First weekend
Life got a bit less exciting after the first few days. I got a bank account and an iphone. I met a few people, but no relationships got developed to the point where I would ever see them again. I started dedicating all of my time to finding a place to live and worked on setting up my class schedule for the coming semester.
I looked at some really crappy houses. Rent was cheap, but damn! I have to keep reminding myself that I need an academic environment if I want to do well, so I’ve been declining “party” houses which are generally the cheapest. I want friends that are fun, but not friends that will steal my laptop and sell it for drug money. I don’t want to accidently step on a hypodermic needle while walking to get a glass of water late at night (I mention this because it was a story told at one of the houses I looked at). No matter how much I tried, the cheap side of me just wouldn’t let me check out any expensive places.
Finally my father said it best. How often do you get to live in Sydney? Treat it like a long vacation and live well. He was absolutely correct, although a bit out of character (how do you think I learned to be cheap?). I don’t want to be miserable every day I’m here! I decided to bite at a very expensive offer for a room in a suburb about a 20 min walk north called Glebe.
I love this house! I need to get pictures. It was furnished and as soon as he showed me the open bedroom I was sold. My entire life I’ve always wanted a room with a private balcony! I had to have it no matter what the cost, so I decided to suck it up and throw all of my cash down the toilet to take the room.
The only problem was that he was still looking for people to take the other rooms. I might end up with creepy people, but it’s a gamble I was willing to take. I think I am an agreeable person and will hopefully get along with whomever else lives there.
So yeah. I will eventually have a place to live, but not for a week because it is still being renovated. I can’t wait!
By the way, asian food is amazing and cheap here. I got a a smoked eel sushi roll for ONE DOLLAR aud, which is about $.70 usd!! After that I had a huge tub of Thai food for 6 bucks! I love it!
Australia Day:
Today is apparently Australia day. I took the train to meet one of my sister’s friend at a park for food drinks and Frisbee. I’m still a bit overwhelmed by everything and I was probably boring, but it was really nice to be able to sit down and talk to people! Everybody seemed very friendly and it was a great change of scenery!
It eventually started raining so I headed back to my room. On the way I picked up some great cheap sushi and got totally drenched (for the first time not from sweat), but it was worth it!
When I got back to my room I looked in my mirror and noticed that I had an unusually long hair growing in my right eyebrows. Now, I have naturally bushy eyebrows (thanks dad), and normally I wouldn’t waste my time writing to my family and friends about my body hair abnormalities, but daaaamn! How in the hell did I not see this before??? It was seriously about an inch long! It just amazed me. Totally blew my mind! I tried to get a picture but it really didn’t do it justice because it curled and looked shorter. Seriously, how did I not see this before??
I also burnt my lip as a result of extremely poor judgment, but I won’t bore you with that story.
I know you are probably sick of hearing (reading) me say this, but I feel like I need to say it again. It is WAY too hot for me here! I never thought I would miss snow within hours of arriving! While walking around in my adventures below I actually had people laughing at how sweaty and distressed I was. One girl actually said to me, “it’s not THAT hot!” Unfortunately I was too hot to think of a witty response so I snapped back with a very clever, “um, yes it is.”
Aaaaaanyway, I quickly exhausted the number of things I had to take care of on campus, so I eventually started exploring off campus. On my first trip out I wandered around for a few hours trying to find something useful and eventually found a great multi level shopping mall hidden within a city block. Upon entering I was greeted with a very familiar site… Kmart!
I had never been so happy to see a Kmart!! I ran in overjoyed, arms waving and sweat flying from my flapping limbs. I started grabbing goods left and right! I got shampoos and soaps, yogurt topped muesli bars (now the staple of my diet), a towel, a cup so I could drink water like a normal person, and some sunscreen which I desperately needed! I also got what I consider my greatest investment to date. A small electric fan! When I am in my room it is ALWAYS sitting directly in front of me on full power (as it is right now).
I adore my fan. I named it Spinny and so far it is my best and only friend in Sydney! I’ve caught myself on too many occasions talking to my fan. I think the heat may be getting to my head…
I’d like to point out that nothing is air conditioned the way it is in the states, so everywhere I go I am still disgusting and drenched. It’s hot here. Have you gotten that yet?
Hey everyone! I fixed it so anybody can leave a comment. Just select "anonymous". Enjoy reading!
Oh your God, was it hot in my room. I threw my stuff on the ground and immediately got a shower because in all honesty I smelled like somebody wrapped boiled cabbage in a used jock strap. Mmmmm, Sexy!
I’d like to flash back and remind you that I forgot to pick up my arrival info at the airport. So here I was, with no idea where I actually was.
I decided to not let this stop me and wandered out to try and find the international student office. If anybody would be able to help me, it would be them! I had their address on some paperwork and figured I would eventually run into a map that would help me.
After a good bit of walking I found an “info” stand with a large map! Horray!!! Even better, somebody had left a paper copy of the map sitting in front of it!
“This is my lucky day! “ I exclaimed aloud right as I noticed that the building I needed to find was on the complete other corner of campus.
I turned around and started heading off in the right direction. About 40 minutes and 6 Liters of sweat later (about 1.5 gallons) I got to the building and was greeted by a sign informing me that the international office had been moved to the 4th floor of the Russ building.
Russ building? OK fine. Let me bust out my shiny new map and find it!
There is no Russ building… Wtf!
I decide to re-adopt my initial strategy and just start walking. After an hour or so of pointless wandering I finally broke down, pulled out my map, and asked somebody where the Russ building was located.
“Oh, it’s this building right here” they said pointing at my map as if I were a fool for not knowing.
“The one marked ‘construction site’ On the other side of campus?”
“yup! You’re way off out here!”
“Yes, it would appear as though your observation is correct…”
So I walked across campus again, perspiring like I was in a damn sauna and panting as I begrudgingly hauled my stubborn sun burnt legs along. I would have killed 100 adorable puppies with my bare hands for just a single ice cube.
I finally got to the International Office and they welcomed me to Uni with a smile on their faces and told me to stop by the computer center to set up my “UniKey” and get a student email address. This building was across the street from where their office USED TO BE! AAARRGGGHHH!!!! They also told me I should attend the new arrival meeting at 10:30am. I asked what time it was because I genuinely did not know. It was 1:30pm. I guess I missed it.
So off I went to the computer center. Once I got there a man who seemed very comfortable with the warm weather was happy to start setting up my info, but eventually informed me that I would have to see the people in the Fisher Library computer lab to finish getting my wireless internet activated. It was located ON THE OTHER SIDE OF CAMPUS!!!
If I wasn’t so exhausted, sun burnt, and sweaty and I if I still had any energy I would have jumped across the desk and beaten him in the face with my laptop.
So off I went AGAIN! I can not stress how hot it was for me. For all you east coast people, you know that as soon as it’s 60 degrees F you will be outside with your tee shirts and shorts. Can you even imagine 100??? That was a rhetorical question. YOU CAN’T!! It was 100, but to me if seriously felt like the sun was resting inches from my face poking me with pitchforks filled with burning hay, laughing burning and taunting me like napalm launching hyenas.
I reluctantly made my way to Fisher library. I don’t know why, but it really bothered me to see so many people walk by seemingly enjoying the weather. At this point I was literally drenched with sweat. My pit stains had become upper body stains, then eventually full body stains. There was no part of my clothing left dry.
After what seemed like a 20 mile walk, I eventually made it to the library and the assholes made me go up stairs to get to the computer center. STAIRS??? You dicks, I hate you…
Finally I was there! I was ready to have my computer set up so I could access the internet, but all the nerds behind the desk did was hand me a pamphlet with directions for setting everything up myself. WHY couldn’t they have given this to me at any of my other stops?? Whatever, no point in wasting energy getting violently angry over this.
I spent about 30 minutes in the library downloading and tinkering with network settings, then I was done! DONE! Yay! Now I have wireless internet!! Wait, what does this small print say??
Students are allowed 6mb of internet usage per day and only select sites for research can be accessed.
*smacks self in forehead then winces in pain due to sunburn*
I decided that the only thing I could do was retreat to my room to lap water from the faucet like a dog (I had no cup) and take a few more cold showers.
If nothing else I guess I’m starting to learn my way around campus.
I finally have the internet!!! YAAAAAY! I have SO much to tell everybody about these last two weeks! I was hoping to post everything in one big entry, but it ended up being over 10 pages long in MS word and I don’t want to eat up too much of your time at once. I figured the best way to handle this would be to post something new every day until I’ve caught up to present time! So bookmark this page and keep checking back!
Ok, first I want to give a big shout out to the wonderful people I spent time with and met in LA. I would could write an entire book on what happened that weekend, but unfortunately right now I really need to focus on the southern hemisphere.
So here is part one of my backlogged Australian journal. I hope you enjoy reading it:
First day in Australia:
So where do I begin?? I guess the best place would be walking onto flight 839 in LAX. I was absolutely terrified about sitting still for over 14 hours, but it ended up being tolerable. My seat was crammed and uncomfortable, but it was next to a very nice younger Chinese/Australian girl who’s ear I talked off for the first few hours of the flight. I probably asked her a million questions about Australia and made her give me pointers on what little mandarin I can speak (so far I can tell people that I don’t speak mandarin, and I can order two beers. Not one, only two). After that I fell asleep for about 10 hours and woke up just about there!
Once I got off the plane and claimed my bags I got immediate attention form every customs agent in the airport. Anybody that had a chance to see my guitar’s flight case will know why! There must have been 12 different officers that walked up before I even got to the front of the line and asked me what was in the case. When I would tell them it was a guitar a few got excited and started short guitar conversations with me. So far people seem nice I guess!
While waiting in line I watched them tear apart people’s luggage, searching every little pocket and flap, open every container, and basically separating everything regardless of whether it should or should not be in more than one piece. When I got up to the inspection station I expected them to pull out the rubber gloved and lube, but the guy simply asked, “do you have any food from the US? “
“Yes I do” I answered .
I held up my fresh pack of Mentos with a big smile on my face.
Aaaaaaaaand, Freeze frame!
(Yes, I actually did this. I really hope they have Mentos here in Australia! It has become an obsessions!)
“Ok, you’re good to go. Next!” he repied
“Really?” I exclaimed in amazement! “You don’t even want to go rummaging through my guitar case?” Immediately realizing that that is probably a really stupid thing to say.
“Nope.”
I decided not to push the topic and quickly moved along.
I may have moved along a bit too quickly because I forgot to check in at the new student desk to get all of my information and arrival paperwork. Instead I hopped into a cab and we started driving.
“Where to?” the driver asked.
“Wesley College building in the University of Sydney” I answered.
“Where is that?”
“Um… I don’t know”
Shit!
“Just drop me off at the University of Sydney. It is between Camperdown and Darlington off City Road. I’ll find it from there.” I finally said.
This is exactly what he did.
If you don’t mind I’m going to sidetrack from my story for a second. Actually, even if you do mind it’s going to happen anyway. What are you going to do about it? Travel back in time fly here and stop me?? I’d like to see you try, jerk! Ha! Oh geez, I’ve gotten sidetracked from sidetracking. Ok, back to my off topic topic: It is HOT here! The people who live here have been saying that it is uncharacteristically hot for Sydney, but for me it was INSANE! It was SNOWING when I left Philly, and now it is in the mid 30’s (mid to high 90’s in F)! I am wearing WAY too much clothing for this kind of heat. In fact, if I had a better razor I could have shaved my entire body and walked around the streets naked pouring ice water on myself with one hand and fanning myself with my other and I still would have been too hot! To much info? Absolutely, but I wanted to make sure I got my point across. That point being I am unbearably hot! A roasting inerno! Ok, back to the story!
So here I am somewhere on campus literally dripping with sweat carrying a giant duffle bag, a guitar case the size and probably weight of me, a large suitcase, and a medium sized bag for my computer. So have one, two, three, four bags and how many arms. Well there’s one, and two… hhhhmmm
Did I mention I lost the wheels to my luggage so I couldn’t drag it behind me? I really need to get a picture of all of this later so you can see what I had to carry. If I get around to it I will post it for you.
I need a damn sherpa or something. I just started wandering around campus panting wheezing and dripping, lugging my bags behind me in all sorts of strange and probably spine damaging ways for what seemed forever until finally I found it, Wesley College! The building I was staying at looked like a small castle! I was so excited!!! I crawled my way to the door and literally collapsed into the entrance. A man ran out to me and asked if I needed medical help, but I just told him that all I wanted was to check in as quickly as possible so I could shower!
A friendly lady walked out to me and showed me to my room. She opened the door for me and I stepped in. Picture a closet with a poorly maintained cot, but the cot clearly had been slept in recently and the sheets had not been changed in the last decade or so. The large windows that looked out to campus didn’t even have curtains! Lucky for me I think she noticed the extremely disappointed look on my face, or maybe just felt bad for me because I looked and smelled like I was an inch from death and decided to find a nicer room with curtains and clean sheets.
She eventually came back with news that she moved me to room 386 in the “New Wing” (which was ironically a very old wing).
In the brochure it said that all single rooms had bathrooms and linen service. What this meant was that the building had bathrooms somewhere in it and that they give you sheets when you first get there, but they aren’t necessarily clean. Even my “clean” sheets had mysterious sticky stains, but I decided to just try and ignore them. What doesn’t kill me can only make me ill or maybe give me a rash. Maybe both.
