July 17th 2009 - I made it!
Wow, my journey was extremely long. It started in Phila, where I almost didn't get on the plane since it was overbooked (even though my flight itinerary stated that I was "guaranteed" to be on the flight). A girl sitting across from me told me she had studied abroad in Australia in Gold Coast and, of course, she loved it. When I got to L.A. I had an overpriced sandwich (Ham and Gruyere) which, although expensive, was probably one the best I've ever had and, along with the announcements from Air France and multiple French speakers, reminded me of the wonderful Croque-Monsieur I had while in Paris.
Next was the extremely long flight from LAX to Sydney International- about 13 hours, to be exact. The plane was huge- a double-decker- and when I got to my seat, I realized that there was an LCD screen in the seat in front of me. Cool! I checked it out further and learned that not only was there a screen, oh no, this screen had a corded remote that popped out of the armrest and allowed you to browse through something like 200 movies and television programs, and choose what you wanted to watch. I started watching Speed Racer, which I had been interested in, since it was the Wachowskis doing both an Anime adaptation and a more kid-oriented film. Quickly after having a second dinner however (free! with complimentary wine- which I didn't have) I grew tired and decided it would be best to sleep. Not the most comfortable thing to do on a plane, but nevertheless, I got some shut eye.
When I woke up, they announced that they would be serving breakfast soon. I finished Speed Racer just as they were coming around with the cart- breakfast was some fresh fruit, which was deliciously crisp and juicy, depending on the particular fruit. Plus, again, it was complimentary! I read my book some and waited as we slowly descended towards Auckland, watching here and again on the screen in front of me the "Airwatch" channel, where you could chart your plane's progress along its prescribed route via a slideshow of screens.
Once in NZ, those who were continuing on had to go through a security checkpoint (totally lax compared to the US- but then again. who the heck is gonna try and terrorize NZ?) Once in the terminal, I found I had a good 3 hours to waste before my next flight. I took the time to try and phone home, but no matter what I tried, I could not get my phone to connect. So I did the next best thing- I headed over to an internet kiosk. Just as I arrived, a couple stood up and left. I realized they still have a few minutes left on their rent and I hopped on when I was sure they weren't coming back and quickly rattled off an email to my father, letting him know my phone wasn't really working. Afterwards, I settled back in with my book, In A Sunburnt Country by Bill Bryson, which is quite a delightful read, though maybe a bit overstated (although maybe not!). My plane didn't get a gate until about 10 minutes before boarding for some reason, so when it did, I rushed down and then boarded the plane when it was ready to go.
As I got on the plane, the flight attendant took one look at my large carry-on bag and said Ohhh no. That bag is much too big. That's definitely over 7 kilos. She hefted it- probably like 9 or 10 kilos. I told her that I had brought on the plane with me since Phila, but she would have none of that (I also told her, truthfully, that I have no clue how much 7 kilos is, but I don't think she quite understood). I had to check the bag right there before I could go to my seat.
Despite this minor setback, I was ecstatic to find that each seat was again equipped with this viewing station in the seat in front, something I was not expecting for a 3-hour flight. I also learned that I would be getting a second free breakfast- sweet! Man, flying with Air NZ is apparently awesome! I watched Appaloosa, the Ed Harris film with Viggo Mortensen and Renee Zellweger. It was okay- the set design was off the chain. I also saw a few episodes of Flight of the Conchords, a show about two NZ musicians who go to NYC to find fortune there- Erika, my next-door neighbor, had shown me a few episodes in America, but it was neat to see them before arriving in Sydney and just after leaving Auckland.
Once I arrived in Sydney, I quickly headed to customs. The guy asked for my passport, looked at the picture, looked at me, asked if I was studying (I said "Yeah.") and then handed me back my info and let me know I was alright to go. How can this be so easy? I wondered, remembering the hassle that was customs in Canada when coming back from France. I looked around afterwards for another "real" customs desk, but that was it. I walked into Baggage and picked up my bags (my guitar, I found, was separately taken off in the "oversized luggage" area). I headed out of the airport and into an atrium of sorts where, after a few minutes of looking around and consulting my information, I found my driver. He said, right off, "G'day mate!" and I would've thought he was just saying this to please me, except that he said it everytime he either called someone or was called during our ride. I sat in the front passenger seat of the limo, as this seemed the best place to take in all the sights. I was quiet for most of the ride, as was my driver, as I took everything in. Before I had gotten in I had walked to the right side only to remember, mid-stride, the steering wheel was on the right. Sitting on the left side was an extremely odd experience, as I kept thing I should be driving, and turns were always into the wrong side of the road (not to mention we were DRIVING on the 'wrong' side of the road!) The trees here are extremely different, reminding me of something you'd find in Africa maybe.
After about an hour, hour and a half, we made it to Wollongong, as a sign proclaimed "Welcome to Wollongong." Once we got to Unit 6, where I was to meet an RA (or SR-senior resident, as they apparently call them here) my driver called a certain number to dispatch the SR and waited with me until the SR got there. The SR introduced himself and lead me to my room, 32.5. I'm not gonna lie, my first impression was, "Do I get keys, or are you just gonna lock me in here?" It looks like a prison- white-painted cinderblock walls, white metal bed, white built-in shelving. I'm sure after putting up some decorations it'll be nicer (thank goodness I brought a couple things) but geez!
As I sat down to take it all in after the SR had left, I suddenly got a pit in my gut. I was a gazillion miles away from home, in a very different land, it was cold instead of warm. I took a few deep breaths and calmed myself down- I just need some time to get myself settled. It still feels weird to be such an outsider in a strange place, but I've only been here like 10 minutes! I played a few songs on my guitar and then started reading a few papers that had been given me. I quickly started to get tired, but wanted to use a campus map to at least see the campus a little. So I headed out, and, as I was leaving, I bumped into the SR and one of my new roommates. I said Hi, but I was already on a mission and I told him I'd see him later (plus, if he was anything like me. he'd need a few minutes to himself, too as he moved in). Immediately after walking outside, I was reminded of how cold it was again. Even with a long-sleeved shirt and light hoodie, I was cold. Well it is the middle of winter here, I reminded myself. I struck on, seeing strange, but interesting birds as I walked along, with foreign shapes and calls. The map was extremely confusing and it took me awhile to find the library, but I finally made it. It's a very nice one.
I made my way back and was planning on trying to stay up until 10 or so, but at about 5 or 6, I just had to get some rest. Before I did, I plugged in my computer (the adapter didn't explode or anything, so I guess it's fine :) ) and connected to the UoW network, the only sites I could access. Thankfully, this included email, and I sent one off to Dad just to let him know I had made it before conking out. I slept until 5 in the morning and then got up to greet the new day!
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Australia is a really different place, and I've had some great experiences thus far, but I'll leave it at that for today- I just finished a week in assignment hell (6 MAJOR assignments all due during the week). I AM extremely glad that my roommates and I FINALLY got our internet set up- ISPs and phone companies here are a NIGHTMARE!!!
Cheers!
Zach
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