Traedogg Down Under

For those of you who know me well enough, you know that from time to time, out of no where I come up with these deep thoughts I readily share with whatever unsuspecting being is in earshot. So as not to disappoint anyone who may be missing these comments, I thought I’d use this entry, when nothing else of importance is going on, to share a few of my reflections. (for those of you who dont know me well enough to know I do this from time to time… STOP READING NOW! haha;))

Anyways, being dropped in another country oceans away from everything that is familiar is as challenging as you might imagine, but in a good way. And in being here just 2 1/2 weeks, I have not only gained a deep appreciation for the Australian way of life, but an even greater appreciation for America and the little things about it I so often take for granted….like:

cheap diet soda: (cost nearly $2.50 a can here.. so i’ve curbed my bad habit!)

cheap alcohol: (out at the bars you cant find a drinkin cheaper then $5, (most are 8-12) and in stores, for example, a small bottle of sky vodka (small) is $35 bucks!

louis rich turkey bacon: (and many many other American grocery products that you could never find here)

Feeling comfortable enough to participate in class discussion

having any sort of basic cultural/political/societal knowledge about the country I’m studying in (which would help drastically in class discussions and in writing papers for class)

Knowing my way around a campus, and feeling like an upperclassmen (right now, you’d never guess i was older and more knowledgable then 3/4 of my peers)

American sports!! (their version of “sport” is SO different… cricket and lawn bowling is HUGE.. as well as rugby and Aussie rules football (nothing like nfl)

having more then 1/2 my classmates speak english as their first language

Understanding the rules of the road (their driving is SO crazy.. who drives on the left side!)

Knowing how to use campus resources (especially the library, and how to spell and cite properly in papers)

Having a TV in my house! (although its good for me to use my freetime more constructively!

BUT… in adapting to these differences/challenges… I have also learned a few things:

Its ok to ask a million questions….. A smile is universal… the majority of people are inherently good and kind-hearted…everywhere you go there will be people that support you and care about you…. I have an AMAZING family and friends and an incredible boyfriend back home (but i knew that already)…. its ok to feel out of place and to struggle- you can only grow from it….

But anyways… enough deep thinking for one day. Nothing too noteworthy to write about on this second week of school! We are doing the sydney harbour bridge climb tomorrow (a three hour climb up the top of the rafters of the bridge)… so that should be intense! I will post pictures from it this weekend!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 3rd, 2005 at 8:06 pm and is filed under In Australia!. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.