This past week or so I've been getting all the boring, official stuff sorted out for university, employment, my visa, my bank, and the like. It's all very complicated, but not nearly as complicated as it was in Japan or even the United States. That's a good thing, as I've also been very busy walking around and enjoying the weather and the sights.
It's O-Week, or orientation, at UNSW this week. There's lots of seminars on how to take notes effectively, not get kicked out of university, and attempt to maintain mental health, plus lots of idiot freshmen doing what they do best. I'm not sure how, but the way high school works out in Australia leaves many freshmen at university at the tender age of 17. In the US, most freshmen are 18, and that extra year does seem to make quite a difference.
My favorite seminars are the ones where they give you a few scraps of information, then advertise for the student union the rest of the time. I'm not convinced free toga parties are worth the price of membership. Then again, I would get some coupons for MacDonald's... as they say, life is full of tough choices.
Actual classes start next week, and I'm lined up to start a job the week after that. As far as adventures- I'm going rock climbing tomorrow! Hurray! Climbing last time was pretty good, and so was hiking. We saw quite a few nifty critters, only one of which could have killed us, which is a pretty favorable ratio. I saw an owl in broad daylight, too. I reckon they could do some damage if they wanted to. Did you know that owls' ears are asymmetrical? It helps them locate the origin of sounds better.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
Skip Into Summer
I survived my flight! In fact, I almost thrived. Thanks to the goodness that is Advil PM I slept roughly 10 hours on my trans-Pacific flight. Upon waking, if you can call it that, I was zoned out enough that the remaining 4-odd hours slipped by without much discomfort.
Upon arrival the heat and humidity hit me, but I was so happy to be away from snow and cold that I gratefully let it envelop me. I made my way through immigration, baggage claim and customs, but not without a few hitches- first, a sniffer dog named Andy came and sat by my bag, which red-flagged me for getting inspected by a customs officer. Customs in Australia is very strict as there is a big risk of introducing a pest species on plant or animal materials, or even sporting goods. Anyway, I ate some fruit and vegetables that I had brought from home in San Francisco, but Andy the sniffer dog was convinced I still had them in my bag. Bummer. Good thing Andy was cute or I would have been more annoyed at having to wait so long in the inspection line.
Then I got out of the airport, Tom picked me up, and we had a great day at the beach and wandering through the woods to a waterfall. The beach was so pretty- the sky was a perfect shade of blue, there were big fluffy white clouds, the sun was shining, it was hot, and the water was refreshingly brisk. Ah! So nice!
But it's not all warm fuzzies- I got a leech! I didn't even notice until we got back to Tom's house, and by then it was all engorged with my blood. Tom put some salt on the sucker and the it dropped off, but the bleeding lasted forever! Good thing there's anaesthetic mixed in with that anticoagulant... Despite the ickiness of having something small, worm-like and slimy sucking blood out of me, I still thought it was pretty cool. I think my nerdiness has reached a new level.
Tomorrow we're heading out to the Blue Mountains for some more hiking and swimming, and maybe a bit of climbing, too. I'm stoked! After that I'll have to sort out all the things I have to do for uni, so I'm taking this chance to enjoy myself before the grind starts.
And as far as jet lag... so far, so good! I feel sleepy, but I think I'll make it until bedtime tonight. Thanks again, Advil PM!
Upon arrival the heat and humidity hit me, but I was so happy to be away from snow and cold that I gratefully let it envelop me. I made my way through immigration, baggage claim and customs, but not without a few hitches- first, a sniffer dog named Andy came and sat by my bag, which red-flagged me for getting inspected by a customs officer. Customs in Australia is very strict as there is a big risk of introducing a pest species on plant or animal materials, or even sporting goods. Anyway, I ate some fruit and vegetables that I had brought from home in San Francisco, but Andy the sniffer dog was convinced I still had them in my bag. Bummer. Good thing Andy was cute or I would have been more annoyed at having to wait so long in the inspection line.
Then I got out of the airport, Tom picked me up, and we had a great day at the beach and wandering through the woods to a waterfall. The beach was so pretty- the sky was a perfect shade of blue, there were big fluffy white clouds, the sun was shining, it was hot, and the water was refreshingly brisk. Ah! So nice!
But it's not all warm fuzzies- I got a leech! I didn't even notice until we got back to Tom's house, and by then it was all engorged with my blood. Tom put some salt on the sucker and the it dropped off, but the bleeding lasted forever! Good thing there's anaesthetic mixed in with that anticoagulant... Despite the ickiness of having something small, worm-like and slimy sucking blood out of me, I still thought it was pretty cool. I think my nerdiness has reached a new level.
Tomorrow we're heading out to the Blue Mountains for some more hiking and swimming, and maybe a bit of climbing, too. I'm stoked! After that I'll have to sort out all the things I have to do for uni, so I'm taking this chance to enjoy myself before the grind starts.
And as far as jet lag... so far, so good! I feel sleepy, but I think I'll make it until bedtime tonight. Thanks again, Advil PM!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Snowflakes
Here in my corner of Virginia we received about 20-24 inches of snow. In my house, we've spent most of our time reading, digging out, and drying our socks. We didn't have power for the first half of the day on Saturday, and I'm so glad it wasn't much longer. We have propane heating and a gas stove, but our water pump is electric. One doesn't really appreciate running water until it's been cut off, even if only for a few hours. I sound like such a wimp, but it's true.
At Dulles airport, limited commercial and international flights were going through during the storm, and some traffic was going through today. My airline gave travelers leaving on the dates Feb 3-9 the option to change their flight date for free. I wonder if they'll extend those dates further when the next snowstorm hits us on Tuesday. I've heard predictions for 6 or more inches of snow. I really, really hope I can leave on time... and that I don't get stuck anywhere en route.
At Dulles airport, limited commercial and international flights were going through during the storm, and some traffic was going through today. My airline gave travelers leaving on the dates Feb 3-9 the option to change their flight date for free. I wonder if they'll extend those dates further when the next snowstorm hits us on Tuesday. I've heard predictions for 6 or more inches of snow. I really, really hope I can leave on time... and that I don't get stuck anywhere en route.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Fueling
Oh my goodness, it seems like time has flown by- here I am, approximately 1 week before departure!
Everything came together pretty miraculously about a week or two ago- I got my visa shortly after my medical forms (finally) were completed. Basically all the things that were out of my control came through, which is immensely relieving. Now I just have to hope there isn't a blizzard that keeps my plane from leaving, and then I'll be good to go.
I had my last day at the bookstore today! It was kind of sad, but also a good feeling. I think working in retail is something everyone should do at least once. Maybe people would be more pleasant to each other if they had walked that road before. Or maybe people would remember the crummy parts and insist on spreading their misery? I don't know. I suppose that's a question sort of like the half-full/half-empty glass.
It's been pretty miserable weather lately. We got something like 6 inches of snow on Saturday, and now we're expecting 3-6 more. By the weekend, another storm will hit and take a big, white dump on us for 2-3 days. I'm not excited. I was over snow about 13 months ago. I hate to be a Scrooge about winter, and I do think that snow has a redeeming purity and prettiness, but mostly I just hate being wet, cold, and stuck inside. I also don't like the retarded drivers! It's a little bit terrifying to be behind the wheel and watch people spinning through intersections, fishtailing off the road, and treating their minivans like unimogs. No thank you.
Everything came together pretty miraculously about a week or two ago- I got my visa shortly after my medical forms (finally) were completed. Basically all the things that were out of my control came through, which is immensely relieving. Now I just have to hope there isn't a blizzard that keeps my plane from leaving, and then I'll be good to go.
I had my last day at the bookstore today! It was kind of sad, but also a good feeling. I think working in retail is something everyone should do at least once. Maybe people would be more pleasant to each other if they had walked that road before. Or maybe people would remember the crummy parts and insist on spreading their misery? I don't know. I suppose that's a question sort of like the half-full/half-empty glass.
It's been pretty miserable weather lately. We got something like 6 inches of snow on Saturday, and now we're expecting 3-6 more. By the weekend, another storm will hit and take a big, white dump on us for 2-3 days. I'm not excited. I was over snow about 13 months ago. I hate to be a Scrooge about winter, and I do think that snow has a redeeming purity and prettiness, but mostly I just hate being wet, cold, and stuck inside. I also don't like the retarded drivers! It's a little bit terrifying to be behind the wheel and watch people spinning through intersections, fishtailing off the road, and treating their minivans like unimogs. No thank you.
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