One Month In!!!

Hellooo everyone! I really need to step up my blogging game because I am slacking. I keep trying to put time aside at night, but then something comes up and I push it off to the next day (this has pretty much happened all week).

So, these past few days were known as O-Week a.k.a orientation. However, this was like no college orientation I had ever experienced because mostly every activity involved some form of drinking. That would definitely never fly back in the states. So, the first day of O-Week mostly consisted of ice breakers to get to know the other exchange students that are living in the same dorm as me. We spent all day playing games, doing sock wrestling, and ended the night at a famous bar in Sydney called World Bar. This place is listed on pretty much every travel agencies website as one of the best bars in downtown, and boy oh boy did it live up to its expectations. There are 4 different dance floors in the building, 2 different bars, and all the locals. It doesn’t matter what day; World Bar is always poppin. I think the best part about this place is the fact that they serve this blue vodka drink in a teapot so you literally drink out the spout. Will definitely be going back. The next day we had orientation meetings all morning with staff from the university. I got tons of info thrown at me and only retained about 5% of it. After, we had some free time so I decided it was time for a nap. When I woke up, I had to rush to get ready because of course I felt dead. We headed downstairs and got split into groups. From there we headed out on our pub crawl. We went through 7 or 8 different pubs/bars/clubs for about 6 hours. Now I know all the fun places to show my friends when they come to visit. Also, my dear friend Molly ended up getting the most drinks throughout the pub crawl, and is now the pub crawl queen. She even got a prize of some nice $5 wine for her amazing efforts. The next day we did a scavenger hunt throughout Sydney, to get us more familiar with our new home.

Finally, it was the weekend so that meant it was BEACH TIME!!! My friends and I met a local Australian that had taken a semester off, and was starting uni this semester. He went through all the orientation with us, so we all became good friends. Since he is a local, he knows all the best beaches and places to go. So, we all hopped into his and his friend’s car and drove about an hour north of Sydney to a beach not many people know of. Because many people don’t know about this beach, there were only locals there surfing. We spent the day jamming to music, soaking up the sun, and watching the locals ride the waves. I definitely needed this relaxation day after all the events from the previous week.

This past weekend we also did the famous walk between Coogee Beach and Bondi Beach. This walk is just under 4 miles, and is BEAUTIFUL. If you ever find yourself in Sydney, don’t leave until you do this walk.

Another thing that happened since I last blogged was our first commencement dinner of the semester. This is where everyone in my dorm (Goldstein College) gets really dressed up, puts on their cloaks, and enjoys a nice dinner together. Since I got here, this place has reminded me of the dining hall in Harry Potter, but this dinner solidified this idea for sure. It is mandatory to wear the cloak at all times over your dress (see pictures below for more detail on this). The whole time I was wondering when I was going to be fitted for my magic wand. When we entered into the dining hall, the tables were all preset with fancy table clothes and everything, and all of our deans/executive board were seated at the front facing us (like in Harry Potter). We enjoyed a nice meal, listened to a musical performance by fellow students, listened to our guest speakers, and then awards were given out for the previous semester. Overall it was a great experience, and I can’t wait for the dinner in the middle of the semester.

A few nights later we attended an 80s-themed party at the bar on campus (yes there is really a bar on campus and when can America get on Australia’s level???) Of course, I looked to my mom for inspiration, and basically came up with an outfit that I probably could have pulled out of her closet in high school. The picture below shows how well my friends and I pulled off these outfits.

My classes are going really well. I am mostly taking general classes so they are on the easier side. What is really nice is we don’t have to go to lectures, because they don’t take attendance, and they record the lectures and put them up online. I only have 4 classes a week I have to attend, so I think I will be spending a lot of time at the beach doing work.

Every day I wake up, I fall more in love with this place. Life is so easy in the land of Oz, and I am trying to block out the fact that I am already one month in. I got news the other day that Nick will be coming to visit me in October (finally someone is coming to visit). I can’t wait to show him around, and explore even more of this country with him.

In other news, I just made my final payment for my 10-day spring break trip to Bali. I have a pretty packed itinerary for this trip too, and I can’t wait. Some of the many things I will be doing include, snorkeling, surfing, visiting local homes to experience the culture first hand, and lots of R&R on the most beautiful beaches in the world.

We are one month down with 3.5 jam packed months left. I can’t wait to meet even more people and explore more of this fabulous place. BRING IT ON!!!

Until next time,

Jor