Well, I am finally in Australia! It is crazy to say that. It was a long 3 flights and a very taxing couple of days, but it is all worth it now. I had no trouble with my flights except when I got into Sydney. I stood in line for immigration and border patrol for over an hour which delayed me a lot and I had to be put on the next flight because my bags were not to the counter in time. At the time I was freaking out but I met a very nice pilot (the one flying my plane) who helped me call my instructor and let him know that I would be a few minutes late getting into Brisbane. The first thing I noticed was that they do not treat tourists as “tourists”. They are very pleased to help and happy to meet a new person. This was my first impression in the airports because while I was in LA I was told I could not be helped and to go find someone who worked in that area. When I arrived in Sydney the very nice lady walked me through everything and took me to the area I need to go. She did not act put out or like it was a burden like the guy in LA.

I was picked up by one of my instructors Sonyaa. Let me tell you now, she is going to make this trip awesome. She is probably about 65 and is full of life. She drives like a crazy person and if definitely a character. She is going to be teaching us about Australia’s environment. Once I finally got to campus (the car ride seemed to take forever) the first thing I did was call home and let my mom know I was safe and sound. Then I hooked up my laptop for internet and posted to facebook. It sounds a little dumb, but honestly, how many times do you get to say “I’m in Australia” for a status update? Not very often. After all of this was done I showered and changed and went to get some lunch. I am a little shocked by how small the portions are and how expensive they are. I had the “beefy nachos” which had quite a lot of food, but that was it. That was supposed to last me all day with no snacks in between. Dinner was a lot smaller than lunch and it was only one entrée.  Back home we have dinner plus fruits and veggies and maybe some dessert. While I was looking around people were eating just one plate and calling it good. I will have to get used to eating smaller portions and carrying snacks because stores are not open when I am hungry.

I have found people are very nice here. I have had to ask about a million questions, some not so intelligent sounding but every time the person just smiles and answers the question. The best thing that I have discovered about Australia is how relaxed and happy they are. I noticed right away the difference on my long flight from LA to Sydney (16 hours!) the difference between Americans and Australians. The Americans mostly kept to themselves and if a stranger talked to them it was short conversation. The Australians however, wanted to talk. As soon as they found out I was American they wanted to know where I was from, why I was traveling, etc. They also offered me an abundance of information of things to say and things to do. For example: saying I am mad has to be done just right. If it is said wrong it means you are beyond drunk and need to be put out of your misery.

Sometimes it is hard to make out the accents here. Yes, they speak English but the wording and the accents combined make it difficult sometimes. I have had to ask more than once for someone to repeat themselves and they always laugh and joke that they have a country bumpkin accent. Some of the words are different here. My favorite so far is the “zebra crossing” pronounced “zebraa” not “zeebra”. It is simply the crosswalk. There are also “lifts” which are elevators. Little things like that, that make it different than home. I also learned you do not say the number 0 like an “o” it is “zero”.

This is some of my group. We take cabs everywhere.

So far I do not have a lot of questions except why are stores closed to early??? I am used to stores closing around 9-11 depending on the day. I went to the mall with some friends last night and it closed 10 minutes after we got there. It was 5:30 in the evening! I have a feeling this summer is going to be an early one for the sole fact that there is nothing to do at night and we have early classes anyways. As of now, I really like it here. The university is beautiful and the people friendly. I hope this 4 weeks is as good as the first day!  Katherine

This is a beach called Surfer’s Paradise, which is part of the Gold Coast region.  This is one of the many beaches we will be visiting and I cannot wait!