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!
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!
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