Canberra Brumbies Rugby

I have officially gone to my first Australian Rugby match! We went the Friday night before Bathurst to see the Canberra Brumbies play a South African team, and they won! It was very exciting, and I hope to go see another one in the future!

Bathurst, NSW

My friend Nikki is from Bathurst, New South Wales, and she has been wanting me to come home with her and meet all her friends and family. So I went last weekend for the night to celebrate her boyfriend Aaron's 18th birthday. Yes, I felt very old. There were two car fulls of us riding down, and halfway through, we stopped at McDonald's, or Mackers they call it to get food. Then all of a sudden, there were 5 people in a small hatchback car. Yes, I got stuck in the back with Nikki and Rachel's boyfriends, smushed. Thankfully, when we got into Bathurst, we spotted a field FULL of kangaroos, and so we stopped since I had been looking for a kangaroo this whole time. It was exciting. Then we went to Mt. Panorama, where there is a famous race every year. The next day, Nikki and Aaron drove me around the town showing me both their schools, and all the various parts of Bathurst. I had my first pie, but the vegetarian kind, and it was good! Unfortunately, I was very sick during the trip, and wasn't my normal self, I had to go to the doctor once I got back to campus.

Finally a New Blog Entry!

So it has really been a long time since I last wrote, and I have done a lot since then. I have been very busy with school and procrastinating on facebook.

I will start with the Hot Air Balloon Festival. Vessy, Chanmi, and I left the dorm an early Sunday morning at 6:00am to go to the site where the festival was. We got there before the sun came out, and went around looking at lots of balloons that were being laid out to be blown up. The biggest was the Kookaburra, an Australian bird. I don't know if I ever saw it get very far off the ground. There were tons of balloons, and it reminded me of my Grandma Miller.
































A week later, was Skyfire, which is a city fireworks display put on by a local radio station. It was very pretty, and one of my photos was used in the B&G newsletter!

Classes and such.

So since I last wrote, I have started my classes. Today was the end of week 2 of classes, and I already feel so lost. I am taking 4 classes: Abnormal Psychology across the Lifespan, Social Psychology of Groups Processes and Social Change, Biological Basis of Behaviour, and Tools For New Media and Web. The way classes work here is you go to a lecture a few hours a week, then you go to a lab or tutorial for another few hours each week. This ends up being around 6 hours per class that I actually have to go. The labs rotate every other week though. I think I am having the hardest time with Biological Basis of Behaviour, or NEUROSCIENCE. It's like another language to me.

I also find it strange that out of my 4 lecturers, 2 are American. I am in Australia, I wanted Australian teachers! haha.

This week labs started, and I already had my first Neuroscience quiz. I also saw a spider in the classroom bigger than a tarantula. Needless to say, that's what got my attention the entire 3 hours. We were put into groups for a presentation, and I was put in the group that will be researching Sexual Preference. The other topics are Obesity, Fear, and Alzheimer's. I think I might do my summary on Obesity.

I have been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately. There were tons of bugs flying around earlier in the week, and some in my bed. I have also gotten lots of bites, and a rash on my foot, which I think I got from dawn kayaking. I also woke up with blood in my ear one morning, so this week hasn't been the best for me. I think I am getting anemic again, boo. I need to take some iron pills. Oh, and I got a funny package from my mom and she tried to send me a bag of guinea pig hair, which they took away haha. They replaced it with a letter saying they took a bag of guinea pig hair away hahaha.

Going to watch the B&G Field Hockey Game today. If it's not rained out.

Hope everyone is doing well!!

O-Week

This week has been O-Week, or Orientation Week. It is filled with daily events either done by the Residence Hall you live in, or by the University itself. I had a hall meeting on Saturday, and met some of the other people who are living on my hall. I also met my SR, senior resident. Her name is Marcelle, and she is very nice. That night, I went to International Student Speed Dating.. very strange indeed haha. I will never do that again.

Sunday, B & G Hall had an event called Drag and Diva night. Basically, guys were supposed to dress like girls, and girls like Brittney Spears in her bad days. I was told I didn't look tacky/trashy enough. Haha. After it, we went to a gay bar called Cube. The people here get a lot crazier than the people at home. I just sort of stood there watching and taking pictures haha.

Monday I worked on my costume for the "Anything Goes...but Clothes" night. I cut arms and a neck into a pillowcase, and wore it as a shirt. Then I took pieces of my fan box and made a belt, and glued pink and blue crepe paper all down it to make a skirt.

Tuesday I went grocery shopping finally! It was so strange, because nothing was familiar to me. They don't even have Parmesan cheese in a container, the dry powdery kind like I like haha. Thanks to my new friend Nikki, I had a ride to the grocery store so I didn't have to carry all my groceries. Oh, by the way. The orange Fanta here tastes like pepper. Eew. But the Pepsi is the same, I have a liter of that in my little mini wine cooler fridge thing.

Today, I was woken up at 6am for a fire drill. I was probably one of the last ones to go outside, because I was staying in my room until some guy came and unlocked my door and made me leave.. Boo. I also did my first 2 loads of laundry today. I am about to go put them in a dryer.

Past Few Days

I have been trying to rest the past few days, because all this walking is wearing my ankles out. Thursday I hung up all my pictures in my room and went to a place called Mooseheads at night. It was fun, because they played "Backstreet's Back" by the Backstreet Boys, which made my night. Friday I went back to Canberra Centre with Jessica to look for a fan and a fridge, and some other things. I got a fan for $10! Unfortunately, the fridges were $198 so I improvised and got a wine cooler thing. I thought I could use it as a fridge, just not as much room. I also got some pots and pans, and more kitchen stuff. It is frustrating that we have to get all our own kitchen stuff, because it is very expensive here, and I can't even cook that well! I have yet to get groceries.

Here are some pictures of where I live, and my room. Enjoy!

My Dorm, Burton and Garran Hall

My Building

The kitchen and cooking area. We are each assigned a cupboard and a fridge basket.

My bed

shelves

my closet

yay for the sink in my room!

Enrollment Day

Today I enrolled in my courses for the semester. I had to get up early and stand in a line, then get my visa checked, then went and talked with an advisor in the College of Sciences department. She helped me out with 3 psychology courses, and then I decided to take my 4th course on web-site building. I thought that might help me in the future. Once I was enrolled, I was given a user name and password, and told to go to the library to activate my email address and get a student ID. Yay! Now I am officially enrolled at ANU and have an ID and email and everything!

Then we went to the International students Sausage Sizzle, this cookout they are having every day this week for us. It is basically free food and they had a vegetarian patty. We met some new people, and I got sun burnt. My shoulders are very red.

Then, Jessica and I went to town to try and get our proof of Age cards. We walked all the way to the city library, only to be told we needed proof of where we live. So we had to walk all the way back to Toad Hall, where Jessica lives, and we each got letterhead and a letter stating where we live on campus. We made our way back, in the rain, to the library, and finally were able to get our cards. Yay! I have an Australian ID! Now, I have FIVE forms of ID hahaha. That's not including my passport. The ID is basically so I don't have to carry my passport around and risk loosing it.

We then went shopping a bit at the city centre and then to dinner at Wagamama, which was very good. I have leftovers here, but no fridge, so darn :(.

I have quickly realized the disadvantage of the PedEgg. It takes the protection off the bottom of your feet, and now my feet are not ready for flip flops. I have been in so much pain in my feet the past few days, because there is no callus on them. I walk everywhere here, if I don't loose some weight or get somewhat more fit, then I give up haha. I came back to my room after dinner and have been sitting here, too tired to move ever since. Tomorrow morning is the bus tour!

Day 2: International Student Orientation Day

Today was the day we were required to be there for. When I got there, I was super early, so I sat out on the benches playing Solitaire. Then some guys I met on Facebook recognized me and sat down to chat. Then we went in, and there was table after table of information and free stuff. Everything they thought an international student might be interested in. I met so many people, and was overwhelmed. Then they had a big lunch for us, with several vegetarian options, and an indigenous dance group. After that, several of us decided to venture into the city to get some shopping for essentials in. The Canberra City Centre is HUGE, and very cool. They even have a Wagamama and Nandos, restaurants I haven't seen since I was in London. I was very happy to hear there was a Target, but the Target here is dinky. The Big W is where it is at. I also got an Australian phone, a pink Motorola Razr. Now comes the funny part.

Apparently, it is fine to take the shopping carts through the town with you. They have someone who drives around getting them all. So we had a combined 3 shopping carts we were pushing full of stuff, through this downtown area haha. It was so difficult, and at one point, we were crossing a street, and the sidewalk was raised too much, and I ran to try and push my cart over it, and instead it was like brick wall central. My cart emptied a lot out, and hit me in the ankle. It was embarrassing haha, only me. Then Sara and I proceeded to push our cart entirely ACROSS CAMPUS to our dorms. Talk about difficult. I was so worn out by the time I got my stuff up to my dorm, that I just sat here for awhile figuring out my phone and Internet, since I just got Internet today.

Then I walked to UniLodge, and met up with Joanna, Jessica, and Akshay. We were starving and wanted to find a good place to eat. Apparently no one in Canberra eats late at night, because all we could find was a Turkish place. I got chips/fries, and a drink. That cost me $8. Yes, I paid $4 for a bottled soda. Then we went to the curb market and I got a Popsicle and a strongbow. Now I am here, writing this blog. haha

The Beginning

So my friend Sara gave me the idea of starting this blog so everyone at home can keep up with me and what I am doing while I am here. I am studying abroad at the Australian National University in Canberra. Canberra is the capitol of Australia, by the way haha.

So I will start with leaving Los Angeles, where I got to spend some time with Stephanie. My flight left LAX at 10:20 pm, but was delayed due to an engineering problem....no inflight entertainment. After sitting for a while, we left and were forced to find other forms of entertainment for the next 15 hours, so I slept haha.

Upon arrival to Sydney, I checked into the Stamford Plaza Hotel near the airport, and got much needed rest for the night, then got up at 4 am and waited for the gym to open. Then I checked out, and headed to the airport again for my flight to Canberra. That was a short flight. When I arrived in Canberra, I was greeted by an ANU student and given a welcome pack. Then I met a girl from India, and another from Malaysia. We were waiting for a few more people, and then Joanna and Jessica showed up. Joanna is from Hawaii, and Jessica from British Columbia. We got on a bus and had a really funny bus driver, who kept cracking jokes. I think my favorite moment of that bus ride was when we see a man with a squeegie

Anyways, we dropped everyone off, and I was last, arriving at my dorm, B&G Hall. One of the Senior Residents checked me in, and took me on a tour of where I would be living. The place is huge, with no A/C...I need to invest in a fan, pronto. The kitchen is huge, and there is a BAR in the main part. My room is on a coed hall, and I have a guy neighbor from Norway I think. I am lucky though, because the female showers and bathrooms are maybe 2 doors away. I have my own room with a sink, and a huge desk, and a closet bigger than my apartment in Boone. I just spent time unpacking on my first night and went to bed early.