Brooke Northfield
c/o international Office
Southern Cross University
PO Box 157 Lismore
NSW 2480
Australia
I am not really sure what you are able to send but any attempt would be nice! :) also, another side note.. I fixed the clock on the right so it is exactly what time it is here in Lismore!
If you would like to email me please email me at b.northfield.11@scu.edu.au instead of my St Cloud email.
I am really sorry that this blog will not be as exciting because I do not have many recent pictures to post! On Monday O week officially started here, which is "orientation" week. It is just a crazy week of everyone drinking and myself feeling like a freshman again. We had to attend classes about anything and everything under the Australian sky. I need to blog more often because I forget to include exciting details from my small adventures here in Lismore! Well, today is Friday here, 7:22 p.m. to be exact, so if you are confused with my timeline of stories it is only because I am 17 hours ahead! Anyhow... Monday morning began with lectures for all of us study abroad/exchange students. It was terribly long and I tried to stay attentive since I would need to know most of the information but I think I caught the most important parts! Later that night our school was hosting another bbq (they have a bbq everyday and it consists of the same exact thing; sausages/vegi burgers with regular bread and coleslaw ugh.. getting old) down at the uni-bar on campus. There was a guys game of rugby going on so we got to watch that on the deck as we enjoyed our beer and sausages. When we bought a Tooheys Extra Dry beer we got a free O-week shirt too! So, that was pretty exciting!
On Tuesday morning we were treated to a "pancake breakfast" it wasn't exactly what I knew of pancakes but it was delicious! It reminded more of a thick crepe and there was fruit on the top instead of syrup. I am not really sure how it was considered a breakfast since all we got was one "pancake" and thats it. No drink or anything. It was unfortunate. (side note: i was talking with some australians a couple nights ago and they informed me that they eat icecream with their pancakes.. weird!!) We also went to a meeting for the international students where we learned how to plan trips while we are here in Australia which is pretty exciting! I already planned a trip to Surfer's Paradise next weekend, the name alone makes the place sound AMAZING! I am thrilled. A group of 12 of us will leave Thursday night and come back on Sunday. It is only a few hours from campus so the bus ride wont be too terrible.
On Wednesday night the school held a trivia night. Needless to say, it was a drunken mess! Ha. Again, the event started an hour later than they had planned.. Ha. It was really challenging questions. My team was all americans plus one canadian so we were at a disadvantage to some of the questions regarding Australia etc. The trivia night had lasted pretty late so everyone had gone up to the bar numerous times buying pitchers of beer ($10 each, rediculous!!). It was hilarious watching everyone dance on their chairs and forget that we were even playing trivia! I was really impressed how much some of the teams knew!
My body is still adjusting so I have still been going to bed pretty early and waking up at the crack of dawn. So technically I haven't participated in all of the drinking festivities every night like many people! My stomach has been feeling tons.. or shall I say HEAPS (australian lingo) better this week. After about three days I think my body adjusted fairly well to the new environment. However, I have now been blessed with a terrible cold. Sad day. My ears are plugged, my nose is runny, I sound like a man and I sneeze too often. I hope it goes away fast. I do not want to spend money on pricey medicine so I will make my body do its own healing. Ha.
Last night, Thursday, the Unibar (side note: the unibar is the bar on campus. They call college the Uni here) held an alien theme party. It was quite the unique theme but it turned out to be a blast trying to be creative! Again, only having two suitcases worth of clothes I was kind of limited on ideas but body paint and tinfoil help get the job done! (see pictures below) Then today the school hosted a pool party at a pool in town! It was fun being in a pool again! I treated myself to a Diet Coke and it was AMAZING! MMMM. :) I brought my swimsuit and goggles in hopes to get a workout membership on campus but it is $190 Australian for only like 3 months. :-/ not really worth it. Very sad though. I figured with all of the traveling I will be doing on weekends I probably wouldnt get my moneys worth.
I think I am finally finding my place here in Australia. It was a little challenging jumping into a whole different lifestyle and it wasn't as easy as a transition as I had planned. I now have all my room mates here which include one girl from Eau Claire, and four Australians (3 guys and 1 girl). I have never lived with guys before so it is definitely a different experience then what I am use to! I find myself not crossing paths with my room mates very often since everyone is busy doing different things, but from what I have met of them they all seem very genuine and outgoing.
For some reason I find myself meeting people and comparing them to people at home. I seem to do it way too often and i'm starting to get annoyed with myself! Often its people that I don't even hang out with anymore so I have no clue why I am making this strange comparisons.
We have had a couple rainy days but even the rainy days here are enjoyable :). Of course, an ideal day would be sunny so I could be out by the pool But... when its hot here its HOTT!! The walk to my college (dorms) from campus is so rediculous its not even fun. You have to walk up this steep steep hill and its impossible to do it without needing a break. So, the walk from campus isn't fun when its hot because you will need a shower afterwords. I still find myself still amazed by the beauty here. What a beautiful place to live!! I find myself asking Australians so many questions about their lingo and living because it is so different than at home! I found out that teachers get paid amazing here! Sad day for me, considering thats not the same story back in the states.
Tomorrow (Saturday) I am going to a wildlife sanctuary where I will be able to see my first Kangaroo and Koala and such! I will keep you all posted how that goes and I will make sure to take a lot of photos! Tuesday is the start of my classes here in Australia. I have 3 classes which include Perspectives On Australia, Stress Management, and Outdoor Education. I do not have classes on Mondays or Fridays, EVER, which is great. I have 3 classes on Tuesday, one class on Wednesday and one class on Thursday. Definitely something I could get use to, however, I need to remember that I will be returning to St. Cloud and I can not get too comfortable with this schedule! haha. Thursday we leave for Surfer's paradise and the following weekend DUANE COMES TO VISIT!!!! :-D
I am so excited that Duane could find a way to make it out here! I will be meeting him in Sydney and my friend Stephanie will be with me and she will be meeting her boyfriend Eddy there as well! It will be a great week and I am so excited to show Duane the country I am living in! I am definitely excited to see Sydney as well since I have not been there yet! Again, I will take lots of photos!! Duane and Eddy will be here for a week and a day!
I am missing my family and wishes it wasn't soo expensive to visit :(. I just wish I could share with everyone back home what I am seeing here.
Anyhow.. I have done a lot of jumping around trying to squeeze in the most important parts of my week. I feel like I am forgetting to add a lot of things but if I remember I will try to include them in the next posts. I am sorry it took me so long to blog, I am hoping blogging will be on a more regular basis starting next week since life will be a little more scheduled.
Thanks for reading! Miss you all! Hope the weather is getting warmer!
-Brookie
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