First day of classes...

Aussie word of the day: Chemist - pharmacist, pharmacy

Today I had my very first lecture session for "PSYC2010 - Psychological Research Methodology II". The teacher, contrary to what I had been led to believe about lecture profs., seems to have quite a sense of humor/closeness with the students. He instructed us to ask questions in class, and to address him by his first name. Turns out he's a developmental psychologist, which for those of you who haven't kept up, is what I will likely decide to be. Right now I am sitting in one of the 14 school libraries, waiting for 5 o'clock to come, and bring with it the ability to sign up for my research methods tutorial session. After that, I plan to run some errands, and then head home (where hopefully I will be able to access the guys' internet, if it got set up today.) The plan is to boost their net signal with a router of our own, split costs for a single service plan with them, and thereby save us all some dough, time, and stress. Of course, with as perfectly as we have it planned, it's likely to all fall apart. No one hold their breaths when it comes to home-based net access for me.

Still no internet in my f#$*ing apartment!

Aussie word (phrase) of the day: You right? = Are you ok? / Can I help you? / Are you nuts? (it's important to listen to tone of voice)

As you can guess from the title, we still don't have internet, so I'm still using the sketchy little Warcraft-lovers net joint a few blocks from home. Hopefully we get it soon, this place sorta smells. Anyway, I'm most of the way prepared for classes (still working on getting tutorials figured out). School starts on Monday (and not until 2pm for me! Wow, that would suck at Arcadia with the parking situation, but here with the public transport, it's glorious!!). Oh, did I mention I don't have class on Friday? Now I did. How cool is that??!?! That, combined with having my Monday's not start until 2, is really going to help when it comes to making travel plans. Even better, depending on which tutorial I get for PSYC2020 (Neuroscience for Psychologists, hardcore, right?), my Thursdays may end as early as 1 pm. They're really big on independent learning here, which is fine by me. This week has mostly been pre-class prep sessions (international student orientation lectures, etc.) Last night I cooked pasta primavera for a small army. By which I mean, myself, my roommate, and several other people (fellow Arcadia-sent students with whom I've made friends.) It was awesome. "The guys" (which is how I will refer to the quad of boys who live nearby; Sean, Steve, Rick, and Mudit [who doesn't actually live with the other three, but might as well]) made a gluten-free cake and brought wine. Also in attendance were Katrina, Christine, and Steve's girlfriend Whitney. Andrea (my roomie) and my friend Corissa (learn all these names, there will be a test) dragged the porch table and chairs into our living room to accommodate everyone. It was a really fun night. Today was 'market day' at at school, wherein a bunch of clubs set up tables and advertise for membership. I took pamphlets from a bunch of clubs, but as it costs to join clubs here, I only signed up for AUJS (think: Student-run, Aussie version of Hillel) so far. Tomorrow we have another international students lecture thingy, and that pretty much does it. No set plans for this weekend, but I'm sure we'll find something fun to do. Sure I'm missing my American friends and family, but I am soooo loving it here!

And now, the top (or at least currently in my mind) 5 reasons why Australia has it more together than America:
1. No pennies.
2. The electrical outlets each have independent switches, which minimizes unnecessary energy waste.
3. More energy-efficient appliances, as they are held to a higher standard.
4. Water saving toilets are pretty much standard. For those who don't know, the water level in these is lower, and there are two separate flush buttons (half and whole, to cater to various "loads".) The only downside to these toilets is that because they load straight down, we can't see if the water really flows the other way! Ah well.
5. I'm here, and we all know what that does for a place.

Maddy

Oh, it's just another kangaroo

Aussie word of the day - Uni (you-nee) = University

So it seems I am alive...which means I survived the 15+ hour flight to Aussie land last week, as well as the to Brisbane today. However, I have no phone or internet (I'm in a net cafe right now that charges by the minute), so my contact with people/posting here will be inconstant until I get set up. As far as my trip, so far I have walked through nationally protected bush land, hand-fed kangaroos, gone on an incredable beach hike, ridden a Melbourne trolley, and watched the real-life march of penguins. This country is AMAZING!! Oh, and there's tons of gluten-free stuff available, can you believe it? Brisbane is hot and humid, but lovely. The place is just so...alive! I'm going to get a lot of walking in, that's for sure. Good thing, since a big goal of mine this term is getting in shape. The group of abroad students is fairly cool in general, though there is a large group that strikes me as being very similar to the kids I stayed the hell away from in high school -- the "alpha crowd" types who drink too much. Ah well, I'm meeting people a few at a time, and I can't wait to start classes and get to know some Aussies! I have made a few good friends thusfar, and my roomie seems pretty cool. If I ever can't stand her though, we have separate rooms and bathrooms in this fabulous apartment that lies just a short ferry ride from school.