Bueller...Bueller...

As I continue my life here in a new country, there are things that never cease to amaze me, and often hit me as being quite odd.  One of those things has to do with schedules.  Most people know that I am pretty punctual, and a lot of these people actually find my need to be early to things quite annoying.  I know that not everyone works the way I do, but when my timetable says that I have class at 9, I will walk into the room no later than 8:58, so that I can be ready to go when the teacher starts talking.  This way of thinking does not seem to be very popular here.  Rather, it seems as if people run on their own time, showing up whenever they feel it is appropriate, and the shocking part is that no one gives it a second glance.  Not even the professors, who will half the time actually stop teaching and acknowledge the person as they stroll in and ask them how they are doing.  The other half of the time, it is actually the professor who walks in late.  Like this morning, for example; I had a finance workshop at 9.  I walk in the room with a couple of minutes to spare, and there are only two other people around.  9 comes and goes, as does 9:05 and 9:10.  During this time, a few more students show up, but there is definitely a good portion who are still missing, and I begin asking myself where everyone could be, if I am in the right room, and if we even have class.  9:15 rolls around and in comes the TA.  She hooks up her computer and just starts the lesson, without missing a beat.  Throughout the rest of the hour, more and more students casually walk in, up until there are only five minutes to go.  At that point, why even show up?  By the time you sit down and take out your things, class is over and everyone is packing up.

This experience is not unusual here, but as I said before, it never ceases to amaze me.  I'm not implying that everyone at Stanford showed up on time to every single class (and I definitely know a lot of people who don't even bother to go to lecture at all), but the ratio of students who are on time to those who aren't is much lower here than I ever saw back in the Bay Area.  I guess it's just another one of those culture things that I will have to try to learn to love.

Grocery Shopping

Woolworths is probably the closest thing this town has to Safeway.  However, Woolworths is much smaller and more expensive.  Every time I go grocery shopping I am surprised by the prices (sliced turkey is $24/kg!!).  There are other quirky Aussie things that pop up throughout the store, mostly having to do with the way they name things.  Gum is called confectionery, and there is a special “sweets and lollies” part of the aisle, which includes different kinds of candy, excluding chocolate.  Crackers and cookies are called “biscuits” and are divided up into many kinds, each having their own special section:  savoury, snack, plain, cream (cookies with filling), and chocolate.  Ketchup is “tomato sauce.”  Ask for ketchup here and you will get weird looks (and it’s “toe-maa-to”).  And fillet is pronounced “fill-it.”  Apparently they haven’t heard of the silent “t” down here.  Lastly, people here love muesli, and Woolworths has dedicated an entire aisle to it.  There are bars made from it and different mixes and types.  It’s expensive so I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m going to have to see what the rage is about eventually.

Macker's

Down here in Aussie-land, McDonald’s is fondly known as Macker’s (and the “r” is hardly pronounced).  I’ve only seen one since I’ve been here, and I told myself that I wouldn’t ever go in there because we have it at home and there are so many other great places to eat.  However, after dinner last night, I really, really wanted ice cream.  I was planning on going to Cacao Green, the international branch of Red Mango (one of the many froyo places around Stanford).  I went in there, and I found that the smallest size, without anything on it, was $4.50.  Again with the prices…I should just get used to it, but I can’t.  So, I turned around, went outside, and as much as I hate to admit it, I found myself getting a $0.50 cone from Macker’s instead.  $0.50 definitely suits my budget better and I’d like to think that I got more for my money. 

After coming to terms with what I had just done, I went to upstairs (yep, this Macker’s is two stories) with my book and decided to eat and read instead of eat and walk.  When I got up there, I was surprised to see a couple of the employees bustling around cleaning up all the tables.  After watching everything that was going on over the next couple of minutes, I came to the realization that people would just get up and leave without taking their stuff to the trash.  They would leave everything on the table, for someone else to clean up.  I was so surprised!  I mean, it seemed like this was normal, because as soon as someone would get up, one of the workers was right there to get the table ready for the next person.  I am totally used to seeing this at a restaurant, but not a fast food joint.  When I was done eating, I had my napkin and the little piece of paper they wrap around the cone sitting on the table.  I looked at it, glanced around me, and decided that as I left I just couldn’t leave it sitting there.  The “rubbish bin” was on the way out and it was calling my name.  I probably should have let the workers do their jobs, but part of me didn’t want to have to consider putting Macker’s in the restaurant category, with bus boys and people who actually tend to you.

Hurts So Good

True to my word, the first thing I bought with my money was membership to the gym on campus.  And let me tell you, it's already been worth it.  After I go today, I will have attended four classes in the last 48 hours, and had two elliptical sessions.  The elliptical is a godsend after only running for the last month...it's so nice and light on my body!!  So far, I've attended a weight circuit class, early morning yoga, a step class, and today will be an interval training cardio workout.  The lesson that I've learned from all of this is that my cardiovascular fitness is so much better than I would have expected, but the strength I had everywhere else has gone way down.  I am super sore right now, and while I "like" it,  I can feel a new muscle group every time I try to move.

We'll see how long the excitement lasts, but for now, it's great.  I'm looking forward to group cycling and Zumba next week, in addition to whatever I decide to continue with from these initial experiences.  And I still have the goal of being able to run the track around the Royal Botanical Gardens, but I don't know if giving it a shot tomorrow like I had planned would prove to be a smart idea.  I can't see myself getting very far in my current condition...my legs are shaking with every step I take.  Maybe it will rain tomorrow and I'll be able to use that as an excuse to do something indoors instead.

MONEY :D

Finally, after weeks of waiting on the US Treasury to get their act together and deliver, I finally have all of my student funds.  My tuition for the first semester is covered, and I have some spending money that I can use from now until this whole process starts over again in July.  It's nice to know that I can go and buy groceries without being super stingy!!  I'm also looking forward to joining the gym, which I will probably go and do this afternoon.  Hopefully I'll have enough to do some fun stuff too, like go on an adventure over Easter Break (we get 10 days off).  Opening your bank statement and seeing that you have a lot more money in your account than you did yesterday is a great way to start the day.

Sounds for Sore Ears

As much as I love the Aussie accent, it was nice to be able to talk to people today and understand 100% of the things they were saying.  I went to a "New to Melbourne" luncheon put on by the university, for students coming from nations that aren't well represented on campus.  I met some people from all over the Americas, as well as others from Africa, before the people running the event had us all sit down.  Then the name of each nation was called and we were asked to stand up accordingly, so that we could see the others who were from the same place.  There were 6 of us from the US, and after lunch was served, we gathered together to talk.  It was great to hear the good ole Yank accent, though no one else in the group was from the west coast.  There were two from Minnesota, one from Boston, one from Rhode Island, and one from New Jersey.  We slipped easily into conversation, commiserating together about the differences in the culture and the difficulties of moving half way across the world.  It was actually really comforting talking to them, even though they were strangers.  Not to mention that it was a free meal, which I will never turn down.

Anniversary Month

Well, the month of March has proven to be one full of anniversaries for me.  To start off, March 17th was the first anniversary of my ankle surgery, performed last year at Stanford Hospital.  Ankle reconstruction...sounds brutal (and it was once the numbing medcation initially wore off) but now I am running almost every day and can jump around as I so choose.  It's great! 

Next up, this Tuesday, March 22nd, will mark one month that I've been in Australia.  It's crazy to think that it's been that long already, and I know that time will continue to fly by.  On the one hand, I feel like I've been able to do a lot of exploring, but on the other I know that there is so much left that I want to do.  I can only hope that I can take full advantage of the next 9 months. 

Continuing on, March 24th is the 27th wedding anniversary for my parents.  27 years, that's so amazing!  I am so happy for them, and I can't wait to see what is in store for them in the next 27 years.

Lastly, March 25th is the 3-year mark for my elbow surgery.  A torn ligament and an avulsion fracture were both repaired, and though it hindered my gymnastics, I am grateful that I can now do everything pain-free (well, almost).

Labour Day Parade

Today is Labour Day in Australia and as I said before, businesses and most universities have the day off.  I had class this afternoon, but I took the time to make it to the Labour Day Parade earlier this morning.  There was a great turnout, and the parade took over one of the main streets that runs through the Central Business District.  That made it very convenient for me; I just went on a run and made my way over there.  The whole experience was very entertaining, and the parade committee did a nice job of organizing it.  Many of Melbourne's big activities were represented and presented in the order in which they occur throughout the year.  There were a lot of colors on the floats and in many of the costumes, and some good music as well.  The only thing that I found to be a bit peculiar was the holiday float near the end of the parade.  Santa was being pulled by what I can only guess were kangaroos and he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt!!  Definitely not the picture that I'm used too, and I feel like I am going to have to set a few Aussies straight when the time comes around.

Kangaroos  :)

Youth Corps

 

"Santa"

Moomba Festival

"Every Labour Day long weekend in March Moomba Festival brings Melburnians together to share in the vibrancy and spirit of our much loved city."

Well, my second week of school is complete, and while it went smoothly, I am already infinitely more busy than I was last weekend.  However, that didn't stop me from having a little fun yesterday evening.  The Moomba festival is in town this weekend, and I decided that after a day of studying, I could allow myself to go check it out.  Located in downtown Melbourne, right along the Yarra River, there were carnival games and rides, a water-ski competition, a "silent disco," where people danced to music that only they could hear through the headphones they were wearing.  Even with everything that was going on, I have to say that I just liked looking at the city lights reflecting off the water of the river.

As I was walking through the city on my way home, I also got the chance to witness a rather brutal brawl going on between three girls and two guys.  It got a little crazy and dangerous by the end, with one of the girls chasing down one of the boys while holding a broken beer bottle.  Crazy things can happen when people have a little too much fun partying.  I made it back safely though, so no need to worry, haha.  I'm back at my Sunday morning study spot, trying to get some research done for my finance class.  We have a 40 minute group presentation that I have to prepare for, due at the end of the month.  Add that in with a couple of research papers and I can honestly say that I will be working steadily from here on out.  That doesn't mean that I won't be taking the time to explore and enjoy the wonderful weather, but I am just going to have to make sure that work comes before play.

Tomorrow is Labour Day and so most businesses will be closed, but of course we still have class.  Apparently, UniMelb is pretty much the only school around here that will be in session.  It's alright though, I only have a one-hour lecture on Monday afternoons, so I think I'll be able to handle it.  I'm heading into week three, so it's crazy for me to think that all of my friends at Stanford will be taking finals next week.  Good luck everyone (especially Blair and T, who will be done with their Stanford careers by the end of the week)!!  I laugh now, but I know the tables will be turned when I'm taking finals at the end of June.  Oh well, such is life I guess.

Summer in March

This weekend, we officially had summer weather, with it getting up to 28 degrees Celsius (still trying to figure what that is in Fahrenheit)!  It was a great excuse to spend the weekend outside, enjoying the sunshine.

On Saturday, I spent most of the morning at Victoria Market.  It took me awhile to find, but I'm glad that I stuck with it because it was awesome!  It was probably the biggest farmers/flea market set up that I've ever seen.  I was not expecting there to be so much variety, so it was a wonderful surprise (though a little bit overwhelming).  When you walk in, you are hit hard with the smell of fresh fish.  The pathways branch off into different sections, leading you to delis, sweet shops, and produce stands.  The best part is that the prices are so much better than the ones at the local grocery stores.  I gathered up some fruits and vegetables, which I have been refraining from buying up to this point, before heading over to the booths full of crafts, handmade clothing, and souvenirs.  It was fun just to browse and see what people were offering, and I can see myself heading back there sometime soon.  Just as I was leaving, I caught a glimpse of a Spanish band playing outside, so I stopped to watch them for a little while before heading home.  Once I got there, I went out for a run before heading over to the library to study.

This morning I found myself at the library once again, to get a little work done before heading out for the rest of the day.  After being a responsible student, I caught the tram outside my apartment, and took it all the way down to the beach front.  It took about 30 minutes, and along the way I realized just how much there is left for me to explore!  I had no idea that the "Central Business District," that I have been calling downtown is in fact just a gateway to the many wonders of Melbourne.  I am going to be busy on the weekends from here on out.

St. Kilda's Beach

 Once I got to the beach, I took my time to stroll up and down and look around.  The weather was perfect, and I went down the pier to the water, watched part of a beach volleyball tournament, and enjoyed some food before heading back to check out some of the sites that caught my eye on my trip up.  I stopped at the Shrine of Remembrance, which commemorates fallen war heroes.  Not only was the memorial beautiful, but the views from it were amazing as well.  My plans to head back towards home from there suddenly changed when one of my friends contacted me, and I ended up heading back towards the beach to catch some dinner.  It's nice to explore all the new eateries, and stray away from the American chains that I'm used to.  I did see a McDonald's, but besides that, all the restaurants are original.

Shrine of Remembrance

Melbourne, from the balcony of The Shrine

Sunset

I finally got home, took a shower, and realized how sunburned I am.  I am currently lathered in aloe, and my only hope is that I won't wake up tomorrow morning not being able to move.  It's supposed to be a couple of degrees warmer tomorrow, but I am definitely going to have to stay in the shade.

Back in School

I am officially back in school, this time as a masters student.  I have had three full days of classes, and have had at least one meeting in each of the courses that I am taking this semester.  My class schedule is much more spread out than I'm used to, because before I always had gym in the afternoon, but now I have class at all hours of the day.

As a quick rundown, here is what I am taking and what my first impressions are:
1.  Finance and Human Resources for Engineers - I was not planning on taking this, but there were only a few choices available to me, and this was the only thing that fit into my schedule.  Including workshops and tutorials, I have class meetings MTWTh.  It is going to be good for me to step out of my comfort zone, and I am hoping that the class will hold my interest.  So far I've been learning little bits of econ, and soon this will turn into financial management for engineers.
2.  Medical Imaging - This class is going to be very different than what I had expected, and will probably prove to be the most difficult for me.  I also have class meetings for this course MTWTh.  There is going to be a lot of MatLab work involved, and I am going to have to draw on what I remember about linear algebra.  But the applications are awesome, and I have already learned a bit about all of the cool things you can do to spiff up XRay images, so I'm excited to see where we will be heading.
3.  Cellular and Tissue Biomechanics - This is the course that I know the least about, because I had my first meeting last night and it was just an introduction to the teaching staff and an overall layout of the course.  There are two professors who are joint teaching and one is very organized, while the other is an older man who I forsee straying off track a bit at certain points throughout lecture.  I have my first lab for this class on Friday, and we will be dropping eggs to simulate what happens when someone is involved in a collision and they damage their skull.  Should be interesting to say the least.
4.  Biomedical Engineering - I think that this is the class that I am most excited about.  I just got back from my first meeting about 45 minutes ago, and I'm already excited to go back tomorrow afternoon to see what we will be learning.  Today we covered the history of medicine, and tomorrow we will be getting into anatomy and physiology.  The professor is actually the coordinator for my program, so I have interacted with him already on some level, and he is a great guy who I think will make the class very entertaining.  And only having two lectures a week and two assignments due throughout the semester is a definite plus.

On another happy note, I finally got my phone up and running.  It only took a handful of trips to the phone store and a few calls to India, but it was worth it.  I can't tell you how nice it is to feel connected again!  Thank you Vodafone for finally getting your act together  :)