February Air

So things have calmed down enough to post again. Orientation has slowed down and classes start next Monday, so there’s not much left to do until then… Which is why we’re planning a trip to the beach this weekend! A bunch of the international students that I’ve been hanging out with are planning on taking a trip up the Gold Coast this Thursday for a long weekend on Surfer’s Paradise (Google image it). Needless to say, I’m very excited and can’t wait to learn how to surf :) I’ll be sure and tell you how it goes and how many times I crash into wave.
Other than that, I’m adjusting to life in Toowoomba. I went out job searching over the past couple days and it’s looking pretty good. It’s not too hard for a uni student to get a job working at a café or as a waitress at a bar, like I am trying to do, so hopefully I’ll get something lined up pretty soon. Over the weekend, we hit the town of Toowoomba and last night was our friend Casey’s birthday, so a bunch of us planned a birthday barbeque last night which was super fun (since we’ve all been craving some cheeseburgers).
Toowoomba is a difficult town to describe. It’s roughly the same size as Ann Arbor but it also has this small town feel to it. The houses have a Spanish look with the terra cotta roof and then there are trees that look like they are straight out of the Lion King, so it’s definitely got this eclectic feel. I’m going to start to try to take more pictures of town and the campus so you can understand what I’m talking about. There are certain brands that are different but it’s not too hard to find what you need in a grocery store. I was surprised though at how many brands Australia shares with the States. There’s a Target, a K-Mart, a Baskin Robbins and a Pizza Hut all fairly close to the uni. And Burger King is known as Hungry Jack’s down here. Same food, same logo, just a new name. Also, I’ve gotten pretty good at using Public Transportation since I take the bus anytime I need to go downtown.
Some weird things about Australian life:
1.) The locks turn the other way. Which gets me every time I go into the bathroom.
2.) Actually, everything goes the other way. Including cars and the direction you walk on the sidewalk. Meaning I’m constantly running into other people.
3.) The driver’s seat is obviously flipped to the right side, so I’m always taken aback when I see what looks like a ghost driver driving down the street.
That’s about for now, I’m sure I’ll write back after Surfer’s Paradise.
P.S. Aussie kids are SO cute. They all wear uniforms and little hats to go to school and one little boy offered me his seat on the bus the other day. I might take one home with me... Kidnapping isn’t illegal here right? :)