Considering a lot has happened since I got here, I've decided to just try and write about random events that pop into my brain. Hopefully this will filter my life here so far into significant events, though I'm sure I'll leave something out. Anyhow, I will now attempt to start summarizing some of the 'highlights' of the last two months:
The day before classes started, I got sick- coughing, sneezing, runny nose, fever, the whole bit. My Australian roommate told me I looked 'a bit ordinary.' We joked that it might be 'swine flu.' Well, half-joked. I went into Wollongong (which is more of a town than a 'city,' despite being Australia's 9th largest) to find some medicine- the center of town, "Wollongong Central," is filled with shops, bars, a Woolworths ('Woolies') and an indoor-outdoor mall. I took a free shuttle bus which goes everywhere here in Wollongong- the hours can sometimes be limiting, but it's great that it doesn't cost anything! The "Chemist" (what they call a pharmacy here) had just what I needed and within a few hours, I was already feeling a lot better. I stayed sick for a few more weeks after that, but still made it to all my classes.
The awesome-sauce that is the shuttle bus
The day before the day before my classes started, I went on a hike on Mt. Keira, the mountain overlooking the University of Wollongong campus and my accomodation, Kooloobong. The weather wasn't great (dark, rainy) but the hike was fun. Some of the parts we walked through looked very tropical, with palm trees and similar vegetation. When we got to the top, we had a nice view and barbequed on an outdoor grill.
The view
The peeps
The grillin'
Now, barbeque is pretty big in America during the summer months, but it still can't compare to the importance in Australian cooking. Every week there are 2 or 3 barbeques right on campus, selling sausages or burgers for a few dollars. Often, grilled onions will accompany a sausage, as well as BBQ sauce or 'tomato sauce,' which is the same thing as ketchup. They have 'hot chips' here (fries) and 'pies' (meat pies), and a lot of alcohol. People drink a lot in the states, but because the drinking age here is 18, people drink all the time! I don't really drink, and this is how I've gotten to be the 'designated driver.'
After a party at someone's unit here at Kooloobong, my roomates and a few friends went back to our unit. It was like 2 in the morning, and none of us had had anything to eat yet, so we were all hungry. Someone brought up "Mackers" (McDonalds) and before long, I found myself with my roommate's car keys in hand, as everyone piled into his small car. I was a little nervous about driving on 'the wrong side of the road,' but it turned out to be absolutely fine- thank goodness the steering wheel is mirrored, too! I still have no clue WHAT a kilometer is (or any other metric measurement, for that matter- I'm so glad I downloaded a converter for my iPod!). I did keep grabbing at the side of the door to shift gears, and putting the wipers on to put the blinkers on, but we made it to and from McDonalds without a hitch. And let me tell you- McDonalds in the wee hours of the morning is THE BEST!!
Mickey Dees with some of the homies
Kooloobong has been good, despite being old and a little run down (they had to replace out water heater two weeks after I got here because all the hot water was coming out brown). My room looks 'heaps' better than it did when I first got here, since I've put up some decorations, but you can still see the paint chips on the wall, and the carpet seems to be 'shedding' into little balls of fuzz. I wish the faucets wouldn't leak, and that we had an oven, but what can you do! There are a lot of International students living here, especially because most Australians commute from home or have an apartment of their own. My roommates are from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and Australia, and I've met others from France, Germany, Iran, China, Korea, Dubai, etc.- it's been great to discuss the differences between cultures and get to know people from all over the world!
I took part in an event called "Global Highway" here on campus. A few Americans from Kooloobong, including myself, put together a booth to represent the United States. The event also had booths from all over the world, each telling students and visitors about their respective countries. I drew a map of the Unites States by hand (from a reference, at least) and it actually turned out NOT HALF BAD. During the event, we had an elementary school visit, and all the kids mobbed us for candy, and learned some about the United States (one girl, when asked what 'big bird is the national bird of America answered, "Is it an Albatross?"). Most people who came to out booth, young or old, did not know a whole lot about America, but I realized, after taking a quick look at some of the other booths, that they knew more about America than I did about any of these other countries.
The U.S. booth at Global Highway- represent!
Kooloobong has hosted a few formal events (as opposed to the weekly 'there's a party at unit X'), one of them being the "KB Commencement Dinner." What exactly is was commencing, since it was 3 weeks or so after classes started, I don't know, but it was great. You had to go dressed up as either a "K" or a "B" thing- so I went as a "King," and made a crown and some 'jewelry' out of construction paper. They had a buffet with asian-style food, and a dance floor with a DJ- all in all, it was a great night!
On our way back from the commencement dinner
I think that's enough summarizing for today- I will try and finish summing up events in my next post. But for now, I am signing off.
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