Curtin Chronicles

Wow. In just a few hours I will be on my way to the airport and finally embarking on the long trip home. I cannot believe that this journey in Australia is coming to an end. Though at times it seemed like things were dragging by very slowly and I couldn’t wait to get out of here, looking back, this experience really has flown by. It is hard to comprehend that it is now June and that I have been here for nearly four months… almost 1/3 of a year. It still hasn’t hit me that I’m actually leaving. 

This has been an eye opening, life changing experience and I am so fortunate and so thankful to have gotten a chance to do all that I’ve done here. I have met amazing people these past few months that I hope I will keep in touch with for a long time to come. I remember thinking in the beginning that these kids weren’t my real friends… that we were forced to be nice to each other because we were all stuck in this strange land without our friends from home. However, I can now say that the people I have surrounded myself with here are true friends. I cannot imagine having gone through the ups and downs of this study abroad experience without the wonderful people that I’ve had by my side all along. I especially lucked out with my living situation. I got a chance to live with and get to know five Australians whom I otherwise would have never met. It’s funny how things work out - after living with this amazing group of people for several months, I can’t imagine what my life was like before I met them nor how it will be once I no longer see their faces every day. Flat 1, thank you for an amazing time. It is so comforting knowing that I have a family on the other side of the world should I ever need anything.

I feel like I have grown up and matured immensely this past semester. This is the first time I have truly been on my own, far away from my family and friends, for a long period of time. Without the comfort of familiarity, I’ve been forced out of my shell and I’ve had to open up to people in a way I previously have not done. The result? True friendships free from bullshit and fakeness. Additionally, being so far from my parents’ support these past few months has certainly been difficult at time but ultimately has made me grow up. I can accept now that my parents won’t always be around to support me and I know that I will be fine regardless. Perhaps above all, however, this journey has made me treasure and appreciate my relationships with others more than I ever have before. Being away from those who mean so much to me has truly made me aware of just how important and special they are to me. I hope I never take for granted the company of friends and family again.

They say that studying abroad changes people. I’d like to think that I have changed for the better as a result of my time in Perth, Western Australia but I guess only time will tell. For better or worse, these past few months have had a serious impact on my life. I am leaving this country with no regrets, knowing that I lived every day here to its fullest. When all is said and done, it has been worth the rough days when all I wanted was to hug my mom or hop on the next plane home. I am so thankful for having been given this opportunity and to have met the wonderful people I never would have had I not chosen to come abroad. In your own unique ways, you have all made a lasting impression on my life.

Thank you, Australia. You have shown me an amazing time that I will not soon forget. 

My journey at Curtin University has come to an end. Now, let’s go home.

<3

Here I sit the Thursday night before my last weekend in Australia and it is finally hitting me how soon I am leaving this continent. I am so excited about going home - I’ve been anticipating June 5th for months now. Yet, for the first time, I’m truly starting to get upset over leaving the place I’ve made my home since February 12th. I’ll leave the super sappy and emotional post for next week but I must say that the thought of leaving is getting pretty tough to comprehend.

Some days I feel like I have been here for years and that time has passed by so slowly. Other times, I look back on this journey and wonder where all the time went. It is all so confusing and so difficult to take in. I have gone from being a nervous, timid foreigner in an overwhelming and new land to a comfortable, confident student at an Australian university. I don’t necessarily feel out of place here anymore - something that I did not expect to ever happen three months ago. However, at the end of the day, I am just a visitor here and my stay is at last coming to an end.

The more emotional, heartfelt post will come next week. ;) <3 

So, I have food poisoning right now. It’s the first time I’ve ever had this horrible, debilitating illness and never again do I want it. Sure, I may not be able to eat and after emptying everything from my bowels I’m likely to have dropped a good 10 lbs, but the pain just isn’t worth it. 

I made some chicken last night that I had just bought earlier in the day from the grocery store right next door to my apartment. It was two thigh pieces - never the most sought after section of chicken meat, let’s be honest. I should have looked beyond the thighs and focused on the chicken breast which, we all know, is a much more desirable chunk of meat. I have always been more of a boob man and not so much a leg man… I should have stuck with what I know and not been tempted by the under $5 price tag on the meat that would soon cause my demise. 

Anyhow, last night the pain started off as just heartburn, indigestion-type discomfort. I’ll spare the horrific details of what followed but the pain got much worse and my stomach started bubbling and twisting and cramping. Let’s just say that I have not thrown up once since contracting this illness. My expulsions have been from elsewhere.

After making the trek to the only doctor I could find open on a Sunday and forking over $75 for a 10 minute consultation, I was officially diagnosed. After filling my antibiotics at the only 7-day pharmacy I could find, I came home to lie in bed and sleep for several hours, waking up later on feeling slightly better. However, if there’s one thing I’ve figured out in the past 24 hours, it’s that food poisoning comes in waves — for an hour I’ll feel fine and think “MM… let’s make a sandwhich!” only to be writhing in pain in my bed just moments later. 

Anyhow, since this post is kind of disgusting, I think I’ll end with a few interesting Australian sayings and words and their equivalent in American English. Be warned, not all of these are slang. Australians really just talk like this.

bench = kitchen counter

bogan = hick/redneck

ranger = redhead/ginger

jumper = jacket/hoodie

uni = college

capsicum = red/green bell peppers

serviette = napkin (not unlike Spanish, *Alec*)

chips = french fries (not unlike England)

tomato sauce (pronounced toe-MAH-toe) = ketchup

Macca’s = McDonald’s

jelly = Jello

jam = jelly

boot = trunk (of a car)

I had no idea that coming to Australia would require me to learn a whole new English vocabulary. Maybe I was just being ignorant but I digress. It’s funny how being in a new culture for just 3 months can change the vocabulary you’ve used your entire life. I often catch myself saying “capsicum” or calling flip-flops “thongs”. I’ve even grown quite fond of the word “bogan” instead of redneck or hick — it sounds much more condescending. 

And that is your Australia 101 lesson for today, folks. I’m off to lay in bed for an eternity and hope that my insides don’t decide to fall out in my sleep tonight. Then again, maybe that’d at last give me a little relief from the pain they’ve been causing.

Ta! (Another Australian phrase meaning “goobye” or “thank you”. I prefer using it for the latter.) 

Look! I swear I have friends here - I do! I do! 

The five Australians and the American of Flat 1.

I send my dearest, most sincere apologies to my thousands of avid readers for failing to update this in nearly a month. What can I say? It’s been a hectic, stressful, schoolwork-filled month! Wait… who am I kidding?

The past month has flown by. I cannot believe it is already the end of April and only 39 days until I return to the states (but who’s counting?!). April has been by far the best month I’ve had here. I’ve held a koala, seen an amateur (and hilarious) drag show, gotten closer with friends here, celebrated birthdays, and just had an all around great time. I fear that people look at my Facebook pictures from Australia and just assume that all I do is party but it’s not! I go to class too!

Class here, I hate to say, is a complete joke. Or, at least I felt that way until I got two equivalents of a C on assignments for my International Political Economy class. The grading system here is so confusing — there are not A, B, C,’s etc. but “High Distinction” “Distinction” “Credit” “Pass” and “Fail”. Apparently it must be hard to get a “High Distinction” mark because, not to boast, I did so well on one of those assignments and was so proud of it. I thought it deserved much higher than a “Credit” grade. On top of that, the T.A. told me it I had “done a great job” on them… makes me scared to see what the other kids got. 

Other than the whack grading system, class here is a joke. I do not have exams or any tests for that matter whatsoever. Most of my grades come from essays and one presentation per class per semester. Mind you that these essays are research essays and one need not attend class to research a topic and write an essay on it. Plus, only one of my professors takes attendance and it doesn’t even count for a grade. I still go to nearly all of my classes because that is essentially what I came here for but I still feel like I’m being jipped out of a semester. I’m only going to get 12 credits at VCU for my work (assuming that all my courses transfer but that’s a whole ‘nother issue) and I’m spending A TON of money to be here and with what to show for it? *Le sigh*

I really did not mean to turn this post into a bitch-fest because I really am having a truly amazing time here in Perth. It’s nice being of legal age to go out to bars and I know I’m going to miss that come June 5th when I’m sent back to the reality of the drinking age in the U.S. We are so far behind on some things. In the mean time, however, I’m going to keep living it up here and keep cherishing the bonds I’ve made with people from all over the world. I always think about how weird it is how things work out and how we meet the people we do meet. I have become so close to my 5 Australian roommates that I NEVER would have known even existed had I not chosen to pursue my goal of studying abroad. I have formed great friendships with Canadians and Americans as well that I hope will last a very long time. 

I guess that’s what studying abroad is all about when it comes down to it. It’s not about the grades or the credit or the courses you take, it’s about the people you meet and the ways in which they change your life. I know I will go back to Virginia a different person than I was when I first arrived in Perth… and I know it’ll be for the better. 

I love you guys <3. 

Sorry I’ve been quiet lately, guys! Not much has been going on ‘round these parts. We are now on the second week of my two week Easter break. Most of my friends and flatmates are gone… my international friends are off traveling all over Australia, New Zealand and Thailand, just to name a few. All but one of my roommates has gone home for Easter so it’s been pretty lonely around here. Laura, the one girl that’s still here, and I decided to cook an Easter feast for just the two of us. It turned out being so much food (I’ll post a picture) for just the two of us. Leftovers ended up being my dinner tonight and probably for a couple more days.  Otherwise, Easter passed without much of a hoo-rah. Everything around here has basically been shut down since Good Friday and will FINALLY reopen tomorrow (Tuesday). I desperately need to go get some groceries! 

Today was fantastic! I have a friend here at Curtin, Laura (a different one than my roommate), who went on exchange to VCU last semester. It’s nice to have a friend here that I can talk to about Shafer, Belle Isle, Broad Street, Sheetz, Short Pump, etc. She knows where I’m coming from and the things I’m talking about… plus, she is used to hearing “y’all” which makes us THAT much closer! Anyhow, today I traveled about 30 minutes south of Perth to an area called Rockingham, where she lives. She took me to a wildlife park called Marapana where I got to feed and pet kangaroos, feed emus & ostriches, pet a dingo, and HOLD A KOALA!! It was such a touristy thing to do but it was awesome! Crystal, the koala, was so soft and gentle and precious! It is something I will definitely remember most from this trip. We bonded. We fell in love. We’re getting married. 

I’m a little late at updating this in regards to my amazing experience this past weekend… I ventured to an island 20 km (yes, folks, we use the metric system here in OZ!) off the coast of Perth called Rottnest Island with about 12 Canadians and one Scottish boy. I was the only American as I find is often the case here. Regardless, I had an amazing camping trip and experienced one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. (This place is in serious competition with the places I’ve seen in Italy and Greece).

We hopped on a ferry at 11:30 AM on Friday morning off to Rotto and arrived around noon. The skies were grey and the temperature around 25 or so (Celsius! Think 70 Fahrenheit). Needless to say, I wished I had brought a hoodie or something! On Rottnest there are very few cars - they are reserved for emergency/essential personnel that need to get around the island quickly. Otherwise, it’s bicycles all the way! After setting up our shoddy tents and a campground that was basically one giant sandbox, we made our way to the bike rental place. For $20 dollars we each rented a bike for 24 hours. What I initially thought would be a quick, easy bike ride turned into an uphill/downhill excursion that my weak ass could not handle! Though, I must say, that biking along the coast of Rottnest for the while that I did was breathtaking. Around nearly every curve we would find ourselves biking along a sheer cliff with the clear ocean beneath us. It reminded me a lot of the pictures I’ve seen of the California coast… so beautiful! 

That night we acted like a bunch of college kids camping — wasted! (Mom, stop reading here!). After a few beers & exploring the beach we decided to go get Subway (yes, they had Subway on this island….ugh.) despite being a tad bit intoxicated. Well, on the way back my friend Chelsea and I decided to race on our bikes. I knew where we were going and at one point during our race I decided to turn toward our campsite. She kept going straight, unaware of where we were going. Needless to say, we collided. We both had bloody knee injuries and various bruised parts of our bodies. My right hip still hurts!

Later that night, we played many a’round of Kings and got quite… happy! I am not surprised we got yelled at by numerous families for being too loud. The only issue I have is that it was not THAT late (before midnight!) and we were at a rundown campground on a Friday night… clearly we were there to party! Regardless, it was a great night! Upon waking up well before 8 AM we went and had breakfast in “town” and then spent the day on the beach, walking around, and at restaurants, just trying to pass the time until our ferry back to Perth left around 4 PM. Upon return to Perth on Saturday, I came right home and spent the rest of the night in my room — I then went to bed early. Riding bikes, staying up late drinking, sleeping on a hard tent floor, etc. all wore me out!

Rotto was definitely an experience to remember. I typically hate camping but biking away from our campsite on Saturday afternoon made me quite sad. I know I have lots of memories of Rottnest to keep me company but still… I hate to say goodbye!