Sepo: abbreviated (duh, I am in Australia) form of septic tank; also, the nickname given to Americans. Charming, right? I have been asked by at least half a dozen members of my college this week if I am one of the new sepos, but no worries, I’ve been assured it’s a term of endearment…
Since it is Thursday night here in Brisbane, my weekend is officially underway. The first week of classes was mostly painless, but we don’t start tutes (tutorials, like discussion sections) until next week so I will wait until then to pass judgment on my schedule. Tuesday I had Australian popular culture, which promises to be a relevant and interesting class. I am most looking forward to writing my mid-semester essay about an Australian celebrity on my beloved Mr. Keith Urban…
One of my many neuroses is that I do not believe in buying books at retail price, especially school books. So, Tuesday afternoon I ventured into Toowong, the area of Brisbane next to St. Lucia, to find a bookstore that was recommended to me by a girl I met on campus. I was anticipating a used bookstore with secondhand books from previous teachings of UQ courses. Um, no. First, this was not a bookstore. This was part of a garage down a sketchy side alley that was really only identifiable by paper signs with arrows, outfitted with a couple of desks, makeshift shelves, and an area for standing in line indicated by caution-tape. I think I actually laughed out loud. Second, the books were brand new, yet being sold for cheaper than UQ bookstore prices. It saved me some money so I’m not going to ask questions, but the whole thing seemed slightly off!
Wednesday I had my first Australian literature class. The English major in me is wicked excited about this class, but the trained procrastinator in me is not so thrilled about the immense amount of reading it apparently requires. We basically read an entire book a week, which would be okay if I didn’t have three other classes, one of which also asks me to read a book a week on average – this is even more reading than I get at Vandy! Thankfully it seems interesting, and I suppose I will just be much more well-read upon my arrival at home! After class I perused the stalls at Market Day, UQ’s clubs and organizations fair. What’s on this semester in the extra-curricular life of Elise: UQ Bridge (a volunteer organization; I’m told I can work with injured koalas, praying hard for that!), the Newman Center and Salt & Light (the Catholic group on campus), Student Life (Aussie version of CRU), a poetry symposium, and potentially the canoe club (which also involves kayaking, woo!). Market Day was quite a success!
Wednesday night my college put on an exchange, where John’s girls met up with guys from King’s College at a club in the city. After hanging out and listening to surprisingly chill music in this surprisingly enormous venue for a while, a couple of the other American girls and I headed over to a bar called Regatta, apparently the place to be on Wednesday nights in Brisbane. That night they happened to be featuring a Silent Disco, which. was. so. fun!! If anyone doesn’t know, this is when everyone on the dance floor wears headphones, so instead of having a DJ play music through huge speakers, she/he plays it through the headphones! It’s super funny to turn your music down and watch people rocking out to what sounds like no music!
Today, Thursday, I had my first go at the media and religion class I’m really hoping to take (Media, Music, Film & Spirit: Popular Culture& Religion. Too cool.). It seems like an intense class, but with assigned readings like “Mormon Vampires: The Twilight Saga and Religious Literacy,” “Meet the Cullens: Family, Romance and Female Agency in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight,” and “Constructing a Distinct Other: Harry Potter and the Enchantment of the Future,” I’m definitely staying put! I also had American literature this afternoon and am admittedly far too excited about reading The Scarlet Letter for next week.
This weekend promises to be filled with heaps of Brisbane adventures, and hopefully heaps of reading too, if I can get myself back into school mode!
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