Whirlwind Welcome: 9,000 miles Later and "Settling In"

Gidday Mates!

9,000 miles (from good ole' Massachusettes) and 15 hours and 25 minutes (from Los Angeles)later, I HAVE ARRIVED TO AUSTRALIA :)

WARNING: This first post will seem more like 2 1/2 weeks worth of word vomit than great insight and reflection. Traveling to the other side of the world and 7 days of orientation gave me much to do, with little time to digest it all.

So, from the beginning and leading up to this 81* and sunny Saturday in Sydney ....

I departed from Boston to LA with my friend Stephanie from high school, Steve from Denison, and Stephanie's friend Shauna from Bryant 2 days before we were leaving for Aussie. (It was exciting to be going with friends from home).

We arrived at LAX that night and met up with Michelle, who is also a friend from Bryant, and we headed to the Marriott hotel. The next day we decided we would venture to downtown LA and head through Hollywood Blvd. To our pleasant surprise we walked right into the movie premiere for "Valentine's Day" -- ONLY IN HOLLYWOOD! I was totally stoked; talk about a movie with an all-star ensemble cast coming together in one movie! It was a 'starry'-night on the red carpet**** Taylor Lautner, JESSICA ALBA<3, Julia & Emma Roberts, Ashton Kutcher & Demi, Jamiie Fox, George Lopez, Jessica Biel; they were all coming out of their limos and crossing the street to take pictures and sign autographs, what a sight. As if I hadn't been star-struck already, Jennifer Garner was also at the premiere. As she neared where we were standing, Steve yelled, "Jennifer, we go to Denison!" (For those who don't know, Jennifer Garner is a '94 Denison Alum!); She quickly turned around and began asking Steve and I questions!! We were able to get a picture before her publicist was dragging her back to the lights. Check out the blog post titled, "Report from the (Big) Red Carpet" and picture from Denison's website: http://magazine.denison.edu/blog/.

The following day we hit the malls and did some last minute shopping and packing during the day; that night we each made our last calls and sent our last text messages from the U.S from LAX. It was at LAX that we met many of the other students from our program as we anxiously awaited to board the plane.

((THE PLANE RIDE)) ... it was not nearly as bad as I would have expected. I had my book, my iPod, my journal, and a few magazine thinking I was going to need everything to keep me busy. Surprisingly I fell asleep for 8 hours! After that it was free movies until we landed to the land down under.

it is at this point where everything gets disorientated and blurry! I had no concept of time, I had "misplaced" my Blackberry, and it was HOT! The next week or so was filled with orientation, information, explanation...a whirlwind of sorts. What better way to bring order to chaos than to do what I do best: make a list! So, in chronological order I will list for you what has occurred up until now:

1) Landed in Melbourne Airport where our Australian coordinators met us.
2) All the students loaded up onto a van for a 40 min drive to the seaside town of Sorrento along the Mornington Peninsula where we spent the following two nights for orientation.
3) It actually rained the night we got there, and the following night, and the following night. It was funny because they kept telling us we had to take two minute showers because they were experiencing a drought... anywho
4)We started with brekky (breakfast) bright and early at 7 am for morning and afternoon sessions such as 'local issues', Australian history & culture', 'financial issues' and the like. I had to drink some water before choking on my breakfast when I learned that Sydney is Australia's most expensive city (and the 66th most expensive in the world).
5) That evening we causht a sunset cruise where we spotted seals, KANGAROOS (an official marking point for me that I was truly here), and DOLPHINS :) We also enjoyed fish and chips (which are french fries here). It was then when I was introduced to Australia's most popular condiment; that of sweet chilli sauce! (IT IS REALLY GOOD)
6) More sessions the next day and a walk along the beach before we drove back to Melbourne to check into a hotel and followed Patrick (Arcadia staff) on a short walking tour of the city. Melbourne is a friendly and cultured city, with cute shops- almost European in its fashion and more great food.
7) We had the night to ourselves in Melbourne and it just so happened one of our friends had been placed in the penthouse room for the evening. Needless to say we had a few people over and took some great pictures from the balcony-- before we were asked to move the "gathering" to the city streets by the managers.
8) Flight to Syndey the next morning-- finally.
9) Arrived to our Terrace House!!! :) :)
** Living accommodation: 4 girls, 3 boys, 4 rooms, 3 bathrooms (one of those being outside!), 2 floors, washer, wireless internet, and kitchen all within 5 min walk to the university, 10 min walk to the mall, and the bus stop is right outside of our place. NOT TOO SHABBY! I am roomine with Stephanie and Shauna in the biggest room of the house with three closets and 3 beds and our own bathroom :)
10) Patrick took us for a night stroll that first night to see the the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House (I will go back many times to take pictures) followed by some crocodile and kangaroo pizza. Yes, crocodile and kangaroo pizza. I can do the croc but I will have to gather up more courage next time to finsh the roo pizza. (They have kangaroo burgers, wraps and salads too).
11) And yes TIM TAMS live up to the hype. Originating from Australia are these delicious, double-layered chocolate covered biscuits (what they call a cookie)...and let's not forget the chocolate cream filling that separates the layers. It is truly a sin to indulge in these delights <3 <3 (Rumor has it, they are being sold in the states. TRY THEM, but don't say I didn't warn you ;)
12) On the other hand, I have not tried Vegemite, another one of Australia's creations. Except this time, they didn't get it right. This food paste made from yeast extract has the most pungent smell my nostrils have ever smelled. Maybe a few weeks from now I will gather up the strength :O
13) My mates and I have had fun doing Pub Crawls, going to the famous and touristy Bondi Beach, venturing through ChinaTown, and boarding the boat for a cruise on the Sydney Harbour, && also a visit from COLIN BURKHARDT!... many more adventures to follow and I am sure with much more detail.
14) Last things to note: the time difference is a real killer- I am about 15 hours ahead from home and for someone who spoke to her family multiple times throughout the day it is a real bummer when I wake up at 830am and it is already 430pm the previous day at home :/...; it is extremely strange and often frightening to see cars driving on the opposite side of the road- I often find myself flinching when I'm in the taxi thinking he is taking a left turn to the wrong lane and surly going to crash; They have two different buttons on every toilet ( a half flush and a full flush)-- we will leave toilet business there; You can take the carts from the grocery store out of the store and leave it in front of your house! The "trolley men" will take them for you; They have tissues instead of napkins at almost every Asian food place; AND $6 dollar Phad Thai is a ritual ....so yummy!; My Aussie slang is not in full swing yet. I have gathered a few words here and there and it is so much fun to squeeze them in whenever I remember or know how-- the key to Aussie slang is, if the word is too long, cut out some letters and make it shorter!
14) Last but not least, I begin classes March 1st at Syndey Uni and my internship March 2nd at Channel 7.

If you made it to the end of this post, CONGRATS!

Getting to the other side of the world has been an adventure already and I can only expect more adventurous activities. I hope this will help you follow me along throughout my journey! (I will update every Sunday) Thanks for reading!



Love, Peace, & Oz
Shavely