Melbourne Adventures

Wow!! It has already been one week in Melbourne and I cannot even believe it.  This week has flown by and I have hardly any pictures to show for it.  Hopefully now that Orientation Week (O-Week) is over I can get onto that now.   

I am currently living at University College, which is kind of like a mixture of being in a sorority or fraternity and living in a dorm.  It has a Harry Potter feel to it as well, because we have formal dinner every Monday and Tuesday night called High Table.  At High Table we are expected to wear robes much like graduation robes.  Most people here have single rooms but there are a few double rooms.  I am in a double room with another study abroad student that is doing the same program as me. 

We started off the week with meetings and seminars that we had to attend that were just about general knowledge and rules and regulations about the college.  And then at night we did all short of activities.  Some of these were The Amazing Race Melbourne, Field Day game, and Trivia Night.  During these activities we dressed up as in costumes such as all pink and Mexican.  The whole college was divided into 11 teams that were all competing for the Fresher (used instead of freshman here) Cup.  My team was Light Green, because there was another green team called Dark Green, and we placed third overall so we were really happy with the result.

The whole week has been a blur of going to bed really late and waking up really early, but I am glad to say that I am enjoying life here in Melbourne.  Although it hasn’t hit me yet that I will be here for five months since class hasn’t even started for me yet.  It just feels like a nice vacation.

I have finally shorted out all of my classes, which I am happy to report.  The system here for enrolling in classes is different here so it took a while to get adjusted to it.  But I am happy to report that I have no classes Mondays and Fridays, so I should have plenty of time to travel around Australia.

I hope everyone is doing well back in the States.  My family right now is all over the world so I wish everyone safe travels.  I miss you all and hope you are all well.

~MAI~        

My Week in Sydney

Hello Family and Friends!!!!

I hope all is well with everyone back in the states.  I had a fabulous time in Sydney for the past three days exploring the city and seeing all of the sites.  I had no problem getting over jet lag, because I planned my sleep accordingly on the airplane.  The Sydney Hostel, where we stayed, was great and it was good to get a feel for the hostel system when I travel.    

The first day in Sydney we did a walking tour to get used to our new surroundings.  Then for dinner that night we ate at The Australia enjoying some good Kangaroo pizza.

The second day we had a trip to the Blue Mountains to see the three sisters.  On our way there we stop at a wild park reserve where we got to see and pet animals that are native to Australia.  While we were there we rode the steepest tram in the southern hemisphere down into the valley and then climbed over 1000 steps back up to the top.  Even though the ground was really muddy from the afternoon showers it was beautiful.  Also on our trip we got to paint a boomerang and learn about the Aborginese Culture.  After we got back from the Blue Mountains we had a quick dinner and then went to an outside movie theater to watch “My Day with Marilyn.”  It was beautiful because the screen was in the Sydney Harbor.  To the left was downtown all light up and to the right was the Opera House.  I think it is an understatement to call this just a good day.

The third day we went to Manly Beach and watched the surf competitions going on while getting a nice tan and swimming in the cold sea.  That night we went on a dinner cruise around the Sydney Harbor.  The weather was beautiful that night so is was a nice event.

I think Sydney was a great success but now I am in Melbourne and I cannot wait to see what this city has to offer me.        

~MAI~