I'm in a sorority. Wow. I guess I'll look at this as an opportunity to be part of this type of life without selling my soul for four years! Women's College is very much like a sorority: wrapped up in style, initiating the Freshers, mixing with the boys college, and just generally having so many events you can't attend them all!

We got back from the Blue Mountains and Caroline and I eagerly shared our week of adventure with each other. It was kinda weird to be in the dining hall without knowing anyone, and they were all catching up on holiday, but I suppose we were doing the same.

The plan was to meet Bec down in the reception hall at 8 o'clock, so we got ready according to the dress code: jeans, fashion boots and a fashion top... what the heck is fashion?? Apparently I looked "fashionable" though, because people talked to me.

Bec was taking us over to the St. Paul's, the boy's college that is our College counterpart, as we're all women and they're all men. Sound sorority/fraternity enough yet? St. Paul's has a bar in their basement (subsidized by the College itself! oh, and College is different from University-- College is the dormitories and University is the actual academic institution).

So, Bec took us Fresher (newcomer) ladies to this bar, the Salisbury, and began introducing us to her friends there. Sort of. First we got drinks, then huddled in a bunch in the beer garden, wondering which group of boys to approach first. They were a bit intimidating, hanging out at the shadowy tables, not making any effort to talk, only to look us up and down. Eventually, Bec came back to save us from certain death by embarassment by taking us over to the table where her friends sat.

Phew! I thought to myself, at least these guys are a bit closer to my age and we'll have something to talk about! Yes, we did have things to talk about. I had no clue what they were saying, but apparently they enjoyed my confused expressions enough to keep me somewhat in the loop of the conversation.

Apparently when Aussies get together and want to test you to see if you're friend material, they start teasing you, or talking in Aussie dialect to see if you'll retaliate or join in. If react in either way, you're cool in their book. If you get defensive, you're just a boring American tourist. Naturally, I scored big time in their book because if it's one thing my immediate family, extended famiy and friends have all taught me, it's to 1) not take anything personally and 2) retaliate. Thanks guys, you unknowingly prepped me for meeting this breed known as Aussies.

So, it took awhile to start meeting people, but ultimately a few drinks and some crazy conversation turned into Caroline and myself befriending Tommy and Benny, two St. Paul's boys whose entertainment laid in their couple-like banter. We now joke about how we had an unusual introduction: 11pm to 3am, involving chaotic conversation in the beer garden, a music vegetation time in Ben's room, hunger from staying up so late, and a consequent break-in to the St. Paul's dining hall for some food. Crazy, eh? And that was only Sunday night!