Yesterday, my friends, marked my one month Australian anniversary! On the one hand, it feels like I’ve been here for ages longer than that; during the past few weeks I’ve seen and learned so much, plus met so many people, that some days it’s hard to keep track! At the same time though, the moment I realized I have to start saying three more months instead of four when people ask me how long I’ll be here was somewhat hard to believe. Time is such a funny thing…but that’s a different discussion for a different blog.
On a slightly different note...so far during my stay here at St. John’s College, and at UQ in general, I’ve gained a huge newfound respect for transfer students. I always imagined that switching colleges after freshman year, or even after first semester, would be difficult, because people would already have formed their groups of friends and wouldn’t be so desperate to meet others like they are during the first few weeks of a new school year. Since coming into the St. John’s community at the start of their second semester (remember, the school year is “backwards” in Australia – right now it’s winter here, so we’ve just started spring semester), I’ve gotten a taste of this interesting dynamic firsthand. Don’t get me wrong, everyone I’ve met is extraordinarily friendly and welcoming; it’s just a new and interesting experience to come into a new school but not as a first-semester freshman! It also makes me thankful that I get to live in a college at all because, though I’m sure they’re great, I don’t think an off-campus apartment would be able to offer me these opportunities.
As I learn about the different people at this college, I’m also learning a lot about myself. One of the most glaring qualities I’ve discovered is that I derive a great deal of happiness from the people I’m around. I’ve always known that I have fantastic friends, both at home and at school (trust me, I acknowledge the blessings that you are every day!), but being so far away from those parts of my life is reinforcing that fact. Again, don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely not anywhere near ready to head home yet, and I’m equally as unfinished meeting and getting to know the people around me here! It’s just, I knew the time would come when y’all would leave Massachusetts and/or head back to Vandy without me, and now it’s just about here! While I am, yes, feeling a bit nostalgic as you go back to school (a big piece of my heart is hangin’ out in Nashville as we speak!), I am also so excited to realize that the US fall semester hasn’t even started yet, meaning I have heaps of time left to create stories, memories, and friendships here in Aussieland!
As for this past week...my two flatmates and I had our first official outing as a flat, which was exciting! We ventured to South Bank to see Inception, then grabbed lunch at a delicious and charming burger place. For some reason I really loved the style of the restaurant: brick partitions, big wooden tables, and black metal (or wooden?) beams across the ceiling. Monday night featured another fun excursion, this time to the Pineapple Hotel for a Faith on Tap Brisbane games night. I hung out with some other uni students, played Australian Monopoly and Barbie Uno, and enjoyed the most incredible chocolate and coffee gelato. I’ve found that Australia really knows how to do dessert; whether it’s other college students baking, ice cream stands at the mall, or bakeries in the city, there never seems to be any shortage of mouth-watering sugary treats.
Yesterday uni was cancelled for the Ekka holiday. The Ekka (or the Brisbane Exhibition) is basically a big country fair complete with rides, animals, food, demonstrations, and show bags (compilations of all kinds of goodies, with at least one show bag to suit everyone’s taste!). Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate on Wednesday, so I opted out of Ekka for the time being. No worries though, this week-and-a-half-long extravaganza doesn’t end until Saturday, and I will be getting the full Ekka experience tomorrow! A big Aussie hug to you all!!
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