Living Abroad So Far, Entirely in Memes

Here are my current/recent feelings on my current state of living in Australia, delivered to you entirely by memes instead of my own words.

*Some content may pertain to activities only legal for those 21 and up in the United States. I am 22, but stop reading now if you are under the impression that I do not partake in such activities or if you are offended by drinking, alcohol, or general debauchery. (There really needs to be a font for sarcasm.)


WHEN I FIND FOOD THAT I RECOGNIZE IN THE GROCERY STORE:

WHEN ALL 6 MONTHS WORTH OF MY CLOTHES WERE LOST BY THE AIRLINE

WHEN PEOPLE MAKE FUN OF US FOR DRINKING BOXED WINE ("GOON")

    WHEN PEOPLE MENTION THE FACT THAT I'M 22 & OLDER THAN EVERYONE ELSE

HOW JET LAG REALLY FEELS

WHEN GUYS REALIZE THAT YOU'RE FOREIGN

WHEN MOVING TO ANOTHER CONTINENT WHERE YOU DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE ELSE MAKES YOU RE-EVALUATE YOUR AWESOMENESS

WHEN I REALIZED THAT I ACTUALLY HAD TO GO TO CLASSES AND DO SCHOOL WORK HERE

EVERY TIME I SEE WHAT IS BEING SERVED FOR BREAKFAST/LUNCH/DINNER AT THE EATING HOUSE

THE COST OF LIVING IN AUSTRALIA

GETTING ON THE WRONG BUS..... AGAIN

WHEN I HEAR THAT PEOPLE FROM HOME ARE GOSSIPING ABOUT MY RELATIONSHIP STATUS

WHEN MY FRIENDS TRY TO TEACH ME THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIFFERENT TECHNO DJs AND SONGS

WHEN I'M UP SUPER EARLY OR SUPER LATE TRYING TO FACETIME PEOPLE IN AMERICA & I ACCIDENTALLY NOD OFF

WHENEVER AUSTRALIANS START USING LINGO I DON'T UNDERSTAND

WHEN PEOPLE HERE THINK I'M DRUNK BECAUSE OF MY PERSONALITY, BUT I'M REALLY ACTUALLY SOBER

WHEN I GET TO EAT FOOD THAT ISN'T FROM THE DINING HALL

WHEN VIRGIN AUSTRALIA FINALLY BROUGHT ME MY LOST LUGGAGE

WHEN A FELLOW SOUTHERNER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT I AM SOUTHERN

Hope you enjoy-- Happy Monday from Oz,
-A

Going Green

I'm not proud of it, but I haven't always been the most active conservationist. I recycle when I can, and I don't litter, but I also drive a car daily when I'm at home, and don't think twice about it. There are surely things that I can do better, but I've been impressed with UNCW's (my home university) continuing efforts to be more "green"-- the recent addition of the Teaching Lab building was built using sustainable local materials, and the construction company diverted 84% of the debris from the project from ending up in landfills. The University is also pursuing LEED (Leadership in Engineering and & Environmental Design) certification for their efforts, including an on-site recycling program.  Further, more that 15% of food that is served in UNCW dining halls is grown and purchased locally, cutting back on transportation costs, reducing the carbon footprint of said transportation, and also supporting the local farms and agricultural businesses of eastern NC.

If you've visited UNCW, then you know that many students choose to ride bikes to classes, and that nearby Wrightsville Beach has been noted as one of the most "fit communities" in the U.S. based on the amount of individuals who walk, bike, and run regularly outdoors. The area provides safe areas for these activities, which I truly believe directly correlates with the number of people getting out of their houses and being active, and using more eco-friendly methods of transportation, like biking, to get around.  I believe that one of the main problems in many U.S. cities is a lack of pedestrian and bike-friendly roadways. I'd personally be much more likely to ride my bike as a mode of transportation in cities like my larger hometown of Winston-Salem if it were safe, and if the city weren't so spread out. Regardless, we can all do our part, even if it is just a small change, like recycling instead of throwing out cans.

With all of this bike talk, I wanted to share a program that James Cook (the uni where I'm studying abroad) uses, in order to get more students to use bikes instead of cars. The town of Townsville is much too large for me to consider biking on a large scale, but this program certainly makes me more inclined to take a bike to class, rather than driving across campus (not that I really have a choice, since I don't have a car here, but stay with me).

  The Eco Bike Share program makes it easy for students like me, who don't want to buy a bike for just half a year, but might occasionally want or need to use one. You just run into the office at your residence hall, pay a $20 fee (that covers your future bike rides too, as long as you return them each time), and the bike is yours for 24 hours. How awesome is that? The only downside to bike-riding at JCU that I've found so far is that they require you to wear helmets (I like my hair...), which we don't have to do in Wilmington, but I haven't actually seen everyone following this rule. Either way, I think its a convenient and eco-friendly way to provide quick transportation, without having to shell out a few hundred bucks for a bike & then figure out what to do with it when you move home. Also, it provides a fun, green alternative to traditional JCU students with cars, who might decide to take a bike ride for the day instead of driving. Every little bit helps the environment. I think it's a great initiative all-around, and one that UNCW should look into with the number of bike riders that frequent campus.

Another major way that I'm cutting back on my carbon footprint is by being forced to use public transportation everywhere that I go in the city. If you've read my previous post, you know that I've had a struggle or two with the bus system, but I'm finally starting to get the hang of it. I'll be a professional soon, but I'm glad that I'm learning this life skill that I probably wouldn't have had to learn otherwise. What's cool (and eco friendly) about Townsville is that a lot of people use public transportation as their main method of getting to the main local spots. At night time, it's SO much cheaper than the taxi rides I'm used to at home ($3.00 max... although I make up for it cost-wise because alcohol is so much more expensive here), but it's refreshing still, to see locals making a choice to reduce their carbon footprint by sharing a bus with others, rather than just jumping in their cars.

 Taking the bus with some of my amazing new friends


I'm attempting to make this blog more about topics and experiences that I find interesting, rather than just doing the typical study-abroad blog where I drone on and on about what I did each day-- so even if the environment isn't your thing, I hope you'll find some part of this at least mildly interesting. I'll work on a more entertaining post to come.

Friday, we're visiting the Billabong koala sanctuary (as I'm typing this, I feel like I'm turning into an environmental granola...if you know me, I know you're laughing). Anyway, there should be some great photos and some interesting stories from that trip--

xoxo-- missing many of you terribly already,

-A

Not All Who Wander Are Lost.... Except for when it comes to public transportation

Public transportation: I haven't had a great deal of experience with it. Throw me underground in New York City & I can navigate a map well enough to get us close to where we should be, or let me jump in a taxi & I'll certainly make it to my favorite bar, but the bus system is almost entirely foreign to me.

Today, two new girlfriends & I decided to make a trip to the mall to gather some necessities: snacks (dinner ends here at 7 p.m...... If you know me, you know I'm more of a 10 p.m. kind of girl), candles & other homey items to make our dorm rooms a little more "college chic" and a little less "prison break" (I'll post photos once I reach a stage where it looks decent), some wine (which costs twice what it does in the US (hello boxed wine, it's me, Amelia, remember me from freshman year?) and some school supplies for when classes begin next week (see guys? I AM here to go to class...).
I also located the perfect pair of versatile jean shorts to add to my odd assortment of clothing that I've been piecing together since the airline lost the bag with all of my clothes in it (jorts go with everything, right?.... Don't answer that). Most importantly, I was able to get an Australian SIM card put into my iPhone 5 so that I can use my own phone to communicate both locally in Australia, and internationally here . If you're in America, just message me at +61 455 985 989 ---it won't cost you anything, and if you have an iPhone we can imessage.

Anyway, one of the girls I was with attends U Penn & together, we were confident in our bus map reading skills (I don't know why I'd ever be confident in my bus map reading skills, I've ridden a bus in Wilmington downwards of 5 times), but it seemed to border on common sense. We decided on bus 202, which was supposedly headed to the Uni, and rode around on it for about 30 minutes before deciding that we must have done something wrong. After approaching him, the bus driver laughed at us, told us they'd changed the bus map signs 3 years ago, and told us that only the 201 went to the college. Luckily, he was friendly (as I've noticed virtually all Australians to be so far)  and dropped us off at a nearby bus station, then called a bus driving friend who came by and picked us up. All in all, our adventure home probably took an hour and some change when it should have taken ten minutes, all while we were loaded down with groceries (boxed wine isn't light, either, okay??) but watch out world, I'll be a bus-loop expert in no time.

I guess the moral of this entire story is that we're all bound to get lost sometimes. I was lucky to be with friends, and was lucky to be on the receiving end of some very kind strangers (a pattern, it seems). Hopefully, I'll keep getting lost... But on a less stressful scale... It helps us to appreciate finally finding our bearings.


Blessings--

-A

The Obligatory "I'm Here & Alive" Post

Six days after I was originally set to leave,
Two days after I actually began traveling,
Twenty Six Hours worth of flying,
Eight hours worth of layovers,
Three terrible airplane meals,
Two delays,
One missed flight
One lost (and still not retrieved) bag (with six months worth of clothes in it),
One shocking realization that I will be living with and sharing a bathroom with boys,
One meal with new friends,
One night wandering around a strange campus completely alone in the dark
One mini-shopping spree so that I might have clothes to wear for a few days
and
the help of about 742 random strangers later....


I have arrived in Townsville, Australia.

I'm honestly too tired to come up with anything clever to say, but I suppose I have come to a few realizations over the past 30-some hours worth sharing (maybe. I haven't slept much.)


1) Everyone should be required to take a multi-continental, multi-flight trip, completely alone, before they turn 25. Taking one with friends does not count. Taking one with someone you sort of know does not count. Completely alone. It should be a requirement to do adult-like things. There's a sense of empowerment that comes from knowing that only you can fix the (shitty: sorry, I'm in Australia now and they curse more than they speak regular words) situation you're in, or that it's completely up to you whether you make your next flight or not.

2) People are actually really nice, and a lot of them actually enjoy answering your questions when you ask them in a way that makes them feel important. I'm not talking "Hi airport worker, where is terminal 3," I'm talking, "Excuse me ma'am, I'm so sorry but I'm so turned around and you look like you might know this airport like the back of your hand. Could you point me in the right direction?"

3) Don't be the annoying person on the airplane that talks for 4 hours about the monogrammed jacket you're knitting for your great-grand kitten, but also don't be afraid to strike up a conversation sometimes. This great guy I know recently gave me some of the best pre-trip advice I could imagine: "You can never have too many friends in the world." While I'm no sit-in-the-corner type, I can be extremely introverted when it comes to approaching new people, so I'm attempting to put his words into action by being as open as possible to everyone that I come in contact with, regardless of how far it puts me outside of my comfort zone.


I'll spare you the rest of my realizations. I've been fighting sleep today to try to get on a normal sleep schedule, but it's 8:54 p.m. now, and I say if that's late enough for babies and grandparents, that's late enough for me.

G'night--




Oh & here's the flight tracker image my mom sent me of my flight mid-trip-- definitely a cool and useful app to look into if you're an avid adventurer.

3 Reasons to Travel While You're Young

I've shared the link to this article by Jeff Goins, "3 Reasons to Travel While You're Young" on my twitter account (follow me on twitter here) recently, and I've gotten a lot of good feedback. It's a great post, and Goins mentions that most people respond to the opportunity to travel while young with a series of Yeah, buts... 

“Yeah, but…” 

"Never were more fatal words spoken:" he writes,

• Yeah, but… what about debt?
• Yeah, but… what about my job?
• Yeah, but… what about my boyfriend (or dog or car or whatever)?

"'Yeah, but…' is pernicious," Goins writes, "because it makes it sound like we have the best of intentions when really we are just too scared to do what we should. It allows us to be cowards, while sounding noble.

Most people I know who waited to travel the world never did. Conversely, plenty of people who waited for grad school or a steady job and traveled still did those things — eventually. Be careful of the yeah-but. The yeah-but will kill your dreams.

Goins goes on to list his top 3 reasons to travel while young:

1. Traveling teaches you to live an adventure

2. Traveling helps you encounter compassion

3. Traveling allows you to get some culture

It's a great, truthful post, and really spoke to a lot of doubts that I had myself about taking an entire six months when I could be finding a job and getting started working towards my career. It spoke to my heart about what I really wanted, when plenty of people are putting me down, saying I'm just trying to "avoid the real world." In truth, I feel like I WILL be living the in real world--what is more real than seeing the world?

I've been so lucky to travel quite a bit in my past, but I don't know that I'll ever get another chance to live in another country for half a year, or take off without worrying about other major responsibilities. I do want to have a successful career and I do eventually want to settle down, and if I'm lucky enough to someday have a family of my own, I won't be able to make big decisions like this based only on my own wants and needs. 

I know that everyone doesn't have the resources to extend their college career by an extra semester just to study abroad, or the support from their family, but I feel so blessed to have both, and I know that I won't ever look back on my life and wish I'd traveled while I was young.

Go read the article, (here's the link again) it's great. Don't just take my word for it.

Blending In

I'm so lucky to go to a university that provides countless resources for students and alumni alike. I recently wrote an article for my internship at UNCW's University Relations department about new resources purchased by the Career Center to help students network, make connections, and find potential jobs. One of these, Going Global, is a site that does this on an international level. In addition to featuring job listings and such, it also features "country guides," which give all kinds of information on your country of choice. They feature so much information that I'd never think to look for-- here are some basics (and just a TINY amount of the information offered) from their country guide on Australia (there is a shortened version for free online, the full version is available for students, but the public has to pay to access the in-depth one). For UNCW students: you can access Going Global (your membership is already paid for by UNCW) by going to your SeaWork. It's also available to all alumni!

Vocabulary

Australian English differs from British and American English mainly in its use of accent, intonation and colorful slang phrases. However, in business practice, Australian slang is not commonly used. Australian English uses many words from Indigenous languages, such as kangaroo and boomerang, and other words that came from convicts and early settlers. In addition, Australians are prone to creating abbreviations of many words by taking the first syllable and adding ‘e’ or ‘o’ to the end (e.g., brekkie, journo, brollie and arvo). Below are some common words and phrases, divided into those that might be encountered in the workplace and those that would be rarely heard in or inappropriate for the workplace.

Workplace appropriate phrases

Arvo – afternoon

Aussie/Ozzie (pronoun) – Australian

Barbie – barbecue

Barrack for – to cheer for / support a team (usually football)

Battler – honest, hardworking people with a positive attitude; people who keep going in the face of adversity

Beaut/Beauty – fantastic

Bickie - biscuit

Bitumen – asphalt, paved road

Biz – business

Bloke – a man

Brekkie – breakfast

Brollie – umbrella

Bring a plate – to bring food to share with other guests at a party (on a plate)

Bush – out of the city, country areas

Chook – chicken (cooked or uncooked)

Click – kilometer

Crook – in addition to the obvious meaning, can also mean badly made or substandard

Doona – an eiderdown, comforter or bedspread

Esky – cooler bag for beer or meat, often used at a barbeque

Fair go! - giving people a chance

Footy – football (usually Australian Rules Football but also can be Rugby League, Rugby Union or Soccer depending on the state or the context)

Hotel – in addition to its general meaning in terms of tourist and visitor accommodation, it can also mean a pub or bar

How ya goin'/doin’? – How are you?

Kiwi – a person from New Zealand, not offensive

Knock – to criticize

Lollie – any candy (not just a lollipop)

Manchester – general name for bed sheets, pillow cases and table linen

Mate – friend or pal

Mozzies – mosquitoes

No worries! – no problem, don’t worry about it, you’re welcome

OS – overseas

Oz – Australia

Postie – mail carrier

Crisps - potato chips or hot chips

Shout – pay for a round of drinks

Stir – to joke or tease. A stirrer is someone who riles things up, especially by joking around.

Taking TOIL – taking time off for previous overtime work (‘time off in lieu’)

Phrases to know but not necessarily use (as these are not always polite in professional settings)

Aggro – aggravation or problem, e.g., a fight

Back of Beyond/Bourke – far away

Billy – teapot (rarely used, mostly outdoors)

A blue – an argument

Bludger – a lazy person (usually offensive)

Bogan – offensive term for people of disadvantage

Bonzer – great, wonderful (rarely used)

Buckley’s – to have no chance

Cobber – friend

Cossie – a swimsuit (from ’bathing costume’)

Dinkum/Fair dinkum – true, authentic (rarely used seriously)

Dunny – toilet (not polite use in the workplace but well known)

Galah – noisy idiot (also a parrot)

Go Walkabout – to take off, disappear, to take a lengthy vacation or time ‘away from it all’

Grouse – great, very good

Hard yacker/hard yakka – hard work

Hoon – to drive recklessly, or, a person who drives recklessly

Make a good fist of it – to do something (a task) well

Narky – annoyed or upset

Ocker – Australian who behaves in a very stereotyped manner, with strong accent

Oldies/Olds – parents (not polite use)

Pash – to kiss in an intimate manner

Pissed – drunk

Pom – slang for British person

Rack off - go away, get lost

Ratbag – weird or strange person or someone who cannot be trusted

Rentals – slang for parents (parental)

Ripper – something terrific (not in common use)

Sanger – sandwich

Servo – service station or garage, usually open 24 hours

Seppo – slang for an American person

Sheila – a woman (not polite use)

Skite – to boast

Sook – timid person, without bravery

Stoked – to be happy or excited

Strewth – surprise

Stubbie - bottle of beer

Suss – something that is suspicious

Tinnie – can of beer

Tucker – food (not polite use)

Yabber – to talk a lot

Yobbo – loutish badly-behaved male (from yob – boy backwards)

If you want to act like a local...

• In Australia, queuing (waiting in line) is expected and, in public spaces, it is customary to give up one's seat to pregnant, disabled or elderly persons.

• Table manners are Continental, meaning the fork is held in the left hand and the knife in the right. One should not switch the fork to the right hand. Elbows should be kept off the tables. To indicate one has finished eating, the fork and knife should lie horizontally with the handles towards your body in the middle of the plate.

• Dinner, also sometimes known as tea, is the main evening meal, between 6 and 8 pm, while supper is a late night snack or light meal. Brunch is a very common meal, particularly on weekends, eaten between 9 am and 1 pm and is more like breakfast than lunch.

• When meeting for the first time, people normally shake hands, firmly but not too hard. Personal space requirements should be observed, usually staying elbow to hand’s distance from another. Australians value eye contact but this should be not be constant and intense as that may be seen as staring and/or as an effort to intimidate.

• Australians appreciate people who express opinions, but not people who boast or speak over others. When speaking, use verbal clues such as “hmmm” and “oh” if it is necessary to think before speaking; staying silent for longer than around five seconds after a question can be seen as lack of confidence or rude.

• Avoid making comments about accents as this may be perceived as a way to establish a person's social class; accents can be seen as a strong indicator of class.

• If teased good-naturedly, reply in kind, as self-confidence can win respect. It is important for this teasing not to become offensive in return; if unsure it is best to just smile at the teasing.

• Australians drive and walk on the left, and pass on the right. This applies to the road, sidewalk (known as pavement) and escalators.

Shopping for Continent Hopping 101

I'm getting so excited for my trip, and also for others that are coming up before I leave for Australia (I'll be scuba diving in Honduras for a while in June-July!) and my old-faithful travel accessories have gotten a little bit worn down. Luckily, my awesome parents gave me a three-piece set of hard-shell houndstooth London Fog luggage that I posted a photo of in my first post, but I didn't mention the specifics: all of them feature 360 degree wheels that roll in every direction, so they are easy to maneuver. I think that these should be required on ALL suitcases--they're definitely a requirement on any that I carry.

Here's the photo of those again: I'm so glad to finally have my own set of durable luggage that will last me far into my future, especially since I'd love to travel for a living.

I've also started to stock up on a few other essentials that I wouldn't want to be stuck without. I know that monograms aren't for everyone, but I love adding them to my essentials so that I can know without a doubt that I'm grabbing the right jacket or phone.

Other essentials I've bought recently:

-a lightweight raincoat (I'll be living in a rainforest, and though it is a "dry" rainforest, part of the time that I'm there will be monsoon season in the late afternoon (via Marley Lilly)

-a Lifeproof case for my new iPhone 5 (I will be able to use the phone internationally & to use iMessage when I have Wi-Fi, but my history with phone damage is enough that I need to know I won't have a mishap and be stuck halfway around the world without a way to get a new one. Also, a great feature of the Lifeproof cases is that you can use them underwater to take photos, which will be great for beach days. (via Boutique Me)

-a Travel Stub Diary to collect photos, tickets, boarding passes, stubs, and any other reminders of my travels (via Uncommon Goods)

-A travel journal (I'm a writer, after all) that includes pages for writing, and scratch-off maps of every continent, so that you can scratch off the cities and countries that you visit--I'm so excited about this one, and to scratch off all of the places I've already been (via Uncommon Goods) ...they also offer a wall-sized scratch off world map that I'd love to buy someday when I have a permanent home

-a new passport cover (via Kate Spade, duh)-- I've been needing a new one for years, and couldn't resist the precious polka-dots inside

- Sleep Phones: this fleece headband plays music through its cloth so that you don't have to try to fall asleep with uncomfortable earbuds in. Those next to you can't hear the music, and it can also double as a sleeping mask. I might be a baby, but this couldn't be more needed for my long flight. I hate sleeping sitting up or trying to find comfortable positions, and it seems like as soon as I do, my headphone start aggravating me. I think I'll be using these for a long, long time! I ordered them in lavender, pictured above. They could also help spouses who have a snoring partner! (via Sleep Phones)

-Laundry Soap Sheets- I'm sure that, being there for so long, I'll end up buying detergent there, but this tiny pack holds 50 sheets that can be thrown in the washer, or used to hand-wash clothes. I know they'll come in handy when I'm first getting settled and when I go on weekend/school break trips to other parts of Australia (via Travel Smith)

                                                  

-Lonely Planet guides- in case you didn't know, Lonely Planet makes the greatest guides ever. They give tips for all kinds of budgets, ages, and scenes, and they give you actual descriptions, not just the typical ones you could find for yourself on Wikipedia. They also include hole-in-the-wall joints and other local spots, so they are extremely worthy investments, especially for when I travel to other parts of Australia (via Lonely Planet)


So there you go, that's where I'm at so far-- I'm always on the quest for other new things to make my travels easier, so let me know if you have any tips. Right now, I'm working on packing up my current home (the beach house in Wrightsville Beach) that we move out of on May 12. It's such a sad process, but I'm excited for new beginnings.

Cheers.