Perth is so Perthyyy

I apologize for the abrupt end to my first post, I'm new to this whole blogging thing and was having some serious struggles with editing and posting...

YAY!

SO after surviving the hikes/walks/treks, different food, and annoying birds in Sydney we were off to Perth.  Vince picked me up at the center because my flight was a few hours before the rest of the group. Check-in was a breeze and after a delicious breakfast wrap from Hungry Jacks (the OZ equivalent to Burger King) I bought internet for $5 at the gate and reconnected with everyone at home. The plane boarded about half an hour late because it needed to be cleaned and catered. Once we were on the plane we were informed that we would be delayed even longer because there was a light on up front that was claiming that the baggage door was open even though it wasn't. They had to manually open the door using a tool that they didn't currently have. By the time they had obtained the tool, opened the door, closed the door, and filled out the necessary paperwork, we were already over an hour late. There was a chance that if it took too long we would have to deplane because the people in the back of the plane were overheating due to lack of air conditioning. We did however finally get on our way, the pilot made sure to fly low and fast and we didn't end up getting in too late. I sat in between a very nice couple, he apparently liked the window, and she preferred the aisle, however they still continued to have conversations across me for most of the flight...By the time we landed in Perth, and got our baggage after the delay because they needed the same tool to manually open the door in order to get it all out. You would think they would keep a tool for opening the cargo door pretty handy...
The rest of the group got there a little bit after me and we all climbed on a very small bus and were off to UWA.

Currie Hall B House

This is Currie Hall, House B. My new home for the next few months. I live on the fourth floor...lets just say my shoulder and back are still killing me from lugging my 2 75lb suitcases all the way upstairs. My room is a single and it is really cozy. The only that that is weird is that I have to bring my card key to get into the bathroom. Australia also has a really innovative way to save energy...all of the outlets have an off/on switch so even if you leave something plugged in you can turn the outlet off so it doesn't keep sucking power even if you aren't using the device. I have lots of room for all of my stuff and my bed isn't too uncomfortable. They are shorter than college beds at home, but they are wider so I have more room to sprawl. But of course there are annoying birds here too. There is a very large black bird that sits outside my window and squawks..and he actually sounds like a dying goat.

Bus/train map

The first day we were here, Megan, Dillon and I went exploring in the city. We managed to get a bus to and from the city without too much trouble...GO US! We walked around the CBD (central business district) for a bit and then trekked all the way across the city to the "DMV" of Australia to get our 18 and up cards so we don't have to carry our passports out with us. The most impressive part of this adventure was that we managed to get there using a bus and train map that had about 3 road names on it...we are regular old Burkes (one of the first European explorers to cross Australia). We should be getting those cards in 7-10 days, and then the partying begins! And by partying I mean extra safe and controlled activity.

UWA

UWA is ginormous. The school itself has about 15,000 people and the campus is quite a walk. Of course I have classes in the business school which is the farthest building on campus...oh well...at least between walking to class and climbing up to my 4th floor room I will stay in shape. Its a really beautiful campus and everyone who is here seems very nice and helpful. There aren't very many people here right now because classes don't even start until August 1st. We have sort of been left to fend for ourselves til orientation starts next week. I don't mind though because the place is gorgeous and I'm all for laying around trying to beat the jet lag for a few more days.

pillar in the center of campus

I am really excited for classes to start and to meet more people. I'm also looking forward to learning again and maybe learning differently than I did at F&M. The class sizes here are on average 700 people per lecture with weekly tutorials of about 30 people. It is very different from what I am used to at F&M but change is good!


As my adorable new friend Megan would say, "I hope ya'll are doing well back there." Yes, she is from Texas and she is kind of awesome.


But in all seriousness, I miss you all lots and love you all so much! Keep me posted on life over there and let me know of any juicy gossip...or important news. Lots of love from down under! xo

Black swans on the river right by UWA