The Real World: Melbourne

So, I never got around to doing that footy post, and guess what? This isn't going to be it. I'm currently procrastinating a research plan for my policy class, and I've discovered that procrastination is even easier here than it ever was in the States, since when I'm at Denison, past a certain time of night I have no choice but to do my work because there's no-one to distract me. Whereas now that I'm on an opposite schedule from everyone at home, they can distract me late at night when my friends here are asleep (as I should be as well).

A few brief updates -- first, the last two days of Prosh Week: they were sort of a bust, to be totally honest. I burned out, which I sort of knew I might but had hoped that I wouldn't. I slept late on Thursday morning (partially because I was up so late the night before...I still haven't been sleeping all that well, to be honest), and I swung by for the Scav List drop at noon, but left shortly after that to run to a rehearsal for Vocal Ensemble and then I had my Medieval & Early Modern Music lecture, which I can't miss because Melanie (our lecturer) actually takes attendance.

Then I had rehearsal till 6:15, after which I went and spent some time helping out with Scav Hunt stuff, but I left that to go see David again after promising to return -- and seriously, finding the motivation to leave his place to go back for Scav Hunt was literally one of the top three hardest things I did that week. After going full throttle for the first three days of Prosh Week though, I guess it was more or less understandable that I was tired. I went back to help with Scav Hunt for a little while, but there wasn't that much to do because none of us wanted to get deported, and as such we didn't do anything on the black list. (Rumour has it that black list is currently on total lockdown because there were arrests and now there's a huge investigation. This is like third-hand gossip though, because I heard from Corey who heard from Andrew, so I don't have any details.)

Friday morning I was meant to do the Metcard Drop, but I was subbed out at the last minute because someone else wanted to do it and I'd stopped caring, haha. Apparently our team almost got arrested for public indecency (or something along those lines) as well, but the cop let them off. MUSEX ended up coming in last of the large teams, but we all had a fantastic time, and that's what we were really in it for.

So I slept almost all of Saturday, and spent most of the following week (this past week) recovering and getting back into the swing of things. We're pretty much at mid-term, since this past week was Week 6 and the teaching period is only twelve weeks long, so suddenly everyone is scrambling to do real work. I have one major assignment due this week (Week 7), three due next week (Week 8), break, then one due the second week after break (Week 10), and one due the week after that (Week 11). Then the teaching period will draw to a close, which is really crazy to think about.

At any rate, Friday night it was party party again, and Corey and I headed over to Perseverance, where (for those who don't keep up with me on Facebook or LiveJournal) David and I broke up. Needless to say, that was not a very good night. I'm not particularly devastated, which I suppose is a good thing, just...sort of out of whack. I mean, I did like him, and I still do, and I wouldn't mind still being with him, but if this is how things have worked out then I suppose I'm alright with that as well. It was always going to be over eventually. Of course, I was a bit -- ok, extremely -- annoyed with his poor choice in break-up timing and locale, but I did understand the fact that he didn't want to put it off, and I appreciate that for what it's worth. We had coffee Saturday afternoon to talk things over a little bit more and nothing's changed from how it ended on Friday night, but we're still friends and I was glad for the closure (and of course the fantastic coffee) somewhere that wasn't a loud club where I was distracted and caught off-guard.

But the fact remains that I've been seeing David for a month now, and I realised yesterday (well, Saturday, since it's now early Monday morning) that in that month most of my social schedule had more to do with him than anything else, which isn't really a good thing or a bad thing, just a fact. Only, the other fact is that David and I had been seeing each other since 11 August -- I'm not [totally] neurotic with dates; it was just particularly memorable because it was exactly one month after I arrived in Australia -- and that, combined with the fact that living in an apartment complex is not as conducive as a dormitory for meeting people and making friends.

So suddenly I'm faced with trying to re-establish a social life when everyone else has already done so. I will admit that this is a bit annoying. I do have friends, of course -- Arcadians, and Jarrod, of course, and MUSEX people, as well as a lot of people from IH (who are also friends with David). It's just I've sort of painted myself into a corner and it's not really his fault and it's not really my fault, it's just the way things happened.

So right now I'm less getting over him and more getting back into the way things were before him, which seems like a terribly long time ago, which in some ways I feel like it is and at the same time, the last month has disappeared so quickly I feel as though I've only been here a month at most.

At any rate, Saturday night I hung out with the Arcadians who are at University College (UC) -- Mandy, Isa, Becca, and Cassandra -- for dinner, and we talked in Becca and Cassandra's room for a while afterward. Mandy, Cassandra, and I had planned on going to a party, but instead Cassandra and I decided to go clubbing over in Fitzroy. On our way there we got sidetracked by Koko Black, which is basically a chocolate cafe. Becca, Becky, and I had had dessert there after the Carlton/Geelong match a month ago, but Cassandra hadn't been yet, so we went together and had some very decadent (and slightly expensive) chocolate and did the post-break-up commiseration that girls do.

We eventually made it over to Fitzroy, where we went back to Perseverance, which is the same club I'd been at the night prior when David broke up with me. Part of this was being cheap, because Perseverance doesn't charge a cover, and part of this was the fact that Perseverance is actually quite a good club. A large part of it was sort of a need to establish Perseverance as something other than "that club where I got broken up with."

The night was a bit of a flop. I don't know what was going on with Perseverance last night, but it was like 40-year-old mixer night or something, because the majority of the clubbers were 40+ (there was even a couple, clearly 50+, grinding on the dance floor, which was sort of like -- wow, that's fantastic for you guys, but none of us want to see it). Some guy kept staring at me, and eventually tried to get Cassandra to go dance with his friend, presumably so he could dance with me, but he wasn't attractive and came off as a bit of a douchebag. There literally was not one person there worth dancing or making out with, which was unfortunate.

But Cassandra and I had a great time dancing together, and we left the club somewhat early, shortly after that guy tried to get Cassandra to dance with his friend, and we just walked up and down Brunswick Street looking for a bar we could just sit at and talk or something, but nothing caught our eye. We eventually headed home, but the conversation and the company was wonderful, and I was glad to get out and having fun even if nothing really good happened. Girlfriends are always the best post-break-up company. Even if I wasn't particularly devastated, it was good that I wasn't alone.

I sort of wonder if this whole experience -- not just the whole thing with David, but the whole semester I'm spending here -- will become surreal once I leave. Like something that I intellectually know happened, but something that I feel so far removed from that it almost seems more like a dream. Even now I still wake up some mornings and wonder if it is a dream.

But, what's maybe most important is that I really don't regret anything that happened this past month. Two entries ago I said I didn't want to regret anything I did or didn't do, and I'm glad all of this happened. Denison is such a small bubble, with its tiny dating pool and cookie-cutter guys, and aside from being really glad that I met such a great guy and had a great time with him (even if it is over now), it was sort of a boost in self-esteem.

Not that my self-esteem was low to begin with, but after two years at a tiny school where all the guys are the same and not really my type (and there aren't enough to begin with), with summers and holidays at home where I'm stuck in the Bridgewater-Raritan rut of who I used to be, and being unable to go out and drink and be social like a "real" adult could be, I hadn't met anyone new in a long time. It's hardly an "I'm desperate" situation, but when you're in what seems like a holding pattern for so long, you start to wonder if it will ever end. Or if it's not really a holding pattern, and it's just you being unappealing. I mean, it's not as if I can't be happy without a man, but it's always nice to have one as well.

Melbourne feels more like reality than Denison or Bridgewater ever do, and it's a bit of a relief that I can meet people, and guys are interested.

So. I'm going to attempt to get my work done now so I can sleep. Rest assured that the list of post topics grows ever longer, and they're not all point-by-point recollections of what I did each day. There's one rolling around in my head about Greek life (hee!) that I hope to get written sometime this week.

"No Worries"

One of the best things about Australia is what I've taken to calling the Aussie state of mind. You know the one I'm talking about, where they call everyone "mate" and instead of saying "you're welcome," they say "no worries." Combined with the accent, listening to conversations down here is just so relaxing.

See, I like schedules. I like to know where I'm going, when I'm going, with whom I'm going, how I'm getting there, what I'll be doing once I get there, and when I'll be leaving. In the States, things are hectic like that. I could have my day planned down to the minute because if I wasn't at this class or that club, I had to go to this rehearsal or that meeting, or maybe even both at once.

But part of this whole experience is the beauty of a new start. I'm not in any clubs (yet), I have friends that I like to go out with, but not every night, and I'm basically free to be as social or antisocial as I like. I have a social life, but it's not quite as jam-packed as it was last semester, or even during the summer when I worked all day, every day, and then went out for a late coffee with friends before rinsing and repeating.

We don't make plans here. A "plan" here is a text from Mara saying "hey, we're making dinner, want to come over?" or a Tuesday afternoon e-mail from Mitch wondering if anyone wants to go see The Hangover in four hours. I mean, I occasionally did spontaneous things whilst I was at Denison, but here I would say that roughly 80% of social activities are arranged less than 12 hours in advance, and more or less on a whim. And when things go wrong, as they sometimes do, no-one freaks out. For instance, when a large contingent of us headed down to Melbourne Central, on Tuesday evening and discovered that not only were tickets $18, not $10, but that the movie was sold out and it was the last showing of the evening, we just sat down on an s-shaped bench and chatted. For an hour and a half. Then we strolled back to RMIT Village, stopping for popcorn along the way, and hung out talking in the courtyard for another half an hour or so.

It's a nice change of pace, most certainly. I feel as though firstly, the movie thing would never have happened in the States with my friends there; we would have checked the movie, and possibly pre-ordered tickets, and if it had still happened, we certainly wouldn't have found a bench and sat down to chat for an hour and a half before leisurely strolling home.

But I do like to stay occupied at least part of the time. So on Wednesday I auditioned for the University of Melbourne Early Voices Ensemble. They're putting on Dido and Aeneas this semester, and since they've offered me (and I've accepted) a spot in their Alto section, presumably this means that I will be in an opera this semester. Furthermore, I auditioned for the Vocal Ensemble on Thursday, and they've tentatively offered me a spot (the director apparently isn't sure my voice will blend well with the rest of the ensemble), so hopefully that will go forward as well.

It turns out I won't be able to take voice lessons through the University (not enough room in my course load), so I do have to look for a voice teacher now, as well as a job. But my cold is more or less gone, the homesickness has begun to abate, and I feel like I'm finally settling into this city and this new lifestyle.

So all I'll say is no worries -- I have faith that everything will work itself out.

"Toto, I've a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

Now that I'm fully moved into my apartment and no longer living out of a suitcase, I am a bit more comfortable in this city where the overwhelming feeling of not belonging overtakes me many hours of the day. I'm certainly not alone in this feeling; hundreds, if not thousands, of international students overtake this city and my new university each semester hoping to find adventure, unique experiences, and friends that might last them a lifetime.

I sort of resisted it at first, but I'll admit it: I'm homesick. I still love this city, and everyone is fabulous and my new friends are great, but it's little things, like not having my mug to drink my tea with. And the fact that I can't get any of my favourite cereals, and having to sleep in this small bed with unfamiliar bed linens and unfamiliar pillows and a giant stuffed wombat. (Okay, so the wombat part is cool, because I love my stuffed wombat, but other than that.) And needing an adapter in order to use any of my electronics from home is just annoying. Despite the exchange rate, some stuff is disgustingly expensive -- vitamins, for instance. And alcohol (which is fine, I guess. Hopefully it will curb my spending on booze, haha). The list goes on. There are some fantastic things about Australia, but I have a cold and an audition tomorrow and at this point I wouldn't mind going home so much. (Well, that's a lie. I might be a little unhappy once I realised I'd made a terrible choice.)

It's not that I'm really that unhappy here; far from it -- simply that some of the little things are starting to get to me. I really am having the time of my life meeting new people and discovering this different culture, and every time I see the University of Melbourne crest emblazoned on a building, I'm just awestruck by the fact that four years after I first decided I wanted to come here, I'm finally here. Although I wouldn't give up my time at Denison for anything, I can say with certainty that, had I enrolled at the University of Melbourne when I graduated in 2007, I would not have regretted that decision.

It's simply that though I feel as though I will eventually be able to call this city home, it's not home yet.

I know I've been a bit remiss in updating, but these last few weeks have been extremely hectic. (In fact, for a while I was more stressed than I had been since I got here due to some scheduling issues. They ended up being resolved fairly easily after several rounds of e-mail tag with Yadi Collins, the registrar at Denison.)

But here's a quick rundown:

The Arcadia group arrived, exhausted and jet-lagged, in the Brisbane airport around 6am on a Saturday morning. We sent most of our baggage to a storage unit and boarded a bus for Caloundra, a small, lovely beach town on the Sunshine Coast. Everything was strange at first. Gas was called petrol, and natural gas was called gas. Ketchup is tomato sauce here, and tomato sauce (the sort that you put on pasta) is called tomato paste. Not to mention that we were driving on the "wrong" side of the road and every time the driver turned, we felt like we might crash into another car if it happened to be driving on the "right" side of the road. And I'm sure you can imagine how frightening it was every time one of us glanced out a window and saw the passenger seat of a car empty, since the driver's seat is on the right here, as opposed to the left.

At any rate, we arrived in Caloundra without incident, and the last thing we wanted to do was get orientated. Really what most of us wanted to do was crawl into a bed and sleep. Alas, no such luck. Three days of morning-till-night orientation followed, with a jam-packed schedule to keep us all awake so we could try and defeat the jet lag. We tried vegemite, learned Australian slang, learned to play cricket and footy, and visited Steve Irwin's Zoo to pet koalas, feed kangaroos, and see first-hand all of the unique animals that live in Australia.

Although it's winter here, Caloundra (which is on the Sunshine Coast) is farther north and thus closer to the equator. It was warm enough to go for a dip in the ocean (although not at sunrise. I did it and it is not advisable, no matter how amusing it was at the time -- whatever, it was my second poor life choice of many down here in Oz) and I wore tank tops and shorts through the few days we stayed in Caloundra. The hotel where Arcadia put us up was lovely; we were in apartment-style rooms, and ours even had a balcony. Mine overlooked the beach, and every morning when I woke up I could hear the waves crashing on the shore.

On Tuesday 14, we got up and boarded the bus back to the Brisbane airport, where we left Lyndon and Cam, our orientation leaders, to fly on to Melbourne. We arrived in Melbourne that afternoon, and after a brief mishap trying to find the man who was meant to pick us up (he wasn't there, and when we finally found him, he was not carrying the "green ToGoTo sign" that we'd been told he'd be carrying. As for us, a large group of lost American uni students couldn't have been that hard to spot, and we sort of assume he was a bit late), we were off to the University of Melbourne for -- you guessed it -- another orientation, this time "Melbourne Welcome," run by UM students to help us learn our way around the city.

We "Arcadians" (as we've named ourselves, despite the fact that none of us actually attend Arcadia University) were split up, some, myself included, headed for Trinity College and some for Janet Clarke. We went to dinner and then more or less headed back to our rooms to take advantage of free internet (finally) and a bed. There was a toga party that evening; I was just too tired to go, but many of us did head over.

The following morning, a good number of us slept in. It was nice not to have to get up at 7am for breakfast (I don't even need to get up at 7am for uni!), and later that morning, a bunch of us headed over to Lygon Street to do some shopping and check out mobile phone plans. We ate packed lunches sitting on benches by the sports oval at the uni, and then Becky, Sophie, and Jordan headed back out to do some shopping.

Instead of heading back out, I met up with Jarrod (happy now?! You got a blog mention) that afternoon to go see HP6. The film was pretty decent (by which I mean I'm more or less glad I paid to see it in theatres, but it wasn't good enough that I would pay to see it a second time), but finally meeting him was definitely the highlight of the day -- that, or buying Tim Tams at Woolworth's. (Kidding! We have to try and keep the size of your ego in check, though. =P)

We caught the tram down to Melbourne Central, which is more or less a huge mall not terribly far from my apartment, but a bit farther from Trinity College, since Trinity's a bit farther north than RMIT Village. It was my first time on a tram, which is more or less an above-ground subway system; the Melbourne tram system is fairly extensive, and the trams have dedicated lanes on the road. This means two things: first, that crossing the street (and the "Roundabout of Death," as we've nicknamed the roundabout outside RMIT Village) is way more dangerous. Secondly, trams run more or less on schedule, even during rush hour or in traffic jams, since cars generally don't drive on them. Emergency vehicles are apparently allowed to drive on the tram lane, though, so it's actually quite useful.

After the movie, Jarrod and I walked back to Trinity together and talked for a while before he headed home for the evening and I got ready for the Laneway bar tour.

The Laneway bars are an interesting bunch of bars well-hidden in the CBD (I think that stands for Central Business District? Not sure though -- it's essentially the city centre). Most of them are hidden in back alleys, and they have a cosy, unique atmosphere. Drinks are expensive here in Oz, but since I'm a girl (and an "any alcohol is good alcohol" kind of girl, at that) it's less of a problem. ;-) The first bar, Sister Bella, we visited was in a random back alley, around some dumpsters, and up a flight of stairs. Section 8 was the second bar, located in an old car park, with lots of couches and heat lamps to make you feel like you're inside although you're not really. Manchuria, the third bar, was a bit more like a bar/lounge, with Asian-inspired decor and cushy (but very classy!) furniture. Finally, we hit Escobar to end the evening and give their business a bit of a boost (it was a Wednesday evening, after all). I was more or less very drunk by the end of the night, so I ducked outside and chatted with the bouncers (haha, I know, I'm so classy) until a few girls decided to leave and I left with them.

I finally got a phone on Thursday (well, just a SIM card, since my phone works here); again, I skipped all of the daytime activities...as nice as it was of Arcadia to sign us up for Melbourne Welcome, I was definitely all orientated out, and not in the mood to get up at 8am and run around the city all day on tours I didn't particularly want to do. Although I sort of did want to do the Thursday morning activities (a tour of the CBD, with a visit to the Eureka Skydeck and Federation Square), I slept in instead. That afternoon, I got my phone set up -- definitely a huge weight off my shoulders (I don't like to be disconnected, as many of you probably know).

Thursday evening was a formal dinner at Trinity, so we got to experience formal dinner as it occurs multiple times a week during term-time at almost all of the residential colleges. Traditionally, students and professors attending formal dinner wear academic gowns. Since we didn't have any, we just dressed nicely (business casual, more or less). They served a lovely dinner, complete with wine, in what some of us have taken to calling the "Hogwarts room." (It's true, the Trinity dining hall does look a bit like the Great Hall, complete with long tables and a head table where the professors sit.)

The next day, I got my 15 minutes of Aussie fame. Someone knocked on my door, probably around 9 or 10am, and asked if I would mind letting them use my door for shooting an episode of the Aussie TV series Rush, which is a police drama. They told me they were going to kick open my door (they close and lock automatically, so they put a wood block in to prop it open), but no-one mentioned the crossbow! So I'm sitting at my desk and this guy kicks open my door pointing a crossbow at me. Since he wasn't expecting anyone to be in the room, he was about as shocked as I was, haha. But one of the women working on the show (I can only assume she was an assistant producer or something), Pia, came in and sat with me and we had a lovely chat about St Kilda and vegemite.

Ten minutes and two or three takes later, I've become an extra! I and a few other extras (I think all of them were professionals, actually) got to run up and down the halls of Trinity screaming as we flee from the guys with crossbows. It was a lot of fun, and everyone was so nice. I didn't get to meet any of the stars of the show, but it was definitely an experience! Pia also invited me to eat lunch with them, so I got to meet the two guys with crossbows and the other extras over lunch. The episode airs in October, so we're definitely planning on having a viewing party. =)

With all the excitement of the morning overwith, Sophie and I (yes, Sophie and Sophia, I know) headed down to RMIT Village Old Melbourne, the apartment complex where we're going to spend the next five months or so. We checked ourselves in and began moving into our apartments. My roommate is a Swede who's going to RMIT this semester; her name is Lina (I still can't pronounce it, embarrassingly -- I'm sure you know how it's pronounced in English, but it's not pronounced the same way in Swedish!), and she's very nice and easygoing.

Then, that night, we attended the footy match between the Essendon Bombers and the Western Bulldogs at Etihad Stadium. Footy is a lot of fun to watch -- I definitely find it way more interesting than American football, and that particular match was quite good. (I'll be going to see Carlton v Geelong next Friday, and they're supposed to be quite good, so I'm pretty excited about that as well!) I might do a more detailed explanation of footy at some other time...too lazy now. =P

Finally, on Saturday morning we moved out of our temporary homes in Trinity and I got to fully unpack my suitcases at RMIT Village. My room is lovely, and a bit on the small side, but definitely functional. There's no oven, but there's a small stove range and a microwave and a fridge that's just big enough to fit Lina's and my food. (Did you know that the refrigerator was invented in Australia? Clearly, this is why there's such a high incidence of skin cancer -- no ozone layer. =P)

Mara had a bunch of us (RMITers and even those of us staying in residential colleges) over her room for pasta and drinks that night, and that turned into a fun evening of playing loud 90s music and Never Have I Ever. Jarrod joined us (yet another mention! What is the world coming to?) later, as did some random other people who randomly wandered into the party, and standing out on the balcony drinking and chatting with friends new and old was just so relaxing and nice. You can see how I'd forget that I actually have to go to class, haha.

Most of last week was more or less settling in and spending too much money trying to get the apartment set up and liveable, nothing exciting enough for a blog entry -- a few RMIT Village orientation parties and activities and a few UM administrative things, but mostly just settling in.

Classes began yesterday (two days ago? Well, it's almost 1am Wednesday morning, so take that as you like). So far they're fantastic; I love the UM campus, and the lecture/tutorial system is awesome because you don't really need to go to lecture (although I do plan on it anyway). They're large lectures -- all of my lectures are over 100 people, and some way more than that -- and most (if not all) of them are posted online instead. Really, it's your tutorial attendance that really counts.

This semester I'm taking four classes: Biomedical Ethics, Public Policy Making (Australian policy, not just general policy), Political Philosophy, and Medieval & Early Modern Music. It's a nice distribution; the former two are MW classes, with Monday tutes, and the latter two are TR classes, with Tuesday tutes. So really I could skive off my Wednesday and Thursday lectures and have a five-day weekend, since I already have Fridays off. I certainly don't plan on skipping all those lectures (what would I do with myself with all that spare time?! We all know I don't entertain myself that well, haha), but it's nice to know that I would be able to without being penalised, as opposed to only being able to miss a few classes at Denison before having my grade knocked down.

I'm also going to be auditioning for private voice lessons soon, and tomorrow (well, today) evening I'll be auditioning for the Early Voices Ensemble. I'm still sick, but I haven't spoken a word in hours (and we all know that's a lot for me) and I've been drinking hot tea like there's no tomorrow. So hopefully my voice and my cold will be better in the morning, particularly with a good warm-up.

At any rate, I'm going to wrap it up now -- I know no-one read this whole thing, but it's okay; my own fault for saving it all for one huuuge post, anyway. I will do my best to update more regularly, but my first priority right now is probably job hunting. Ah, me. No-one said that Australia was going to cost money.

[-4] Happy 4th!

I returned last night from Florida, which was a nice getaway before heading to Australia. Which, in and of itself, I suppose is more or less a getaway also. It occurs to me that it hasn't really struck me yet that I'll be taking classes and otherwise being scholarly once I'm there, and I suppose it won't until I (at least) have finalized my schedule. It's more or less been confirmed that I'll be taking Music History I and II concurrently this semester, but other than that, I'll supposedly be taking two Political Science courses that haven't yet been confirmed.

However, aside from that, the majority of the logistical issues have been straightened out. My visa came through with no problem, and I received the scholarship I applied for ($1,372, which is a somewhat random number -- but money is money). It's not that huge, but since my Denison scholarship doesn't go with me to Australia ($15,000/year), anything helps. It'll certainly at least help me cover groceries and such.

My housing has also been confirmed: I will be living for the semester in an apartment (presumably alone) at RMIT Village, which is a lovely apartment complex, complete with pool and workout facilities, not too far from the University. They're hosting an Orientation Week filled with events designed to help residents get to know each other, but I haven't decided yet if I want to participate. It costs $30AUD, which includes the cost of a t-shirt. It's not that $30AUD (approximately $24USD) is that much of an expense, I just don't know that I'm going to be interested in the activities they've planned. There's a "nightlife tour" which I assume will involve barhopping/clubs, which I genuinely am interested in, but the chances that the cost of drinks, etc is included in the Orientation fee are slim to none. There are also a few parties (including a theme party) that might be fun, but the movie night, the trivia night, and the sports day (no-one could ever claim that I was an athletic person) don't really interest me that much. I do want to get to know my fellow residents and make friends, but that week is probably going to be my main week for jobhunting, too. They also want the payment now, which is a little annoying because it's not like I can hop over there and hand them cash or swipe my credit card; I would have to send them credit card information via e-mail, and I'm not 100% positive I'm comfortable with that.

At any rate, here's what my schedule looks like so far for the next few weeks (all times local to where I am):

4/7 - 9/7: packing, work, etc
9/7: last day stateside; early dinner in the city; 19:10-22:10 flight JFK to LAX; 23:20 depart LAX for BNE
11/7: 06:10 arrive BNE
11/7 - 14/7: orientation in Caloundra
14/7: 11:55-14:20 flight BNE to MEL
14/7 - 18/7: Melbourne Welcome (University of Melbourne)
20/7 - 25/7: Orientation (RMIT Village)
27/7: first day of term (University of Melbourne)

So, the next few days will be extremely busy for sure, and then I'll be leaving! I'm extremely, extremely excited, but at the same time, I'm having that "I'm basically moving to another country for five months" freak-out right about now, and packing certainly doesn't help; anyone who knows me knows I'm a terrible overpacker. It's okay though, I will get everything condensed down to two suitcases in the end. I always do. And I'm determined to leave some space for the stuff I will inevitably accumulate in Australia, of course. (Whether or not this will actually happen is a different story entirely, but I'm hopeful.)

So. Hurray for amazing experiences that are about to begin -- and happy 4th to anyone in the US!