Student Bloggers

Apologies in advance for the long post, but the first 36 hours were nearly indescribable. I never knew just how uncomfortable a plane could be until I sat in a single, small seat for 16 hours straight after a separate six hour flight, especially when it is accompanied by two screeching toddlers. While I was grateful for the chance to watch some of the movies I had been wanting to see and the time to think about what on earth I was getting myself into. I just wanted it to be over, at least until four hours before we landed. As I sat at 4 am Sydney time (12 pm New York time), I looked out the window across the people next to me and saw possibly the most glorious sunrise of my life. The colors were so vibrant and pure and breathtaking that I just stared, wishing I had the window seat so I could try to preserve the perfection painted across the sky. I don’t know whether it was the exhaustion or true beauty of the sky that mesmerized me, but the simple beauty of that moment helped minimize the immense amount of nerves I had been feeling and truly enjoy my last few hours on the plane before all of the safety of the small area would be exchanged for the chaos of Sydney.

As with the other flight, we landed without issue. As Put Your Records On (an apparent Qantas favorite, as it played before and after each flight) played, I cried. I cried because now all of my friends and family were on the other side of the world, cried because of how excited I was, how exhausted I was, how thoroughly panicked I was that I was now going to be, for the most part, entirely on my own. Everything I have ever known sat, quite literally, half a world away, and that still terrifies me. But, as the seat belt sign turned off, I pulled myself together, put away my teddy bear (a gift from my boyfriend), grabbed my bag, and walked out into the unknown.

Customs at the airport was nothing like going to Mexico or returning to the US (these are the only experiences I have to compare it to). I did not talk to a guard, I didn’t get questioned as to where I was going, why, for how long. I simply received a ticket from an automated booth, fed said ticket into another booth, and walked into my new home for the next five months. I still feel like I didn’t do something right, but I guess it’s fine since border patrol hasn’t come to find me yet.

As soon as I found the Arcadia people at the airport, we boarded a bus, dropped our luggage off at the hotel, and did a two hour walking tour of Sydney. Now, one thing people neglected to tell me was that, while Australia is hot, the heat does not compare to the immense, oppressive humidity. As we walked out of the hotel, I felt my chest tighten and my nerves tense. This is it, living in a city, my next few months right in front of me, and I felt completely small and lost and helpless. Even the simple things like not walking of the right side of the sidewalk (apparently the abnormal driving does not just apply to driving…) and being able to make my pace fit into the weirdly-place tiles that line the Sydney sidewalks made my skin crawl (for those of you who know me, you understand). I knew no one and had absolutely no idea where I was going or who I was with or anything. Almost instantly, most other people made friends, or went to the people they already knew. And then there was me— alone. Until Patrick.

Patrick is one of our orientation leaders who is just amazing. Don’t get me wrong, all of the leaders are awesome in their own unique ways, but Patrick and I just clicked. We talked about where I was studying, why I was going there, what I was studying, and what I wanted to do with it. For those who don’t know, I chose the University of Melbourne largely because I have lived in small towns my entire life, and thought if I were ever going to test out living somewhere completely different— like a huge city on the other side of the world— why not do it for a few months so that if I hate it, it’s only temporary? I am a Psychology major with a writing minor, but really don’t know what I want to do. Ideally, I would just write poetry for a living, but unfortunately that’s probably not an actual option. Patrick, however, took my confusion and concerns, specifically about my future but even just about being in Australia, and turned it into excitement and anticipation. He loved the combination, and emphatically told me that, if I am a good writer and poet in particular, that those skills of communications can be used in anything, especially when coupled with a psychology background. He said I could go into business or really anything I wanted. He was immediately convinced I would create a position for myself that no one else has created simply because I will be the only person who has the skills to do it. “I’m going to have to keep an eye out for you,” he told me. And honestly, I think that moment was the highlight of my day.

Well, that moment and the moment after when I got to see the Sydney Opera House! I was starstruck (yes, starstruck by a building. It’s a thing… I think…). Everyone was taking pictures and looking at the intricate architecture, but honestly I think everyone missed it. The Opera House, at least in my opinion, is not just a pretty building. It is dreams. It is history. It is what every aspiring opera singer looks to and aims for, and I got to see those people’s dreams. It is the ground upon which the most elegant, enchanting voices in opera have belated out their best melodies. It’s where those immensely talented people realized a dream, and I got to walk where they walked and breathe the air they breathed when they realized that dream. I didn’t say a word the entire time I was there. It felt like walking on holy ground. The beauty of the building was breathtaking, but it’s what that building represents that is what really enchanted me.

After the Opera House, we went through the gorgeous botanical gardens and then to a nearby swimming pool to cool off, where I swam some laps and then relaxed at the side of the pool to eat lunch. We then returned to the hotel for a much-needed shower before information sessions. After the sessions, we had a few minutes to rest before heading out to dinner at the Blackbird Cafe (10/10, would recommend). While I wasn’t hungry, I decided to go, and I must say I am thrilled that I did, because on the menu was… KANGAROO! So, of course, since the meal was already paid for anyway, I ordered the kangaroo because it’s Australia for goodness sake so it was kind of obligatory from my point of view. My lord I am thrilled I did. Kangaroo, apparently, is incredible! Especially how they made it at the cafe with a really nice Jack Daniels sauce and served of mashed potatoes (so said the menu). That was definitely a highlight of the day, as I stuffed myself far too much, making for a not-so-comfortable walk back to the hotel, though it was definitely worth it. So while I’m still friendless except for Patrick the Orientation Leader, I am not acquaintance-less and can now walk on lines on sidewalks and city grates with only mediocre discomfort, making it a very successful first day.