The first 24 hours of my time in Perth, Australia has expired, and unfortunately, I can't provide many details about the campus or the city, because I haven't gotten the opportunity to visit either yet! Unlike many others that travel abroad to various European countries, walking isn't a large part of going from destination A to B here, and it would be one hefty walk if I tried to walk from my dorm room to the actual "downtown" of Perth. I also haven't walked around the campus yet. I am going to Target today (Yes! They have the Targets here, and I couldn't be more thrilled!) to buy many essentials, including a cell phone, which would have come in reallll handy this past day. With that being said, I'm going to tell you a little bit about what I HAVE experienced so far.
Packing, for me, wasn't all that difficult, and it was easy to pack under 50 pounds in 2 suitcases. Again, unlike those traveling in Europe, there is less "weekend trips" where packing light is essential. From the few hours I've been on UWA's campus, I get a very similar feel to that of American colleges; where colleges (AKA dorms) are very close knit and students really get to know one another. The flights themselves were decent. From Chicago O'Hare to Los Angeles was child's play compared to what was to follow. Flying from LA to Sydney was a definite challenge. 14 hours total, and that number became more and more daunting after approximately hour #10. My legs hurt, I felt like I needed to shower, my ears were popping = bad combinations. It felt more than rewarding to land in Sydney and finally be IN the continent of Australia. The last flight from Sydney to Perth was a little less than 5 hours. The girl that traveled with me the whole way (another student from UIUC) named Megan and 2 other UIUC students (Julie and Liz) were also on that flight, so as we were boarding, emotions were pretty excited, to say the least. And about that flight...Quantas Airlines puts United Airlines to absolute shame. Quantas was cleaner, roomier, FRIENDLIER, had better food, and provided an awesome entertainment service (I watched 127 Hours on that flight...isn't that still in theatres in the US?!) I'd love to tell you more about some of the awful/hilarious moments of these flights, but that might get slightly too detailed/boring. Onto the fun stuff...
We landed in Perth International, relieved as ever. We followed the crowd to our baggage claim, where a man was standing with a sign reading "UWA." We introduced ourselves, found our luggage, and hopped on this bus with a bunch of other students studying here from Notre Dame. This bus looked like something the Beatles would have stepped off of during the 60's. It had curtains and everything. Interesting. After giving the busdriver some grief about his award-winning vehicle, we were driven to campus (yet the Residential Colleges are one main street over from the campus, hence why I haven't gotten the chance to visit where I'll actually be STUDYING yet...) I, of about 12 of us that were picked up, was the only one staying in Currie (they're all next door at another college). I was dropped off, met a few people, and started to unpack...which is extremely easier to do with 2 suitcases and a packpack compared to a whole SUV full of junk when I move down to Champaign (I'm reconsidering how to do this for senior year!). Once I unpacked, I kinda wandered around Currie Hall's area and was considering walking over to campus, but I was supposed to meet up with Megan and others, and didn't have a cell phone, so all things considered, I played it safe and managed to find the dining hall in time to catch the end of dinner. I recognized some faces, so I sat down at a table with some Australian guys, some of which were Australian, some of which are full-time UWA students, yet they're international from other parts of the world (ie. Kenya, Nigeria, Zimbabwe). It was comforting to be welcomed so easily, as I literally was just some American girl that plopped herself down at a table of complete strangers. I stayed and chatted for about an hour, and luckily ran into Megan by sheer luck. We made plans for the night and where to meet (still...I don't have a cell phone) and started to get ready.
I'm not fully sure about Megan (who again, is also an Animal Sciences student at UIUC), but I hadn't slept/slept well in over almost 3 days...but we were persuaded to go out to this club for the night, which turned out to to be ton of fun. It was similar to an American bar/played a lot of the same music, but stayed open much later and was much, much more expensive. Back to that topic...Australia is NOT cheap. I bought a Diet Coke from a vending machine for $3.20, and cover at this bar was $10 (I'm used to free/$5 in Illinois and being able to get a pop for under a dollar....reality check at its finest). I was curious about why this is, yet I was informed that minimum wage here is approximately $20-ish dollars, and tipping is not practiced. So...in conclusion, I'm already starting to be really, REALLY stingy with my money (Mom and Dad, you taught me well). I already could have gone to get food, but I'm sticking with cafeteria food and my refillable water bottle. Besides, our drive here consisted of passing a McDonald's, KFC, and Subway, so maybe I won't be missing much.
I will be posting pictures/videos sometime soon. Another note: The time that I post things via my blog is in Perth time, not US, incase you were wondering! So far, I'm having a blast and have met some really cool people. I hope to tell you more about campus and the city soon!
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