The Gabtrotter

(view of library from Clare College)

A couple of weeks ago, I acquired a library card to the general University of Cambridge Library. It’s not your typical library; at least I have never seen such a place like it before. First of all, you have to have a purpose to be there. One cannot just waltz in to take a look around, this is a very “special place.” I don’t know the generalities of the whole place, so I will just talk about my experience.

Once I actually received a library card, I was very excited to take a stroll through this seemingly remarkable place. The librarians didn’t really give me a briefing or anything. The only thing they told me was to leave my book bag in the baggage room, and that when I was ready to come in, I could scan my card and be on my merry way. I hastily left my bag where other bags were hanging, all unattended, unlocked. There were lockers but everyone seemed to honor the honor system here, so I left my belongings and decided that no one would find anything to steal in my bag anyway (which is sadly true).

(scanning entrance)

I half-proudly sauntered through to the scanning device with card in hand, expecting some kind of beep telling me to go back where I came from, but nothing happened. So, I made my way up the stairs and was greeted by three directions, and from those directions the possibilities seemed infinite. People passing by all were very scholarly, like they knew what they were doing and why were there. Me, a mere observer (with an idea to check out a play), felt like I had landed on a type of academic moon where reading glasses and cardigans were the suit of choice and cartons of books and wooden desks were its crater covered terrain.

I needed to loan out Yerma by Lorca so I decided to duck to the corner where two computers shined. I typed in Yerma and sure enough they had it. I looked at a map of the library on the wall and found the section, the general reading room, which incidentally was right around the corner from me. I cut through a room filled with grey and people standing at computers to get to this reading room. The room was dead silent, except for the librarian typing away on his Dell. I asked him if he could show me where this number was, pointing to a tiny piece of paper with the library code for Yerma. He smiled at me, and I explained that it was my first time here and didn’t know how this worked:

“Ok. Well, you can either request this book online or in the section of the library where the book is located. Since you are already here, what you need to do is grab one of those slips of paper and fill it out. The book will be grabbed for you within the amount of time listed on the board.”

I thanked him for the information, and turned to the board. It read 45 minutes. Clearly they are really fearful of people stealing their books, because they don’t let you bring a bag into the library. However, to have someone else grab the book for you, that seemed a little ridiculous to me. Nonetheless, I needed to read the play for the next day so I decided to fill it out. I dropped off the green slip and decided to walk around the library while I waited for the book to meet me on shelf G.

Now, I would have taken pictures but A.) I didn’t have camera and B.) They don’t allow cameras into the library. Even though I could easily sneak my stealth, bite size Canon with me, I have decided to honor their system.

I remembered seeing a sign to the “rare books room” and decided that might be interesting. Who knows what rarities I might find? Well, I walked in and there was a glass entryway that read, “do not push, wait to be let in” or something to that effect. Already, this place seemed to be like a china shop. It was a large brightly lit room, filled with tables and people working behind them. I walked around the room, trying to decide what to do. The librarians/door guards were watching me as I walked around the perimeter. I didn’t know if I was allowed to grab books from the shelves (they didn’t look that old to me), but I decided not to in case an alarm would go off and I didn’t really know what the procedure was. Once I got close to their table again, I smiled at them and walked out.

I thought the place was rather boring after I once was out of it. What were people looking at with those rare books? Words on a page are words on a page, old words on old paper read the same as old words on new paper.

I meandered my way upstairs and found the manuscript room. It looked just like the rare books room, and decided not even to wait to be let in. I then decided to leave the section all together and made my way to the courtyard. It wasn’t a pretty courtyard, just a place for people to smoke. Since I didn’t smoke and I didn’t feel like sitting down, I left.

I walked around and was brought back to the spot of three directions. I still had 20 minutes to kill. I decided to go back to Clare College (which is conveniently right across the street) and drop off my bag at my room, just to kill time.

(view of Clare from the library)

I returned in a half hour and my book was waiting for me. I took it downstairs to check out, but I was told that my card wouldn’t let me take it. My card didn’t give me such a privilege. I shrugged and gave the book back and left. It wasn’t a rare book, but I couldn’t take it out. I’m not sure what the rules are there, or why I couldn’t check out the book specifically. What good is a library, a place of intellectual comfort & stimulation, if you can’t utilize the books in a way that is comfortable and stimulating for you?

I’m sure there are different rules for students who are there full-time, but I would rather have a welcoming take-all library like Northeastern any day. Sometimes going away from home makes you realize what you love about home to begin with.

(Cambridge’s Library)

(Northeastern’s Library)

Note:

Each College does have its own library, that does function like a regular library. But, the University library functions quite differently. Over the summer, there is a specific summer library which has been great, but it’s about the size of the living room in my last apartment.

Currently sitting in my hostel, with a sleeping French guy diagonally on top of me (I mean he’s on the top bunk next to me). Everyone else is downstairs hanging out in the lobby, I’ve done my share of that this week, and now I am here. Exploring the slue of websites I have accumulated over the years, I have come to realize that I really miss making videos; in any context. I wish I had brought stuff to edit, or my camera didn’t die, or my external hard drive wasn’t stolen. I guess my creative film odds were against me, like they were in Australia. Every camera I had broke while I was there, except for my most loyal techno-companion: the iphone. So it remains my most loyal techno-companion, I am knocking on every piece of wood I see, and I urge you to too (if anyone reads this??). I don’t really believe in the whole knocking on wood thing, but hell anything is better than nothing.

Tomorrow I am bussing south to Lagos. I am excited about it, for I plan on getting my tan on. I also want to bike around, and I have this vision of reading in the shade of gigantic ocean rocks on the beach; we’ll see if my vision comes true.

It is hard to believe that in exactly two weeks, I will be moved into Cambridge. Wow. Anxiously discussing these plans with my family and friends seems like it was just yesterday, but at the time the plans felt like they were years away. Time sneaks up on you and the predictions become the present almost faster than you had the ideas to begin with.

Sydney Opera House, taken by me, feb 28, 2010

Maybe it was the high expectations that I had for this trip, or maybe it was just because I didn’t research all of my options before I arrived – Sydney was not my cup of tea.

When did I go?

Thursday, February 25, 2010.  Through Monday, March 1, 2010.

Who did I go with?

Steph and My. They have been mentioned in previous posts. They stayed with me there from February 25 through the 29^th.

How did we get there?

We flew Tiger Airlines and we booked about 3 weeks in advance. It cost $75 roundtrip, without checking a bag. Unfortunately, I needed to pay $50 each way at the airport to check a bag and thus ruined the initial good deal. Well, this was a lesson for me for the rest of my travels.

I had found the good deal using, webjet.com.au but if you book through webjet they charge you a $20 fee. So it is best to take the deal and book on the airline website. An elderly couple recommended this site as the go-to place to find the best flight deals in Australia. It has worked to be the best place to check first, and then go accordingly to avoid the fee. I don’t understand why webjet does add in that extra $20, maybe not all travelers notice the extra fee!

Although I have heard a lot of complaints about Tiger, my experiences with them have always been great. Definitely the best cheap airline I have flown in Australia.

Where did we stay?

Base Backpackers Sydney.

I’ve only stayed at Base in Sydney and in Brisbane. I loved the hostel in Brisbane, but the one in Sydney did not live up to speed. Although it is not the worst hostel I have stayed at, the receptionists were not very friendly and a bit uptight.

We stayed in their highly regarded Sanctuary rooms.

I quoted Base earlier in the semester, for they described this is how they described their sanctuary rooms:

“The Female only SANCTUARY DORM is for ladies who like to be pampered! 4 to 8 bed dorm, clean, modern and comfortable non smoking room comprising a luggage security locker for each person, wireless internet access (surcharge applies), security swipe card access with a 24 hour reception, heating and air-conditioning. The beds have feather pillows and doona and made up with fresh linen. The rooms are featured with full-length mirrors. Hairdryers, hair strengtheners and beauty kits are available for your use on request at reception. Rate is for 1 person in a single bunk bed in the dorm. Fantastic price for that extra bit of luxury in a fantastic location, close to all the action in the heart of Sydney.”

Well, the sanctuary was not like that. They did have some random shampoos and conditioners, but it didn’t even appear to be ours because they were just stacked on the desk as if they belonged to one of the other backpackers in our room.

The room had a comfy bed and nice sheets, but the AC didn’t work that well. The floor looked like it could use a good vacuum. Their description really is a bit outrageous for what it is, but what can you expect for a hostel.

It WAS, however, in the best location possible. It is located right around the corner from St. George ST. where all of the action is.

Overall I’d give this hostel a C+. I did have one particularly bad incident with them while I was leaving, which knocked them from getting a B.

A day before my departure I decided to go ahead and book the shuttle to the airport for $15. When I booked it, the women at the counter wrote down my name and had a receipt of my purchase and a copy of my ticket number. When I checked out, I must have left the paper in the room and it got thrown out. I went back upstairs in an attempt to try and find it. I go back downstairs to explain to the receptionists about the dilemma and they replied coolly, “Oh yes, you’ll just have to buy another ticket.” I didn’t understand why that would be the case since they had written down my information, and asked, “Why would I have to do that if you have it written down in your book?” They told me that because the ticket is not tied to me, I could have sold it to somebody else. I told them that that wasn’t the case and that I didn’t understand their policy. Then they proceed to tell me that it is like buying a shirt a store, if you lose the shirt then it’s your own fault for losing the shirt. Well, really it isn’t the same as losing a shirt. This is a ticket for a seat on a bus. The bus fills up, they wrote down my name in regard to the ticket. They were very rude and handled the situation very poorly. I left the hostel with a very bad taste in my mouth.

Frustrated, I decided to go to a café nearby and call the people who actually drive the shuttle. They told me that it was not a problem, that they did have me down on their list and that I could get on the shuttle without the ticket. This just goes to show you that Base simply was being non-negotiable without a reason.

What did we do?

Thursday night:

It was late so we decided to check out the bar at the hostel. It was called The Scary Canary. A lively place, a lot of fellow backpackers were there

Friday:

My insisted upon going to a Vietnamese restaurant in Star City (the Sydney casino), but before we left she did not know exactly where it was so we spent a good 45 minutes wandering around for it. At the time it was not a lot of fun, but in hindsight it wasn’t that bad. We ended up getting to the restaurant, the name of which escapes me, and of course it was not open yet. So we just sat around the casino waiting for the place to open. It was a bit pricey but the meal I ordered was quiet delicious.

Afterward we met up with Stephanie and we made our way to the Opera House. We did not go for a tour, but just took pictures outside of it. They were too lazy to walk inside with me, but I went in and checked it out. It was beautiful. I wish I would have taken a tour, but I plan on being back someday.  Visiting the Opera House was one of my favorite parts of the trip; it was really cool to see such a monumental sight in real life.

We then took pictures in front of the Sydney Bridge.

Leigh and Kim traveled with the school to Sydney, and because they were on a guided tour they were not able to hang out with us at their leisure. I did meet up with them later in the night; we went to a bar called scubar.

Saturday:

We went shopping and I found a great shirt and pair of shoes for a total of $25. I also bought some souvenirs for my friends and myself. We each bought an Australia jacket for $13 each.

That night we made it our way to a place to indulge in our first experience with eating kangaroo. It was delicious, like steak but more tender.

After dinner it was time to go check out Sydney’s huge GLBT mardi gras celebration. It was a lot of fun and reminded me of Boston Pride. I could not believe how many people were there.

Sunday:

I made my way to Bondi Beach. I really was un-impressed by Australia’s most recognized beach. I guess the beautiful beaches of the Gold Coast have spoiled me, for as far as looks were concerned, it was not very beautiful. There were a lot of cameras on the beach and a good amount of people, I could not figure out what was going on.

After I was done taking pictures, I decided to walk along the shore and finally settle to sit down for a bit under the overcast skies. I could not have been sitting for more than about 5 minutes when my day dreams were suddenly interrupted by the intercom, “Everybody please evacuate the beach, a tsunami will be hitting the shore in about 12 minutes.” I could not believe my ears, and my heart started to beat wildly as my mind was racing. As an American, tsunamis have never been much of a worry for me. Thus, when I heard the intercom I thought I was done for. People did start scurrying off, muttering to each other and looking around. I started to get nervous. I meandered through the crowds to what I decided would be a good altitude to watch and be safe. Along the way I met a woman who had been in the Thailand tsunami, and she summed up her experience as being pure hell. Well, I decided to get my video camera out and said a brief goodbye to mom and dad and my other relatives and friends. Then, I decided to go ahead and film it – I mean CNN would buy this tape afterwards… If I survived, right??   Well, I waited a good hour and nothing happened. So, I shrugged off my CNN debut and made my way through the various beach shops and restaurants. A personal favorite that I crossed was, “Gabby’s Café.” I didn’t remember opening a café in Sydney, but I guess other people do have my name.

Monday:

That was when I had my lovely argument with Base Backpackers. I decided to have breakfast at a café nearby. I spent the day working on the homework I had due on Tuesday and caught my flight at around 3:30 PM.

I don’t understand why Internet is so hard to come by in Australia. The only airport I’ve been to with free Internet was incidentally in Darwin. The rest try to charge you an insane amount like $25 for the hour. Crickey, let’s get a technology update mates!

The weekend of Feb 19^th, my friends and I went to Byron Bay. About an hour from Bond University, Byron Bay, home of Australia’s most easterly point is a great weekend trip to take. Although I wrote about my personal experience, this time I am going to give you advice as someone who has recently traveled there.

How did we get there?

You can buy a $20 bus ticket on Greyhound Australia. It leaves from Surfers and takes you right into town.

Where did we stay?

Nomad’s Hostel. They were rated best hostel in NSW of 2009 and I’d have to agree Nomad’s was awesome. Overall I’d give this place a 9. Sure, it’s definitely more on the expensive end as far as hostels are concerned. We booked an 8-person room, because there were 8 of us on the trip. We each paid $34 a piece, which in hindsight is a lot of money. Nevertheless, the room was very clean, and had a balcony. The bathrooms were very modern and were also the cleanest I’ve been in (for a hostel). They have co-ed bathrooms and also many individual restrooms within the hostel.

The staff was very friendly and sincerely knowledgeable.  They were also happy to give advice and actually remembered (or made an attempt to remember) your name. There is internet provided from Global Gossip, which of course costs something. However, if you post a picture on their facebook, or are the one who booked the hostel, you get 30 minutes of free internet. A very nice gesture, 30 minutes is the ideal amount for a weekend trip: just enough to double-check that restaurant you were recommended or to update your status or send a quick e-mail to mom and dad. Thirdly, they allowed for free printing, another major benefit.

The location of Nomad’s is perfect, right in the center of it all across the way from several bottle shops (which are liquor stores). The main beach is within walking distance. It’s also very close to the bus terminal.

Any negatives? The beds did make a lot of noise upon movement, but all things considered it wasn’t all that bad.

What did we do?

The first day we went to the most easterly point. Note, cabs are hard to come by on the street. Taxi Limousines was what we used and they were reasonably priced. From Nomad’s up to the top of the Lighthouse it cost us about $3 each of 6 of us. Definitely well worth the price and the trip, here are some more pictures.

We hiked down the other side of the mountain, and found ourselves at the Wakes Beach. Definitely the most beautiful beach I have been to in Australia thus far. The water was crystal clear, and the waves were manageable. In the distance one can see Julian’s rocks, and to the right you can see the most easterly point of Australia. It’s definitely a scenic and just beautiful place to swim around and get some sun. People were getting married while we were there. Personally, I’d prefer to swim at this beach than the main beach by town. It’s smaller and had less people, and the scene was just more visually appealing.

Afterwards we went back to town and got ready for our evening activities. A major benefit of Byron Bay, something I have never in my life, is that the clubs in the area of their own buses and will pick you up and take you to their club, for free. Take advantage of this!

Buddha Bar had a drink special, $2.50/pint for happy hour. It was a good place to start, and I recommend that if you’re in town ask the receptionist at your hostel or hotel to point you in the right direction for what is going on in the area for the night. We had the Cheeky Monkey bar pick us up and we headed over there for the ladies night special. Afterward we went to dinner down the street from Cheeky Monkey, but I can’t remember what the place was called. As the night went on, our group split up to do what the individuals wanted to do. I ended up at the Beach House bar/club. There was a live band playing and it was right on the beach. When Leigh, Kim and I were done with that we decided to go to the beach and hang out for a bit. This was a great idea. What’s great about the beach? It’s always free (at least in Australia). There were a lot of people on it (but not too many), just admiring the beauty of the ocean. There were entertainers on the beach, for example there was a girl twirling flame sticks.

When we grew tired we decided to head back to the hostel and called it an early night because we were going kayaking in the morning.

We booked a kayaking trip through our school’s Exploration Society. It cost us $65 and included transportation and lunch and dinner.  They arrived in the morning, but we were on the afternoon trip, so we shopped around in the morning.

The kayak trip was fun, but not exactly as fun as I thought it would be. We each had a partner; mine was Simona (She’s originally from Lithuania, but moved to the Bronx at the age of 12 and currently goes to Northeastern with me). She’s athletic, so I knew I didn’t have to worry about riding with someone who couldn’t handle the trip, and (even though I don’t like to admit it) she’s fun. Nonetheless, I felt like the kayaking trip was wayyyy too guided. I guess because I had kayaked before, their instructions were a bit redundant. They also were very concerned about everybody sticking together to find the wildlife in the area. We didn’t see any dolphins, but some we did see some turtle’s that were sticking out of the water. Personally, I was mainly interested in just paddling around and getting out and snorkeling near the reef area. It was kind of funny, after a certain point I just wanted to hop out and cool off. I asked if I could and they told me not yet, so I just decided to fall off the boat; however, I knew once I got in that it would be nearly impossible to get back on the boat. Well, somehow with assistance from one of the guides, I was pulled back on the boat. Although I nearly drowned Simona with my frequent (but purposeful) boat tipping, we carried on quiet well and were in my opinion, the best kayakers in the group. If it were less of a guided tour, this would have been a 10; however, given the way the trip was conducted I’d give it about a 7.

That concludes our trip to Byron Bay: overall a great weekend trip to make, with a good vibe. I took a lot of video and will try to make a video of this trip within the next month or two.

(Written 5:20PM Brisbane Time 2AM Eastern Time)

This video is of Surfer’s Paradise. The closest city to Bond Uni, is Surfers. It takes about 15-30 minutes on the bus, and the bus leaves every 30 minutes or so. Surfers is where all of the clubs are located, and the main extracurricular in the evening tends to be frequenting the clubs in the various clubs in the area. Bond University has a binding contract for the year with The Bedroom and Sin City, where all of the students get free admission and the clubs get unlimited advertising on campus. I have to admit; I’ve gone to the clubs every weekend since I’ve been here, something that I normally do not participate in at home.

My classes are great, and I think I’m going to like them more and more as the weeks go by. This is my schedule:

Tuesday:

8AM – 10AM Cinematography & Lighting Lecture

10AM – 12PM Cine & Lighting Practical

(we work with the cameras and lights, etc)

We’ll be using these beautiful Panasonic HPX’s in this class. They are stunning cameras.

2PM – 4PM Directing Actors Lecture

(This so far seems like it’s going to be my favorite class. The professor is very good and she understands students and varies the way she teaches in order to keep the class engaged and interesting. The class is obviously about the relationship between actor and director, but it’s also about reading people and trying to get people to feel what you want them to feel (if only these techniques worked in real life).

6PM – 9PM Directing Actors Practical

(the professor brings in real actors and we do different exercises with them in a studio)

Thursday:

8AM – 10AM Editing Lecture (I’m learning to edit using Avid. Currently, I only know Final Cut Pro; however, in the industry it’s good to know both.)

10AM – 12PM Australian Cinema Screening / Lecture

(Australian Cinema starts at 9, so I’ve worked out an agreement with my professor to miss the lecture and come for the screening. Afterwards, the professor, and two grad students re-teach me the lecture. In the US something like that never would have worked out. I would have had to pick between the Editing class and Australian Cinema. I was glad I didn’t have to pick because I’m interested in both)

2PM – 3PM Australian Cinema Tutorial

(Every student is required to do a presentation on a film… Mine is on the movie “Getting’ Square” Which is a movie made by a lawyer, and is set in the Gold Coast. I’m going to try and watch it soon, so when I do I’ll let you guys know how it is.)

4PM – 6PM Editing Computer Lab

This photo is a an example of the edit suites that are near the iMac computer lab where we have class.

(We sit down behind the iMac computers and follow along with the instructor. Fortunately, the edit suites are open 24/7. )

I was very surprised when I found out that a.) My classes happened to work out to be only twice a week and b.) That they only meet once a week. It’s very different from the Monday, Weds, Thursday or Tuesday/Friday schedules that I am accustom to at Northeastern University. As of right now, I don’t know how it will be possible to learn as much in a given semester, but we will see. Although I am a hard worker, I’m a bit concerned about the grading system here. Apparently the professors do not give out “High Distinctions.” They are pretty strict with what they give out, but NU curves the grades to be in par with the way we do business. Another observation is how strict the administration at Bond University seems to be. Maybe because it is a smaller school, they are able to keep the students more on a tight leash, but it’s very unappealing. I understand that they are nervous about students doing things they shouldn’t be doing, but there needs to be some level of trust and understanding between the school and the students. It seems that the school is running the students whereas at other institutions I’ve been in the students help run the school. I was also surprised that classes were held on Australia Day. From my understanding, Australia day is like July 4^th. Having classes on July 4^th would be blasphemous in the USA, so like I said, although unaffected, I just was very surprised.

Having class twice a week has a lot of benefits. One of the major ones, of course, is being able to travel Thursday night – Monday night. Already I have booked my flights to Sydney for their big Mardi Gras weekend. Two of my friends and I leave on the 6:30 flight Thursday evening, we are flying Tiger Airways. My roundtrip tickets, and 4 nights in a hostel cost me a total of $205. Now that’s a bargain. The hostel we are staying at is called, Base Backpackers, and we are staying in the sanctuary room, which Base describes as “The Female only SANCTUARY DORM is for ladies who like to be pampered! 4 to 8 bed dorm, clean, modern and comfortable non smoking room comprising a luggage security locker for each person, wireless internet access (surcharge applies), security swipe card access with a 24 hour reception, heating and air-conditioning. The beds have feather pillows and doona and made up with fresh linen. The rooms are featured with full length mirrors. Hairdryers, hair strengtheners and beauty kits are available for your use on request at reception. Rate is for 1 person in a single bunk bed in the dorm. Fantastic price for that extra bit of luxury in a fantastic location, close to all the action in the heart of Sydney.” This cracked me up a bit, because who associates hostel with luxury? Well, I’ll of course, be assessing the situation as to exactly how luxurious this accommodation is.

I haven’t officially made any other travel plans. The great news is that none of my classes have finals, so I am going to have two weeks where I plan on traveling for the entire duration. Places I want to go? Cairns, The Outback, New Zealand and Fiji. Hopefully I’ll be able to squeeze all of this in, but the main issue is trying to find reasonably priced airfare. If I do, then of course I’ll be going to all of these places.

Other great news is that I, without even looking for one, found a job. My friend and I were leaving the pool, like I do everyday, and stumbled upon a sign asking for volleyball referees. I immediately walk in, speak to the guy and was hired on the spot to reff beach volleyball games. It’s great, happens every Monday night, at the beach volleyball courts, which is perfectly located right next to my dorm. The pay is good, and it’s from 6-9:40, but I get paid per game. And there are 5 games that are held within those hours. I did it for the first time this past Monday, and it was a lot of fun. It was a seriously nice pick-me-up; for I had been feeling the most homesick I had ever felt in my entire life Thursday-Saturday.

I’m on week 3 and my life in Boston has grown slightly more distant to me with each week that passes. The first two weeks it felt like I was only going to be here for a short vacation, but now I’m starting to realize and accept the fact that I am here for three more months. I’m starting to fully give myself to this place, allowing myself to follow the ways of the culture and accept it as my own. The months before I left, my relationships, my living situation, all were contingent on this trip to Australia. Relationships needed to end, I needed someplace temporary to live, and it was all because of where I am right now. I ask myself if it was worth it, but I don’t think that’s a fair way of looking at it. I need to realize that it’s not about it being worth it, but about realizing that life gets in the way of life at times. Sometimes you want to be able to have everything, but you simply can’t. You have to make choices, and those choices are at times very painful and uncomfortable to make at the time. So, I can’t say that this has been worth it or not worth it, but it certainly has been an experience. I never realized how different standing on the other side of the earth would actually feel.

Even though we flew into Brisbane, Bond University is actually in Gold Coast, Australia. My junior year of high school the lacrosse team went to a lacrosse camp in Florida. The school was Eckerd College in St. Petersburg. Bond reminds me of Eckerd for it’s a small, warm and beautiful campus. There are a lot of beautiful looking people here too; in fact I think the only unattractive people I’ve seen or met have been Americans, which cracks me up.

We barely made our flight from Sydney to Brisbane, and because of that most of our bags didn’t make it. We arrived at Bond around 3PM and the total travel time took a about 36 hours. I was very tired when I arrived, but my excitement kept me alert and happy. The ladies checking me in remembered seeing my name on the list, and of course inquired about it. I just said, “my parents think they’re funny,” they laughed and I left it at that.

My room reminds me of a very simple hotel. There are two twin beds, separated by a nightstand, two desks, and a bathroom attached. I’m living right at the center of campus. I can walk up and down a flight of stairs, and I’m at the gym, where the beautiful outdoor pool is. My view is of the lake with a spouting fountain, which again, is in the middle of campus. It’s a very pretty view and it makes me feel like I’m on vacation. Actually the whole experience feels like I am on vacation and not about to start a semester of school.  My roommate’s name is Cait and she is from Massachusetts and goes to a small school called Western New England College, it’s close to where she grew up, near Six Flags New England. She seems like the ideal roommate, respectful, friendly, nice and doesn’t talk too much, but still enjoys a pleasant conversation.

Monday I spent the day trying to get organized by getting my student ID card and figuring out how my meal plan works. It’s definitely not like the NU dining hall, the Northeastern system is made for gratuitous eating. Where as here, you get a certain amount on your Bond Card and it’s up to you to make it last the whole semester.

I also spent the majority of Monday trying to get my iPhone unlocked for a pay as you go plan. Of course AT&T makes it impossible to unlock the phone, even if you are overseas. It’s a serious inconvenience. I tried calling them and they said they could unlock any phone except, the iPhone. I tried explaining that I am going to stay a faithful AT&T customer when I am in the US, but I need the phone while I’m in Australia. Well, it didn’t work. Fortunately, my friend Sarah Simon who had studied here last year, lent me her phone for the semester and that’s what I am now using as my Australian cell phone. For calls home, I am paying $12 a month for the skype global plan. I can make unlimited phone calls anywhere in the world. It’s a great deal. If you want to reach me, my phone number is 617-553-1033, and if I don’t answer just leave a voicemail and I can get back to you.

Monday evening, my friend Steph and I met a retired couple at a Chinese restaurant near campus. We started talking and next thing you know, we ended up sitting with them talking about Australia and the US and the differences and similarities. It was great fun; they even gave us a ride back to campus. The Australians are much friendlier than Americans.  Also, the restaurant we were at was BYO, which means bring your own. Any restaurant that says BYO underneath the name means that you can bring your own wine or beer. I thought that was a nice way of doing business. Also, gratuities are not expected here, which makes for a cheaper meal.

Monday night I went to a toga party. They give you a sheet to make into a toga, it’s possibly one of the most unflattering outfits I have ever worn. See for yourself:

Even though something like that isn’t typically my scene, I decided to bend my own comfort to try and have a goodtime. It was a complete unsuccess. I went with my friend Stephanie, but she’s not into that whole scene either.  I tried a Tooheys beer while at the party, it was a little bitterer than a Bud Light, and definitely not as good.

Tuesday I went to the pool and traveled to Robina Shopping Center. That was pretty cool; they had a Target there. I tried to get in, and to my dismay the store was closing; the stores close at 5PM there (except on Thursday where they have late night shopping until 9). I was disappointed by this news, and just bought some stuff at the grocery store.

Today is Wednesday and I’ve gone to the pool, listened to a local explanation of where to go to get what, and I am currently waiting for the mini-fridge we’ve rented to be delivered. Having a mini-fridge will definitely make life a bit easier.

Because Bank of America has high fees for making purchases abroad. I have decided to open an account here, with ANZ and wire money into my account. It’ll cost $35 each time I do it, but I am saving a lot of money by doing it this way. ANZ allows you to make purchases free around Australia. I still haven’t been able to figure out what my rates are for my BofA Amex card, but when I do know I’ll write about it.

Once the mini-fridge is delivered I hope to make a video tour of campus, so that way you can see what it is I am talking about.

Until then…