So I guess I should probably introduce my new family to my family and friends back home! It's been a few weeks, and although we're constantly meeting new people, everyone has pretty much settled into a routine with groups. It's really nice to feel welcome =)
I first met Chris (Michigan) and Andrea (Illinois) at LAX on the day of departure. We hit it off really well almost right away, which was comforting. We met Kristin (Missouri, but goes to school in CA) a day or two after we got to Cairns, and that was pretty much the entire AustraLearn group for the May semester.
Once we got to Bond Uni, Kristin and I met our flatmate Basia (Poland) who is always hyped up on sugar. Ahh! Chris and Andrea's other flatmate is Felipe (Brazil). That night we also met Ashley (Canada) who has lived in Australia for 15 months, and Jass (Australia) who has taught us much about this country ha ha.
Tuesday of 0 Week, I was in an orientation for study abroad students. I asked a couple of questions, so people could obviously tell I was American. Chris and I left and started walking towards the next activity, when this girl stops me and says "Hey, are you American??" I was so surprised I couldn't really answer! Totally caught me off guard. Turns out she's a study abroad student too, but the only one in her program. I was the first American she found on campus! Ha ha her name is Kristen (North Carolina) and she's fabulous. Once her roomie got to campus a few days later, we all bonded with her too! Kaitlin (Massachusetts) is my adventure buddy, and we've decided to see everything while we're here.
We've also met Sunniva, who is from Norway! Between her and Basia, I've learned so much about European culture. For example, when someone in either of their countries says "Oh, I don't care" it's basically a way to say "Oh, f*** off, I don't care what you want/say/think. F*** you!". It's very rude and demeaning. Well, us Americans say that all of the time when it comes to making plans and we're indifferent about which activities to do. So for the first couple of weeks, Basia always thought we were mad at her, and I really couldn't understand why! She and Sunniva had a conversation about it, and realized that it was probably just a cultural difference. They told us and we all laughed for about 10 minutes. It still baffles me, though. Some silly little phrase can mean two entirely different things! Needless to say, we both gained a little more worldly knowledge that night.
Since our kitchen window stares directly into our neighbor's kitchen window, we've met them by accident. Jesse is a native to the Gold Coast and Adam is from Chicago. Both really cool guys! We've also met Mo and Mo, one from Egypt, one from somewhere else. And then we've met Isaack Blake, who are also natives. We were the first Americans they've ever met!
So, as you can see, my Aussie Land family is quite large and it's only week 3! It's really rather comforting to know that I have so many people around me already. I'm absolutely loving it down here, and I can't wait to share more stories with everyone. I'm working on making a site for my pictures on Shutterfly, but it takes almost 2 hours to load 40 pictures. It's a work in progress, but I promise to post the link for that as soon as I can.
Love!
P.S. It's incredibly weird not having people call me JJ. I've gone by that since 5th grade, almost 14 years, and it's just plain weird. This is one change I don't like!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Just An Update...
One would expect a student who is studying abroad to learn things about the culture, as well as the educational system. But so much so quickly?! It's nuts. I've been in classes for three days, and I already view the world just a little differently. I'm really enjoying these new perspectives though. Very enlightening.
In my International Relations class, we were asked to explain how we identified with our own culture/heritage. One girl raised her hand and said that Australians have the most independence, and that's how the identify with each other and/or their country. She went on and on about how no one else really understands independence like Aussies do. The teacher eventually stopped her, and quickly asked how many Americans were in the class. Out of 100ish, two of us raised hands. She proceeded to explain that Americans have a better appreciation of independence, simply because we had to fight for ours, and Aussies were essentially handed it. I was stunned. It's something drilled into our head since kindy, and yet I had never heard someone not American defend us like that. I sort of felt like we had just been put on a pedestal, and now the entire class knew I was American. Exactly what I didn't want! It wasn't a good feeling like I thought it would be. Yes, I am incredibly prideful of my country and grateful to every soul who has died for our freedom, and yet, I absolutely did not want people thinking I thought I was better than them! Because I absolutely am not. It was awkward. And yet very surprising.
It's amazing to see how people view our country. Most of the Aussies know more of our own history than theirs, and it's very evident. I've met so many people from so many different countries. I have friends from Norway, Poland, Zimbabwe, Holland, America, Canada, and Australia. Loving it! So many stories to share with each other; learning about other countries from real people instead of textbooks is outstanding. I have such an appreciation for the world.
On another note...it's crazy to see Orion (constellation) from another angle! And I saw the moon for the first time tonight. Why? No idea. It's been missing for 2.5 weeks. Strange.
In my International Relations class, we were asked to explain how we identified with our own culture/heritage. One girl raised her hand and said that Australians have the most independence, and that's how the identify with each other and/or their country. She went on and on about how no one else really understands independence like Aussies do. The teacher eventually stopped her, and quickly asked how many Americans were in the class. Out of 100ish, two of us raised hands. She proceeded to explain that Americans have a better appreciation of independence, simply because we had to fight for ours, and Aussies were essentially handed it. I was stunned. It's something drilled into our head since kindy, and yet I had never heard someone not American defend us like that. I sort of felt like we had just been put on a pedestal, and now the entire class knew I was American. Exactly what I didn't want! It wasn't a good feeling like I thought it would be. Yes, I am incredibly prideful of my country and grateful to every soul who has died for our freedom, and yet, I absolutely did not want people thinking I thought I was better than them! Because I absolutely am not. It was awkward. And yet very surprising.
It's amazing to see how people view our country. Most of the Aussies know more of our own history than theirs, and it's very evident. I've met so many people from so many different countries. I have friends from Norway, Poland, Zimbabwe, Holland, America, Canada, and Australia. Loving it! So many stories to share with each other; learning about other countries from real people instead of textbooks is outstanding. I have such an appreciation for the world.
On another note...it's crazy to see Orion (constellation) from another angle! And I saw the moon for the first time tonight. Why? No idea. It's been missing for 2.5 weeks. Strange.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
O Week
This past week has been a whirlwind of new friends, new places, and new memories. The Uni (what Aussie's call college) calls this week "O Week", essentially Orientation Week. There were all kinds of classes we could take, anything from introductions to the Uni, meeting faculty from your degree, study abroad students' tips, and even a cocktail welcome party. In the evenings, we participated in a ton of activities that helped Chris and I to meet lots of new people! It was a blasty blast.
We went to the Cocktail party, where we had to dress all kinds of fancy, and drink champagne. That's where we met our Norwegian friend Sunniva! She's so nice, and I've already learned a few Norwegian words! ha ha. Then we had an adventure to the Robina Town Centre, where we can shop for groceries, clothes, anything we need. It's about Park Meadows times 5. Only about an hour's walk, but we just take the bus and it's only about 15 minutes. Wonderful!
Wednesday night was a trivia/comedian night. We only got to see the comedians, and they were alright. Very different sense of humor down here, that's for sure. They are much more open with sexuality, and rather vulgar at times. There was quite a few times when I was sure that what the comedian was saying would've been considered very offensive in the States. Interesting how cultures work like that. Needless to say, it was still an enjoyable evening! Thursday night was the Tight and Bright party, meaning everyone needs to wear neon colors and very tight clothes. We did just that, but had seriously underestimated the "tight" part of the ordeal. And it wasn't the girls! It was the guys! They were ALL wearing neon tights with neon ladies panties and the tightest shirts ever. It was insanity/disturbing. Ha!!
Friday we went back to Robina so Sunniva could buy a Mac (yes, I converted her! Whoo!) and then went to the Bond Uni rugby game that night. Yea, it was boring. Saturday we went to Broadbeach for a day of fun in the sun. And it was literally fun in the sun! The ocean is amazing, and the sand was incredible. We went back to the beach on Sunday, but it was rather chilly. So we walked around Surfers Paradise for a couple hours, then took a two hour stroll in the surf on the beach. It's so peaceful. I LOVE IT!!
Just starting classes today, so hoping that goes well! So far so good. Working on uploading pictures, so check out my facebook for those =)
We went to the Cocktail party, where we had to dress all kinds of fancy, and drink champagne. That's where we met our Norwegian friend Sunniva! She's so nice, and I've already learned a few Norwegian words! ha ha. Then we had an adventure to the Robina Town Centre, where we can shop for groceries, clothes, anything we need. It's about Park Meadows times 5. Only about an hour's walk, but we just take the bus and it's only about 15 minutes. Wonderful!
Wednesday night was a trivia/comedian night. We only got to see the comedians, and they were alright. Very different sense of humor down here, that's for sure. They are much more open with sexuality, and rather vulgar at times. There was quite a few times when I was sure that what the comedian was saying would've been considered very offensive in the States. Interesting how cultures work like that. Needless to say, it was still an enjoyable evening! Thursday night was the Tight and Bright party, meaning everyone needs to wear neon colors and very tight clothes. We did just that, but had seriously underestimated the "tight" part of the ordeal. And it wasn't the girls! It was the guys! They were ALL wearing neon tights with neon ladies panties and the tightest shirts ever. It was insanity/disturbing. Ha!!
Friday we went back to Robina so Sunniva could buy a Mac (yes, I converted her! Whoo!) and then went to the Bond Uni rugby game that night. Yea, it was boring. Saturday we went to Broadbeach for a day of fun in the sun. And it was literally fun in the sun! The ocean is amazing, and the sand was incredible. We went back to the beach on Sunday, but it was rather chilly. So we walked around Surfers Paradise for a couple hours, then took a two hour stroll in the surf on the beach. It's so peaceful. I LOVE IT!!
Just starting classes today, so hoping that goes well! So far so good. Working on uploading pictures, so check out my facebook for those =)
Monday, May 10, 2010
From Cairns to Gold Coast
Sorry I haven't updated all week! Things have been crazy out here, and we didn't have easy access to internet at our hostel in Cairns (pronounced Cans). But here is a nice long post for you, since I know I can't tell all of you on the phone individually!
So the week of holiday in Cairns was amazing, and I've already decided that I could live there. Although it is quite a touristy town, all of the suburban housing is far enough outside of the city that you wouldn't have to deal with all of that. And by touristy I mean people from Asia. Ha ha they are everywhere!!!! It's crazy. We spent a day at RainforeStation, which is like a petting zoo/Aboriginal historical site/Army duck ride place. Well, whatever it was, we got to play with kangaroos and hold snakes. So I'm good with that.
We also white water rafted down the Barren River in the mountains, which was so beautiful! The rapids were nothing like I expected, very easy stuff, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. We had life jackets on, so there were parts of the river where we could get out and float instead of staying in the boat to paddle. And we couldn't have picked a nicer day!
The best day was the day out on the Reef!! We took a two hour boat ride that our AustraLearn Gudie Russell works on when he isn't working with students like us. There was around 40 to 50 people on the boat, including the staff, and it was incredible. We snorkeled off the coast of a tiny island that was a bird sanctuary for some 50,000 birds. Amazing! Then we got to do an optional scuba dive, which I had been pumped for all week. But when it came down to it and we had the tanks and gear strapped to our backs, I was having a panic attack. I don't mind going underwater, and I don't mind breathing from a tank. I just really mind doing that for a long period of time with no hope of the surface. My instructor Simone calmed me down and said we would just be staying on the surface (me and two other girls who were scared too). So we went out, away from the boat, and needless to say in about five minutes we were all under the water completely!
I totally calmed down, so no worries there. It is probably the most incredible thing I have done so far. I really, really enjoyed it. We saw sting rays, every kind of fish imaginable, starfish, and of course the beautiful coral. I even ran into a jellyfish! It was about the size of a plum ha ha so I just pushed away from it, cause those will still get ya. When we snorkeled, we saw a massive turtle that we just followed for about five minutes. I LOVED it. Definitely something I will be doing again. Simone and I have a special bond now ha ha. He tricked me, but I'm glad he did!
And now we're in Gold Coast for school! We got here yesterday, and instantly fell in love with it. We're about a block from campus, so it takes no more than 5 minutes to get there, which is quite nice. We live in gorgeous Townhouses called Varsity Shores. There is a garage, a basement, two floors, and a backyard. It's massive and incredible!! I share a bathroom with Kristin, but otherwise we have our own rooms. Our other flatmate is Basia from Poland! She is so excited about life and everything, and I just love her. She's the first and only Polish student at Bond, so she's kind of special to the University haha. Now that we're all in our own places, I can tell this is going to be a fantastic year.
They gave us sheets and a comforter, but I will definitely be investing in another set haha. The sheets feel like paper, and are an ugly tanish neutral color, and my comforter is almost neon aquamarine. Nice combo, huh? But the bed is way comfy!
So this is all for now, and I'll be posting pictures on my facebook soon enough! Just need to unpack and do some orientation things the majority of today.
Missing everyone!
So the week of holiday in Cairns was amazing, and I've already decided that I could live there. Although it is quite a touristy town, all of the suburban housing is far enough outside of the city that you wouldn't have to deal with all of that. And by touristy I mean people from Asia. Ha ha they are everywhere!!!! It's crazy. We spent a day at RainforeStation, which is like a petting zoo/Aboriginal historical site/Army duck ride place. Well, whatever it was, we got to play with kangaroos and hold snakes. So I'm good with that.
We also white water rafted down the Barren River in the mountains, which was so beautiful! The rapids were nothing like I expected, very easy stuff, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. We had life jackets on, so there were parts of the river where we could get out and float instead of staying in the boat to paddle. And we couldn't have picked a nicer day!
The best day was the day out on the Reef!! We took a two hour boat ride that our AustraLearn Gudie Russell works on when he isn't working with students like us. There was around 40 to 50 people on the boat, including the staff, and it was incredible. We snorkeled off the coast of a tiny island that was a bird sanctuary for some 50,000 birds. Amazing! Then we got to do an optional scuba dive, which I had been pumped for all week. But when it came down to it and we had the tanks and gear strapped to our backs, I was having a panic attack. I don't mind going underwater, and I don't mind breathing from a tank. I just really mind doing that for a long period of time with no hope of the surface. My instructor Simone calmed me down and said we would just be staying on the surface (me and two other girls who were scared too). So we went out, away from the boat, and needless to say in about five minutes we were all under the water completely!
I totally calmed down, so no worries there. It is probably the most incredible thing I have done so far. I really, really enjoyed it. We saw sting rays, every kind of fish imaginable, starfish, and of course the beautiful coral. I even ran into a jellyfish! It was about the size of a plum ha ha so I just pushed away from it, cause those will still get ya. When we snorkeled, we saw a massive turtle that we just followed for about five minutes. I LOVED it. Definitely something I will be doing again. Simone and I have a special bond now ha ha. He tricked me, but I'm glad he did!
And now we're in Gold Coast for school! We got here yesterday, and instantly fell in love with it. We're about a block from campus, so it takes no more than 5 minutes to get there, which is quite nice. We live in gorgeous Townhouses called Varsity Shores. There is a garage, a basement, two floors, and a backyard. It's massive and incredible!! I share a bathroom with Kristin, but otherwise we have our own rooms. Our other flatmate is Basia from Poland! She is so excited about life and everything, and I just love her. She's the first and only Polish student at Bond, so she's kind of special to the University haha. Now that we're all in our own places, I can tell this is going to be a fantastic year.
They gave us sheets and a comforter, but I will definitely be investing in another set haha. The sheets feel like paper, and are an ugly tanish neutral color, and my comforter is almost neon aquamarine. Nice combo, huh? But the bed is way comfy!
So this is all for now, and I'll be posting pictures on my facebook soon enough! Just need to unpack and do some orientation things the majority of today.
Missing everyone!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Can You Say "Humid"???
Holy cow. Humidity.
However, it's quite fantastic. Sitting outside of a cafe with my friends enjoying the wonderful weather, and of course, on facebook. So far, this is my new favorite city. The beach is about a block to our left, the mountains a few miles to the right. Palm trees everywhere!! It is the best weather ever. At first, Cairns seems a little like Florida. But we just keep telling ourselves that it's not Florida, it's AUSTRALIA!!! OOOOOOH YES!!!!
Missing everyone though! But I still couldn't be more excited to be here. Everything is so expensive! Almost 8 dollars for a smoothie. However, the minimum wage is $17.00 an hour haha. Nice. I'll be excited for a job once I get down to Gold Coast/Surfer's Paradise. Bring on the beach!!
More updates soon! Check out my pictures, to be posted later ha ha.
LOVE!
However, it's quite fantastic. Sitting outside of a cafe with my friends enjoying the wonderful weather, and of course, on facebook. So far, this is my new favorite city. The beach is about a block to our left, the mountains a few miles to the right. Palm trees everywhere!! It is the best weather ever. At first, Cairns seems a little like Florida. But we just keep telling ourselves that it's not Florida, it's AUSTRALIA!!! OOOOOOH YES!!!!
Missing everyone though! But I still couldn't be more excited to be here. Everything is so expensive! Almost 8 dollars for a smoothie. However, the minimum wage is $17.00 an hour haha. Nice. I'll be excited for a job once I get down to Gold Coast/Surfer's Paradise. Bring on the beach!!
More updates soon! Check out my pictures, to be posted later ha ha.
LOVE!
Monday, April 19, 2010
A Photographic Preview
I though I'd upload a few photos so everyone could see where I'm off to in two weeks! I will definitely be posting more photos of my own on here and facebook once I get down there. The countdown continues!
Friday, April 9, 2010
Last Minute Craziness...
So. I'm leaving in three weeks. Holy hell.
This means that I'll be missing the last two weeks of my semester here, which is no big deal, but I'll be doing my finals and final projects before we finish learning everything. Nice, right? Stressful is more like it.
So far, everything for Australia is going wonderfully! I get to register for classes next week, and I've already become friends with my roomies on facebook. There are only 4 Americans going to Bond in May through the same program I'm in! How insane. This means that I will definitely be making more friends outside of our little circle than I ever did in London. Which excites me, big time.
I have quite a bit of shopping to do, which I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Who knew that "Moving Across The World: Round Two" would be even more crazy than the first time! I know I've never been down under before, but I've done the study abroad thing. However, this time? I'm losing my mind.
Stay tuned for details...
This means that I'll be missing the last two weeks of my semester here, which is no big deal, but I'll be doing my finals and final projects before we finish learning everything. Nice, right? Stressful is more like it.
So far, everything for Australia is going wonderfully! I get to register for classes next week, and I've already become friends with my roomies on facebook. There are only 4 Americans going to Bond in May through the same program I'm in! How insane. This means that I will definitely be making more friends outside of our little circle than I ever did in London. Which excites me, big time.
I have quite a bit of shopping to do, which I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Who knew that "Moving Across The World: Round Two" would be even more crazy than the first time! I know I've never been down under before, but I've done the study abroad thing. However, this time? I'm losing my mind.
Stay tuned for details...
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