“G’Day Mates”

So after our 15 hour plane ride to Melbourne, Australia we were all pushing and shoving to get out the stuffy, filtered air and out into this 90 degree weather we’ve been hearing so much about.  We picked up our luggage (thankfully mine all came and in once piece; others weren’t so lucky) and practically ran towards the exit.  As soon as we walked outside we were greeted by a tall, tan, curly haired man wearing a Billabong swimsuit, tee shirt and flip flops who slightly resembled Matthew McConaughey: “G’Day Mates!  Are you here with Arcadia?” All of the girls dropped their huge bags of luggage and smiled with relief- we’ve TOTALLY come to the right place. 

I am studying abroad through Arcadia University.  This semester’s program has close to 60 students from across the country studying at various schools in Australia.  Over 20 of these students are Roger Williams students studying at University of Wollongong with me! Our first three days in Australia had nothing to do with class or even our own school, instead we spent the first three days together in Melbourne getting to know eachother and our new country.  I loved getting to meet so many different people. 

So as we walked outside, we were greeted by Cam (Matthew McConaughey look-alike) and our five other Arcadia Orientation Leaders: Stewart, Lyndon, Mazz, and Katrina, all with amazing accents and awesome personalities.  Everyone was so excited to finally be in Australia but very exhausted at the same time.  (I should mention it is 930 AM on Thursday in Australia but to us it feels like 5:30 PM with our only sleep having been on the plane.) Sluggishly, we all pile on a bus and head to St. Kilda.  St. Kilda is a cute little town right outside of Melbourne.  We are given time to make phone calls home, eat lunch, and visit the beach.  The weather is beautiful and everyone was so thankful to change into flip flops. 

That night we went to Sorrento, a sleepy town on the Mornington Penninsula.  Over the next day and a half we had meetings with all the students and Arcadia staff in order to introduce us to life in Australia.  Many people think that since it’s an English speaking country, it is very similar to the U.S but this is not the case.  I will post about these cultural differences throughout the semester.

In Sorrento, we took hikes along the beach and wandered through the town.  On our second night in Sorrento we took a boat ride through the bay for dinner.  It was a great way to meet people and it was a beautiful sunset ride.  The next day we went into the city of Melbourne and walked around and toured the city.  Melbourne is beautiful.  Being an hour from New York City at home, I love going to cities and Melbourne was a great location.  Compared to New York it was small and very clean and the people were much more friendly!  That night we went out with a group of people for dinner and drinks.  The next morning we said our goodbyes to the Arcadia staff and other Arcadia students and hopped on a flight to Sydney to start our four month adventure at Wollongong.  So much has happened since then but I have very little time.  I will try to post again soon!