It has finally warmed up here in Geelong, with the temperature going above 80 degrees yesterday and nearing 90 degrees today. To celebrate the warm weather, we hit the beach yesterday. It was wonderful feeling to be lying in the sand in early January.

On the way, we took lots of pictures with some strange artwork that is scattered everywhere along the waterfront here in Geelong. They are called bollards, and they supposedly tell the history of Geelong. (Check out this website and scroll down to “Bollards Trail” for more information).

Then my housemates and I went over to another house with some other students from New York, and we enjoyed some tacos, burritos, and Australian beer (James Boag’s – “Tasmania’s Finest”).

Tonight I’m going to hit the town with the girls, but we’re not going to party too hard since tomorrow we’re leaving on our Learn to Surf/Great Ocean Road weekend! Pictures and stories to come on Monday!

Cheers ☺

The first two days in Geelong were a bit of a culture shock for me, since everything closed at 5 – on the first day because it was a Sunday, and on the second day because it was a public holiday. Coming from the city that never sleeps, this was a bit hard to swallow.

The atmosphere is also very different. This is partly because Geelong consists of only about 300,000 people (though it is the fastest growing area in Australia at the moment). Whereas New York City streets are almost always crowded and bustling, sometimes I don’t see anyone else out. The lack of significant foot traffic (despite the fact that everyone walks everywhere) is evident by the way crosswalks work. Rather than automatically giving pedestrians a walk signal, the lights only allow for pedestrians when you press a button. Being from New York, I’m used to jay walking and crossing against the light, but I’ve been warned that laws against jay walking are actually enforced here (through a AUS$150! fine) and cars are not required to yield to pedestrians (while in the city, pedestrians always have the right of way) so I better wait for the little green man to tell me it’s okay to cross.

However, the lack of the hustle and bustle is also nice. I’ve discovered that Australian’s have a reputation for being laid back for a reason – they are! No one ever seems to be in a rush, and all interactions seem to be very casual. We don’t call our teachers in class professor or doctor, we simply call them by their first name. Though I’m not saying it’s better than the busy and soemtimes cold city (which I love) it certainly is a big cultural difference.

It’s been three days since I landed in Melbourne, Australia, and I apologize that my first post is so late! I’ve had a bit of trouble getting internet up and going, but, I think I can successfully remember and recount all that’s happened…

My flight from JFK left at 6:30 PM on New Years Eve (yes, I missed partying and bringing in 2011 in style, but I also saved a lot of money by flying out a day early). After a 6 hour flight to LAX, I got ready to board my 14 hour flight to Sydney. At 12 AM LA time, while sitting on the plane waiting for takeoff, the captain announced the time and everyone clapped. That and champagne with my dinner a little later on was all the celebrating I got to do. Once I arrived in Sydney I had to collect my bags, rush through customs, recheck my bags and go through security, and then board my 1.5 hour flight to Melbourne. The other students on this flight and I were picked up in Melbourne by the Study Abroad coordinator at Deakin University, where we are studying while we are here. An hours drive, and we were in Geelong. We were dropped off at the house we will be staying at (in the picture below). All in all, it was an exhausting almost 2 day trip.

It’s pretty nice: three single rooms, for Jenny, Shanni (my housemates) and I, a kitchen, bathroom, and living room (all pictured below). It’s only about a 20 minute walk to school, and since the weather is gorgeous, that’s no big deal.

Coming from the blizzard in New York, the minute I stepped outside (first at the Sydney airport) and felt the 70 degrees F + weather I couldn’t help but smile. I have no idea how I’m going to readjust when I go back home, but it’s nice that I’m walking around in shorts and a tank top in January. Since Monday was a public holiday, and therefore, school didn’t start until Tuesday, my house mates and I explored Geelong, found some of our fellow students from New York at their various residences, and just generally did alot of walking. Even though it was relatively cool, only in the 70s, I got a bit sunburnt because the sun is so much stronger here (something to do with the angle…ask a scientist).

Yesterday was the first day of class. We got our Deakin University Ids, toured the campus, sat through orientation (long and boring, the way orientations usually are) and then got a 1 hour overview of Australian history. My housemates and I then bought wifi (still not up and running quite right, though thankfully the University has free wifi) and phones (which are up and running, thankfully, so we can call tech support about the wifi). At 6 Deakin university hosted a nice welcome dinner for us at a restaurant at the water’s edge called Edge (appropriately named) which was nice but lasted until 9! We headed home and went to bed almost straightaway (at least I did, I was exhausted).

This morning was a lesson on Multicultural Australia, introductions and then thankfully we have the afternoon off. I’ll be catching up on my readings, as will many other people I gather. (Since we only got the materials yesterday, we haven’t really had time to do much reading).

And that’s that! I’ll make some shorter posts about more interesting tidbits I’ve discovered, and then try to keep you all updated on my daily activities for the next 18 days or so. Cheers!