Australia Living

I’m going into my 6th day of being in Australia, and so far, so good. I stayed in Sydney the first night I was here. I did a lot of just walking around and sleeping while there. Jet-lag was a killer for my first 4 days in the country. A 15 hour time difference is not easy to adjust to! I will be going back to Sydney this weekend with lots of other exchange students, and we’re also going to the Blue Mountains, so that should be a fun trip!

I have already noticed so many differences between the US and here. My living arrangements are quite different from US university living arrangements. I’m living in a 5 bedroom/6 person apartment, and I share a room with another girl. This is where it gets different: the other 4 people in my apartment are guys. Not something that is normal in the US. So far, I absolutely love it! They are all so nice, and I enjoy just chatting with them and learning about Australian culture (they are all from Australia). I’m also meeting other Australians through my roommates, so it is nice to be making Australian friends along with other exchange student friends.

Another difference: Alcohol. It is by no means a dry campus like I am used to. Today, the study abroad coordinators actually took out all the exchange students for free drinks at a local bar! There is even a place on campus that sells beer where you can go eat and have a drink! I’m allowed to have alcohol in my apartment. There always seems to be a party going on somewhere in the apartments I’m in. I knew Australian culture involved alcohol, but I’m not going to lie...I’m shocked at just how much partying goes on here. It is rather insane. I’ve gone to a couple of parties, but I haven’t drank at any of them, and I still haven’t gone out. However, I know when I do go out, it is going to be a blast!

I also have to mention the birds and other wildlife here. My first morning in Canberra, I was woken up by what sounded like a dying child. No worries though, it was just some bird, and I hear that noise all the time now. That same noise has woken me up by 9AM every morning. The birds also look completely different than any I’m used to seeing, but they are beautiful! And, instead of squirrels running around campus everywhere, I see rabbits and kangaroos (no complaints there!). Today, I saw about 12 kangaroos hanging out in a field right behind the ressies (living places)! I took lots of pictures of them, and will probably take more every time I see them, so get ready for loads of pictures with kangaroos! 

Of course, they drive on the wrong side of the road, which is still so confusing. I always look the wrong way when starting to cross the road, so I have to be extra careful. It’s weird to be looking where I think the driver is sitting in a car, only to see someone looking down at a phone. They use kilometers instead of miles and celsius instead of fahrenheit, so I need to learn some conversions! It’s winter here, so coming from a Tennessee summer to winter has been quite the adjustment. The winter in Canberra is very much like what I’m used to in Tennessee, it was just the whole coming from the miserably hot summer to cold that was so terrible. 

I don’t want to bore you with all the details, because I could go on for a while! I am loving experiencing something new and learning about a different culture. It has definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone, and I think I needed that. I still miss my friends at home (of course), and it is weird to think that RA training started yesterday/today and that I’m not there. It’s weird to think that for most of my day, Tennessee is still in ‘yesterday’ because of the time difference. It’s weird to think some of my friends are starting real jobs, and I’m just hanging out in Australia. So, there are definitely a lot of differences to get used to, but I am so excited for everything! 

Classes start Monday and I’m actually excited for them (call me a nerd if you want)! I like having a schedule, so it will be nice to get on a regular schedule. Right now, it is O-week (Orientation Week), and it is just a huge party week from what I’ve heard. We’ve had some sessions and meetings to go to, but nothing too terribly boring. 

So, there’s a kind of long update for you! Hopefully, the blogging thing will get easier, as it’s taken me forever to actually write this and post it. I keep writing and deleting everything because like I said, I don’t like people to read what I write. :-) Hope this wasn’t too boring!