In a Sunburnt Country

Hi All!

So I safely made it to Australia on Thursday, the 17th at about 11AM. Wow! It's crazy and wonderful and I'm loving it. So far, it is not terribly different than Florida...but mashed bananas and bacon on toast is not a recipe I will be bringing home with me. Haha. I have been here for 5 days now and believe me, this is one HOT place. The temp has been a balmy 40 degrees celsius...or about 104 fahrenheit. Plus humidity. Ugh. I forgot how much I disliked that part of the start of classes in Orlando. Haha. Oh well. I just avoid being outside during the hottest parts of the days. But I have gained the beginnings of what I hope will be a glorious Australia-worthy tan in the form of a slight sunburn. That makes me quite happy. I promise, Mom, I'm wearing sunscreen, the sun is just fierce here--like Tyra Banks or America's Next Top Models. Haha. But, for as hot as it can be, the rain comes on as quickly here as it does in the Rockies and cools everything down.  Currently, there is a glorious storm outside and it sending wonderful breezes through the house.

I am living with a fantastic Aussie woman named Merle and her "fearless hunter queen" Chloe (she is a fat cat that is still unsure if I am welcome. I've made it my goal for this cat to like me). Since I've arrived, I've really just been getting used to everything around me. I visited the campus (which is incredibly green), attempted to navigate Australia Fair--a massive shopping center, and have figured out how to take the bus to school. I have also been to a family gathering with Merle and have attended a few international student activities. I've met a lot of international students (not very many Aussies or Kiwis yet, but so far, I've only been to International Orientation Activities, so that's not too shocking), including  a boy from France, a girl from Russia, a girl from Denmark, and a handful of students from the US. It's pretty cool how many different countries are represented at this school. :)


One of my friends asked if Australia was what I was expecting. Has it been what i was expecting? I don't really have a good answer for that. I don't really know what I was expecting since I can really attribute my knowledge of Australian life to "The Man From Snowy River" (a movie about turn of the century cattle herders in the outback), Outback Steakhouse (which you may be surprised to learn is really NOT Australian,), and "Our Lips Are Sealed" (yes, I am talking about the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen movie where they are sent to Sydney as part of the Witness Protection Program...definitely not the most realistic view of Australia I could have given myself at a young age, haha). I'm sure that there are other things that have influenced my preconceptions about Australia, but those are what come to mind. Those and "The Wild Thornberrys."

As for Griffith University, it seems really cool and i can't wait to start classes. Everyone has been super friendly and welcoming. The hardest thing for me to get used to has been the colloquialisms. "How you go?" rather than "How are you?" has confused me a number of times so far. And calling my cell phone a mobile is a bit hard to get used to. As far as just "life" goes, there are parts of it that are really "american" feeling and parts that are much less so and closer to my other abroad experiences. I'm currently at a tie for the weirdest two things for me to wrap my head around: one--driving on the left side of the road. I just struggle with it. It feels wrong and kinda scary. Haha. And two--a bar at the university. It's called The Unibar and they gave all the exchange students free beer today. Hmm...lol. Maybe it's just an american thing to not have bars on campus...I know that Carey (my roommate from Surrey last semester) said that they have a bar on campus in the UK. Anyone want to weigh in on their experiences?

So, the point of this very long post is that life is going along wonderfully for me. Up next, I leave on Wednesday, the 23rd, for a three-day trip to Byron Bay for playing on the beach, snorkling, surfing, and sea kayaking as well as maybe some rock climbing and then Australian clubbing. I'm stoked.

I hope everyone back home is having a great day. I miss you all and would love to hear from you! If you would like to Skype with me, my Skype name is "solskinnpike." If you ignore the date change, there is a 7-hour difference between Gold Coast and Colorado (1PM in Gold Coast is 8PM in Colorado, just different days). Otherwise, leave a comment, Facebook me, or send me an email! Love you all!

Leah