of Budweiser is about $20AUD) so we only get it if we're out at the bars/pubs/clubs and we find $9 pitcher deals/$3 drink deals as we did last night. We had the Australian gay/lesbian Mardi Gras parade last night and I went with Chessie, Sarah, Kara, and Geralyn to meet with some of Ger's friends from home who happen to be studying at the University of New South Wales. We had an American BBQ on the roof of their dorm building, overlooking the city, and then pub hopped until we reached the parade. It was quite an adventure but we ended up leaving early due to exhaustion-based moodiness on all accounts.

Classes started Monday but due to sweet (!) scheduling, I only have classes Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The whole enrollment process here is absolutely insane and after not being approved for classes I had to run around campus gathering signatures before finally being able to settle on a schedule. As of now, here it is:

Tuesday:

10:00-10:55am Making of Australia Lecture 1

1:00-1:55pm Making of Australia Tutorial 1

Wednesday:

4:00-4:55pm Australian Literature Lecture 1

5:00-5:55pm Australian Literature Tutorial 1

Thursday:

10:00-10:55am Contemporary Australian Children's Literature Lecture 1

11:00-11:55am Contemporary Australian Children's Literature Film 1

1:00-1:55pm Contemporary Australian Children's Literature Tutorial 1

and

1:00-1:55pm Making of Australia Lecture 2

On Thursdays I have a tutorial that overlaps with a lecture but lectures aren't mandatory to attend here, and many professors use iLecture, meaning they record their lectures and post them online for those who didn't attend to listen to. I'm excited with my schedule because of 5-day weekends, but I've heard that they are much more difficult here than at home. My Children's lit class is a 300-level and the advising professor who had to sign my sheet basically barricaded me with questions to make sure that I would be able to survive it. Only slightly intimidating.

Today I decided to play catch-up while everyone either ventured around Sydney or went to Newport. Due to the quake in Chile, the swells here are apparently huge and the beaches, though maybe not the safest places on earth, are probably pretty gorgeous due to the giant waves and desertion. I've cleaned my room, helped clean the house, and updated this--which were the 3 biggest things on my to-do list. I have to go to the gym and get a membership today, too, and I also need to figure out my food situation because I am in dire need of a grocery-run. Tonight I am venturing around Sydney with a new Aussie friend, Macca, and can't be more excited to sit in a car. Now that I have caught up I'm sure I'll think of more to add but I'll definitely be better about updating.