First Entry About 5 Days Late

Well, here I am in beautiful Sydney, Australia. I have been here for 5 days, and boy have they been hectic. I can't even begin to settle down yet. There are just too many little things that need to be accomplished. This is probably going to be a very long entry because I would like to catch up on what I have been doing. I finally have an internet connection in my room, but apparently Skype doesn't work on the University internet. I have yet to try it out, so we'll see. Internet is way too expensive here. I won't be on it as much as I am used to. It will take some getting used to.

THURSDAY- I left STL around 6:30PM, spent four hours on a plane to SFO, had a two hour layover, and departed SFO around 10:40PM for Australia. I was on a plane for roughly 19 hours that day. It was insane. The 14 hour plane ride wasn't as horrible as I was expecting. I definitely slept more than I thought I would be able to, and there was an Australia man sitting by me who offered some good conversations. He even gave me his number for if I ever visit Brisbane. Don't get too excited, he was my sister's age with a wife and kids. Oh, there was a very cute Aussie at the airport, but I didn't get to talk to him. Instead a girl named Cait started talking to him. Well, Cait is now my go to girl. Funny how that happens, eh? We roomed together at the hotel for 3 days, and now we are in adjacent buildings. We get along very well.

FRIDAY- Lost in the abyss somewhere. I was above the ocean. February 12, 2010 did not officially exist for me.

SATURDAY- We arrived in Sydney around 9:30AM. We were a little delayed getting off the plane because someone else was in our gate. All I have to say is, do not make people who have been flying for 14 hours stay on a plane even longer!! That was the antsiest (which apparently isn't a word) couple of minutes ever! I was able to find my luggage relatively quickly and then I went through customs without any issues. It was easy peasy for me, thank goodness. After I left the gate, I started looking for a sign that said IES. I had a little trouble at first finding them, but then I migrated towards all the young college people with large suitcases. Smart, eh? We were ushered to buy a Vodafone right away. I still don't know how to use my phone fully. I basically just call my friends here. I would send texts to people in the US, but it will cost you guys more than me. We headed to Coogee Sands Hotel for a 3 day stay during orientation. I roomed with Cait and Chelsea. Saturday was the longest day of everyone's life. By about 3PM, we were dying to fight off the jet lag. AMAZINGLY, we all stayed up until about 10PM and went to bed normally. We had lunch as a big group and just sort of mingled. It was hard to mingle with everyone during orientation because there were large groups of people who already knew each other. That made it harder for us who didn't know people, so we sort of formed our own group. After lunch we had a little bit of orientation and then we were free for the day. A group of us went down to the beach and did some rock climbing. I have awesome pictures, although it was rainy and cloudy. Then we made our way to dinner at an Italian place. We keep having extremely long dinners because here you have to ask for the bill, and we always forget! They won't kick you out or bring it to you. So this night we had a 3 hour dinner, but that was because a crazy couple next to us talked our ears off for 2 of them. They just wanted to keep telling us things to see and do. It was great, but we were exhausted! I thought I was going to die. We got some ice cream as a reward for such an extremely long dinner and then headed back to the hotel for rest.

SUNDAY- Well, this was an informative day. We learned that pash means to make out, root means to have sex, and crack onto is to hit on. My Aussie language is now complete. :) Aside from the language lesson, we headed to Darling Harbour for the day. We got to go to the Sydney Aquarium and took a jet boat ride on the ocean. Unfortunately, I was on the jet boat that broke down so our ride was cut short. However, I was still able to see the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. I hope to go with Cait to the Conservatorium of Music soon because it is right by the Opera House. I want to take better pictures. At night, we went to Chinese for dinner and brought a box of wine along with us. A bunch of us just hung out a bit and then I went to bed fairly early.

MONDAY- The first sunny day since we had been here! After our orientation in the morning, we headed to the Featherdale Wildlife Park. We saw all the classic Aussie animals and even got to pet them!! The kangaroos wouldn't eat our food though. They are way overfed, but I took some pictures pretending to feed them. I'm sure I will have plenty more opportunities to feed the kangaroos. I just hope to actually see one in its natural habitat sometime soon. Next we headed to the Blue Mountains for a fabulous hike with the cooky Lester. He was a real crazy. The end. We ended the night with pizza on the roof of our hotel. Yet again I was too tired to go out for some night life.

TUESDAY- Move in day! We moved into Sydney University Village, our permanent homes until the end of June. I live in a 5 person suite, with one other girl from the IES program, Angelica. We do not know our other "flat mates" yet. However, when we got here, there was already crap everywhere. The kitchen is a total DISASTER. We talked to reception today to find out the deal, but we are going to need a professional cleaner. I guess you could say that I am less than happy by whoever has been living here/moved in. I don't feel at home at all because I stay in my room. It smells in the lounge areas and we can't cook food in our own kitchen. Oh, and let's not mention all the dead bugs in the freezer. I am very unhappy right now with our apartment situation. A bunch of us took a trip to the closest (or so we think) mall to get needed supplies. Let's just say, things are way more expensive here and I have no idea how this is going to work. I plan to get a job, but I can't until I have a full schedule, which sucks. Oh, and for some reason, no one puts prices on things here!! WHY? I am definitely starting to notice the differences between here and the US. After a crazy day, we all went out!! YES, FINALLY I WENT OUT IN AUSTRALIA! We went to this really awesome "backpackers" club where almost every guy was gay. No joke. I loved it! I had a great time minus the fact that my feet were KILLING me. We walked waaaaaaaaay too much yesterday. I might need a comfortable pair of shoes that aren't tennis shoes. I don't really know what kind of shoes that leaves though. We'll see what I can find.

All in all, I have already gotten to see and do a lot. I'm ready to be comfortable though and have this feeling like home. It's going to be a process. I am unpacked, but not completely organized. I can't wait to finally feel like a local and meet some more Australians. It's been hard being with all Americans right now. I love the IES friends that I have made, but I would really like to branch out now. I am excited to live in a big city, since I never have before. One of the main shopping roads, Kings Street, is right by SUV. It's amazing!

Oh, and I already got sunburnt. It was the day that it rained all day long. Yes, that is how strong the sun is here. My burn isn't/wasn't bad. I don't even know if I still have it. I'm trying to decide if I am getting tan lines or what they are. I'm not red enough for them to be sunburn lines. Although, I can't buy sunscreen any higher than 30 here. Strange. So all my money will be going towards sunscreen. Goody!

Well, I know I am probably forgetting a ton of things to say, but this is long enough. Props to anyone who actually reads all of this. My entries will not be this detailed from now on. Well, they might be. Back when I used to keep a Xanga, I was quite known for extremely long and detailed entries about my life. But I am also keep a journal for myself, so we'll see what ends up on the blog and what's in my journal. Peace out for now. Just know that I am well and alive, just a little overwhelmed and anxious to be settled completely.