A week's worth of thoughts and experiences from the Sunshine Coast

Well, today is Monday and I’ve been here just over a week. I haven’t had too much time to write because it has been O-week (Orientation week) fo the new “uni” students. I am actually writing this while laying out by the pool in my apartment complex… hard life, I know.

Anyway, starting back at the beginning of the week, The flights over here last Saturday were much easier and faster than I thought they were going to be. I actually enjoyed the Qantas flight from L.A. to Brisbane because it was nighttime the entire way there and I was able to sleep easily. We left at 11:30 PM pacific time (2:30 AM eastern time)—a flight that I highly recommend. There were a bunch of students on my flight who were also coming to study abroad here and it was pretty cool getting to meet people I’d be with for the semester before even arriving.

            My first impression of Australia (on the ride from the airport in Brisbane to the uni) was that it was very similar to the states. The only differences I noticed were the whole driving on the left thing and the slight differences in road signs. It didn’t look nearly as tropical as I had figured it would. Since that point, I have noticed more and more discrepancies each day. I find it so interesting that the Australian English language is sometimes hard for us Americans to understand because of the varying slang forms they use.

            The uni, University of the Sunshine Coast, is very cool looking. All of the buildings have an artsy, metal design but the campus doesn’t feel cold or uninviting. Maybe that is partially because the campus is a reserve for red kangaroos. I don’t know if I will ever get tired of seeing the ‘roos lounging around the campus. 

The campus also has a huge amount of bird species, which never seem to stop making noise. Classes started today, but I don’t have a class until tomorrow. School here seems like it is going to be a pretty new experience. Apparently we only really have 4 long-term assignments per class per semester that we basically work on by ourselves outside of class. Things are definitely more laid back here and going to class seems to be more of an optional thing. So, I am excited to get into the swing of things and see how school really is from my perspective.

            I have met tons of new people from countries all over the world and though I  have travelled to Eurpoe and other places before, it never ceases to amaze and embarrass me that everyone else knows English in addition to their own national language. There are a number of people here from Norway and Germany, but I have also met people from Sweden, England, New Zealand, South Africa, and China. Interacting with people from so many different cultures and backgrounds while we are all adjusting to life in a completely new country is incredible to me—I love it. Comparing languages, words, perspectives, backgrounds, and everything else allows for a whole different kind of relationship than I am able to achieve with the primarily white, upper-middle class population of Elon. 

This post is a little boring, better ones will be up soon!

Cheers,

Kelsey