Classes

Day 2 of school went much better than day one.

Woke up around 9 and was at Uni by 10:30. I rushed to where my seminar was for my Adaptations class. The the class got there right at 11 and were really bubbly and asking each other how their holiday was. The professor asked us to put our desks in a circle. There were only about 20 students in the class and we had a really neat class discussion on the topic… Adaptation.

For this class we will read 5 novels that were made into films after being published. After we read each novel and watch each movie we will compare and contrast each and discuss why the differences exist. The 5 novel/movies are Memento, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Shining, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and No Country for Old Men. It should be interesting, and a good way to improve my writing.

Afterwards I went to get some lunch at the Mayo Café where I got a salami, tomato, and cheese wrap. I sent some emails, went for a walk along the River Torrens, and at 2 headed to Napier to my lecture for my anthropology course, Australia: Communities. I ran into some other international students I knew taking the same class, so we all sat together. The class seems fascinating and I’m really looking forward to it! An anthropological look at Australia! So exciting to get to learn about this country I know next to NOTHING about while I’m here!

I walked back to the Village after class with Jenny, from Washington D.C. who’s also one of my roommates. I relaxed for a little bit but couldn’t stand staying inside when it was so beautiful out and the sun was still up, so I headed over to Central Market to get a few things (juice & breakfast bars). That evening I met up with some of my friends who also live in the Village and we cooked dinner together and had some wine at Karin’s. It was a lot of fun.

Day 3, Wednesday, I was up at 9 again and headed to the Blue Lemon, a coffee shop right across from campus, to grab a cup of coffee before my first lecture of the day at 11 for my Passions class. It was fascinating! I feel I should definitely be a Passions professor someday. Like, that should be my career. I’m gonna be so into that class. The class description is: “An introduction to the changing cultural significance of affects, passions, feelings, and emotions and their traditions of literary representation.” We will be studying such works as The Tempest by William Shakespeare, A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift, and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. After my lecture, I headed to get some lunch, and then went to my next lecture which was for Beauty: Pleasures & Principles at 2pm. That class will be extremely interesting and great as well.  We will be studying philosophical aesthetics, such as beauty, the sublime, disinterested pleasure, the ugly, imagination, and style. We’ll be reading works by Hume, Plato, Kant, Hegel, and Nietzsche and then applying these concepts to contemporary culture in television soap operas, art works, novels, visual art, and film.

I had another hour break, then went to my last class of the day, which was a workshop for my Australia: Communities anthropology course. It was really relaxed and informal and we basically just had discussion. We talked about what made a place feel like home and why.. and when one is overseas or traveling, why do they not feel at home and how long does it take before they do? I’m not very good at speaking up in class, so I didn’t say much.. but I guess I’d have to say the main difference I feel between home and being here is the comfort.. the familiarity. Knowing a place so well, knowing everyone around you, being surrounded by familiar things, smells, sounds, people, etc. I feel that to feel “at home” here, I will need to feel comfortable here. I will need to be settled in and feel like I belong.

We got out a little early, so I headed back home at 4:30pm. That evening was the pub night at the Crown and Anchor, (or as the Aussies call it, “the Cranker”), put on by ESN Adelaide, so we went there around 8 for some drinks and to see all our friends.

There are a lot of differences between the Uni here and college back home, but the main thing is the class structures. All my courses consist of one lecture and one seminar/workshop/tutorial. The lectures are just the professor up front lecturing on a topic and about 50-100 students taking notes for about an hour. Then, the next time you attend that class it’s a “seminar”, for example, and its just about 20 students and lasts for about 2 hours. It’s a much more intimate setting and they really encourage you to participate in class discussion and activities. Its really cool. Most of my classes are made up of Australian students, though there are a few international students throughout them. It’ll be nice to really get immersed in Australia now that I’m actually starting at Uni.

I have one seminar usually Thursday afternoons, but this seminar doesn’t start till next week, so my first week of school is over! It was a good few days I’m I really am excited to be starting the semester here in Adelaide. I’ll have the hang of things in no time. This weekend should be pretty laid back. Friday there is an “International Student Party” at Light Square, which should be a lot of fun. Other than that, the only other plans are to go to an Aussie football game Sunday, Adelaide Crows versus Port Adelaide Power. Will take lots of pictures. It should be a great time.

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. I woke up early, about 7am, and left for Uni with Oliver around 8:15.  Here is what my weekly timetable looks like:

Beauty: Pleasures & Principles is a philosophy course on aesthetics, Australia: Communities is an anthropology course, and Adaptation and Passions are my 2 literature courses (which I’m most excited for).

Since I got to Uni 2 hours early, I was able to get coffee and breakfast and then search out where exactly my classes were. Here’s a map of the North Terrace campus, where most of my classes will be:

After meeting up with my friend Mikel and getting some printing done, I headed to Hughes, where my first class was at 11. The room number was 723, so I went up to the 7^th floor. It was dead. The lights were off and the floor was completely deserted. I wandered through the empty hallway and found my “classroom”, which was boarded up and under construction apparently. I stood there for a second in a panic and then ended up going up to the 8^th floor where I was able to find an office and got some help from the staff there. They sent me to Napier to try and find this other office and ask for help. On my way I ran into a couple girls I knew and they told me to check the Uni website because some seminars didn’t start till week 2. Sure enough the class didn’t begin until Wednesday, so I had 4 hours to kill before my lecture at 3. I went to the computer lab and printed out the rest of my course info and bought a folder and stapler so I could get somewhat organized. I then went to grab some lunch at the cafeteria and ate a delicious salami, cheese, and tomato sandwich sitting down by the River Torrens, where a lot of students were sitting and eating lunch away from the crowded, chaotic campus.

I relaxed there for a while, having so much time to wait before my lecture at Napier at 3. It was peaceful and the sun was out, though it wasn’t quite warm enough take off my jacket and gloves unfortunately. I’m really looking forward to the weather warming up! 60 degrees isn’t bad, but still too cool to really enjoy being outside. After lunch I headed over to Aroma, a neat little coffee shop on campus, to join a club called ESN Adelaide. ESN is a group of about 8 students from University of Adelaide who have done exchange themselves other places. They organized this club for current exchange and study abroad students here at Uni to have events together and enjoy our study abroad experience fully in this city. Their first event is a pub night at the Crown and Anchor on Wednesday for all the students who joined to get together and mingle with other exchange students. It should be fun. Its also nice to get involved in an actual club. They have lots of clubs here at the Uni of Adelaide of every variety, and I am hoping to join a couple to meet other students and to get involved with the school. Considering joining the wine club. We’ll see.

My final class of the day, Adaptation, was a lecture from 3-4. It went well, though I’m a little overwhelmed by the workload… I believe it will be a pretty intense semester.

Starting back at school makes me miss home a lot. Indy in particular. IUPUI was definitely home for me… and I have many friends there. Here I am mostly wandering around campus alone, while it seems everyone else is with their groups of friends. Back home when we’d be at school I would wake up and meet all my friends at the Starbucks at the campus center. We’d all hang out there and have our coffee before going to class. In the middle of the day we’d all meet back up to get salads together in the food court. I would rarely be alone. Its strange to not be with all my friends here at school. They are such a part of my every day life back home, and now I’m across the planet from them, beginning the semester a whole month before they will. I hope as the weeks go by I find a good routine and a good group of friends as well, like back home at IUPUI. Right now I don’t really feel like I fit in. I feel like a stranger here… an outsider. I am so ready for a few weeks from now when I have the hang of things and feel more comfortable and at home here at Uni of Adelaide. Till then I’ll be the random American girl wandering around Adelaide looking completely lost and wandering through deserted, dark hallways in a panic.

After school I got some coffee with some of the other international students and we caught up about our first days. I then headed back to the Village with Karin for a free Welcome BBQ with the other students living at the Village. All in all, a pretty successful, yet tiring, first day of school.  I hope I’m able to find my niche here soon.

Victor Harbor Adventures

Thursday morning I was up at 6am and on the bus for Victor Harbor with my friends by 8:45. It was great to finally be getting out of the city and really seeing some legit Australia countryside. The bus drive over there was gorgeous.. passed huge vineyards and beautiful prairies. The drive was about an hour and a half to our first stop, the wildlife park.

At the wildlife park we were able to buy kangaroo food and feed kangaroos! It was awesome. The kangaroos were small and very friendly. They let us pet them and everything! To me they looked like awkward little animals... their tiny little arms and big legs. They kind of hop along but actually move mostly on all four legs/arms. When they lie down they kind of just tip over onto the ground. They were so funny to watch!

We got to see many colorful birds, crocodiles, snakes, dingos, wombats, and a koala! They had the koala sitting out on a bush eating and people could go up and take pictures with him. Everyone needs that picture with a koala and kangaroo to send home to mom!

Afterwards we drove another 15 minutes or so to the beautiful town of Victor Harbor. We stopped for lunch in the town and then walked over the bridge to Granite Island.

We took a path that led around the entire island and took loads of pictures. It was a beautiful view and there were even penguins!

I fell asleep on the bus drive home, of course, and got home about 6pm to eat some dinner (a PBJ and a carrot of course). Later that evening we all went out to a pub for some drinks and to enjoy each others' company. Everyone had really enjoyed the day and were bubbly about everything we'd seen and done.

Today is Friday and is definitely the warmest day of the week! Got up to about 60 degrees I'd say. I woke up around noon and went to my cafe to do some writing and reflecting. I love it there and am getting the hang of how to order my coffee! My dad was finally able to transfer money to my account here so I was able to get some food and buy a mobile phone (they don't call them cell phones here). That took the rest of my afternoon and now I have some free time before the Welcome BBQ for the UofA international students at 8:30. It should be a good time. Tomorrow at 10am we're taking another day trip, this time to Glenelg Beach. Will be taking more pictures I'm sure :)

The crew

Been having a good time.. still trying to work out what my budget is and trying to figure out my loan. I'm finally enrolled in my courses and need to get my textbooks next week. Anyhow, should be a good weekend here in Adelaide!

Week 2

Well, halfway through week 2 here in Adelaide.

Still working on getting my classes all set up and getting settled in at The Village and stuff, but most of the rush from the first week is over. For those first few days, I was pretty overwhelmed with everything being so new and having so much to take care of. Things have slowed down a lot this week, but there is still stuff to keep me busy. Monday I met up with some of my friends I met through the international program and we decided to take a walk down the River Torrens since it was such a nice day. It was a lot of fun exploring the river and the surrounding area. It was also fun to get to spend more quality time chatting with the other students. One guy was from Germany, the other 3 from France, and me, from the U.S... we asked each other a ton of questions about our way of life back home and discussed how they compared to one another. We had a great afternoon. Afterwards some of us had to get groceries at Woolworths, then headed home around 6. We met up later at a little pub called Grace Emilys to have some drinks, listen to the live music, and socialize with the rest of the crew.

Tuesday we had a Welcome Barbeque put on by the International Student program through Uni. All my friends were there, and many new people I hadn’t met yet. We all had a delicious lunch and hung out there until about 2, when we had a study abroad/exchange student briefing. They explained basically what we should expect from courses here at the University of Adelaide and how to handle our academic load. After that most of the students went and hung out at the Welcome Center and I worked a little more on trying to get enrolled in my classes. Around 4:30pm we all went to “Quiz Night”. Basically we all sat around tables, got on teams of about 10 people, and went through 6 rounds of questions on different subjects about Australia. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot of (pretty useless) facts about Australia.

Today is a pretty uneventful day, but I don’t mind. The sun is shining and its not too chilly outside. I’m hanging out at a tea salon called T Bar, which is pretty much just a café that serves coffee, lots of tea, and some sandwiches and wraps. Its one of my favorite spots to go hangout by myself at because its nice and peaceful with big windows overlooking the busy street. Some of us are getting together a little later to see the last Harry Potter at the cinema. Tomorrow is the big trip to Victor Harbor, but we have to get up super early, so probably won’t be out at the pub late tonight. I’m excited to actually get out of the city and see some real Australian wildlife! I’ll be sure to take loads of pictures. Saturday is the trip to Glenelg Beach, which should be a lot of fun as well. Classes then start next Monday, the 25^th of July. Can’t wait!

 If I were asked what my greatest challenge has been thus far, I’d say it’s a couple things…  first of all, my money situation, obviously. Losing my debit card ended up being a huge hassle and causing a lot of unnecessary stress. Luckily my parents are doing everything they can to help me get things figured out. Doesn’t help that everything here is so expensive. Also a challenge is meeting new people. I’m not exactly introverted in general, but around lots of new people I get shy pretty quick. On occasion I’ve found it a bit difficult to put myself ‘out there’. Its pretty easy to get lonely as well. These 2 things have been most difficult for me to overcome, but challenge is a good thing, and it’s all a learning opportunity. I’m really enjoying myself here and am looking forward to a great semester.

More to come later this week!

Happy Birthday To Me

Well, happy birthday to me!

Woke up early this morning around 7am. Couldn't fall back asleep so I got up. It was a rainy, gloomy morning in Adelaide, but I wasn't feeling like laying around so I decided to go for a walk. I put on my hat and jacket, put in my earphones, and began walking. Since its Sunday and rainy on top of that, nearly no one was out on the streets. I was able to really clear my head and have time to think. 

Its my 22nd birthday.. and here I am walking through the streets in Adelaide, Australia.. alone in the rain. The only thing I could think was "what the hell am I doing here?" Why did I come here? How did I end up here? What is it I'm looking for? I feel like that pretty much sums up my life... a search for something. I go through life looking for something.. wanting it desperately.. feeling like my purpose is something out there in life that I need to find. Like everything in my life is in preparation for that something. I'm saving myself for it.. unable to really give myself to anything on the blind hope that someday I'll be able to give everything to that one thing. Is this the reason I feel empty? Purposeless? Unsuccessful? Unfulfilled? How can I be living for something that I don't even know exists?

Wandering the streets of a foreign country, it came to me. I'm on a search for something real. Something completely, beautifully real. No doubt, no lies, no betrayal, no question. Something true. That's how I ended up here on these lonely, wet streets so far from home. That's why I felt I was drowning in my stagnant life. I wasn't getting any closer to finding it, and I needed to get away. I needed to escape the place I had been in for so long.. waiting. That's why it feels right to be in a place so strange, so new. Its refreshing to be so far from everything I know.

But how does this get me any closer to what I'm searching for? What do I expect from this place.. this adventure? Why can't I just be satisfied with what I am.. what I have? Why can't I simply be satisfied with going through these motions.. high school, college, graduation, a career, someday a family.. Others in life work towards these things.. but these goals are, in a way, almost empty to me. Sure, I want to succeed and make money doing something I, hopefully, love.. but that's not what life is. Life is love.. and joy.. challenge and passion.. inspiration.. fighting for something you can't live without.. feeling so strongly for something it brings tears to your eyes.. 

Not to say things like careers and families are unfulfilling.. they can be wonderful! But its more than just getting that career and creating that family.. there's more than that.

What am I doing here? Alone in Australia on my birthday?

I guess I'm just trying to find myself. I want to grow. I want to learn. I want to be better.. stronger.. smarter. I want to feel alive. 

.. And so were my thoughts as I walked the streets of Adelaide. Happy Birthday, Nicky. You crazy, silly, confused, insecure, passionate girl. 22 years behind me, today. My search continues. 

Exploring Adelaide

Adelaide

Yesterday, Thursday, I decided I needed some Nicky-time. I woke up about nine, ate some breakfast, sent some emails, and left around noon. Its been very overcast the past few days, but the sun was out and the sky was bright blue. I didn’t really have a certain place in mind.. I just put in my earphones, turned on my Ipod, and started walking. I took some streets I’d never taken and ended up walking through Rundle Mall, which is basically where the road is blocked off and there’s an outside mall that goes for blocks. Many street performers were out dancing, or singing, or doing magic shows. I joined the crowd and watched one or two. I window shopped a little.. gazing into the beautiful shops with clothes I could never afford and electronics I couldn’t even imagine the use for. One of my favorite things about Adelaide is the cafes. Most of them are open and you can go right up to the counter from the street. There are many places to sit outside and people watch as you sip your coffee or eat. I ended up walking down another road on the east side of the city and found a charming little place to sit, have an iced coffee, and write for a while. The iced coffee here blows my mind. I got my first one a couple days ago at T-bar.. not expecting the creamy goodness made with vanilla ice cream and espresso they ended up serving me. I sat for a while there, simply enjoying the sunshine and the time to reflect. Adelaide is a city that has something to offer everyone, and my appreciation of it only grows.

Iced coffee

After my walk I went to campus for awhile to sign up for some activities the international students can sign up for, then headed back towards The Village. On my way I stopped into a shop to ask directions. After telling me which direction to go, the lady behind the counter said to me, “Great accent by the way, I just love it!”  She liked my “accent”. It was the first time that’s ever happened to me. I felt so cool. I got back to my place and around 8pm met up with Oliver and Frank. Our friend, Marcus, had invited some of us over for dinner so we went over there are met up with about 10 other international students we knew. Some people made spaghetti and we drank wine and talked. Eventually we all sat down together at the table and ate dinner together. It was nice to have a home-cooked meal with friends and it was a lot of fun. Afterwards we went to P.J. O’Brians, a bar on the east side of the city to meet up with the rest of the international students for a drink.

The people I’ve met so far are wonderful. I haven’t met many Australian students yet because classes don’t start till next week, but the other international students are all friendly and excited to be here and meet people and explore, as I do. I’m still a little shy sometimes.. I’m one of the few Americans here (most of the students are from Asia and Europe), and I’m also one of the youngest. Oliver, my good friend I made the moment I arrived, is much more outgoing then I am, so thanks to him I’ve managed to meet tons of great people. Oliver is a champ at meeting new people. Anyhow, the group of about a dozen of us exchange students have begun spending every day together and we’re getting to know each other very well. I reminded myself today that I’m going back across the world in 5 months and will probably not see most of the friends I make here ever again after that. I shouldn’t be thinking of this now.. I still have a whole semester here. But the relationships I make anywhere, as long as I can remember, are what matter most to me. And its hard to think I’m getting ready to get close to many new, amazing, interesting people that I will have to leave at some point. I’m bad at that kind of thing… just a part of my personality I guess. I have trouble letting go. Moving on. Its quite a struggle for me and I can already tell that leaving here in November is going to be really hard.

Street performer at Rundle Mall

Anyhow, I definitely plan on making the most of every moment, every sight, and every person I meet. It is so great being an American in Australia. As I mentioned before, Adelaide is certainly the most diverse city I’ve ever been to, but I’ve only come across 1 or 2 other people from the States. It seems most of the people I’ve met have only formed a perspective of the United States through movies and some TV shows. Once I thought about it, I realized how so many movies are made in America and how American films must be watched a lot in other countries, whereas I don’t feel as though I watch movies made in other countries often at all. From over here, America has movies and celebrities and Hollywood.. it has music and concerts and rockstars.. it has LA and New York City and Vegas… its an exciting, busy place where one can do and see anything.

Central Market

Part of Rundle Mall

But this girl comes from good ole New Castle, Indiana.. where the only celebrity we could possibly see is Steve Alford. We have corn fields and the occasional hill here and there. We have Super Wal Mart, the Rose Bowl, and the Castle Theater. Indiana is the kind of place nobody really comes to visit, unless its for school or to visit family. I feel like SUCH a small town girl here, even though I’ve spent the last 3 years going to school in the “big city”. I just cannot walk through the city without looking up at the huge buildings in awe. I can’t get used to walking through the city during rush hour when the sidewalks are PACKED full of people. I try to dodge them all, but always end up bumping and running into so many.. each of whom I of course have to stop and apologize to. Also, hanging out with so many Europeans, I’ve noticed how “improper” I talk. They all speak so well and properly. I try to speak slowly and speak better.. but of course the second I get excited about anything I start to ramble away about it. And let me tell you, it happens a LOT.

Fountain on King William St

Anyhow, its been a lot of fun and I’m getting the hang of things. Today, Friday, I had to stop at the bank (again) and send several emails to try and get my money situation figured out. Still working through it. Its been stressful, but its also a good opportunity for me to learn from the challenge. It’s a growing experience, along with everything else here. Afterwards I got coffee and lunch w/ Ben at the T-Room. I’m not sure if there is anything planned for the international students this evening, but I’m sure we’ll find something to do.

2 days till my birthday!! Never imagined I’d be celebrating my 22^nd birthday in Australia!

View from my townhouse

Disaster Strikes

Yesterday, disaster struck. My debit card, my only access to any sort of money, was eaten by an ATM machine outside Hungry Jacks. My first reaction to this was not a positive one. I’d describe it as.. well.. panic. All I could think about what that I was in Australia with no money. I talked to a few of my buddies about it and they were all helpful and gave me some good advice. They told me to open a bank account the next day here in Adelaide and my parents would be able to transfer the money into my account much faster.

Today I woke up around 9am, got ready, and headed to Uni to find my way out of the terrible situation I’d ended up in. My first stop was the Welcome Center, which is kind of the office/meeting spot for the international students and University staff members there to help any way they can. I met Jane there, an adorable, motherly woman who was horrified to hear about my circumstance. She immediately told me everything would be okay and assured me we would get it all taken care of. After a few phone calls, she found out I could potentially get an emergency loan of $100 for students who find themselves in my exact position. $100 was enough for me to get by before my parents could get more money to me, but I still had to open a bank account with BankSA before I could do this. So I rushed off to BankSA to open my free student account. Maria, my bank teller, was also extremely helpful and kind to me upon hearing of my situation and she was very patient with me. Opening a bank account was very easy and before I left she gave me a list of information I needed to give my parents for transfers and her personal business card to call if I had any questions or needed any more help.

I then returned to campus and went to visit Terri, the woman in charge of student care/welfare services. As she got the paper work together I needed to get the emergency loan, she chatted with me about where I was from and what I was in school for. We spent the first ten minutes chatting about good books we’d read and about her son doing a study abroad program in South Carolina in 2 weeks. She then gave me all I needed and wished me good luck and a good visit in Australia! I went back to the bank and was easily able to cash the check. I emailed Jane and told her everything had gone smoothly and thanked her again.

What had began as a terrible, stressful situation had become something easily solved thanks to the immensely helpful University staff and the kind people of Adelaide. I’ve never been taken care of by strangers so well in my life. I went ahead and emailed my parents the info they need and hopefully in a few days time all will be just fine and I will no longer be a broke student in a foreign country! Such a scary situation ended up working out just fine.

Anyhow, starting to get the hang of things here.. learning how to walk on the left side of the sidewalk and where to get cheap good food. I’m having so much fun in this diverse, beautiful city and love meeting all these new, interesting, kind people! This really is just the adventure and challenge I needed right now in my life. Each hour has something new to offer.. something brand new to see, smell, taste, or experience! Tonight I am going out with all the other international students to a bar called the Austral on Rundle Street. I’m greatly looking forward to it.

Beautiful city of Adelaide

Where are you from?

Dinner at Red Rock

Day #2 in Adelaide. Last night was a success.. some of us went out for dinner at a Thai noodle bar called Red Rock and afterwards grabbed drinks at The Elephant. Woke up around 7:30am this morning, showered and ate breakfast before meeting up with Oliver about 10am. We walked to Uni, stopping for coffee along the way again, and getting to campus about a half hour later. Oliver went off to get a tour of the library while I went to the cafeteria for some breakfast and to begin enrolling for my classes. I was only able to enroll in 2 of the 4 I wanted to take because the other 2 were already full, but they informed me yesterday that they reserved some spots specifically for international students. I then went to find some help on how I could get those spots, and it became quite a scavenger hunt around campus to try and find this office. When I finally found it, they wound up just giving me this woman’s email who supposedly could get that taken care of for me. I hope I get into the courses I want!

After working through that mess, I met up with Ben and the 2 of us went for a walk along the River Torrens. It was gorgeous! We then grabbed lunch and coffee at T-Bar where I had a fla-t to eat. It was basically like a Panini with chicken and avocado and cheese. It was delicious! The iced coffee was even better, and wasn’t really iced coffee at all! It was milky and sweet with a little bit of espresso and a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. One of the best things I’ve ever had to drink! Something I’ve found Adelaide does NOT lack is delicious food! Soon after we headed back to Uni to meet up with Oliver, who was working in the library on finishing up his enrolling. Afterwards, Oliver and I headed back to The Village to take a nap and then went out around 8pm for drinks with a group of the international students. A few students from Uni had organized a welcome event thing at one of the bars in the city for the new international students, so we all headed over there about 10pm. It was packed! I met tons of new people from all over the world who had all come to study at the University of Adelaide or the University of South Australia. It was a really fun night of meeting and talking to all kinds of different people.

At The Elephant

At the Welcome Party

Today, Wednesday, I don’t have many plans. I believe there’s another welcome party tonight at a different bar so I hope to go to that. Otherwise, exploring the city and taking pictures! Often I find I forget I’m so far from home.. mainly because things aren’t really that different here. The Australian culture does not differ much from US culture and I find myself feeling at home here. Every so often I remind myself, “Nicky, you’re in Australia” and still it sounds so crazy to me! The time difference from here and back home is huge.. yesterday around noon I was able to skype with my sister, Al, and it was like 11pm there! When I wake up in the morning, everyone back home is eating dinner.. yesterday! And when I’m going to sleep at night, everyone back home is just getting up. It gets really confusing sometimes when I’m attempting to contact anyone from back home. Anyhow, I’m just so happy to be here.. so far from home. I miss it, but know my time here is limited and Adelaide has much to offer me through the next few months. It makes it much easier to not miss home when I think about it like that.

My 22^nd birthday is in 4 days. I wonder what I’ll do for it?

View of the city over the River Torrens

Arriving

I finally landed in Adelaide around 3pm Sunday, July 10^th. It was much easier than the Sydney airport there! I followed the signs down to baggage claim where there was an older gentleman standing with my name on a sign. I introduced myself and he took me over to get my luggage, which didn’t take more than 5 minutes. He seemed pleasantly surprised I only had 2 suitcases, and we made our way out to the car. As he was putting my luggage in the trunk, we were chatting and I made my way over to my door.. only to have him smile and tell me I was on the other side. I’d forgotten the driver’s side was on the RIGHT, so I got embarrassed and apologized. He said it wasn’t the last time I was going to do that.

My view from the plane to Adelaide

The Village University Housing entrance

It was just a 10-15 minute drive into the city to my housing. The main thing I noticed about Adelaide was the Space.. everything was very open. The roads and sidewalks were so wide, and there are trees and other vegetation everywhere. It was lovely. We got to The Village, the University Accommodation place, and my driver helped my with my suitcases and wished me a good stay. When you walk into the building its basically a lounge/reception area with a reception desk, and a huge room with lots of couches, a tv, a ping pong table, and a pool table. The lady at the desk, Alicia, handed me a lot of paperwork with tons of information in it on what to do my first week of arrival. I then had an introduction to the accommodation session with 2 other students that consisted of a slide show and some rule explaining by Alicia. Then we were taken to our housing. Unfortunately, I’m being put in temporary housing for now until my actually place is ready.. so I can’t really unpack and get settled, but the townhomes really are great! The bedrooms are small but have a desk and 2 dressers, and we have a closet as well and a small bathroom. I didn’t have any time to settle in at all though because Alicia said the supermarket place closed in an hour. I was definitely impressed at the smoothness of my arrival in Adelaide. Getting to and set up in my housing was easy and comfortable. Everyone seems to be there to help us get settled in okay and learn everything we need to know.

Me right before Chinatown in Adelaide

Oliver at dinner

One of the students I’d met earlier, Oliver, from Germany, and I rushed off to get the essentials we would need immediately, like toilet paper, food, and drinks. It was just a 5-10 minute walk over there and I got bread, peanut butter and jelly, some juice, and apples, as well as some toilet paper, paper towels, and hand soap. Found out my debit card doesn’t work here, but I am able to take out cash through the ATM with just a $2 fee. Then we took all our stuff back and dropped it off. At this point I tried to get my Internet working. It worked fine in the lounge area, but wouldn’t work in our rooms without some cable that we had to wait to get Monday. I emailed home quickly to say I was okay, then my friend, Ben, who lives here in Adelaide and I met online. Hopefully I’ll be getting a tour from him today (Monday). :) Anyhow, after that, Oliver and I decided to go explore a little and grab some dinner and drinks. We found a great spot on Rundle Street and had a great dinner of salads and wine. The streets were relatively empty because it was Sunday and nearly everything was closed, but it was still so exciting looking at all the shops and restaurants. I can’t wait to see it during the week!

With my after dinner wine

I took lots of pictures and Oliver and I made our way back to The Village. I was surprised to not feel more jetlagged, but I assume it was simply the energy from the excitement I was feeling. I felt great.. thrilled to be here in Adelaide finally. It was everything I’d hoped. I knew I needed to get some sleep though because we had to be at orientation at 9am Monday and I had pretty much gotten no sleep the last 48 hours. The bad news is, I didn’t have an alarm clock. Anywhere. So I literally fell asleep just hoping I’d wake up early, which I usually don’t have a problem with being such a light sleeper. 6:30am this morning I woke up.. checked the time, and got up to shower. Oliver met me in the lobby at 8:30 and we headed to Uni, which is about a 20-minute walk from where we live. From there we met up with tons of other International students for orientation. We checked in and then went into a huge lecture hall for a power point presentation. Literally 90% of the international students seemed to be Asian.. many from China. I chatted with a girl next to me and she asked me where I was from.  I said Indiana and she looked very surprised. After chatting for another minute or so she commented that it seemed many Indian people spoke excellent English, she’d noticed. From that point on when people asked me where I was from I simply replied “The U.S.”

Looking at map on our way to Uni

After chatting with that girl, a girl sitting in front of me, (also Asian), turned around and asked me about myself. She’d never even heard of Indiana! She also thought it was hilarious that I was going to school for English AND spoke English! All in all, it was interesting to see the perspective other international students had on me. After that we got a tour of the campus. Its huge and the buildings are beautiful! Oliver and I met a handful of other Germans, surprisingly enough, and afterwards we all went out for lunch at a pizza place right off campus. They’re all very nice and friendly and want to know the story of how I ended up here. I definitely feel like a small town Indiana girl here… many of the other students I’ve met are very intelligent or very rich or very beautiful. I feel like I’m in a unique situation, but I like it. I like being different. Also, its been a huge challenge understanding all these different accents! There are so many of them from every corner of the planet!  I’ve only met one other girl from the U.S. and she’s from California. The majority of the other students I’ve met are either Asian or from Germany, but there are truly students from everywhere. Its crazy.

After lunch we all went to get our student IDs, then Oliver and I went to get a cup of coffee and relax for an hour before our enrollment workshop. After that, I’m meeting up with Ben and soon after getting dinner on Rundle Street with him, Oliver, Oliver’s friend, Frank, and hopefully a couple I met today from Norway.

Its an exciting time and I’m loving every minute! Its been a blast :) More to come soon!

Walking through Adelaide

Airports

Lunch at Paradise Cafe

 Friday I woke up around 10am, took a quick shower, and began packing. I was allowed 2 suitcases and 1 carry-on. 2 suitcases were NOT enough for this girl for 5 months… just sayin. But after some cutting back, I finally managed to fill 2 suitcases up to the brim with everything I would need to move into my home in Adelaide, Australia. After packing up, I went out for lunch with my sister, Al, at my favorite restaurant, Paradise Café. We had a delicious lunch of soups, salads, and iced coffee, and got to sit and chat for a while before running some last minute errands and heading home to get ready to leave. I was a stressed out mess… gathering everything I would need for the trip. Luckily, both my sisters had studied abroad before in other countries, and so they had some very helpful advice. I was worried about my student visa, which I had just applied for Tuesday and hadn’t heard back about. I got online to check the status and discovered it had been accepted, all I had to do was print out the confirmation. I also didn’t have an adapter or converter, which I learned from my sister KC, are both necessary. I also had to suspend my cell phone service, which was straight up PAINFUL. In the next hour I managed to have everything pretty well packed.. every charger.. every sock.. every form of ID I’ve ever had.. and I felt prepared to leave. 

Goodbye Indy!

Dad, Al, KC, TJ, and I got to the airport around 5:30pm and checked in. We met Mom at Patachou and the 6 of us had dinner together. When we finished around 6:45pm, my family walked me to the security check. There was a sign that said, “Only ticketed passengers beyond this point.” I turned around and looked behind me at my dad, my mom, my sisters, and my little brother standing there.. unable to go any further with me. I hugged each of them tightly, Mom took tons of pictures, we said our goodbyes, and I began walking towards the security line… leaving them all behind. They were letting me go. It wasn’t till I got in line that the tears came.. unexpected.. suddenly. It was like 1 second everything was cool, and the next my eyes were filled with tears and I felt like losing it. I looked back.. I could still see the 5 of them standing there… watching me go… and I waved again, weakly. It took every bit of self-control I had not to run back to them… not to run back home.

My sibs and I in Wisconsin

It was there in line, the second I walked away from my family, that it became real for me. It was those first 60 seconds of walking alone.. completely alone.. that it truly became a reality for me. All at once I was on my own. It was up to me from that moment forth. I was holding back tears and shaky going through security, but it went just fine. I bought a bottle of water and some gum and got to my gate. I was terrified. Scared to death. I realized then what a completely dependent person I am. I rely on everyone else to take care of me, and I am next to clueless on how to be on my own. I like feeling safe and comfortable and surrounded by people who care about me. This adventure is completely out of character.. but I know it’s going to be a great experience and I will learn so much.

Anyhow, my flight (from Indy to LA) was supposed to leave at 7:50pm, but got delayed till 9pm, which means I would be arriving in LA at 10pm. That made me really nervous about making my connecting flight from LA to Sydney, which started boarding at 10. I rushed off the plane and frantically looked around for the gate listing, but just then I heard an overhead speaker mentioning Sydney. I looked over and it just happened that the gate neighboring the gate I had just exited was my flight to Sydney. And it had just started boarding.

The first thing I noticed about my flight was the diverse group of people. Then I noticed the accents.. some British, some Indian, and a LOT of Australian. All of a sudden I was self-conscious about my speech, simply talking. I felt that the second I opened my mouth, all I would immediately mean to people is ‘American’. I quietly waited my turn and eventually boarded my plane to Sydney, what would be a 14 hour and 21 minute flight.  Thanks to Mom, I had a window seat toward the back. I overheard a young guy in the seat behind me chatting with his new seatmates. He was clearly Australian and was having a nice chat with the American couple next to him going to visit their son who was interning in Australia. It was the first genuine Australian accent I’d ever heard.. and it was beautiful! I simply had to just sit there and listen to him speak for as long as I could.. which is totally embarrassing but no one could tell! I can’t describe it.. the sound of his speech, his words.. the accent he had as he cheerfully talked about his home-country.. the elegant, charming pronunciation of each word.. sentence.. it was wonderful. I honestly would have been happy just listening to him talk for the 14 hours and 21 minutes. I think it will be a loooong time till I get used to the Australian accent.

The flight to Sydney was long.. and dark. We took off Friday night and landed in Sydney Sunday morning. I missed Saturday completely! It just didn’t happen for me. It was weird too that the entire flight it was nighttime outside. I’d never experienced such a long night. I was able to doze off on and off throughout the flight.. watched a couple movies.. One called Never Let Me Go with Kiera Knightly (perfect Nicky drama movie), and a cute one called Flipped about young love. Overall, the flight wasn’t as bad as I expected. Though I would’ve liked to get more sleep.

Arrived in Sydney right at dawn Sunday July 10^th. I felt SO lost when I got off the plane and walked into that terminal. I didn’t understand what the signs meant.. even though they were in English.. so I wandered around for a few minutes then finally asked for help. I had to get in line at customs and it took over an HOUR to get through it. Once I got to the front of the line, there was some issue with my visa, because I’d forgotten to include my middle name. They took me aside and corrected it pretty easily on a computer. The guy then sent me to the bus station, where I needed to catch a bus to the Domestic Flight Terminal. I got my 2 gigantic suitcases from baggage claim, and dragged them outside to the bus, where I realized I needed some money. So I had to go back in, ask directions to the money exchange, and get some Australian cash. Man, their money is so pretty compared to ours! I finally got onto the bus with my 2 suitcases in tow somehow.. didn’t really get the money situation so I accidentally didn’t give the bus driver enough money. He asked me for 50 more cents but I had no idea what that looked like. I gave him the only coin I had gotten, which was 20 cents, but he was already tired of me so he waved me on.

I finally got to the Domestic Flight Terminal and tried to self-check-in, which didn’t work. So I waited in another line for about a half hour to check in and get my boarding pass. Then had to go through security, where they stopped me for having a “dangerous sharp object” in my carry-on, which turned out to be a corkscrew wine opener. For some reason that made me even more suspicious, so the security guy dumped out the entire contents of my bag.. which was a LOT, let me tell you. So, after loading all my bag contents into 3 trays and running them through the x-ray machine again, he finally let me go. Whew! But the hard part isn’t over yet..

Here in a couple hours I’m catching my flight to Adelaide where I’m hoping to find the Accommodation guy that’s picking me up and taking me to my housing. Then, I’ll have to meet my housemates and settle in as best I can before going to sleep so I can wake up early enough tomorrow to make it to orientation at 9am.  I’ll be keeping in touch!

The Day Before

Well its here.. the day before I leave. Why is it I all of a sudden have a hundred things to do? Tomorrow my family will be taking me to the airport and I will board my first plane of the trip. My first flight is from Indy to LA, where I’ll board yet another plane which will take me to Sydney, and then one more which will take me to Adelaide. Over 20 hours on a plane? Not gonna be fun.

The past week has been full... After getting back from our family trip to Wisconsin, my sister, Al, my brother, TJ, and I went to see a fireworks show for the 4^th of July. It was nice to be able to celebrate such an American holiday right before leaving the country for 5 months. The following day, Tuesday, my family had a birthday/going away cookout for me at our home in Fishers. Dad made hamburgers and provided plenty of appetizers and wine for everyone and I got to catch up with a lot of old friends, which was lovely. We ended it with ice cream cake and gifts and then said our goodbyes. Wednesday I had my last shift at Starbucks, which was sad but good. My coworker, Theresa, surprised me with a beautiful cake and I got lots of hugs goodbye and wishes good luck from regular customers and my other coworkers. I will miss my store like crazy… 

Getting embarrassed at my b-day/going away party

Today, Thursday, mom is taking me to get a new camera (YES), then we’re going for a family bike ride on the Monon Trail, then coming home to have dinner with our Aunt Mary and Uncle Larry. Afterwards I’m going to Britton Tavern for my last drink in the United States for awhile with some of my friends who wanted to see me before I left. Tomorrow I’m going to be stressed out and running around trying to get everything together before dad takes me to the airport in the afternoon. Its so wonderful having all this support.. my family, old friends, new friends.. with me everyday, excited for me, telling me not to worry. Every assurance makes me feel a little bit better and I can’t explain how much I appreciate everyone. It’ll be weird, after being so busy and surrounded by all those closest to me for the past few weeks, to be left alone at the airport tomorrow. I have not spent 10 minutes alone for weeks, and now I’m facing days of it. It’ll be strange.

And so, my bags are (almost) packed and I (nearly) have everything I’ll need to start my life in Adelaide, Australia. I’m nervous, but ready. Tuesday evening I was talking to my friend Mere, who studied abroad for a semester in Italy a year ago, and she asked me if I was ready. I realized that over the past couple months my life had reached a kind of conclusion here at home… things had just all seemed to wrap up well. I don’t feel as though I’m leaving my life behind here in Indiana. I feel as if my life here came to a point, and is ready to continue someplace new. I wasn’t expecting to feel that way.. at all. I assumed that I would have to tear myself away from my friends, my job, my city, my life.. and put it all on hold while I went away for the semester. But now that its here, now that its time to leave, I don’t feel that way at all. I needed this. I’ve needed this for awhile, and I am READY to take this adventure. Over the past year I felt stagnant… stuck somehow. I needed challenge.. to grow.. and I wasn’t finding that opportunity here where everything and everyone is familiar. I wasn’t sure what the answer was to this feeling of consistency and lack of growth, but apparently it came to me in the form of Australia. Never saw that coming.

Anyhow, I need to get my visa, pick up my contacts, go shopping, call my bank, get a job, enroll for classes, get a converter, cancel my cell phone, deposit my paycheck, hopefully get my loan, get meds for the flight, lose ten pounds, and pack.

Fail.

How am I gonna do this? Go to Australia with $100 in my pocket, no phone, 2 gigantic suitcases of clothes and essentials, a backpack w/ my laptop and journal, and no idea how to get anywhere. I won’t actually arrive in Adelaide till Sunday, July 10^th. From there, someone from the University should be there to pick me up and take me to my accommodation.. the University townhomes on the West side of the city. I’ll be living with 4 other students from the University of Adelaide, though I’m not sure if they’ll be other international students or not. The International Student Orientation begins the following day at 9:30am! Ugh. I’ll totally still be jetlagged. The orientation lasts all week and during it I’ll be able to schedule my classes. Yay! I’m sure I’ll spend most of my free time exploring, taking pictures, and on facebook catching up w/ my family and friends. We’ll see! Overall, I’m most nervous about all the new people, not having enough money, and getting lost. I can’t wait till the adjustment period is over!

I’ll be keeping in touch.

One Week

One week till my flight leaves.

Am I ready to go? God no. How can you really ever be completely ready for something like this? I got an email from the University of Adelaide yesterday confirming my username and password for my University account. My “username” is just a bunch of numbers.. why isn’t it my name? Anyhow, that confirmation means that I’m able to finally apply for my Student Visa and schedule my classes. I’m stoked for the courses I plan on signing up for! There are 4 classes I want to take: An English/Lit course called ‘Passions’, a poetry class, a philosophy course on aesthetics, and an anthropology course on Australian culture and society. All 4 sound really interesting! They don’t offer classes like that at IUPUI!

My last couple weeks in the US have gone well. Still working at Starbucks.. my last day is next Wednesday. Last week finished up the summer class I was taking at IUPUI. I officially moved out of my apartment downtown on campus yesterday and now am living at home in Fishers with my parents, my sisters, my brother, and Dusty and Stubby for the next week. Though it’s a decent sized house I’m a little worried about the 6 of us living under the same roof..  though we all love each other dearly, I feel we all have the same stubbornness and independence, which can cause the occasional violent argument. Despite the tight quarters, it’ll be nice to spend my last week here with my whole family. They are the best friends I have.

Last weekend was my last weekend in Indy… pretty big deal. I had a “going away party” thing Friday night for all my friends downtown. Its interesting how the fact that I’m going away has affected my friendships. Some friends I’ve gotten much closer to the past few weeks while others have simply let go of me. Its kind of eye opening to really see those who value me and those who don’t as much. Why does the fact that I’m going away for a semester have such an affect on my closest friends?  Anyhow, Friday night a handful of my friends met up w/ me and we went out to some of the bars downtown, beginning the night at Howl at the Moon, a piano bar. My friend, Jasmine, went behind my back and requested the piano guy sing Land Down Under for me, a catchy eighties song about Australia :P I was sitting there in the corner sipping my Dirty Shirley when to my surprise the singer finished his song then said over the speaker, “So, I hear someone’s going to Australia soon! Nicky, will you come up here?” Haha! I was embarrassed but thrilled. My face was bright red the whole time he sang “Land Down Under” to me, but I loved it. :) thanks Jaz. We went to a couple other of our regular bars downtown and I had a blast with my crew :) I will certainly miss my city. Saturday I went to a camp out/concert/cook out thing with my friends Justin, Ashley, and Sarah. It was the perfect summertime in Indiana experience and I loved every moment :) Returned to Fishers Sunday and commuted to work in Indy for the rest of the week.

This weekend Mom, Dad, Al, KC, TJ, and I are all headed up to Wisconsin for the annual Steussy family reunion. The Steussy side of the family owns a beautiful farmhouse and 100 acres of farmland in the countryside by New Glarus, WI and yearly, usually over the holiday weekend, they host a reunion so we can all get together with family and reconnect. Its always a really good time.. a weekend filled with good company, great food, and amazing wine. We’ll be there through Monday, then Tuesday will have my family going away/birthday party since my 22^nd birthday is July 17^th and I’ll be gone then.  Then I’ll have Wednesday and Thursday to get everything together and say my last goodbyes, and Friday (a week from today) my flight leaves and I’ll be Australia-bound.

Although my anxiousness is growing now with only 7 days left, I’m doing a lot better than I thought I’d be. Sure, its scary to think I’ll be in a strange place so far away from home with no money and no idea where anything is or how to get there.. but in all honesty, I feel good about it. There’s something about going to a brand new place where there are no expectations of you that gives a person the ultimate feeling of freedom. No one will know me or care about me there… I will be on my own. Completely. I have a blank slate over there in Adelaide, and it will be a new start for me. Who will Nicky be in Australia? I have no idea. I’ll create her. I’m ready to leave this girl behind. I’m ready to be something new… to embrace something completely different than the life I live and the person I am. This is my chance to learn about myself and grow. Its something I need, and always knew I needed… I just never had the courage to just put myself out there like this. To be honest, I’m hungry for the discomfort… the fear… the getting lost and the talking to strangers… I’m hungry for not being known. Doing this will set me free. Free from every memory, every reminder, every expectation… I will be nobody there, and that’s what I want most of all. Its like a vacation from being me…. Does that make sense? For a while there, everything will be brand new for me, and I believe it will be a refreshing escape. I will not dwell on what I’m leaving behind.. but focus on the excitement ahead of me.

Anyhow, a fun weekend ahead and a stressful week after that as I get everything together and organized for my flight out on Friday.