Orientation Week

Hey everyone,

I have been busy enjoying the week and trying to stay away from my computer. It is what our apartment calls O-Week which is the week before classes start. We had the option to buy a pass which allows us to participate in all the activities they have planned for the week.  Most of the activities include free food so we have been sure to take full advantage of that.

First off it has been one horrible week for my roommate Jesse.  She was walking on the path to our apartment when she accidently stepped on a snake which appeared to be a stick. It attacked her ankle biting her a couple times.  She didn't know whether it was green or brown in color, (brown meaning she had about 30 minutes to live) so she was rushed to the nearby hospital where she was not allowed to leave until the morning.  It turns out it was not vernous.  A couple days later the earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand which is the town in which she came from. Thankfully her mom and sister were in Australia and her dad was okay.  Talk about a bad week!

On a ligher note on Monday I had orientation which was pretty boring but it was nice walking around campus and getting familiar with everything. It was "Las Vegas Night" down by our pool where there was music and poker going on which was cool.


Pre-Drinking before Las Vegas Night
Wednesday, we took buses to Talebudgera Beach which was much different from surfers since it was more of a natural feel and was not too crowded.

We've also found it is much cheaper to all chip in and cook dinner so we've been doing that the past few nights.  We went to our friend Pontus's and had tacos one night then had people over at our apartment Tuesday night for pasta and fish sticks.

Kara and Elin

My roommates and I (Jess, Elin, Peter, Kara) 

Elin, Myself and Malin

Pasta and Fish Sticks (YUM)

Marie's Birthday

Tonight we are all having dinner again where everyone brings something and we see what all we can make and then we are heading to the Tavern (bar).

Snorkeling and Kyacking

Hey Everyone,

Yesterday we had a group excursion with my program.  We started the day off with some Maccas (McDonalds) and headed out to a beach not far from my apartment.  We then kyacked to an island where we walked through a forrest to a beach.  Then snorkeled for awhile and saw some pretty awesome fish.  Then guy who took us there cut up some fresh fruit and had some homeade baked goods so wehadourselves a little picnic looking out to the ocean.  (See photo below)

We came back to the Village (my apartment complex) and then I went for a run and relaxed by the pool. We ended our night by going to a club in Surfer's Paradise which was a lot of fun.

Today:

After finally getting a good night sleep I woke up and decided I would go for a run to try to find the beach from my apartment. I ended up getting lost and assuming some side roads would connect back to the highway. BOY WAS I WRONG! I guess thats part of the fun of being in a foreign country. Not to mention adjusting to running on the left side and getting used to cars turning left on red and so on. My last roommate arrived a little after I got back from my run. She was born in Australia but moved to New Zealand so she talks with a kiwi accent.  She seems really cool so it looks like I really lucked out.

The way of life here is so layed back and the people are all really friendly. I was walking back from the store a couple days ago and a cute blonde girl pulled up in her car and asked if I wanted a lift back to my apartment. It is normal for stuff like this to happen here and there isn't anything to worry about.

Tonight my roommates and I are going to a BBQ that we heard about through one of our friends from Sweden.
Hope you all have a great weekend. Tomorrow we are heading to the beach and just getting prepared for OWEEK which involves partying all week leading up to classes starting.

Bryan

Weekend in Sydney for orientation

G'day mates,

I arrived in Sydney early Friday morning, where we were picked up and taken to the Sydney Academy of Sports where we stayed in a motel type place with everyone from my program. After we arrived we had a couple info sessions and then hung out for the rest of the night.

Saturday, we woke up early and headed to Sydney where we went to the Taronga Zoo which overlooks the harbor and Opera House.  We got lucky because Koalas spend up to 23 hours a day sleeping, but we happened to be there during the time they were awake. We were able to see them jumping and climbing around which was awesome!

I got an awesome video of a Koala jumping!

Then we say the kangaroos where we got to feed them and pet them which was really cool.

I rare look inside the pouch at a little joey

We took a ferry from the zoo to another part of Sydney where we walked around the Opera House and had a drink at an outdoor bar. And of course I couldn't resist a little gelato to top it off! Haha.

The famous Tasmanian Devil

Awesome views of the Harbor from the zoo

Opera House

Group photo outside the Opera House

On Sunday, it was off the a nearby beach where we learned how to body board, paddle surf, and regular surf.  They make it look so much easier on TV! I was able to stand up a few times which was my goal.

My group for surfing

Trying to keep my balance haha (I'm on the right)

We left Sydney Monday morning and hopped on a flight from Sydney to Gold Coast, which took about an hour and a half. We then got picked up and had about a 40 minute drive to Griffith University Village. This is the apartment complex I'll be living at. We thankfully have a swimming pool that I immediately went in, since it is very humid here and we don't have air conditioning.  This may take some getting used to. I won't dare to complain after putting up with such a miserable winter this is paradise, Literally. 

I have 3 roommates: A girl from Australia and Sweden, and a guy from Salt Lake City.  They all seem really cool.  

I went out to dinner last night with the 18 other people from my program who are studying here, which was a lot of fun. We came back and then I met up with my roommate Kara and we went down to hangout by the pool for awhile.

I had my first trip to the grocery store today which was about a 20 minute walk from my apartment. It will take some adjusting getting used to buying the "local" brands since imported items are way too expensive!

Tonight we are going to the nightclub Shooters in Surfer's Paradise, which is the place to go and Tuesday's and Thursday's because girls get free drinks and guys get discounts. 

P.S. I don't have unlimited internet use so please try to ignore my grammatical errors! 

I hope you all had a great weekend.  I miss you all and will be writing again in the next couple days!

-Bryan

Gold Coast, Queensland

This is the city I'll be living in: Gold Coast, Queensland

Map View of Gold Coast, QLD

Map of Australia outlining the major cities

Pre-Departure

It's been a hectic week getting ready and saying good-bye to family and friends, but I am more than ready to start what I hope to be the time of my life!  My trip starts by flying from Chicago to LA and then from LA directly to Sydney (about 14 1/2 hours).  I will then stay in Sydney for four days for my program's orientation.  We will be touring Sydney making stops at the famous Opera House, the zoo, and to top it off, we also get surf lessons! The orientation is for all students who are studying in all of Australia through my program, so it should be a great way to meet people.  After orientation I will fly from Sydney to the Gold Coast, where I will be attending Griffith University. I will be living in a 5 bedroom apartment on the campus.

I will post as much as I can to keep you updated with all that is going on "down under"