Updates and whatnots

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Hey everyone,

I realized that i have not updated in a long time (mainly b/c i had a few people send some scathing messages). My apologies.

So I have been here for over a month now. Wow. At times I do forget that i am in Australia; like when i am bored in class, hanging out with friends, studying (hahaha). And then i see a kangaroo outside and remember. Btw- I have still seen at least one kangaroo a day since i have been here. Its going to be a sad day when that happens. There is a giant kangaroo here named Steve. He is much larger than any of the other roos. Unfortunately, i have yet to see him.

I went to the Gold Coast two weeks back with a group of people. Gold Coast is about 2.5 hours south of Sunshine Coast (where i am). Fairly touristy place but also filled with a lot of townies. Six of us decided to head down to the GC for the weekend. This meant waking up before 5am to make the 5:40am bus. Some of us were able to sleep on the train down. (love the public transportation here. it cost a little over $6 to make it from GC to the Uni.) And by 10am we were waiting outside of "DreamWorld". Think a really really lame Cedar point (who can honestly compete?) with a zoo. There were a few decent rides; all trying to mimic the amazingness of the Point. The other people i was with thought the rides were pretty good. I have convinced them that they need to take a trip to Sandusky in the summer. But the highlight of DW... I got to hold a koala! Very cuddly, squishly, and furry. The little guy just grabbed right on. I don't think he really cared where he was, he just wanted to sleep.

That night we headed to a hostel. Hostels are nice these days. I realize that i have never actually been to one before this, but i was impressed. The six of us were all able to stay in one room with bunkbeds. The place was clean, the other people staying there (all backpackers) were friendly, and the staff was all in their 20s and very polite. But the best part of the hostel was the special package we got to go with it. I am sure most of you can already guess what this package involved. The package included cover charges to 4 bars, a free drink at each bar, shuttle transport to each bar, a cowboy hat and glow stick (so we could easily be noticed in the bars), and cheap drink prices at the hostel. yes, the hostel had its own bar. And a cheap one at that. *Quick backstory of the package thing. Four or five hostels in the area join up together and put on this event. And each hostel gives out different colors of glow sticks. Some of the staff of each hostel serve as chaperones to all of the occupants. So after a certain amount of time at each bar, they would herd us on the next one.* Now the six of us were the one people from our hostel and we became good friends with the staff working there very quickly. So we spent a fair time drinking at the hostel and having fun. We spent the next 5ish hours making our way from bar to bar and having a darn good time. Eventually we made it back to the hostel and passed out.

the next morning we headed over to Surfer's Paradise (a small very touristy city in Gold Coast). The beach there is perfect for surfers (hence the name) but swimming isnt allowed. So we just chilled on the beach for a few hours. Side note- the gold coast is the first place i have been in australia (except for bars) that has been opened past 8pm. Stores and eateries were open until very late. I loved it.

Spring Break:
I am going on a pirate ship cruise! okay, its not actually a pirate ship, but it kind of looks like it. It is a 30 person sailboat. There are 7 or 8 of us going. We will be sailing around Whitsundays (islands to the northeast of Oz) for 5 days. And every night we anchor at an island and meet up with another sailboat. It is supposed to only be younger people, but we shall see. I am very excited.

Soccer:
still doing soccer twice a week. and still loving it. i have met a great group of guys who i wouldnt have met otherwise. tryouts for the actual "team" (which will be competing at the Uni Games in melbourne) is this sunday. i have a decent shot of making the team. I have noticed that of the 20ish people who usually show up, there are only 5 who play defense. Most of the best players are obsessed with playing forward and trying to score.

This might sound kind of lame, but i havent been doing that many "exciting" things. During the week i go to class, hang out with friends, etc. The weekends usually entail some sort of trip; about every other weekend. So the rest of this is going to be a lot of very random brief (i think) things.

Classes:
Math- i forgot how much i love math. Its an okay class. But i get a little bored b/c at this point i have already learned (though sometimes dont remember) the information
Marketing- the prof isnt the best, but the information is great. the book has a lot of information that i have been learning.
Tourism- love this class. prof knows his stuff and the material isn't too dry.
Finance- arrg. the less said the better. the prof just reads off of a sheet of paper for 3 hours.

most of the classes here are split up into a 2 hour lecture and a 1 hour tutorial (fewer number of students). but none of the profs seem to have worked the system out yet. all of my tuts have been a waste of time. its a new system that the Uni is trying though.

i dont think the homework load is that bad at all, but my two german roomies said they have never done so much work before.

in Oz it is okay for people to talk while the professor is. And i dont mean a quick whispered question. i mean a full on conversation. People also are fine walking in 40 minutes late and leaving 30 minutes early. Weird.

the classroom themselves are very technologically advanced. the computers have touch screen capabilites which control the lights, microphones, projectors, etc. kind of cool. i just wish the profs knew how to use it.

some of the international students bring a translating dictionary to class. makes perfect sense, but i never thought about it before.

all of the german students got sick at once. found that kind of funny. btw- 56% of all international students this semester are german.

no one really says "g'day" here. i have heard it twice. and both have been from really old guys.

like i said earlier- i have been here for over a month. and some things are already natural to me.
-cars being on the other side
-walking on the left side of the sidewalk (and i get a little frustrated at people who dont)
-using grams and Kgs

Olympics are unique in a different country. for one, i dont get to see all of the US events. The AUS first round of Judo is more important than the US soccer game. But i do get to cheer for two teams; kind of cool. The news on the olympics is a little biased too. A US swimmer (Mikey Phelps for example) could break a world record and the announcer would mention that the Aussies took bronze in an event. I feel like the olympics are not that popular here. I have only found a few people watching them often (i am def one of those people).

Found out in my tourism class that of the top five tourist cities (Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Melbourne) in Oz, i have been to four (all but melborune). Kind of cool.

It has been a little chilly here the past week. Chilly being like 55 degrees instead of 80. I have seen people in scarves and gloves while i have been in a tshirt and shorts. I am going to love the summer here... and hate MI winters even more.

I have noticed that there is a lot less censorship here. The profs can get away with a lot more here than in the states. Certain comments about the female population, or a certain race. And the advertisments here. Wow. In my MKT class, the prof shows a lot of commercials that would never be aired in the US, but here, it is no big deal.

every bathroom on the Uni campus has 4 urinals. Guys- you understand the problem there.

The Uni just built a brand new Sports Centre (i know they spelled it wrong. pricey mistake). Included in this Centre is a new fitness center. it is easily the smallest gym i have ever been in. it barely has the basics of what a gym needs. But, no one is ever there. I have been there every day so far this week (i am currently on a "get healthy and fit" kick. the beer prob isnt helping) and the staff already knows me. One of my friends here is training to be an Ultimate Fighter and i worked out with him once. I cried. The guy is ripped and does exercises i have never seen before.

New drivers here have to have a special license plate, called a "p plate". I had that idea years ago for young drivers in the states. Well mine was a little different. More of a giant sign saying, "get out of my way, i dont know how to drive". really wish there was a "p plate" in the states. i think it is safer for everyone on the road.

i love how almost everyone here says hi. if you are walking by someone, a friendly comments usually comes your way.

there is a baby bonus here. if someone has a child, that new parent gets $5,000. i dont know the exact details; marriage, age of parents, etc.

i might be headed to brisbane tomorrow (our friday) night with some of the soccer guys to watch a rugby game. should be fun.

I told you this stuff was random.

I am starting to miss home a little bit every now and then. The people, food, and creature comforts. Don't get me wrong; i am having a great time and stepping out of my comfort zone to try new things.

thanks for reading! hope all is well.

thanks much,
malcolm

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