Cara's Exchange Adventure!

Trick or Treat!

2007-12-12T09:26:00.000-08:00

Halloween was exciting!! Or rather, Halloween was something I was excited ABOUT. As it turns out, October is quite cold in this hemisphere of the north – who’d have thought, huh? Subsequently my costume choice was not what is usually considered sensible. Although much more conservative than a lot of girls here, my bare arms and semi bare legs were frozen almost numb. It also happens that the Halloween party I attended fell on a rainy, windy evening and took place outside. This was definitely something I would have liked to have known, since it caused me to break the “no heels in mud” rule. I did see some really awesome costumes though, like two friends dressed up as a giant toothbrush and a giant tube of toothpaste. Yes: Americans take this holiday VERY seriously and the competitive atmosphere is amazing. As such there is a game spreading through campus called “Humans and Zombies”. The Humans are attacked by the Zombies and become Zombies themselves … or something.

I was disappointed that I didn't get to do the whole Trick or Treat thing. But apparently this is for children?

I felt a bit sad recently too – I missed my best buddy’s 21st birthday, it’s my boyfriend’s birthday next week and my dad’s the week after. I feel like a bad friend/girlfriend/daughter. They don’t seem to mind though. Which is weird, because I sooooo would.

Oh oh!! And I've organised a trip to Montreal which is actually quite close to here. I'm tres excited to practice my French - until then!

Homecoming and other stuff

2007-11-29T19:40:00.000-08:00

Homecoming week has been and gone and I barely noticed. Fascinated by the tradition as I was, I asked dozens of people what the celebration was all about and nobody had any idea. As far as I gather, it has something to do with sport and it involves “pep rallies” and the marching band going at it pretty hard.
So … in the spirit of the period I went to an ice hocky game, which was violent and hilarious, and then I went to a football game which was boring and confusing. However, I DID get some awesome team spirit t-shirts with the UMass “Fight Song” printed on the back, for FREE! And some coloured streamers to cheer with, for FREE! It was great, I was decked out in my school colours and had a photo with the team mascot, “Sam the Minuteman”.
Also, I’ve been given back a few mid-terms and some essays and I’m a genius!! I haven’t received any less than 91% for anything, which is exciting. Obviously the marking here is a lot easier. But I’m not complaining. In fact, I’m feeling rather smug.
It’s starting to cool down quite a bit too. One of the main reasons I decided to come to UMass was so I could experience the cold weather, but I guess I didn’t plan ahead properly. I’ve had to add a lot of warmer garments to my wardrobe, which is fun, but of course, not the cheapest activity I could partake in. On the quasi-up side, I doubt I’ll have to buy any snow gear. I’ve been told it won’t start snowing until December or January. I wanted to see some snow here desperately, but now I’m thinking maybe it’s a better if I don’t. Because if it gets any colder … I might die.

New York! New York!

2007-11-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

I LOVE New York City. It is soooooooo my kind of place. It has been the most awesome place I have been to so far.

One of the friends I went with is a transfer student from Sarah Lawrence College which is in a little town called Bronxville which is about half an hour outside Manhattan and her super generous friends at the college put us up in their dorms for three whole nights for free!

I’m glad I went with locals too, because there was no way I could have navigated the Subway system and if I’d had to travel by train alone, I would have rocked up to Grand Central station, had a look around and cried. The size of the city and everything in it is indescribable; I was in complete awe the entire time.

The concert was on little Randall’s Island which is in between the mainland and Manhattan and the buses to and from the event were perfectly organised, we didn’t have any transport problems at all. And my goodness, it was one of the best concerts I have ever been too. $40 got us a mini outdoor music festival which started at 3pm and went through til 11pm and which showed four other bands before the main act. It was a brilliant bargain and a fantastic time.

We spent the whole next day exploring and shopping and eating and doing some of the crazy touristy things I had been hoping to do since I first conceived the idea of travelling to NYC. We ate giant pretzels in Times Square, wandered around Central Park, ordered bagels with thick inch cream cheese, imitated Woody Allen’s voice, and took photos of anything and everything that I had ever seen in a movie. It was so much fun.

Of course it was impossible to see it all in one day, so I will be returning soon enough, and next time, I will actually be able to ride the subway!!

I just LOVE New York.

I heart UMass

2007-11-13T18:49:00.001-08:00

So by now my life at UMass has become infinitely better than before. Classes are still too easy but I have decided to consider this a blessing because more spare time equals more travelling opportunities!

My friends and I have discovered the most gorgeous little town called Northhampton and I have fallen in love with it. It has beautiful stores, beautiful restaurants, beautiful old buildings and monuments, a fantastic chocolatier and the best part – espresso bars that aren’t Starbucks. It’s heaven and it’s only 20 minutes up the highway from Amherst. Since the bus is free, I am sure I will be spending a lot of time there.

Also, I recently found out that the school’s gyms are free for undergraduate students! When I was surprised by this I was told that this is quite normal in American state universities, so hooray to exercise! “Get stuffed” I hear you say all the way from Aussieland, but keep in mind, you won’t be preparing your own meals and who knows what kind of saturated fats are drenching the foods at the dining commons at universities all over the United States. Exercising is essential for exchange students in my opinion … I can just imagine the “fat Americans” comments I would receive from my friends if I put on weight while I was over here – I won’t let it happen!

And more fun! I have been to some absolute killer parties in the last fortnight. Apparently Thursday nights are THE nights for going out here (weird, huh? I should be out buying shoes on Thursday nights!) AND!! My NYC trip is just around the corner … I could not possibly be more excited without bursting.

Until my valiant return from the city that never sleeps.

My Slump

2007-11-13T18:15:00.000-08:00

Wow. Classes are really easy here. I know this is a terrible attitude to have, but only three weeks into the semester I feel like I could scribble my name on a piece of paper, call it an essay and get a decent mark. There is so much homework that seems pointless to me and I have mini tests coming out of my ears that I don’t study for and still get 100% on. I have the distinct feeling that I’m going to struggle to keep myself motivated here, because it appears I will be without challenge all semester. Plus, I’m only taking three classes here: 2 x 3 credit classes and 1 x 6 credit class. The norm is to take four to five 3 credit classes, so I have so much more free time than my friends and my roommate. Since I have no job here (not that I would recommend getting one) I’m bored out of my mind and have been occupying myself by shopping myself into oblivion. So now I feel like I’ve spent a million dollars, and I still have nothing to do and I miss my mummy :(

What’s really weird though, is that I’ve really only know my “friends” here for three or four weeks and it would be really weird to hug them (the arm around the shoulder in photos is still a bit awkward) but my godfather, I would kill for one of those giant rib-crushing, lung-wringing, eyeball popping cuddles right now; it’s been at least 5 weeks since I had one.

And although I’m sure many of you will feel the same way while away from home, please don’t be an idiot like me and compensate for your lack of bodily contact by buying a stack of useless crap … it doesn’t even work, and I put quite the hole in my ‘budget’ and now I own a bunch of books I will never read, an embarrasing amount of souvenirs and a mass of clothing I will never be able to transport home.

Of course now I have decided that organising a trip to see a concert in New York City will do me a world of good and I do believe that getting out of Amherst for a while is exactly what I need. So I have put my faith in NYC that it may momentarily relieve me of my slump in excitement about being here.

Updates on their way!

First Week of Classes at UMass

2007-11-13T17:41:00.000-08:00

I finally met my roommate, Kika, who is a blast! She took me to a nearby theme park called Six Flags with her friends the day before classes started and it was awesome. I’m really stoked that I ended up with someone decent to live with because after speaking to some of my friends from Orientation it seems that quite a few have ended up with complete duds who won’t even bother to speak to them! I get the impression that making good friends with roommates is a good move for Exchange Students, since having the opportunity to socialise with them can help you to make other friends and to really immerse yourself in the culture of the uni and the country.

I’ve heard some horror stories about this school though … apparently they’re beyond crazy when it comes to sports and last year when the Red Sox lost the World Series there was a massive riot on campus that resulted in cars being overturned and random objects being set alight. Also, I’ve been warned never to go down some path called the “Rape Trail” for obvious reasons, although if I do, or if I have, I wouldn’t have a clue, because I have no idea where it is, and strangely enough, neither does anyone else. Oh! And apparently underage drinking is a massive problem here (the campus has been nicknamed ZooMass Slamherst) and the school has its own police force equipped with cars, dogs, horses and a helicopter in an effort to clean up the school’s reputation!

On the academic side of things, the classes seem relatively easy so far and it’s been VERY easy to make friends in them - the Aussie accent can charm anyone anytime apparently. Let’s just hope the semester continues in this fashion!!

One last thing – if you’re a tea drinker, you will need to go shopping for proper tea bags (not the ‘herbal’ type filled with colourful dried flowers and sticks) because apparently they don’t serve normal tea here!! I miss my Dilmah! And the coffee here is not espresso topped with steamed milk like we’re used to back home; it’s all brewed and kinda tastes like dirty water. Luckily there’s a Starbucks on every other street corner…

Until next time, ciao!

Orientation at the University of Massachusetts

2007-10-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

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.

2007-10-16T22:22:00.000-07:00

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.

Chicago

2007-09-27T10:43:00.000-07:00

Here lies my 5 day stint in Chicago, Illinois. And may it rest in peace.

Chicago, known affectionately to it’s locals as Chicagoland (reason not discovered), is the capital city of Illinois and according to the masses of car yard advertisements I have seen on the television is “the heart of the mid-west”. And in this city of massive proportions, I got to work on the sightseeing right away – after 20 hours in the air, 8 hours wandering around airports, 2 hours in traffic between airport and hotel and only 6 hours of sleep I arose to experience my first day trip around the city.

Even though I was the only person on the coach who was under 60, I was not the only Australian, in fact I was not even the only person from Wollongong! I was shocked to speak to a lovely old man from our home who had included Chicago in his 3 month retirement party tour around the world – it’s amazing who you’ll meet around on your travels.

I did a few of these tours, as a way to familiarise myself with the city, so I could have the last two days of my stay to wander around and see whatever I wanted. And the tours were great. I saw all sorts of crazy stuff, like Oprah’s house, the Magnificent Mile, Chicago’s version of the Gold Coast, the tallest building in America (or the world or the northern hemisphere or something), the largest commercial building in the America, and of course, Lake Michigan, by which I was utterly gob smacked. Standing on the beach, it looks like the ocean, you can’t see the other side; it could go on forever as far as I was concerned.

It really is a very nice, well put together, beautiful city. And I was really lucky because my hotel was across the street from Grant Park, which is full of gardens and trees and people walking their dogs – it was sunny and fantastic and I was on top of the world … until I started noticing people being rude to me. The concierge, people at cafes, people in pharmacies, gift stores, everywhere! Really, do not expect people to ask how you are from behind the counter; they do not care. You’d be lucky to get a word out of them that wasn’t the price of your purchase. And when you accidentally pop out the old “how’s it going?” - do not expect a response. I don’t know if this attitude was typical of Chicago, if it was aimed specifically at me, or if each and every person I dealt with was in a bad mood, but wow, it really put a dampener on my trip. I struggled to remember people being rude to me in my last 2 trips to the States, and I couldn’t recall any hostility. Perhaps I was just noticing it because I was alone … either way, it didn’t make for the most fantastic stay.

I got a little timid about eating out alone, and awkward about wandering around the city alone. Don’t get me wrong, I still had a good time (first flushes of freedom and all the beautiful monuments and all), but I got the distinct feeling that it was definitely a destination better seen with a travelling buddy. So, take my advice, do more research than I did. Oprah is not a good enough excuse to blow your money on a five day stay somewhere in a new country. You’re probably best off trying for a place especially touristy (L.A., San Francisco, New York, Rome, Paris, etc) for your first little stay where you’ll be kept busy.

Other Observations

Tipping: We are lucky not to tip in Australia, but I do have the sneaking suspicion that we are the only country in the world that doesn’t. In Chicago (and numerous other places I assume) people tip for EVERYTHING. E.g, after paying significant moolah for a bus tour to the University of Chicago, I was expected upon exiting the coach, to tip the driver … even though I had already paid. If you don’t tip room service, they’ll just put it on your hotel bill. Everyone expects it, and it’s not rude, it’s normal. I always keep a bunch of $1 bills in my back pocket for tipping. A basic guide would be this: for people who provide services (porters, tour guides, etc) $2-$3 is generally a good amount; for waiters, room service, or anyone else who comes with a bill, you should give them 15% of the total amount on the bill.

Money: Yes, all American notes look wildly similar. (Trivia: they’re made out of cotton!) I found that it helps to put them in ascending order of value in my wallet, so I have some idea of what I’m reaching for. I decided to do this after I tipped the airport transfer driver $13 instead of $3. He was really grateful. I was not.

Jetlag: Oh my godfather. Jetlag is no fun. I swear I told everyone back home, “nahh, I’m immune to jetlag, I can sleep on planes, I’ll be fine”. No, I most certainly wasn’t. How, may I ask, can one sleep on a plane when a) food is constantly being thrown at them; and b) they have just left their mummy crying at the airport? Impossible. You may not notice the jetlag right away, but when, on your 3rd day abroad, you sleep in til 4:30pm after hitting the sack at 9:30pm the night before, jetlag is your reason.

Food: Dining alone is awkward. But face up to the awkwardness if you can. It’s worth it. Find a place that sells fruit and keep some in your hotel (the whole time difference/jetlag thing is weird, I was waking up hungry at 4am).

Don’t feel the obligation to be out and about every single night. If one night you feel the urge to stay in and order room service while watching TV, writing postcards and uploading your photos, do it! It’s your holiday, and if you need some time out you shouldn’t have to feel bad about that. Going to a new place is scary after a while, and I really felt the need to sit down and absorb it after a few hectic days. It helps.

Anyways, so I’m the airport. My original flight was cancelled and now I have to wait 6 hours for the next one to turn up, but I’m on my way to Washington, DC - the nation’s capital. Til then, ciao!

My Arrival in the United States of America

2007-09-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

After months of planning, plotting and procrastinating, I have finally touched down in the land of cheeseburgers and cowboys. And so begins my 4 month stint here. No … seriously. I could not walk into any café in LA airport without the option of a cheeseburger AND I have seen no less than 4 men dolled up in their finest John Wayne accessories. So, in the spirit of my arrival, I ordered a cheeseburger and now on my connecting flight to my first destination (i.e. Chicago) I am feeling quite the contented cow. Except for the 20 hours sans sleep, the dried facial skin from the fake air in the plane and something of a hangover from the two red wine piccolos I enjoyed on the international flight. Please, keep in mind, drunkenness multiplies at high altitudes – try to avoid the alcohol.

Actually come to think of it, I’m a little depressed. I just left my family and friends not more than 16 hours ago standing in the check-in area of Sydney airport. Not to see them again for 4 months. And trust me, leaving is HARD. I had always said “nah, no problem, four months will FLY by; it will be like I never left”. But the actual act of saying goodbye and walking away was they hardest thing I’ve ever had to do … in memory … I think. I really was a complete mess. Girls – waterproof mascara is a must if you’re going to feel guilty about staining other people’s clothing in your teary state. Oh boy, did I cry like a baby or what?! And I continued to cry through all the security checks and while waiting for the plane, and ON the plane and even when the stewardess had the nerve to be nice to me.

But the flight was decent. I was pleasantly surprised to not have been placed next to a balding, smelly, fat man as I had feared – I requested an aisle seat, and the seat next to me was unoccupied AND the girl next to that seat was so thin, that at certain angles I couldn’t even see her. The meals, though decidedly “plane-like” were edible, and I enjoyed the privilege of choosing which movie/TV show I want to listen to on my personal screen.

Touching down was scary though, with the prospect of facing the immigration crew (to whom we were all led through a very long corridor adorned with framed pictures of both Bush and Cheney). The people at immigration aren’t really happy – I was glad I was prepared, for fear of being chastised for not being efficient enough! So make sure you have every single piece of your visa documentation on your person! Preferably in a display folder for easy access. Seriously, everything. They ask to see your Sevis fee receipt and other documents I didn’t expect them to need. So keep it all together and WITH you. No one had told me this, so I’m glad I thought “I’ll keep that with me for just in case”. Consider yourself warned.

Anyway, the flight to Chicago is about to land and I must secure my table and return my seat to the upright position – oh baby!!

Ciao!!

Getting Ready

2007-09-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's officially two weeks until I depart for the Motherland, and I'm starting to get very excited indeed! But there's still so much to do before I will be ready to leave and I have no idea how I'm going to fit it all in. If I could offer anyone any preliminary advice, it would be to start preparing yourself WAY before you think you need to. And also listen to your mother when she nags you to do so...

Urgh, and I still have to get my innoculations to be allowed on campus and I'm absolutely TERRIFIED of needles. I didn't even know I needed any until a few weeks ago. I'd say it would be a good idea to find out your innoculation responsibilities early on if you're frightened of injections. As my time is running out I'm getting more and more paranoid about it. Oh and definitely budget for the injections. I only have to get a meningitis shot but the vaccine cost me $48! And I only got a rebate of $18 from my private health fund. Imagine if I had to get a bunch of them!

Speaking of money, I've started to organise a type of budget - keeping in mind that I won't be receiving my travel grant or OS-HELP loan money until a while after I arrive. I hate that I have a budget ... filthy word ... but I really must be realistic and mature and recognise that I need to work my money over a four month period (boring). I figure, sadly, that this means no ridiculous, kitsch souvenirs or bagfuls of American candies just for the fun of it. Restraint, ladies and gentlemen, is certainly not my forte, so wish me luck!

I've also been having a little bit of a looky at the weather forecasts for my travel destinations. Good Morning America starts at 4:30am on channel seven, or channel nine (or something like that - check the TV guide) and they go through a full weather report for the United States. Of course if you're heading to Europe you can watch the international news programs on SBS or simply check the net. I'm super psyched to leave cold, dreary Wollongong and get some sun!!

Anyways, until I arrive ...

Introduction

2007-09-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone.

Allow me to introduce myself properly - **drum roll** - I'm Cara, I'm 20 years old, and I'm a shop-oholic. I work with the Study Abroad and Exchange Office at the University of Wollongong while completing my Arts/Law degree and i'm giving anyone who is interested in the International Exchange Program at UOW the opportunity to follow me through my own exchange period at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. The aim of this blog is for me to tell all of you about what I experience during my exchange and maybe even answer some of your questions before you've had time to think of them.

Feel free to throw me a comment or email me at cara@uow.edu.au if you have any specific questions. Or pop into the Study Abroad and Exchange Office in Student Central.

Also, no laughing at any bad photos of me.

Thank you

Cara