Wednesday, March 10, 2010

All Settled In

It is surprising how long it takes to settle in to a new home, at least for me. I was sick last week, my computer screen isn’t working, tuition is due soon, and I was missing home very badly. Thankfully I am feeling better, my computer screen is getting fixed tomorrow, I have my finances organized, and this place is feeling more like home every day. I’m hoping and praying that the most stressful part of my journey is over.

I finished my first week of class and have officially been living in Australia for over two weeks now. My classes seem significantly easier than the classes at Madison. This semester promises to be a breeze. Our apartment is slowly becoming more decorated as we get posters, souvenirs, or whatever we can find on the side of the street. (seriously, we found a cool painting in the garbage!) I have been walking everywhere around town instead of taking the bus. It is about $1.15 per bus ride, even if you’re riding less than a mile. That would add up if I take the bus every day to and from campus, so I’m working on my ‘power walking’ to get to class on time.

There are so many things to do and places to see here, we are constantly trying to find a weekend to do something. This weekend we are going to the Australia Zoo, the zoo that Steve Irwin used to work at. It’s supposed to be unbelievable and I’ll finally get to hold a Koala! I made my plans for Easter break. A few guys and I are going up to the city of Cairns, the main city by the Great Barrier Reef. We have 7 days there, and we are planning on snorkeling on the reef, white water rafting, bungee jumping, and sky diving! I’ve always wanted to sky dive, and now seems like the perfect time. The weekend after that we are going to Byron Bay with the beach volleyball club. Apparently Byron Bay is a great city along the coast south of Brisbane. Later in the semester we will hopefully plan a weekend trip to Sydney and another weekend to take some surfing lessons! I can’t wait.Last Saturday was International Student Day downtown. We all went and got tons of free stuff and got to see some Australian animals. I got to hold a wombat! See pictures below.

That’s all for now, I’ll update in a week or two.

1 comment:

  1. AAhahaha, Mark, that last picture makes me laugh!! The wombat looks so floppy and very cute! Hope you're having fun : )

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