Perception

I realized the other day that this whole experience still doesn't seem so real. I feel like am in an alternate America where the plants look a little different, everyone sounds a little funny, there are weird creatures hopping around and I am getting hit by cars on the opposite side of the road. Everything seems so familiar yet is just slightly different. It makes it hard to believe that I am halfway across the world from where I come from. I think I would realize the spacial difference more if I was in Asia but not here. Even in England I felt more far away from home than I do here. Maybe it is the relaxed beach culture here or the fact that I am surrounded by my peers that makes me feel like I am living in the twilight zone.

Although I don't feel so far I know I am going to miss some things. I am going to miss the fall crisp air and seeing the trees change color. I am going to miss Acorn coffee shop cookies. I am already missing TV (my Dad would say that isn't a bad thing though). I wouldn't say that these feelings are ones of being home sick but rather ones of predictive nostalgia. When the time comes when those things are supposed to happen I am going to miss them fondly but still be content with where I am now.

We Bought a Zoo! (Just Kidding. We Didn't Even Go)

Today I was supposed to go to the renowned Steve Irwin Zoo! It is very close by and from what I have heard from others who have already gone, you can pet kangaroos and koalas! But alas there was no patting of a little koala bums today. Plans were changed and I am now going on Saturday. So look forward to seeing me and some furry friends, and maybe some not so furry friends seeing that I am going to the crocodile hunters home base.

My New Home Away From Home

Yesterday, I went to the beach; Mooloolaba beach to be exact. Mooloolaba. It is such a tongue twister, easily one of the hardest words I have ever had to pronounce in my life. Mooloolaba is about a 20 minute bus ride despite being only 4 miles away from campus because there is no direct road. After what had seemed like an eternity of overcast and rainy days we happily greeted yesterday's weather: high 70's, slightly breezy and not a cloud in the sky. With our foreign accents, sunglasses and half naked bodies we were all ready for a day of fun. As we passed the dunes we all had to take a moment to appreciate what was before us. This beach was absolutely breathtaking. It was very rocky for some of the beach but after walking further down the coast, the beach widened into an expanse of sand a half-mile deep. The sand was the softest sand I have ever felt before. Imagine walking on cornstarch, there you go, you nailed it, that is what Mooloolaba sand feels like. The water was very salty, much more so than the Atlantic and it was surprisingly warm. I would have to guess it was high 60's. I did not get a body numbing sensation after staying in the water for more that 10 minutes like I do back home at the shore. There were many people at the beach but it still wasn't crowded. The beach here is more of a way of life; somewhere to eat lunch, workout, read a book, meditate, play soccer etc. Although I love the Jersey shore, it is not a place to do such things. I plan to go to this beach every chance I get. For those of you who know me well, I HATE running but Mooloolaba might just be giving me the inspiration I need to try again. Keep in mind these pictures do not do this place justice.

Orientation Week Surprises

This entire week is orientation week on campus. Each day has optional events to go to. Yesterday there was a plethora of 'stores' as the Ausies call them or rather booths or tents and us Americans would say. Before entering a building to go to the travel agency with my friend we passed a group of possibly students performing a very weird rendition of maybe the hunch back of Notre Dame. It was a very odd sight, and as a theater person myself I was even embarrassed for them. Then after exiting the building we came upon a performance from the indigenous aboriginals performing different dances from their culture such as the welcome dance, and the harvest dance. Each dance was accompanied with a didgeridoo beat. Here are some pictures of the performance. 

New Foods

While I was at the grocery store crying over the prices, I stumbled across this lovely fruit. "OOH what an interesting, delicious looking fruit that is native to Australia" I said to myself. The name of it is a Tamarillo and from looking at it I expected it to taste like a plum or dragon fruit. I tried it at breakfast. Lets just say it was one of the biggest disappointments in my life. What I expected to taste sweet, juicy and exotic tasted like BITTER (and I mean bitter just in case you couldn't tell by the all caps) piece of ****. It has many layers of flavors. It tastes bitter and almost papaya like at one moment and a little tomato-y and acidic at the end. The texture is also a little weird as you can see it has seeds. Parts of it is a little jelly and others more solid like plum flesh. My friend here just picked up some Kangaroo patties so I am interested to hear his testimonial. 

Dear Parents

I am sorry. This is going to be my most expensive semester yet. I am sure you wished I went to India where the treasures are plentiful and the prices are oh so, so low.

First Impressions

So far I have had a whirl wind of an experience. All my plane rides went smoothly but, they were so long! After arriving, I took a 'bus' with the rest of the Elon students to our apartment complexes. Most of the Elon students are in the complex across from mine. After checking in I was escorted to my apartment to be greeted by only the traces of civilization. There was a half assembled bike in the middle of the living room, rules for the drinking game Kings on the fridge and some food in the cabinets and fridge. My roommates were either not there, or avoiding me. I then set up my internet via an ethernet cord. I am not used to not having WiFi and it is a small inconvenience. The next step was to track down my bedding from a girl who I had previously arranged to buy them from. After facebook messaging Alex, the friend of the friend I brought the bedding from, I discovered that the possessions that I was promised were stolen by a squatter over their winter break. She was very nice about it and gave me everything that she could from her own possessions. She then gave me a tour of campus, which was modern and confusing. On the tour I ran into some girls from Elon off to the stores to buy their missing necessities.

I broke off from the Ausi Alex and joined the Elon girls to take a bus to the Sunshine Plazza. The Sunshine Plazza is big! I will most definitely be going back for a day of exploring. As the day progressed, jet lag made itself more and more apparent. When I got home I heard noises from one of the bedrooms and announced myself. As the second bedroom drawer opened I was met by Lars, my German roommate. We got to know each other but be were both extremely tired and went our separate ways for the night. He was very kind to invite me out that night but neither of us made it out of bed. I later made my bed, unpacked, cleaned my bathroom, showered, ate and apple, watched a tv show and went to bed. Sleeping was easy, staying asleep was hard. I woke up at 6 a.m. which is 4 p.m. at home. I forced myself to go back to sleep and was later woken up around 9 a.m. by the crazy birds that they have here and the lively basketball players on the court next to my apartment.

After getting ready for the day I was off to go to the office to hand in some paperwork and get directions for the grocery store. That is when I realized I locked my self out of my room. My keys which are attached to my wallet were behind a door that I couldn't open. My plans for the day were ruined. I went to the office which said it was open but the door was locked. After going back and forth from my apartment to the office hoping each time someone would be there, I gave up. Lars and I sat and talked. He is 23, studying sports science/physical therapy, isn't religious, doesn't mind if I put my feet up on the couch, here alone, goes to school right outside of Frankfurt, and also agrees that our kitchen is gross. We both decided that our other two roommates must be Australian and still away on winter break. Lars tried calling the office over and over again and thankfully someone answered on the third try. A maintenance man came and opened my door. I got my keys, directions from Lars and was off on the long walk to the grocery store.

What I learned at the grocery store...

• Everything is expensive (EVERYTHING)- two pounds of chicken breast were $10, apples were $1 each, 10 asparagus stalks were $6
• They don't have broccoli
• They don't have chicken broth!!!!
• Buy mens shaving cream because it is cheaper

I kept running into this guy at the grocery store who I had seen earlier that morning on my walks to the office. On the way home I ran into him again. We walked together which made the walk a lot easier. Don't ask me his name because I am horrible with names even if they are as simple as Bob. I do know that his name was not that simple though. He is from Kashmir, India but has a British accent which I later found out is from his time spent in London getting his masters degree. The mix of his accents almost makes him sound Australian. He is here getting his PhD in immunology. He has been here since April and has a contract for three years which might send him to Scottland, and or Boston. He was very nice and we talked about seeing each other at an upcoming orientation party. 

Orientation week here is crazy. There is university orientation in the morning and planned parties every night of the week. I guess they are used to throwing beer pong tournaments and toga parties since the drinking age is 18. 

I am off to go clean my horrid kitchen now.