Communication is similar to the States communication but different at the same time. Lots of people have cell phones (mobiles) but prepaid phones are much more common. Therefore many people don't use their mobiles as much as we do. Children have mobiles at really young ages, like 11, and my friends agree with me that they don't need them at that age. However the primary mode of communication at Uni is email but at College (where I live) the RA's, event staff, and other randoms, leave voice messages. Last week I returned from brekky (breakfast) and had two new messages about the upcoming Orientation events for the day. Overall I've received more voicemails on my college phone than every phone call combined at Fredonia. My friends also call my room phone and everyone in the house's numbers are sequential. That way it's easy to figure out another person's phone number... unless they live in a different house.
My contact information in case you want to get ahold of me:
AIM-same as before just be aware that I'm 15 hours ahead of you but ask me if you don't have it and want it
Facebook-request me as a friend
email-I still use and check both my Fredonia and my Alfred emails daily.
Skype-best way to contact me face to face-same as my AIM but send me an email if you want to set up a Skype time or don't have my AIM
Post (Mail)- be aware this takes a while to arrive although I would love to get mail
Capricornia College
CQUniversity
554-700 Yaamba Road
NORMAN GARDENS Qld 4701
Australia
Overall: AIM, facebook, Skype, and email are the fastest, cheapest ways to talk to me.
I'm off for the rest of the day of Orientation skills with sessions on What Maths skills do I need in my program and others.
Let me know if there are any questions you have and I will try to answer them.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Uni O Week
This week is Uni O Week. It's pretty much the same as Orientation at Fredonia: lots of information and not much fun stuff. As an international student, sadly, I'm required to go to all of it. However on Friday all of the international students will be able to separate from the rest of the group and go on a field trip to Dreamtime Cultural Center. I'm not really sure what that is yet but o well.
I've registered for all of my classes except Outdoor Pursuits which we (international students only) register for on Thursday after a meeting. I'm looking forward to learning to scuba dive and sail while getting the chance to brush up on my canoeing and kayaking skills. The instructor seems really nice as well. He is teaching my Embedded Professional Learning 1 course as well. Similar to Fredonia, I can't be a traditional student...not even a traditional international student. EPL 1 is a field experience course which includes 9 day visits this term and more next term. Since it's a full year class and I'll only be at CQU for one term I get to squeeze the rest of the visits into this term. I'm looking forward to learning where I'm placed in a nearby school and at what year. The other problem (which can be fixed hopefully) is that since I'm not a usual first year student and am taking a second year education class as well I can't go to the school on the usual EPL 1 day. Therefore I'll have to change both the day and the rest of the schedule for the class. My other classes are The Arts (first semester education class which I have with 3 of my friends) and Science Curriculum and Pedagogy (second year education class which I don't know anyone in). These four classes will hopefully only meet for 3 days a week but they don't meet for much time each week either. The Science class meets 2.5 hours a week for 10 weeks while Arts is 2 hours for all 12 weeks. None of the classes have written finals and I probably will be allowed to leave early on finals week. The only possible problem would be if I had to finish my EPL 1 placement during that week.
Australia protects it's children in different ways than the USA. Everyone who volunteers or works with children needs a blue card which includes a background check. Today my Orientation group went to apply for them and I should receive one within 2 months.
Other Interesting Things:
-Most of the hall has moved in now and I've become friends with many of them. I've gotten used to having guys around and was talking to Josh early today who alerted me that the guys all semiprotective of the girls in their hall. Apparently they will beat up anyone who hurts us. Good fact to know.
-Security here is much much looser than in the states. Although we have RAs their duties seem much less intensive than the duties at Fredonia and they receive double rooms with air con (a prized possession). Each night about 10 the duty team of 2 RA's walk around to lock all of the front doors to the halls and make sure noone is drinking in the hall. Every key at college opens all of the front doors so anyone who lives on college can enter a building at anytime. This is vastly different than the sign in policy that Fredonia has and the door keys. The other change is the front gates to the college close on the weekends and at night so noone who doesn't live on college is allowed in. During the day anyone can wander around the buildings (they are private property so only members really are allowed on college) but the doors are kept open.
-Today I met Student Life which appears to be the Christian group on campus. They were doing surveys to try to get new members. I'm looking forward to getting involved. Also I now have a ride to church on Sundays so I will be able to make it there safely without walking.
-Late Night Activities: Just as in Fredonia late night activities are hard to find if drinking is not involved. My friends and I have ended up sitting in the hall for extended periods of time however we are going to have to find something better to do eventually. Drinking is very common both on college and downtown since the drinking age is 18. Many underagers also drink often but the RAs don't seem to mind too much. Rules are much looser here but I enjoy it cause I haven't been woken up by drunks yet. It also helps that only 40 people live in my building total and few people walk by (unlike Ike last year where all the drunks got dropped off then walked outside my window late at night).
-Today we got into a big discussion about what raisins were. Our raisins they call sultana while they call golden raisins raisins. (Wikipedia has the two switched from what my friends said so I'll have to double check later.) However noone in our discussion group actually knew what kind of dried fruit an Australian raisin was and my friends had to look online later. They also picked on me for my saying of banana etc. but I must say that it doesn't bother me. It appears that not only do they have weird names here but they don't pronounce their 'r' s. Carl becomes Call while Sarah was talking about doing her dalks...i.e. darks. Took me a while to learn but I'm starting to better understand their accents.
Well I'm off to find something better to do with my night than sit on top of my desk (it's really just a table) where I've been for a few hours now. It also helps that my friend just rang me and invited me over since I walked out of her room scared of her jumping up and down about an hour ago. Enjoy!
I've registered for all of my classes except Outdoor Pursuits which we (international students only) register for on Thursday after a meeting. I'm looking forward to learning to scuba dive and sail while getting the chance to brush up on my canoeing and kayaking skills. The instructor seems really nice as well. He is teaching my Embedded Professional Learning 1 course as well. Similar to Fredonia, I can't be a traditional student...not even a traditional international student. EPL 1 is a field experience course which includes 9 day visits this term and more next term. Since it's a full year class and I'll only be at CQU for one term I get to squeeze the rest of the visits into this term. I'm looking forward to learning where I'm placed in a nearby school and at what year. The other problem (which can be fixed hopefully) is that since I'm not a usual first year student and am taking a second year education class as well I can't go to the school on the usual EPL 1 day. Therefore I'll have to change both the day and the rest of the schedule for the class. My other classes are The Arts (first semester education class which I have with 3 of my friends) and Science Curriculum and Pedagogy (second year education class which I don't know anyone in). These four classes will hopefully only meet for 3 days a week but they don't meet for much time each week either. The Science class meets 2.5 hours a week for 10 weeks while Arts is 2 hours for all 12 weeks. None of the classes have written finals and I probably will be allowed to leave early on finals week. The only possible problem would be if I had to finish my EPL 1 placement during that week.
Australia protects it's children in different ways than the USA. Everyone who volunteers or works with children needs a blue card which includes a background check. Today my Orientation group went to apply for them and I should receive one within 2 months.
Other Interesting Things:
-Most of the hall has moved in now and I've become friends with many of them. I've gotten used to having guys around and was talking to Josh early today who alerted me that the guys all semiprotective of the girls in their hall. Apparently they will beat up anyone who hurts us. Good fact to know.
-Security here is much much looser than in the states. Although we have RAs their duties seem much less intensive than the duties at Fredonia and they receive double rooms with air con (a prized possession). Each night about 10 the duty team of 2 RA's walk around to lock all of the front doors to the halls and make sure noone is drinking in the hall. Every key at college opens all of the front doors so anyone who lives on college can enter a building at anytime. This is vastly different than the sign in policy that Fredonia has and the door keys. The other change is the front gates to the college close on the weekends and at night so noone who doesn't live on college is allowed in. During the day anyone can wander around the buildings (they are private property so only members really are allowed on college) but the doors are kept open.
-Today I met Student Life which appears to be the Christian group on campus. They were doing surveys to try to get new members. I'm looking forward to getting involved. Also I now have a ride to church on Sundays so I will be able to make it there safely without walking.
-Late Night Activities: Just as in Fredonia late night activities are hard to find if drinking is not involved. My friends and I have ended up sitting in the hall for extended periods of time however we are going to have to find something better to do eventually. Drinking is very common both on college and downtown since the drinking age is 18. Many underagers also drink often but the RAs don't seem to mind too much. Rules are much looser here but I enjoy it cause I haven't been woken up by drunks yet. It also helps that only 40 people live in my building total and few people walk by (unlike Ike last year where all the drunks got dropped off then walked outside my window late at night).
-Today we got into a big discussion about what raisins were. Our raisins they call sultana while they call golden raisins raisins. (Wikipedia has the two switched from what my friends said so I'll have to double check later.) However noone in our discussion group actually knew what kind of dried fruit an Australian raisin was and my friends had to look online later. They also picked on me for my saying of banana etc. but I must say that it doesn't bother me. It appears that not only do they have weird names here but they don't pronounce their 'r' s. Carl becomes Call while Sarah was talking about doing her dalks...i.e. darks. Took me a while to learn but I'm starting to better understand their accents.
Well I'm off to find something better to do with my night than sit on top of my desk (it's really just a table) where I've been for a few hours now. It also helps that my friend just rang me and invited me over since I walked out of her room scared of her jumping up and down about an hour ago. Enjoy!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Last night I joined a few of my friends on a trip to the cinemas. In general they are very similar to ours however they have commericals before the movie as well as trainers. We watched Underworld 3 which thankfully is the prequel to the other two. The seats were very nice and the theatre was wonderful although tickets cost A$12 even for student ones. After the movie we returned to Hutton although some people who wanted to go downtown without driving asked us to drive their car to drop them off. Since only one of the girls I was with at that time had her license and I'm not ready to drive on the left side of the road (especially in the dark with a bunch of people I don't know) we declined. Turns out one of our other friends was the designated driver. At this time it was about 11 but we weren't ready to go to bed as is typical on a Saturday night. Instead we listened to Jarrah's music cause he has a zillion cds. He left to return later that night but noone was really in the hall. So we hung out in the hall...for hours. After a while a random (a stranger) joined us cause he couldn't sleep due to the noise we were making in the hall. Now he's no longer a random although the other guy who walked through the hall I still don't know. Over the 5 hours I was in the hall about 7-8 people sat/laid/lounged around in the hallway and I learned this morning that everyone else went to breakfast at 7 then to bed.
After four hours of sleep I woke up bright and early at 8 to get ready for church. During breakfast I met a new girl named Zoey who we saw a few more times today. Then I was ready to walk the 2 km (1.2 miles) to church. I had my directions from googlemaps, sneakers, and a backpack with my bible. First I looked for the shortcut over to the main road but had to backtrack throughout all of college to get to the road, (one of the campus security guards ran into me), then moved out onto the main roads which had no sidewalks. The directions told me to go down a "street" which wasn't even wide enough of a dirt road for one car so I decided to go around. I found the road, and the place where the church was supposed to be however no church was in sight (I had also lost my directions by that time). After asking some guy who was mowing his yard I turned around and continued on the path I had previously been on. That was a long dead end with many sketchy looking houses set far away from the road and included a large hill. This had taken me about 2 hours meaning the church service was done. Although the temperature was lower than usual (about 85-90ºF) I was really hot and could tell that by the time I got back to College I would probably have collapsed from heat exhaustion. On the way I passed by the Rockhampton Riding Club for the Disabled so I decided to ask if I could have a glass of water. The lady was really nice and not only poured me a glass but left the pitcher out so I could get refills. It took me 10 min to drink the three cups but I really needed that cause it was so hot and such a long walk. The trip back to Uni was very quick although I don't think I will walk there any more cause the lack of sidewalks is a bit creepy. I considered hitching a ride but I think putting your thumb up is offensive and I'm not a pro at hitchhiking cause everyone in Almond knows me and will just give me a ride. Finally I returned: the sweatiest I've ever been ready to shower. After changing I checked out the location of the church again and found that it was actually the opposite direction that I had gone cause the road is spilt. Turns out I walked about 6 miles in the heat. Next week I hope to actually make it to church but I'm still working on a ride. Right now I get to hang out with almost all of the girls in my hall and listen to Jarrah playing his guitar. Tomorrow Uni O Week starts which puts the education majors with the music majors (which a lot of my hall is if they aren't engineers) all day long.
After four hours of sleep I woke up bright and early at 8 to get ready for church. During breakfast I met a new girl named Zoey who we saw a few more times today. Then I was ready to walk the 2 km (1.2 miles) to church. I had my directions from googlemaps, sneakers, and a backpack with my bible. First I looked for the shortcut over to the main road but had to backtrack throughout all of college to get to the road, (one of the campus security guards ran into me), then moved out onto the main roads which had no sidewalks. The directions told me to go down a "street" which wasn't even wide enough of a dirt road for one car so I decided to go around. I found the road, and the place where the church was supposed to be however no church was in sight (I had also lost my directions by that time). After asking some guy who was mowing his yard I turned around and continued on the path I had previously been on. That was a long dead end with many sketchy looking houses set far away from the road and included a large hill. This had taken me about 2 hours meaning the church service was done. Although the temperature was lower than usual (about 85-90ºF) I was really hot and could tell that by the time I got back to College I would probably have collapsed from heat exhaustion. On the way I passed by the Rockhampton Riding Club for the Disabled so I decided to ask if I could have a glass of water. The lady was really nice and not only poured me a glass but left the pitcher out so I could get refills. It took me 10 min to drink the three cups but I really needed that cause it was so hot and such a long walk. The trip back to Uni was very quick although I don't think I will walk there any more cause the lack of sidewalks is a bit creepy. I considered hitching a ride but I think putting your thumb up is offensive and I'm not a pro at hitchhiking cause everyone in Almond knows me and will just give me a ride. Finally I returned: the sweatiest I've ever been ready to shower. After changing I checked out the location of the church again and found that it was actually the opposite direction that I had gone cause the road is spilt. Turns out I walked about 6 miles in the heat. Next week I hope to actually make it to church but I'm still working on a ride. Right now I get to hang out with almost all of the girls in my hall and listen to Jarrah playing his guitar. Tomorrow Uni O Week starts which puts the education majors with the music majors (which a lot of my hall is if they aren't engineers) all day long.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
College O Week
Orientation...at the College
This week (starting on Sunday for most people, Tuesday for me) is O Week for new members of college. The theme is boot camp... the new members are soldiers while the returning members are Sergeants. Everyone has a t-shirt which is required attire to all activities. The yellow shirts for soldiers and the black for sergeants allow us to get into the activities for free. The activities I've participated in so far are: shopping at the city centre plaza, student services talk, Rydges Resort, late night shopping at the shopping fair, and meals. Here's a summary of them.
1. City Centre Plaza: A small mall with stores like Coles (supermarket) and Target. Here I bought my sheets, pillows, and all the other necessities that I couldn't pack. Expensive trip even though I got a few deals. Only 8 students went though and I bought the most without question.
2. Student Services Talk: A short 15 min talk in the Senior Common Room. It was barely worth the 5 min walk however the information was somewhat useful and whenever I visited them today I got a free backpack. (It's one of the perks of being an international student.) I was about 2 min late to the talk which is how I learned that things actually start closer to on time here than at home. I had trouble opening the door though cause the knobs turn the other way.
3. Rydges Resort: This resort is a 30 min drive away from the college. On the trip there I sat next to some guy who did not talk during the entire trip. It was much longer than the way there but I got to see some of the countryside and beaches around Rockhampton (in Yampoon). Once we arrive everyone went swimming in the pool, lounged around, got drinks for the overagers (drinking age is 18), and explored the beach. The water at the beach was very warm although salty but I loved the sand with the crab holes in it. After the short trip to the beach my friends and I wandered back up to the pool to hang out some more. Even though everyone at college put on sunscreen many of the people still ended up burnt. My face (and arms etc) is both red and more freckly than before which I don't like...I used SPF 85 on it too. By the end of the trip everyone was ready to go back and eat cause lunch had finished before 11:30 and swimming uses up energy. The bus ride back was much quicker as I talked to the guys from near Chicago and my friend about the education systems in our countries.
4. Late Night Shopping: The bus was late for the shopping trip so by the time we arrived we only had an hour to shop. But I used that time wisely to get a cell phone, dishes, things for my room, and money. Lots of fun and more needed things done. I even found some cool markers that clip together so you don't lose the set of them. They will be used to decorate the poster boards for my room.
5. Food: The dining hall is open for about 2 hours for every meal. The meals remind me of high school cafeteria food because they contain one main hot meal, side dishes, a vegetarian option, salad and fruit, drinks, and desert. Rice (usually white) is always present even at breakfast. I love the fruit, primarily the watermelon. Drinks come in multiple flavors that you squirt into your cup then fill with water. In the dining hall there is a large table with every different kind of condiment you could imagine from mustard to honey. Tonight for desert I noticed a red cup of something. I figured it must be ice cream of some sort and red usually means a good flavor. My friends wanted me to try it before they all got one. Turns out it was strawberry mousse, however it was thicker then usual. I wasn't aware that mousse came in flavors other than chocolate but it tasted pretty good. When you are done with your plates you take them to the scullery where you dump your rubbish down a small hole, put your silverware in a pan, and place your dishes on a rotating round thing to be washed. Took some getting used to the differences in eating and meals but I think I've learned it now.
Other quick notes:
-I've learned how to unlock and open my door. The key unlocks to the left while you turn the handle to the right. Very confusing.
-I now know that most of the guys around me haven't moved in yet meaning that they are returning students. That could be why I haven't seen many guys in the hallway. I'm still getting used to sharing a bathroom although no problems have arisen yet.
-Today I register for three of my classes. As usual registering for classes is complicated and I'm not sure which class should be my fourth or if I should just take five. However International Education is willing to do lots for the students which is very helpful. I even got my student id card although it is very boring and has almost no color at all on it.
-Tomorrow is a treasure hunt around college and uni then an army themed celebration at Scholars Inn. I don't think I'm going to dress up though cause army really isn't my style. I'm thinking I should figure out where/what Scholars Inn is first though. Even more free time exists tomorrow and this weekend is completely free which could mean boring if my friends go home like it sounds they might.
-Still working on tracking my iPod...really hope I can get it back from the airline.
This week (starting on Sunday for most people, Tuesday for me) is O Week for new members of college. The theme is boot camp... the new members are soldiers while the returning members are Sergeants. Everyone has a t-shirt which is required attire to all activities. The yellow shirts for soldiers and the black for sergeants allow us to get into the activities for free. The activities I've participated in so far are: shopping at the city centre plaza, student services talk, Rydges Resort, late night shopping at the shopping fair, and meals. Here's a summary of them.
1. City Centre Plaza: A small mall with stores like Coles (supermarket) and Target. Here I bought my sheets, pillows, and all the other necessities that I couldn't pack. Expensive trip even though I got a few deals. Only 8 students went though and I bought the most without question.
2. Student Services Talk: A short 15 min talk in the Senior Common Room. It was barely worth the 5 min walk however the information was somewhat useful and whenever I visited them today I got a free backpack. (It's one of the perks of being an international student.) I was about 2 min late to the talk which is how I learned that things actually start closer to on time here than at home. I had trouble opening the door though cause the knobs turn the other way.
3. Rydges Resort: This resort is a 30 min drive away from the college. On the trip there I sat next to some guy who did not talk during the entire trip. It was much longer than the way there but I got to see some of the countryside and beaches around Rockhampton (in Yampoon). Once we arrive everyone went swimming in the pool, lounged around, got drinks for the overagers (drinking age is 18), and explored the beach. The water at the beach was very warm although salty but I loved the sand with the crab holes in it. After the short trip to the beach my friends and I wandered back up to the pool to hang out some more. Even though everyone at college put on sunscreen many of the people still ended up burnt. My face (and arms etc) is both red and more freckly than before which I don't like...I used SPF 85 on it too. By the end of the trip everyone was ready to go back and eat cause lunch had finished before 11:30 and swimming uses up energy. The bus ride back was much quicker as I talked to the guys from near Chicago and my friend about the education systems in our countries.
4. Late Night Shopping: The bus was late for the shopping trip so by the time we arrived we only had an hour to shop. But I used that time wisely to get a cell phone, dishes, things for my room, and money. Lots of fun and more needed things done. I even found some cool markers that clip together so you don't lose the set of them. They will be used to decorate the poster boards for my room.
5. Food: The dining hall is open for about 2 hours for every meal. The meals remind me of high school cafeteria food because they contain one main hot meal, side dishes, a vegetarian option, salad and fruit, drinks, and desert. Rice (usually white) is always present even at breakfast. I love the fruit, primarily the watermelon. Drinks come in multiple flavors that you squirt into your cup then fill with water. In the dining hall there is a large table with every different kind of condiment you could imagine from mustard to honey. Tonight for desert I noticed a red cup of something. I figured it must be ice cream of some sort and red usually means a good flavor. My friends wanted me to try it before they all got one. Turns out it was strawberry mousse, however it was thicker then usual. I wasn't aware that mousse came in flavors other than chocolate but it tasted pretty good. When you are done with your plates you take them to the scullery where you dump your rubbish down a small hole, put your silverware in a pan, and place your dishes on a rotating round thing to be washed. Took some getting used to the differences in eating and meals but I think I've learned it now.
Other quick notes:
-I've learned how to unlock and open my door. The key unlocks to the left while you turn the handle to the right. Very confusing.
-I now know that most of the guys around me haven't moved in yet meaning that they are returning students. That could be why I haven't seen many guys in the hallway. I'm still getting used to sharing a bathroom although no problems have arisen yet.
-Today I register for three of my classes. As usual registering for classes is complicated and I'm not sure which class should be my fourth or if I should just take five. However International Education is willing to do lots for the students which is very helpful. I even got my student id card although it is very boring and has almost no color at all on it.
-Tomorrow is a treasure hunt around college and uni then an army themed celebration at Scholars Inn. I don't think I'm going to dress up though cause army really isn't my style. I'm thinking I should figure out where/what Scholars Inn is first though. Even more free time exists tomorrow and this weekend is completely free which could mean boring if my friends go home like it sounds they might.
-Still working on tracking my iPod...really hope I can get it back from the airline.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Opposites
Throughout the 14 hours I've been truely in Australia (I don't count airports or airplanes) I've noticed many different things. I love my college and hope to love uni once it starts. A few of the weird things that will take adjusting to:
1. Driving and Walking on the left. On the ride from the airport it was very unusual to be sitting in the front seat of the car on the left without the steering wheel. As Chris mentioned (he's from Boston) turning into the left hand side of the road makes you feel like you are going to hit a car. This feeling was enlarged due to the fact our driver seemed to be tailgating and not the best driver. Even watching roads from the airplane the cars seemed to be on the wrong side. I'm starting to learn to walk on the left side now but it feels very unusual.
2. Heat: The temperature when I woke up this morning (at 7:20) was 73ºF. The sun isn't even shining cause it's supposed to rain later. Dressing for the temp to increase to 93ºF (33ºC) is significantly different than dressing in New York where there is snow on the ground. I think I might have even gotten a little bit burnt during my few hours here but sunscreen is part of my daily attire.
3. House: I live in Hutton house (dorm) with 38 other people. On my floor it appears that 3 of the 18 people I can distinguish between genders by their names are guys. I'm not used to being so immersed in a male environment but I'll learn to adjust. I have an RA (Bob) just like at Fredonia.
4. Bathrooms: There are two bathrooms on my floor... both are coed. Although guys and girls share bathrooms, thankfully the doors to both the showers and the toilets latch very nicely. We also have our own sinks in our room which reduces the need to go to the bathroom. As I prepared to brush my teeth today I realized that I did not have to walk all the way to the bathroom which was a nice feeling.
5. Room: As I mentioned earlier, I have my own sink in my bedroom. The room is mostly concrete with nice green trim, curtains, and carpet. There is a bookshelf, a table, a bed (that's high up eliminating the need for bed risers), and very nice closets with five doors and two drawers. Each of the sockets sprinkled around the room turns off with small switches and I have two overhead lights and a fan. Plus the windows are very close the full width of my room and allow lots of light to enter.
6. Creatures: As I tried to fall asleep last night I heard the sounds of many different kinds of birds. These can be seen from my window and on my walks around college. As I moved in yesterday afternoon three kangaroos were hanging out by the door to Hutton House. This morning on the way to breakfast another two were laying in the grass and an additional two joined them in the nearby woods on the return.
7. Landscape: The grass is really green right now because it is the wet season. The fauna ranges from palm trees to trees I have never seen before but are beautiful. Since it is so wet many puddles exist along the grass as I learned from experience... take the stone walkways instead of cutting across the grass.
8. Food: The food appears to be pretty good at the college. It's very similar to high school where only one main meal is prepared. Apparently though when more students arrive the food gets repetitive. Right now only the new college members and some others (like the RA's) are here for O Week but the other 250 will arrive later.
9. O Week: This is college O Week for new students. The schedule seems to be very loose and includes fun things like shopping. The theme is Soldiers and Sergeants. I'll learn more about O Week (which started on Sunday) when I start attending things...in a few minutes.
10. Opposites: Here are a few things that are opposite. The door knobs turn the other way, the light switches you flip up to turn them off, and things start on time.
That's all for right now but I promise that pictures will soon be posted of my room (which will hopefully have some sheets instead of just the sleeping bag liner I brought and the pillow and blanket I took from the airplane), and around the college. It's shopping time now :)
1. Driving and Walking on the left. On the ride from the airport it was very unusual to be sitting in the front seat of the car on the left without the steering wheel. As Chris mentioned (he's from Boston) turning into the left hand side of the road makes you feel like you are going to hit a car. This feeling was enlarged due to the fact our driver seemed to be tailgating and not the best driver. Even watching roads from the airplane the cars seemed to be on the wrong side. I'm starting to learn to walk on the left side now but it feels very unusual.
2. Heat: The temperature when I woke up this morning (at 7:20) was 73ºF. The sun isn't even shining cause it's supposed to rain later. Dressing for the temp to increase to 93ºF (33ºC) is significantly different than dressing in New York where there is snow on the ground. I think I might have even gotten a little bit burnt during my few hours here but sunscreen is part of my daily attire.
3. House: I live in Hutton house (dorm) with 38 other people. On my floor it appears that 3 of the 18 people I can distinguish between genders by their names are guys. I'm not used to being so immersed in a male environment but I'll learn to adjust. I have an RA (Bob) just like at Fredonia.
4. Bathrooms: There are two bathrooms on my floor... both are coed. Although guys and girls share bathrooms, thankfully the doors to both the showers and the toilets latch very nicely. We also have our own sinks in our room which reduces the need to go to the bathroom. As I prepared to brush my teeth today I realized that I did not have to walk all the way to the bathroom which was a nice feeling.
5. Room: As I mentioned earlier, I have my own sink in my bedroom. The room is mostly concrete with nice green trim, curtains, and carpet. There is a bookshelf, a table, a bed (that's high up eliminating the need for bed risers), and very nice closets with five doors and two drawers. Each of the sockets sprinkled around the room turns off with small switches and I have two overhead lights and a fan. Plus the windows are very close the full width of my room and allow lots of light to enter.
6. Creatures: As I tried to fall asleep last night I heard the sounds of many different kinds of birds. These can be seen from my window and on my walks around college. As I moved in yesterday afternoon three kangaroos were hanging out by the door to Hutton House. This morning on the way to breakfast another two were laying in the grass and an additional two joined them in the nearby woods on the return.
7. Landscape: The grass is really green right now because it is the wet season. The fauna ranges from palm trees to trees I have never seen before but are beautiful. Since it is so wet many puddles exist along the grass as I learned from experience... take the stone walkways instead of cutting across the grass.
8. Food: The food appears to be pretty good at the college. It's very similar to high school where only one main meal is prepared. Apparently though when more students arrive the food gets repetitive. Right now only the new college members and some others (like the RA's) are here for O Week but the other 250 will arrive later.
9. O Week: This is college O Week for new students. The schedule seems to be very loose and includes fun things like shopping. The theme is Soldiers and Sergeants. I'll learn more about O Week (which started on Sunday) when I start attending things...in a few minutes.
10. Opposites: Here are a few things that are opposite. The door knobs turn the other way, the light switches you flip up to turn them off, and things start on time.
That's all for right now but I promise that pictures will soon be posted of my room (which will hopefully have some sheets instead of just the sleeping bag liner I brought and the pillow and blanket I took from the airplane), and around the college. It's shopping time now :)
Monday, February 16, 2009
During Travels :)
JFK-LAX
As I fly over Omaha, Nebraska, or maybe Sioux City, and look out the window I see the lights of civilization. Cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet its hard to think of where I’m going. This is the adventure of my life… a new country, a new school, a new room, new friends, new classes. Thankfully, I know that the world I left behind will still be there whenever I return. Many changes will occur on this trip I’m sure and I’ve noticed my friends’ lives moving on at Fredonia or sprinkled throughout the eastern US as well. While I’m over in Australia trying not to get hurt by seamonkeys, hit by kangaroos, or fall in love with an Australian guy, I’m also going to be building a new life. Just like entering college: this is a new start for me. I get to choose who I am, who I want to be, and then make it happen. Since I’m pretty happy with the life I lead in New York, I don’t forsee myself changing into someone completely different but I hope to grow in many ways over the semester and my travels. Seeing life on the other side of the world can’t help but make me change, hopefully for the better. However before I start thinking too much about my time in Australia, I still have a few more long airplane flights, four more airports to tour, and a few more meals to eat. Right now I’m going to curl up in my blanket, fluff my pillow, and turn the tv in front of me to another movie (Qantas has a great selection and service). Apple anyone?
Brisbane Airport Tuesday
I finally got a chance to explore some of an airport thanks to finally having an actual layover. At LAX we got kicked off the plane then reboarded two hours later. Unfortunately, during that short time I managed to lose my iPod. Therefore I had to factor in a trip to the baggage claims in Sydney, time to get lost, and finally a bus ride to the other terminal in addition to customs and security. I’m very happy to say that everything else has run smoothly as I sit here relaxing before my final flight. In a few hours I will arrive in Rockhampton to be met by a Central Queensland University arrival team member. Then I will get the chance to hopefully join in the Orientation activities that started on Sunday at Capricornia College.
The flights etc. have been very interesting. I’ve loved watching out the windows at the LA lights and the Australian coastline in Sydney and Brisbane. I can’t wait to explore more. My body no longer knows what time it is, what the temperature is, or when it should eat. Due to long flights, weird airplane meals, and an awkward sleep schedule it’s completely confused. Either way I was able to eat my first real meal in Australia at the airport: a Subway salad. Although it doesn’t seem very Australian it was the only thing cheaper than $10 which is all I’m willing to spend when I know I should eat but am not hungry. Other choices were Chinese, some burger chain that looked surprisingly similar to Burger King (including whoppers), and a few other places. None seemed appetizing. Hopefully tonight’s dinner at the College will taste better. I suppose now I should go figure out what to do with my carry on since it weighs significantly more than the 4kgs it’s allowed. I’m guessing it weighs about 10kgs. That would be a slight problem but hopefully easily fixed, just like the fly problem here.
As I fly over Omaha, Nebraska, or maybe Sioux City, and look out the window I see the lights of civilization. Cruising at an altitude of 36,000 feet its hard to think of where I’m going. This is the adventure of my life… a new country, a new school, a new room, new friends, new classes. Thankfully, I know that the world I left behind will still be there whenever I return. Many changes will occur on this trip I’m sure and I’ve noticed my friends’ lives moving on at Fredonia or sprinkled throughout the eastern US as well. While I’m over in Australia trying not to get hurt by seamonkeys, hit by kangaroos, or fall in love with an Australian guy, I’m also going to be building a new life. Just like entering college: this is a new start for me. I get to choose who I am, who I want to be, and then make it happen. Since I’m pretty happy with the life I lead in New York, I don’t forsee myself changing into someone completely different but I hope to grow in many ways over the semester and my travels. Seeing life on the other side of the world can’t help but make me change, hopefully for the better. However before I start thinking too much about my time in Australia, I still have a few more long airplane flights, four more airports to tour, and a few more meals to eat. Right now I’m going to curl up in my blanket, fluff my pillow, and turn the tv in front of me to another movie (Qantas has a great selection and service). Apple anyone?
Brisbane Airport Tuesday
I finally got a chance to explore some of an airport thanks to finally having an actual layover. At LAX we got kicked off the plane then reboarded two hours later. Unfortunately, during that short time I managed to lose my iPod. Therefore I had to factor in a trip to the baggage claims in Sydney, time to get lost, and finally a bus ride to the other terminal in addition to customs and security. I’m very happy to say that everything else has run smoothly as I sit here relaxing before my final flight. In a few hours I will arrive in Rockhampton to be met by a Central Queensland University arrival team member. Then I will get the chance to hopefully join in the Orientation activities that started on Sunday at Capricornia College.
The flights etc. have been very interesting. I’ve loved watching out the windows at the LA lights and the Australian coastline in Sydney and Brisbane. I can’t wait to explore more. My body no longer knows what time it is, what the temperature is, or when it should eat. Due to long flights, weird airplane meals, and an awkward sleep schedule it’s completely confused. Either way I was able to eat my first real meal in Australia at the airport: a Subway salad. Although it doesn’t seem very Australian it was the only thing cheaper than $10 which is all I’m willing to spend when I know I should eat but am not hungry. Other choices were Chinese, some burger chain that looked surprisingly similar to Burger King (including whoppers), and a few other places. None seemed appetizing. Hopefully tonight’s dinner at the College will taste better. I suppose now I should go figure out what to do with my carry on since it weighs significantly more than the 4kgs it’s allowed. I’m guessing it weighs about 10kgs. That would be a slight problem but hopefully easily fixed, just like the fly problem here.
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