Orientation at the University of Massachusetts

This week was so hectic and frightening and the weather was atrociously hot and humid, but really, it was some of the best fun I’ve had in the longest time. I met the most awesome people who are from all over the world and I must say that the Aussies present were the best looking bunch of all. The Orientation program was a week long affair which included a schedule of mandatory and optional activities. We were obliged to attend sessions like the welcoming ceremony and academic information meetings, and the optional activities were things like hiking excursions, “Dating in the USA” and trips to some of the nearby malls to stock up on supplies.

Speaking of which, I had no idea how much stuff I would have to buy just to survive here. Sheets, blankets, pillows, towels, coathangers, Ethernet cables, extension leads, gallons of bottled water … the tap water here is unappetizing to say the least and the locals don’t drink it, soo…..

These first trips to the mall were very expensive occasions for all the exchange students. But I console myself with the thought that it would have been much more expensive to buy it all at home, because everything is soooooo much cheaper over here, and it would have cost me even more to ship it all over. So I guess this method is really the only way to get oneself sorted in this situation. At least this is what everyone else was doing too. I just wish I had thought about it in advance, I really wasn’t expecting to spend $300 in the first day on boring crap that I actually needed. I mean, I spent a whole day shopping and I didn't even come home with a pair of shoes.

We moved into our permanent housing at the end of the week – I’m on the 16th floor of a 22 storey high rise building called Coolidge, and moving all my stuff in was a horrific experience in the 40 degree heat with all the elevators occupied. It was bloody hard work. I’m never doing it again. Ever. AND my room is a lot smaller than the rest of the rooms in the building since I have been relegated to a notorious “corner room”. It’s about 1/2 to 2/3 of the size of a regular room. Plenty of space for one person, but highly claustrophobic with the company of two. I will have to wait until my roommate arrives next week to assess the situation properly.

Also, the campus is massive and scary and the campus tour did nothing but freak me out further and cause me serious stress about the logistics of locating and getting to my classes. It’s really pretty though, there are trees and squirrels everywhere and the buildings are really old and quaint (the uni was established in 1851) and the library is, apparently, the tallest academic library in America … or the Northern Hemisphere … or the world. Or something.

One thing is for sure though, this place is so bizarre to me right now and I’m missing home really, really badly. Hopefully it doesn’t take too long to settle in so I can start enjoying myself and get a little comfortable. Classes start in a few days!! So until then – ciao!

Washington, D.C.

Well, what a BEAUTIFUL city. With a capital like this, it is so easy to see why Americans have such pride in their country – there is so much to be proud of. Don’t get me wrong, I love Sydney (Canberra not so much), but we don’t have anything like this. This city … it blew me away.

The very night that I arrived, I went on a night tour of the monuments. The Lincoln Memorial, the White House, the Pentagon, the Arlington Cemetery, the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument and reflecting pool … I saw so many things on this tour. Nothing inspired more awe in me, however, than the World War Two memorial, a beautifully constructed pool and fountain surrounded by individual block monuments for each state and territory of the United States. Pictures could never convey the emotion of that place; there is a cloud of sadness that hangs over it that could never be captured on film. Anyone who is travelling to the States on exchange – I urge you to visit this amazing city. It really helped me to understand from where the patriotism that is embedded into the American psyche comes.

The patriotic and historical treats did not end within the city either! DC is so central to a number of surrounding states that a few hours on a bus brought me to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Monticello (Thomas Jefferson’s house) in Virginia. Each place had its own distinct feel. Gettysburg was by far the eeriest place I have ever been. We were able to walk through the battle fields (which are maintained to look the same as they did in the battle) and through the town, in which there are buildings still standing from back during the Battle of Gettysburg (original bullet holes and attic hide-outs still intact). I don’t think I’ve ever bought so much merchandise from one place, but there was something about this town that fascinated the pants off me. I now officially own 7 books about the Battle (oops!) and other such kitsch souvenirs (pens, keyrings, a copy of the Gettysburg Address … oh I’m a bad girl :S).

Monticello on the other hand was (although still a bit eerie) more light hearted. Beautiful house, beautiful gardens, tragic slave dwellings … awesome giftshop!! When I was paying for more useless souvenirs the cashier told me a woman in Australia was crushed and killed by a camel that her husband had bought her for her 60th birthday. One comment about Australia and I missed my mum. I spent the rest of the day in a kind of self-pitying stupor – don’t let that happen to you!! Who knows how much I missed out on while I was feeling sorry for myself.

Anyway, I’m feeling nerves – I’m on my way to UMass now! I really don’t want to leave Washington … but the exchange must be done. Until Orienation … ta ta.