Week One

My first night, we divided the group by housing units and went shopping for essentials for the night. In the morning and on the first official day of a two-week long orientation, we had a formal rundown of the rules (they are many of them: you can’t put pictures on the walls or have visitors between the hours of 11pm and 8:30am, you can’t eat in your room, you have to clean a certain part of the flat every week). I broke a lot of the rules already.

The rest of the week was consumed with opening up a bank account for our weekly stipend to buy food, buying a transit card ‘TransPerth,’ buying cell phones and other living necessities like cooking utensils, laundry detergent, other groceries and an internet package.  I pay for internet by the gig, so I feel that my internet usage will be limited—probably for the better, although I still am eagerly wanting to skype with people.

Right now it’s pretty chilly in Australia.  The wind cancels out the sun.  It’s difficult to go on comfortable adventures, although a scavenger hunt we took across Perth and to a suburb Fremantle took us to beautiful places like Kings Park and the waterfront. I guess it’s unseasonably cold and from now on it should just get warmer. Right now I’m sleeping in 2-3 layers of clothing top and bottom.

I enrolled in classes:

Intro to Indigenous Australians
Environment and Coastal Planning
Sustainable Development and Environmental Uncertainty
Coral Reef Systems

I’m excited about classes and to meet more people.  I’m in a group of about 30 Americans, 11 of which attend Kalamazoo College, most are from Michigan. 60% of the school’s student population is Asian and most Australians are commuters. Therefore, going clubbing is a good way to meet people. I’ve already met an Australian, Ash, who says he will take me out to an Australian Football game for my twentieth birthday.  His birthday is four days after mine, favorite band also Blink-182, skate boarder, drives a little black Toyota, very very pretty blue eyes and washed out dirty blond hair.  Needless to say, the stereotypical Australian that I would probably meet the third night I was in the country.

I met him in a club in Leederville, which was kind of small but busy—and a lot of fun.  I had a good time dancing.  I think I’ll enjoy going out a lot here once I get the timing of it all—ordering taxis, relaxing at the bar and then going out dancing. I’m grateful that public transit is easy and cheap.

Also—I’m picking up some of the Australian accent and vocabulary.

Next week: learning to surf, camping in Hillary’s, going to the Tavern (campus pub), well-cooked meals with better groceries, clubbing, meeting the rest of my flat-mates.