Friday night was SO much fun!
There was a large get together at the pub Turf where a lot of the study abroad/exchange students could meet and greet. I was really excited to go because I wanted to reunite with some of the people I had met at the Melbourne Welcome. Beforehand I went to my friend Tallie's room and met some of her friends in the same building. I've realized that after constantly meeting new people all the time, I'm slowly getting used to defusing awkward silences and retelling stories that get the most positive responses and help everyone loosen up. After we got to Turf, I bought a jug of Stella for Tallie & Lauren (haha classy I know) and lo'n'behold...I was drunkedy drunk. The best part of the night was that I met a whole bunch of non-American people from my building. There was no initial awkwardness of "Uh, hi I'm only talking to you b/c I was forced into meeting you." They were all super nice :) and welcoming. Um this probably won't come as a surprise but I then went to the dance floor! Huzzah that was so much fun. I was so self-conscious about being a dirty American dancer that I had been holding myself back before but this time I think the alcohol kind of took over. It was a weird feeling because I kind of just went with the music and didn't feel all that pressure to be sexy or whatever b/c Aussies don't look for that exactly. Going out drinking is for socializing and having some fun conversations with your friends. It's not really about getting a random hookup or grinding with the party hottie on the dance floor. I just felt free to dance however I wanted to dance just for myself and I didn't care if there was an audience watching me be crazy. It made me remember how much I like dancing n' doing my own thang ;). It was quite exhilarating!
Something that I was also very happy about was that I met this gay guy on my floor who is such a phenomenal and FUN dancer. Oh man he wore me out and was just so sexay! We are now forever dance partners hee. I kind of let myself be all crazy with him though because it didn't really matter...poor Sunil was all disappointed when he found out that no, I did not take that boy home; haha I find it funny when guys are excited for their girl friends to hook up :P. ANYway, some crazy American (I'm assuming) guy did the typical frat boy move of spontaneously grabbing and trying to sweettalk me whilst grinding and the Aussies I just met pretty much hovered around and got me out of that situation real fast. Thanks for taking care of me even though you knew me for all of 20 minutes!! Although I blame all of the boys in the common room/tv lobby for showing me the movie Jackass and making me like it. Self-respect minus 8063437940 points.
I really really like the people here. Everyone is just so friendly and warm; honestly, the only negative feelings I've gotten are from Americans. Maybe it's just b/c some people are shy being in a new place, but I feel like them being cut off and withdrawn defeats the whole purpose of going abroad! IF you feel awkward, you should be reaching out and putting yourself in some not-so-easy situations. That's the only way you'll grow to like it here! Don't just stick with the few Americans you met at the Melbourne Welcome. The friends you made are so that you can explore the city together. They are not supposed to enable you to isolate yourselves!
On the other hand, I spent today with a few American girls in the building I had met at MW, and they are so interesting and sweet. The conversations we had really changed my perspectives on a lot of things. Never have first impressions been so, so wrong. We talked about relationships, introspection...absolutely awful things that people & them have gone through. I can't go into anything because they're not my experiences to tell, but I can certainly say that by the end of the conversation, I was tremendously sad. I was sad that some atrocities in life, whichI think are so despicable and could never even imagine going through, are commonplace/not unheard of for others. I felt so naive yet thankful that my sheltered childhood had allowed me that naivete. The strength that those two girls have... I don't think I could ever hope to match it. They have my utmost respect. Even though I've just been here a week, I'm already so thankful for just having had the opportunity to meet all my friends here :).
yep I'm a sap. I also miss you and you and you <3.>
Cindy, I am totally winning. Look how many times I have blogged. Score: SweetCheeks 0, HoneyBuns 1.
Everyone, I need to figure out skype times. How often are people free for skyping and when in your time is good?
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
ho-hum, there is so much to do
Hello again, State Library. I have been visiting you quite a lot these past few days. Although I do not stay long because I am trying to overcome my addiction to my computer, please know that I truly enjoy my time here. I must confess that I am not here for your decor or your vast collection of literature; rather, I am exploiting your generous, albeit slow, offer of free wi-fi. I sit here on your cold hardwood floors writing my memoirs of getting used to this bustling city. As I clatter away, I write about all the HARDCORE!!! fun I've been having. In reality, I seem to vacillate between feeling totally excited and completely overwhelmed. There is so much to do and so much to see that it's intimidating just figuring out where to start.
We had orientation today for the Study Abroad students. I couldn't even imagine having classes! As I sat there, the fear started creeping in again. Because Melbourne is so big and there are so many students, you don't necessarily become BFFs with people right away. You have to find people you can connect with. Who will you have lunch with if your friends are busy? Most of the Aussies already have their groups, why would they feel the need to include you? It's these stupid but persistent questions that slither their way into my mind and totally FUH-REAK me out. Suddenly it's like all the confidence and high hopes you have for the semester go down the crapper. And then you have to remind yourself to fucking suck it up. It's really not all that hard to do considering every time I start feeling a little down, something happens that cheers me right up--like meeting my floor mates :). the rooms/entire facility is kind of craptastic but at least my floor seems awesome haha.
I've got a map of the city tacked up in my room, and I'm slowly putting pins in all the little places/cafes/bars I've been. The only problem is that I seldom remember where exactly I went...But not to worry! I'm working on it. Melbourne is a city made for drunk people. The roads are all perpendicular to each other and the trams all go horizontally along the main horizontal roads. Should you get lost, all you need to do is find Swanston St. or just a friendly Aussie who's always ready to give directions. I'm slowly becoming okay with getting lost (though it's much less disconcerting when you're with someone else). You find little cafes and shops that you try to remember for next time when you have more time to explore, and it has never been more clear that Ithaca just can't compare in terms of culture and THINGS TO DO. You can get anywhere and do anything with at most 15 minutes of travel!
I don't know why, but until today, it had never really occurred to me that I would to do a lot of travelling. I figured, I might go see one or two cities but I want to spend most of my time (as little as there is) in Melbourne. Now, not so much. Great Ocean Road. Barrier Reef. Rock Climbing. Philip Island. I want to go to all of them. Granted I'll probably have to get a job to fund all of these doubtlessly amazing trips, but we're already planning some weekend getaways. I have 2 weeks free for Easter holiday...I don't even know how many places I'll visit then. :O :O :O yesss that is jealousy you are feeling :)
anyway! i don't have internet very often and the internet that i will eventually be paying for is VERRYYY limited as it is quite the money gobbler. that said, i probably won't be commenting much on blogs or facebook though I'll try to read people's blogs as much as possible! i hope you are all having a WONDERFUL time wherever you are :D!!! really, i miss you guys and think of you lovelies all the time :). The only other thing I miss about Cornell is the feeling of not being confused aka any kind of familiarity ahahaha...
We had orientation today for the Study Abroad students. I couldn't even imagine having classes! As I sat there, the fear started creeping in again. Because Melbourne is so big and there are so many students, you don't necessarily become BFFs with people right away. You have to find people you can connect with. Who will you have lunch with if your friends are busy? Most of the Aussies already have their groups, why would they feel the need to include you? It's these stupid but persistent questions that slither their way into my mind and totally FUH-REAK me out. Suddenly it's like all the confidence and high hopes you have for the semester go down the crapper. And then you have to remind yourself to fucking suck it up. It's really not all that hard to do considering every time I start feeling a little down, something happens that cheers me right up--like meeting my floor mates :). the rooms/entire facility is kind of craptastic but at least my floor seems awesome haha.
I've got a map of the city tacked up in my room, and I'm slowly putting pins in all the little places/cafes/bars I've been. The only problem is that I seldom remember where exactly I went...But not to worry! I'm working on it. Melbourne is a city made for drunk people. The roads are all perpendicular to each other and the trams all go horizontally along the main horizontal roads. Should you get lost, all you need to do is find Swanston St. or just a friendly Aussie who's always ready to give directions. I'm slowly becoming okay with getting lost (though it's much less disconcerting when you're with someone else). You find little cafes and shops that you try to remember for next time when you have more time to explore, and it has never been more clear that Ithaca just can't compare in terms of culture and THINGS TO DO. You can get anywhere and do anything with at most 15 minutes of travel!
I don't know why, but until today, it had never really occurred to me that I would to do a lot of travelling. I figured, I might go see one or two cities but I want to spend most of my time (as little as there is) in Melbourne. Now, not so much. Great Ocean Road. Barrier Reef. Rock Climbing. Philip Island. I want to go to all of them. Granted I'll probably have to get a job to fund all of these doubtlessly amazing trips, but we're already planning some weekend getaways. I have 2 weeks free for Easter holiday...I don't even know how many places I'll visit then. :O :O :O yesss that is jealousy you are feeling :)
anyway! i don't have internet very often and the internet that i will eventually be paying for is VERRYYY limited as it is quite the money gobbler. that said, i probably won't be commenting much on blogs or facebook though I'll try to read people's blogs as much as possible! i hope you are all having a WONDERFUL time wherever you are :D!!! really, i miss you guys and think of you lovelies all the time :). The only other thing I miss about Cornell is the feeling of not being confused aka any kind of familiarity ahahaha...
Thursday, February 19, 2009
18/19 February
Finally got my cell phone and set up my bank account. Took the day to nest and buy some dorm room essentials. The only thing good about my room is that there's a sink inside. oh and that there are cool people nearby. oh wait, i guess that's all that's really important :).
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Tuesday/Wednesday 17-18th February
Yarra River Tour. Lunch. Got my phone and bank account finally. Fancy dinner with awkward topics. Went to bar.
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End of program and settling in.
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End of program and settling in.
Monday 16th February
Monday 16th February
Today we all went to the beach and got surfing lessons. We left Uni around 745 AM (which was HELL to wake up for considering I went to a pub the night before sighhhh). On the bus over, we watched this Aussie tv show called Summer Heights High. Hi-fucking-LARIOUS, oh my god. The show is about 3 characters at one high school: a drama teacher, a smartass trouble maker, and a girl who just transferred from a private to public school. It took me an episode to finally realize that one actor plays all 3 characters, all of whom are fucking crrrraaazy haha. The show was basically a satire of all the typical stereotypes (albeit way exaggerated in the show) that we have in high school; I was told that it’s representative of Aussie humor in that people are very sarcastic and poke fun indiscriminately. I am soooo downloading it when I get back to the USofA; think Arrested Development + 30 Rock + a little bit of Mean Girls?
Yay, beach time! We were separated into 3 groups so that we wouldn’t overcrowd the waves and crash into each other, a strategy that didn’t work out so well but that’s okay! The water was actually pretty freaking cold so we got wet suits, thank god. I must say that putting on a still-wet wet suit is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. Every inch was painstaking, and I was too short for it so I had bunches of fabric around my tummy and had to roll up the legs. I looked like a black-blue spandex version of the Pillsbury Doughboy. What what, who’s a total sexass?
The first time I managed to actually balance on the board was such an awesome feeling. It was like boogie boarding but way faster because you’re actually riding the wave and can steer around obstacles if necessary. The success was all the fun had. The failure was pretty much everything else :). I'm fairly certain that even if I try this again, I won't get much better. Surfing requires some semblance of grace, timing, and balance. I, unfortunately, cannot manage any, let alone all, of those qualities for extended periods of time. It's okay though cuz I accepted it long ago. So after an exhausting day of mastering falling and closing one's mouth before swallowing gallons of sea water, I watched Crocodile Dundee on the way back to the Uni. As a first time watcher, it was somewhat entertaining. The little kid was the best though; I find it so weird when kids have accents, they sound so serious and mature haha.
blah blah blah shower, dinner, and night time!
Hosts took us to two bars. First, we went to Rooftop. ahahahha I almost didn't make it up thereeee. The bar Rooftop is coincidentally on a rooftop! Gasp, surprise, no way! We climbed up at least 10 flights of stairs. Worth it? Um, hell fucking yea-uhhh. It was so beautiful at night just being up there and seeing all the buildings lit up and watching the energy of the city. Bad part = d-d-d-damn SO EXPENSIVE. Holy crap a Long Island was $19! Yeah so didn't drink anything there, but the atmosphere was enough. I'll just make a note of it to go there already drunky face :). The best part was that half of the rooftop was covered in astroturf. There are some table with umbrellas, but if you're lucky, you can snag some massive beanbags and just lounge on them with your drink. Fun fun funnnn, I'm just sad I didn't take enough pictures to show what it really looked like. I'm trying not to draw attention to the fact that I am such a tourist :P.
Today we all went to the beach and got surfing lessons. We left Uni around 745 AM (which was HELL to wake up for considering I went to a pub the night before sighhhh). On the bus over, we watched this Aussie tv show called Summer Heights High. Hi-fucking-LARIOUS, oh my god. The show is about 3 characters at one high school: a drama teacher, a smartass trouble maker, and a girl who just transferred from a private to public school. It took me an episode to finally realize that one actor plays all 3 characters, all of whom are fucking crrrraaazy haha. The show was basically a satire of all the typical stereotypes (albeit way exaggerated in the show) that we have in high school; I was told that it’s representative of Aussie humor in that people are very sarcastic and poke fun indiscriminately. I am soooo downloading it when I get back to the USofA; think Arrested Development + 30 Rock + a little bit of Mean Girls?
Yay, beach time! We were separated into 3 groups so that we wouldn’t overcrowd the waves and crash into each other, a strategy that didn’t work out so well but that’s okay! The water was actually pretty freaking cold so we got wet suits, thank god. I must say that putting on a still-wet wet suit is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever had to do. Every inch was painstaking, and I was too short for it so I had bunches of fabric around my tummy and had to roll up the legs. I looked like a black-blue spandex version of the Pillsbury Doughboy. What what, who’s a total sexass?
The first time I managed to actually balance on the board was such an awesome feeling. It was like boogie boarding but way faster because you’re actually riding the wave and can steer around obstacles if necessary. The success was all the fun had. The failure was pretty much everything else :). I'm fairly certain that even if I try this again, I won't get much better. Surfing requires some semblance of grace, timing, and balance. I, unfortunately, cannot manage any, let alone all, of those qualities for extended periods of time. It's okay though cuz I accepted it long ago. So after an exhausting day of mastering falling and closing one's mouth before swallowing gallons of sea water, I watched Crocodile Dundee on the way back to the Uni. As a first time watcher, it was somewhat entertaining. The little kid was the best though; I find it so weird when kids have accents, they sound so serious and mature haha.
blah blah blah shower, dinner, and night time!
Hosts took us to two bars. First, we went to Rooftop. ahahahha I almost didn't make it up thereeee. The bar Rooftop is coincidentally on a rooftop! Gasp, surprise, no way! We climbed up at least 10 flights of stairs. Worth it? Um, hell fucking yea-uhhh. It was so beautiful at night just being up there and seeing all the buildings lit up and watching the energy of the city. Bad part = d-d-d-damn SO EXPENSIVE. Holy crap a Long Island was $19! Yeah so didn't drink anything there, but the atmosphere was enough. I'll just make a note of it to go there already drunky face :). The best part was that half of the rooftop was covered in astroturf. There are some table with umbrellas, but if you're lucky, you can snag some massive beanbags and just lounge on them with your drink. Fun fun funnnn, I'm just sad I didn't take enough pictures to show what it really looked like. I'm trying not to draw attention to the fact that I am such a tourist :P.
Sunday 14th February
OKAY!! So this is the first time that I have had internet for more than 10 minutes at a time. I'm gonna have to recap the past few days, which makes me really sad because I have an awful memory :(. Here goes!
Sunday 14th February
First of all, I must say that this program is totally keeping me on a good sleeping schedule. Jetlag gets me to bed by 11ish and I have to wake up by 730! Maybe this will continue throughout the semester and not get overridden by my laziness... Anyway! Had brunch and then went to the Queen Victoria market. It's basically like a huge flea market with tons of stalls with pretty much the same items: sunglasses, clothes and shoes (mostly not so great quality and knock-offs, but not too shabby), toys, touristy items, etc. The best part of the market is definitely the food/fruits & veggies section. You can get kilos of fresh produce for mad cheap and visit the butcher/meat section. I've found some people who are living in the same building as I am, so I'm hoping we can buy some fresh foods and cook together! On a side note, my building is one minute away from campus and right next to a tram stop, yay!
After the QV market, we all went to the Melbourne Zoo. I haven't been to a zoo in AAAGGEESSS, so it was kinda surreal b/c I really did feel 12 years old again. The Oz hosts pretty much herded all of us around like small children or sheep. We saw the typical Aussie animals (koala = yoda; giraffes = SO AWKWARD, haha love the knobby knees). The best animals were probably the tamarinds with their crazy old man Gandalf beards and freaky faces. Unfortunately, the kangaroos were lazy bastards. They pretty much laid around and looked at us; I must say, they were giving a lot of attitude. I've never seen an animal look so nonchalant, like "Yeah, what?"
While I was there, I had a really good conversation with a student from Finland, Tove. She majors in Aboriginal culture and went on a field excursion for about a week before the Melbourne Welcome (MW) started. In the distant corners of my mind, I knew that the Aborigines were treated much like the Native Americans were in the US, but talking to Tove, I realized that Australia is actually a lot further behind than I had thought. Sports teams refuse to play Aborigine teams. Society doesn't really acknowledge their existence and refuse to even acknowledge the possibility of returning to them their spritual lands. Only recently (last year, I think?) did the current prime minister finally issue an apology for ripping Aboriginal children away from their families and trying to brainwash them into forgetting their heritage and previous life. Hearing this really saddened me and made me remember that it wasn't that long ago that the US had slavery and that basically, all minorities/indigenous peoples get screwed... On a brighter note, I'm really glad I met someone like her. She's kind of indie hipster artsy like and very interesting to talk to!
After the Zoo, we headed back to the college, ate dinner, and then got ready for a night activity. I went bowling! Let me just say that bowling is not nearly as lame as it is in the states. Whereas in the US, bowling alleys try to squish as many lanes in as possible and really don't bother with decor, the places we went to were INSANE. They were all dark and lit up like dance clubs are with neon lights and plush couches. There was pool and air hockey on the side, and a fancy bar to the left of us. Me + alcohol + bowling = 45 points total. I'm impressed with myself. The best part of the night was probably afterwards though...
The hosts decided to take us to some bars/pubs hidden in the alleyways. And when I say alleyways, I mean alleyways. We went to St. Jerome's and Section 8 (which was closed ]: ). To get to St. Jerome's, you have to go down an alley with graffiti and bird poop on the walls. Go past dumpsters on either side and then finally stop at a nondescript door. Opening that correct door leads you into a dark room that then leads to the other side of the alley/converted bar area outside. It was REALLY cool. Like wow I had to restrain myself from being a total tourist and taking pictures. It was almost like this bar happened on accident, except that there was a DJ cage and wooden porchy area. I really felt like I was at a locals only kind of pub. I don't know if I'm adventurous enough to look for more alley pubs, but maybe with a group of friends...!
Sunday 14th February
First of all, I must say that this program is totally keeping me on a good sleeping schedule. Jetlag gets me to bed by 11ish and I have to wake up by 730! Maybe this will continue throughout the semester and not get overridden by my laziness... Anyway! Had brunch and then went to the Queen Victoria market. It's basically like a huge flea market with tons of stalls with pretty much the same items: sunglasses, clothes and shoes (mostly not so great quality and knock-offs, but not too shabby), toys, touristy items, etc. The best part of the market is definitely the food/fruits & veggies section. You can get kilos of fresh produce for mad cheap and visit the butcher/meat section. I've found some people who are living in the same building as I am, so I'm hoping we can buy some fresh foods and cook together! On a side note, my building is one minute away from campus and right next to a tram stop, yay!
After the QV market, we all went to the Melbourne Zoo. I haven't been to a zoo in AAAGGEESSS, so it was kinda surreal b/c I really did feel 12 years old again. The Oz hosts pretty much herded all of us around like small children or sheep. We saw the typical Aussie animals (koala = yoda; giraffes = SO AWKWARD, haha love the knobby knees). The best animals were probably the tamarinds with their crazy old man Gandalf beards and freaky faces. Unfortunately, the kangaroos were lazy bastards. They pretty much laid around and looked at us; I must say, they were giving a lot of attitude. I've never seen an animal look so nonchalant, like "Yeah, what?"
While I was there, I had a really good conversation with a student from Finland, Tove. She majors in Aboriginal culture and went on a field excursion for about a week before the Melbourne Welcome (MW) started. In the distant corners of my mind, I knew that the Aborigines were treated much like the Native Americans were in the US, but talking to Tove, I realized that Australia is actually a lot further behind than I had thought. Sports teams refuse to play Aborigine teams. Society doesn't really acknowledge their existence and refuse to even acknowledge the possibility of returning to them their spritual lands. Only recently (last year, I think?) did the current prime minister finally issue an apology for ripping Aboriginal children away from their families and trying to brainwash them into forgetting their heritage and previous life. Hearing this really saddened me and made me remember that it wasn't that long ago that the US had slavery and that basically, all minorities/indigenous peoples get screwed... On a brighter note, I'm really glad I met someone like her. She's kind of indie hipster artsy like and very interesting to talk to!
After the Zoo, we headed back to the college, ate dinner, and then got ready for a night activity. I went bowling! Let me just say that bowling is not nearly as lame as it is in the states. Whereas in the US, bowling alleys try to squish as many lanes in as possible and really don't bother with decor, the places we went to were INSANE. They were all dark and lit up like dance clubs are with neon lights and plush couches. There was pool and air hockey on the side, and a fancy bar to the left of us. Me + alcohol + bowling = 45 points total. I'm impressed with myself. The best part of the night was probably afterwards though...
The hosts decided to take us to some bars/pubs hidden in the alleyways. And when I say alleyways, I mean alleyways. We went to St. Jerome's and Section 8 (which was closed ]: ). To get to St. Jerome's, you have to go down an alley with graffiti and bird poop on the walls. Go past dumpsters on either side and then finally stop at a nondescript door. Opening that correct door leads you into a dark room that then leads to the other side of the alley/converted bar area outside. It was REALLY cool. Like wow I had to restrain myself from being a total tourist and taking pictures. It was almost like this bar happened on accident, except that there was a DJ cage and wooden porchy area. I really felt like I was at a locals only kind of pub. I don't know if I'm adventurous enough to look for more alley pubs, but maybe with a group of friends...!
Saturday, February 14, 2009
OMG I'M FINALLY HERE!!11!!one!!
SFO to LAX. Delay for 3 hours. Take-off. Emergency landing in Hawaii. Exploration. Back to the Honolulu airport. Take-off. Arrival in Sydney. Arrival in Melbourne. Getting to my Melbourne Welcome an hour late and 25 hours after I had originally planned.
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Getting to Melbourne…
Apparently way easier said than done. Everything was going smoothly until I hit LAX, at which point everyone boarded the flight in a timely manner and were all set and ready to go. Until the captain said that we were having a few mechanical errors. Little by little, the 30 min delay became a 3 hour one. Their many excuses included having too many passengers on the plane (which they apparently had to remove???) and overfilling the fuel tank. We had to stay on the runway for another 30 min just to burn off the excess gas (POLLUTION MUCH!? MAJOR WASTE OF MONEY!??!). Anyway, after finally taking off, I wake up to the sound of the speakers saying that we have to make an EMERGENCY LANDING in Hawaii; I still don't even know what was really wrong with the plane... Since we landed at around 430 AM, we pretty much woke up the rest of Honolulu. We disembark, grab all of our luggage, and wait for the buses to take all 300+ of us passengers to the hotel…
Here’s where my story gets a little better!! For the majority of our short-lived flight, I sat next to and talked to a guy (Hi George!) traveling to Sydney to go to a conference. And wow THANK GOD FOR THAT. He and his colleagues took care of me for the entire trip. They ended up paying for a taxi to take us to the hotel to bypass all the other passengers and to avoid the inevitably huge line at the hotel check-in counter. Because of them/him, I got taken on a small tour around the city (as they had been their numerous times for business) and ate at some yummy restaurants. It was really a lot of fun because even though we were in much different age groups, I had some great conversations. It was really interesting because I don’t usually talk so candidly with adults. We exchanged a lot of ideas and he was pretty insightful; it’s strange how open you can be with strangers about your life and opinions. If I had to get delayed/diverted anywhere, Hawaii wasn’t the worst that could have happened haha. So after spending the entire day in Hawaii, we finally boarded our flight at midnight…and arrived in Melbourne 25 hours after we had originally intended to.
THIS is what makes me really sad. I had planned to get to Melbourne a day before my “orientation”-ish week started with all of the international students. I could’ve had time to open up a bank account, get an international cell phone, and basically settle in/absorb my surroundings. Instead, I and some fellow passengers were late to the Welcome and completely exhausted/jetlagged from our 13+ hour flight. It was unbelievable how fast cliques were forming already. I learned that everyone had already been in Melbourne for at least a few days and had already familiarized themselves with the city and gotten all their errands done. I didn’t have much time to feel jealous because as soon as we got there, everyone was separated into smaller groups as our hosts took us around the city.
I’m really worried about figuring out the tram system that we took to get around. The metro cards are interesting because you can buy them for certain time periods. For example, you insert the card into a machine and “validate” it when you get on the tram. If you bought a 2-hr card, then you can only use the tram for the 2-hours after you first validate. So essentially, you can use it as many times as you want as long as it falls within your time window. – I found this kind of interesting as it gives a new meaning to planning and time management haha. I don’t know how on earth I’m going to figure out all the stops though; I just might have to sit down and just memorize hahaha. Melbourne streets really remind me of New York City. There are so many shops and cafes just lining the street (which made me decide that I have to eat at every single little quirky place I see). Buildings aren’t as overwhelming in terms of blinking lights and signs, but the city is absolutely BUSTLING. and wow really really hot. We saw the Eureka tower where the view was insannneeee. 88 floors high (the elevator went to fast my ears plugged/popped!). You can see the entire city and d-d-d-damn, I have a lot of exploring to do.
I was feeling pretty good until we had a wine-and-cheese party after dinner. THAT was when I crashed. I could barely keep my eyes open let alone try to mingle and make friends. I tried, I really did, but it was kind of awkward. A lot of people were on school programs with each other and didn’t branch out. Some kids were already forming their little cliques and didn’t really invite conversation. I think the most disappointing thing is how drunk some people got. Yes everyone, it is legal for you to drink, but that doesn’t mean you should be having a freak train in the middle of the room (especially when the Australian hosts distinctly told everyone that grinding is a definite prelude to sex here)! I sort of felt like I do at Cornell frat parties nowadays: a little bewildered and half-wishing that I had no shame either…. I realize that a lot of people go to Melbourne to party, but I dunno, I guess I was hoping for more than that. It's kind of like summer camp but with booze haha. We'll see what happens!
-------- DETAILS ---------
Getting to Melbourne…
Apparently way easier said than done. Everything was going smoothly until I hit LAX, at which point everyone boarded the flight in a timely manner and were all set and ready to go. Until the captain said that we were having a few mechanical errors. Little by little, the 30 min delay became a 3 hour one. Their many excuses included having too many passengers on the plane (which they apparently had to remove???) and overfilling the fuel tank. We had to stay on the runway for another 30 min just to burn off the excess gas (POLLUTION MUCH!? MAJOR WASTE OF MONEY!??!). Anyway, after finally taking off, I wake up to the sound of the speakers saying that we have to make an EMERGENCY LANDING in Hawaii; I still don't even know what was really wrong with the plane... Since we landed at around 430 AM, we pretty much woke up the rest of Honolulu. We disembark, grab all of our luggage, and wait for the buses to take all 300+ of us passengers to the hotel…
Here’s where my story gets a little better!! For the majority of our short-lived flight, I sat next to and talked to a guy (Hi George!) traveling to Sydney to go to a conference. And wow THANK GOD FOR THAT. He and his colleagues took care of me for the entire trip. They ended up paying for a taxi to take us to the hotel to bypass all the other passengers and to avoid the inevitably huge line at the hotel check-in counter. Because of them/him, I got taken on a small tour around the city (as they had been their numerous times for business) and ate at some yummy restaurants. It was really a lot of fun because even though we were in much different age groups, I had some great conversations. It was really interesting because I don’t usually talk so candidly with adults. We exchanged a lot of ideas and he was pretty insightful; it’s strange how open you can be with strangers about your life and opinions. If I had to get delayed/diverted anywhere, Hawaii wasn’t the worst that could have happened haha. So after spending the entire day in Hawaii, we finally boarded our flight at midnight…and arrived in Melbourne 25 hours after we had originally intended to.
THIS is what makes me really sad. I had planned to get to Melbourne a day before my “orientation”-ish week started with all of the international students. I could’ve had time to open up a bank account, get an international cell phone, and basically settle in/absorb my surroundings. Instead, I and some fellow passengers were late to the Welcome and completely exhausted/jetlagged from our 13+ hour flight. It was unbelievable how fast cliques were forming already. I learned that everyone had already been in Melbourne for at least a few days and had already familiarized themselves with the city and gotten all their errands done. I didn’t have much time to feel jealous because as soon as we got there, everyone was separated into smaller groups as our hosts took us around the city.
I’m really worried about figuring out the tram system that we took to get around. The metro cards are interesting because you can buy them for certain time periods. For example, you insert the card into a machine and “validate” it when you get on the tram. If you bought a 2-hr card, then you can only use the tram for the 2-hours after you first validate. So essentially, you can use it as many times as you want as long as it falls within your time window. – I found this kind of interesting as it gives a new meaning to planning and time management haha. I don’t know how on earth I’m going to figure out all the stops though; I just might have to sit down and just memorize hahaha. Melbourne streets really remind me of New York City. There are so many shops and cafes just lining the street (which made me decide that I have to eat at every single little quirky place I see). Buildings aren’t as overwhelming in terms of blinking lights and signs, but the city is absolutely BUSTLING. and wow really really hot. We saw the Eureka tower where the view was insannneeee. 88 floors high (the elevator went to fast my ears plugged/popped!). You can see the entire city and d-d-d-damn, I have a lot of exploring to do.
I was feeling pretty good until we had a wine-and-cheese party after dinner. THAT was when I crashed. I could barely keep my eyes open let alone try to mingle and make friends. I tried, I really did, but it was kind of awkward. A lot of people were on school programs with each other and didn’t branch out. Some kids were already forming their little cliques and didn’t really invite conversation. I think the most disappointing thing is how drunk some people got. Yes everyone, it is legal for you to drink, but that doesn’t mean you should be having a freak train in the middle of the room (especially when the Australian hosts distinctly told everyone that grinding is a definite prelude to sex here)! I sort of felt like I do at Cornell frat parties nowadays: a little bewildered and half-wishing that I had no shame either…. I realize that a lot of people go to Melbourne to party, but I dunno, I guess I was hoping for more than that. It's kind of like summer camp but with booze haha. We'll see what happens!
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