G’day! How ya going?

So in case you spent the last 2 weeks biting your nails in anticipation over whether or not we got our bags… as the Australian’s say so very often, NO WORRIES! We got them late the next night.

Since then I have survived Orientation Week(O-Week) and the first week of classes(and Surf camp, but that’s a post for another day)! I have seen, done, learned, ate, drank, and experienced a lot in my 3 weeks.

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So far there has been many different pieces of lore about Australia that has been proven, to my delight, correct. Obviously not every Aussie has fit these qualities, and not everything is a blanket truth, but these are some trends that I have noticed so far:

• Australians are gorgeous people – This has been proven correct multiple times. I don’t know if its the sand or the sun or the sheer amount of wine they drink, but it seems like every man, woman, or child that I meet or pass in the streets is a beautiful specimen of a human. The sheer amount of tanned, blonde surfer boys that I’ve seen in my short time here is astonishing. They all look like they stepped out of a teenage girl’s fantasy, complete with man bun and bare feet(see below). Literally ALL of the instructors that we had for O-Week and Surf Camp were the ideal Australian man. Incredible.
• Everyone is EXTREMELY laid back, to the extent that people walk around barefoot, everywhere – Within the first few days, Meghan and I spotted grown men, children, and teen girls walking through department stores, cafes, and campus completely barefoot. As in not even shoe in hand, like literally left the house scotchs free of shoes. I have also taken to walking without my shoes, nearly every time I have gone to the beach. I may have learned my lesson though, because the last time the pavement was a little hotter than my winter Coloradan feet could handle(the Aussies in my group, however, seemed unfazed). Its not only the barefoot thing tho, Australians really take life like the tides. Meghan and I have experienced this with the University itself(sorry, the “Uni”), when our questions about schedules and the like have been met with “we’ll get to it when we get to it” answers. This has been frustrating but will hopefully prove a lesson in relaxation and patience.
• Aussies like to drink and they start at 6PM – So far we have been to 4 or so of the most popular college pubs in Wollongong, including several hotel bars for some reason. However, pubs are more similar to a dance club, with one of our favorites boasting 3 different dance floors(including the hip hop room which inexplicably has a mural of Eminem as its centerpiece). Though if you are going to go out, you’d better start getting ready in the early afternoon. Most of the Aussies will start at around 7:30(sometimes earlier depending on the day) and for some reason the most popular days to do so are Sundays and Wednesdays(likely for me I have Mondays and Thursdays off). The most popular drink is the extremely cheap and kinda bad boxed wine, referred to lovingly as Goon. Goon is enjoyed mixed with orange juice or, if you are brave, straight out of the bag.

As I write this, I am enjoying a happy hour cider at the pub on campus named Unibar(They literally just add Uni to the front of anything and call it good, Unishop, Unipool, etc.) while I watch a little girl arm wrestle her way through her whole family and as an adorable puppy sleeps by my feet. The air is warm and the sun peaks through the tops of the tall spindly trees that cover campus. If this is the Australian way, I am all in.

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