Original post

So many plans were made for my summer, and so few accomplished! I went to the beach all of ONCE 🙁 and didn’t really achieve any of the lofty intellectual or skill building goals I had intended (outside of my research assistant position at Roosevelt House). I did have alot of fun, but it seems as though, three weeks into the semester, that hasn’t changed! Though it took me awhile to get settled back into the dorms (First Irene and then labor day weekend!) this weekend I finally finished unpacking my clothes and plugged in my fridge. I feel as though I’ve almost got this term’s rhythm down – class, work, research, gym, eat, sleep, socialize (it’s always a juggling act). Read more »

Before I put up my last post on my trip to Sydney, here’s a list of Australian words/phrases that entered my vocabulary while I was down under. Most of them have faded in the weeks since I got home, thankfully!

o   Mate

o   Bloke

o   Cheers

o   No worries

o   Mackies

o   Sunnies

o   Bathers

o   Fair go

Hello Readers! I’ve been back in our grand city for about two days now, and I promise, I will post about my last three days in Sydney ASAP. But while you wait, here’s an interesting tidbit about Australian cuisine. Read more »

So, two thirds of last weekend was spent writing papers. All day Friday and all day Sunday I spent sitting at my computer, typing away. Two pieces of good news: I’m finally done, and I had an AMAZING Saturday in Melbourne. We caught the 9:30 train out of South Geelong so that we would be in Melbourne by 10:30. It’s almost exactly the same as taking the LIRR into NYC. Read more »

In case there’s anyone diligently following this blog, you may have noticed from time to time I use the word “PICTURE” as a placeholder until I actually take the picture and/or upload it. I don’t forget about those, and have slowly been filling them in, and will continue to do so!

To make up for it, I’ll leave you with the following picture, which is the view from the Geelong Library, where I am right now.

Look for my post about my day in Melbourne, coming sometime tomorrow.

Cheers!

Many people probably don’t take the time to think about it, but walking etiquette imitates road laws – we drive on the right, so we also walk on the right. But of course, in Australia they drive on the left side of the road, so they also walk on the left! I discovered this one of my first days here, when I had an awkward encounter on the stairs: I was walking up on my right, he was walking down on his left, and obviously, we collided. It hasn’t been a problem since, but it is interesting to note. Need proof? Check out the escalators in the Geelong mall:

PICTURE TO COME 🙂

Perhaps completely unrelated, but another interesting Australian quirk: the light switches go the other way!

UP = OFF                   DOWN = ON

Obviously, everyone who lives in Australia knows to drive on the left side of the road (as our bus driver from our Great Ocean Road tour said, Australia’s one of the only places where left is right). However, apparently tourists sometimes forget:

And a snapshot from our Great Ocean Road tour:

I switched the arms around, but besides that, I think it’s a good likeness!

While I try to keep my blog pretty upbeat, one thing that is a downer for a college student on a budget studying abroad is money! The exchange rate of Australian to US dollars is close to 1:1, but that’s actually a significant devaluing of the US dollar, as a few years ago it was closer to 2:1. Not only is the exchange rate currently to my disadvantage, but everything is Australia is more expensive! Instead of the 99 cents store, Geelong has a “Mainly $2” store:

(Though I did spot a dollar store in Melbourne:

)

The footlongs at Subway are AUS$10 instead of US$5. And, McDonalds has gourmet desserts!

While not everything here is twice the price, the cost of living is certainly higher than in New York City. Word to the wise: plan to spend a lot when you’re away, whether it’s to study or on holiday, and hopefully the prices won’t cripple your wallet! That’s what I did, thankfully 🙂

Finally, the sun came out yesterday afternoon! This was actually GREAT news, since it meant I could do my laundry (no dryer here, just a clothes line).

Yesterday was my presentation, which went very well. I also handed in my first paper.

I had come home with the goal of starting work on my second paper, but I was simply too wiped. Sunburn takes alot out of you. Luckily we have tomorrow off, which gives me plenty of time to get it done (Sunday through Wednesday I have to work on my final research paper, since I have to hand that in before I leave for Sydney on Thursday morning).

After today, there’s only one more day of class left! (Monday)

I heard you guys in NYC got a lot of snow…I’ll be enjoying Geelong’s sunny 70 degree weather!

Cheers!

Here in Australia, we’ve had two wet, rainy days. Though nothing compared to the flooding going on in Queensland, this kind of precipitation is apparently very unusual for this area at this time of year. The rain is a good thing for me, since it means the sun isn’t out to further destroy my skin. I’m happy to report my sunburn is improving, though my chest and my back are still in more pain than I’d like them to be.

Yesterday we had an excursion to Melbourne to visit three museums: the Melbourne Museum, the Immigration Museum, and the National Sport Museum at the famed MCG (Melbourne Cricket Grounds). Because the day was so jam-packed, we didn’t really get to look around the city, but what little I did see has gotten me excited for my planned trip to Melbourne this Saturday.

Though we have to write a paper on one of three topics concerning our museum visits, the day wasn’t all work. I actually really enjoyed the Melbourne Museum, and wish that I could’ve spent more time there. Also, since I hadn’t picket the Sports topic, at the sports museum, I headed straight to the game room, which was kind of like a free arcade. You could kick a ‘footy’ (the ball they use in Australian rules football; it’s also the colloquial name for the game itself), a soccer ball, ride a bike, practice your archery, play a full sized version of whack-a-mole with lights instead of moles, etc. I was joined in the game room by most of my classmates, so I guess very few people are writing this particular paper on sport.

Today we had class as usual, learning about Australian landscape and then Australian politics, and then we went on yet another academic excursion, to the Narana Aboriginal Cultural Center. Because the essay topic I chose doesn’t concern this particular institution, I got to sit back, relax, and enjoy the visit. It was a cool place, with a lot of aboriginal artwork and artifacts. An Aboriginal man who works at the center sat with us for about an hour, answering any and all of our questions about Aboriginal life. He demonstrated how to throw a boomerang in theory (he couldn’t throw it because we were inside, and unfortunately he couldn’t take us outside to show us because of the pouring rain). He also performed for the class, playing the didgeridoo. He was amazing! I didn’t take a video myself, but my classmates did and I’ll see if I can get a copy or link to post here. In terms of my academic workload, I polished up my first paper and accompanying power point presentation tonight. I present tomorrow, though it’s only five minutes long. After that I’ll being work on my field report that I mentioned above.

Despite the rain, the weather has been in the high 70s. I can’t believe NYC may be about to get more snow. I’m getting much too used to wearing shorts…

Cheers!