Australian Academic Culture

Now that I've had all my classes, I've noticed a few things about the academic culture at Melbourne...

1. Everything starts after and ends before the advertised time.  This is so you can get to class on time, but it also results in a lack of consistency of class length.  Why not just schedule the classes for 50 minutes like they do in the States?
2. Very few students have laptops during class.  This is either because they are not taking very many notes, or because all the slides are posted online anyway.  Many students print out the lecture slides and write directly on them, which is also something people do back home.  Many students actually have the lecture slides on their iPads; I'm considering doing this with my Kindle.  The lack of laptops also means people are not on Facebook, Reddit, etc. during class, which is weird.
3. The tutors (a.k.a. preceptors) are very qualified.  In Princeton, you usually get a masters or PhD student.  In my Science and Society class, the tutor already has his masters and PhD and is already a recognized member of his academic community.  Pretty snazzy.
4. Professors are less formal than in the States; they don't dress fancy and you can address them by their first names.  However, just like back home, if you disrespect them, they will lash out.  My Controls professor ripped a kid a new one for making a snooty comment.  To be honest, I think I prefer the higher level of formality because it makes the student/professor relationship less confusing and shows a certain level of respect, but Australian academics obviously prefer their way.
5. Students seem to get up and leave in the middle of lecture.  I'm not sure if that's because it's still the first week and people are still "shopping" classes, but back home that would be a pretty ballsy move.  But the professors here either don't mind or don't notice.  It's interesting that my Controls professor berated a student for one comment he made, but paid no attention the the kid that simply walked out the front door in the middle of his lecture.  Strange.

P.S.: Keep checking up on this post; I notice new things every day.

First week of school update...

A lot has gone on in the past few days, but I'll try to condense it all into one post...

So Monday was the first day of classes, and since I supposedly came to Australia to study, I figured I'd update everyone on that front.  I've had three of my four so far, and the outlook is good; this is shaping up to be a pretty manageable semester.  I'll go by class...

• The Global Environment: in the first lecture, we learned about the planets in the solar system.  Pretty fundamental stuff.  The professor spent about five minutes explaining the logic behind craters and how you can tell which craters are older based on how they intersect.  Again, pretty fundamental: if a small crater is inside a big crater, the small crater must be younger.  Duh.  And he showed us a moon rock.  This should be a pretty easy class, but it will be informative.
• Control Theory: I was dreading this class initially, but I understood everything in the first lecture.  Granted, it was very basic conceptual stuff, and didn't get into any rigorous mathematics, which the professor promised there will be.  It was interesting, though, much to my surprise as I expected the subject to be pretty dry.  As it turns out, control/feedback systems are a part of virtually everything in this world, from automobiles and robots to biology and drug delivery.  It was a bit unnerving to hear that there was a 30% failure rate last year and that a 50% will be a passing grade on the exam.  The tough exams I'm used to, but a 30% failure rate would be absolutely unheard of at Princeton.  I'll probably need to study for this class...
• Australia and America: the professor asked the Australians to raise their hands.  About five.  Then the Americans.  About seventy.  This class is almost entirely American exchange students.  The professor wasn't thrilling, but he did properly illustrate that America and Australia have very subtle yet important differences.  Again, should be pretty easy.  Also, it's a paper-based class.  Cha-ching!
• Science and Society: First lecture tomorrow.  We'll see how it goes.

Also, every lecture here is recorded and put online, so they are not actually mandatory--but practicals and tutorials are.  That might trim my schedule a bit....  My classes are all over campus in seemingly random places, but nothing starts on time so it's easy to make it where I need to go.  Anyway, the campus seems like it has exploded and there are people coming out of the woodwork.  There's lots to do and see.  It's pretty awesome.

Anyway, enough about school.  Here are some other things I'm up to:

Melbourne Uni Mountaineering Club

At Princeton this would be called the outdoors club.  The major difference is that this club actually does stuff--a lot of stuff.  There are multiple trips each weekend.  It seems like people sort of plan trips and then offer them to the group.  The prices are pretty decent.  I'm going to become a member and do some camping, bushwalking (a.k.a. hiking), kayaking, etc.  You shouldn't be surprised that I'm into this club.

Australian Union of Jewish Students

It's the closest thing to Hillel they have here.  I joined for $5, and that gets me lots of events (Purim party, etc.).  Also, they have bagels every Tuesday, although they don't really know how to do bagels here (too soft).

Paintball

I bought a bunch of tickets for paintball at the student union today at a huge discount (the guy was a tough sell), and I thought I would propose that MUSEX does a trip.  I got a huge response on the facebook group, so I'll be able to recover what I paid for the tickets and hopefully organize an awesome paintball adventure.  (Try not to worry, Mom, I know you're not so keen on the whole paintball thing.)

Great Ocean Road

At some point in the next couple weeks I'm going to rent a campervan with some friends and take a weekend trip along the Great Ocean Road.  The beaches are supposed to be incredible, and the scenery even better.  Details to come.

The Great Barrier Reef Holiday

Ben Rabinowitz (longtime friend from SSDS/Gann) and I are planning our spring break trip to the Great Barrier Reef.  Our plan is to fly to Cairnes (I already booked a flight), do a 4- or 5-day scuba diving expedition on the reef, and then road trip 1500 miles all the way back to Sydney in a campervan (a.k.a. RV).  Then I'm going to stay with Ben's apartment in Sydney for the rest of the week to check out what the city has to offer.  While I had thought Passover was going to be a big conflict with this break, Ben and I have already found a community Seder in Cairnes (a quick google search of "Passover Australia" was all it took).  It's likely to be the most interesting Passover I've ever had.

Australia goes green

One thing I've noticed repeatedly since arriving in Melbourne is that Australia is leagues ahead of the US in terms of being environmentally responsible.  I'm not sure exactly why, but being green seems to be much more ingrained in the culture here, and the government--at least in Melbourne--makes a significant effort in this area.  Most of you know this is hugely important to me and my family, and it just makes me love Australia even more.  A lot of things we consider almost revolutionary back home are routine here.  For instance:

• Recycling -- there are public recycling bins everywhere in Melbourne.  And people use them.  What a concept!
• Alternative energy -- from my 6th floor window, I can see more than one building with a PV array. A lot of people are also heating their water with solar-thermal, just like they do in Israel.  I can also see two vertical-axis wind turbines from my window (reminds me of MAE 321... not in a good way).
• Sustainability -- MSC and FSC are labeled on a lot of things (my paper towels, for instance).  A ton of the food here is produced domestically in Australia.  At the supermarket I shop at, you have to bring your own bags or pay for them.  Queen's College (from Melbourne Welcome) and the YMCA camp this weekend both compost.
• Smaller cars -- on average, people drive smaller cars here.  Of course, its an added incentive that gasoline is $1.50 per liter (that translates to around $6 per gallon).

It shouldn't be impressive that Australians are so green, because it should be an everyday thing, but I think it's very commendable.  We should strive to be more like Australia in this regard back in the US.

MUSEX Surf Party Weekend

The MUSEX Surf Party Weekend was downright awesome, but a bit of a misnomer; it really should have been called 'Party weekend with some surfing.'  In short, two nights of epic shenanigans.  (Disclaimer: there's a bit of drinking in this episode--this counts as an exception to my previous post re alcohol.)

We left midday on friday, about 80 of us with five MUSEX Australian host/leaders (we affectionately call ourselves MUSEXuals) about an hour or so to the west side of the bay.  We had the YMCA Camp Wyuna to ourselves, which is good because we probably would have driven out any other guests.  The camp had a path right to the beach.  It was about a 15 minute drive from Ocean Grove, the beach where we did the surfing (the same one from Melbourne Welcome).

We were split up into four teams (go green!) for all the games and mishugas, and for surf groups.  We got our green warpaint and sunscreen on and spent most of Friday afternoon on the beach.  The water was perfect, and I remember us all saying we had no complaints whatsoever.  The real fun started after dinner.  It was clear the camp knew what we had in store because they served us a ton of carbs as preparation--potatoes, pasta, and bread.  I'll spare the details to keep this all PG-ish, but let's just say my liver got a bit of a workout this weekend and we finished a disgusting (or impressive, depending on your take) amount of cheap beer and wine.

The beach.  Tough life.

Friday night was a toga-themed party, including some games and dancing.  We definitely did not adhere to the 10:30 quiet-hour rule.  Most of us ended up on the beach afterwards.  Night swimming is a ton of fun.  Also there was no light pollution so we could see a million stars.  Pretty pretty.

TOGA! TOGA! TOGA!

Anyway, the green team had to wake up at 8:30 Saturday morning for our surf slot, which would have been painful even without an absurd party the night before.  The waves were bigger this time, but less frequent, which is a great combo for the second time around.  I didn't get up as many times as I'd hoped, and had more wipeouts this time (the headache didn't help), but it was still a ton of fun.  Like last time, it felt like we were in the water for a really long time.  There is photographic evidence that I surfed this time (to come).

Well, there's no picture of me actually getting up on the board--I swear I did, though--but at least here's a board and a wetsuit.

When we got back from surfing I contemplated going back to sleep, but there was way too much to do.  I did take a quick nap on the beach, but then came back for some more games (I went like 7-2 on the table).  It was cool to learn everyone's versions of the rules for each game, and learn/teach new ones.  That showed how diverse our group really is.  We also had a four legged race (green came in first) and had to pass an orange down the line using only our chins/chests (green came in last).  Then more beach/games, dinner, and on to the next crazy night.

Saturday night was a pyjamas (a.k.a. pajamas) party.  After a boat race and more games ('Cheers to the Governor,' 'Kings,' etc.) we kicked the dancing into gear again.  There were a lot of throwback songs--ones that would have been considered throwbacks as long ago as my Bar Mitzvah party--that gave the pajama theme a retro feel.  Then, surprise, the night ended up in the ocean.  As you might expect, not all of us had proper swimming attire, but we quickly realized we were all born in perfectly good bathing suits (what the hell, it was dark out).  People told me there were phosphorescent algae in the water, but I couldn't see them.  Oh well.  Again, the stars were incredible.

There wasn't a ton going on Sunday morning (the red team surfed, so they got to find out how green felt Saturday morning), but we had to neaten up the camp because we managed to make quite a mess in only two days. Most people (including me) were asleep on the bus ride back.

In all, this was such a fun weekend and I'm glad I decided to go.  I have a pretty nice (if a bit uneven) tan at this point.  The sand on the beach was pretty tenacious, so I'll probably still be finding it on me in a week.  I met a bunch of awesome new people from all over the States, Canada, and Europe.  There's a repeat Surf Party this weekend... should I go again?

More photos to come...

Not much to report on today, but a quick update...

I stopped by the orientation carnival, but it was very freshman-y so I didn't stay long (the word "carnival" should have tipped me off).  Tomorrow might be more useful, though, as the orientation activities are geared toward specific majors.  I'll check it out regardless, because there will be free food.

Tonight I did a bit of wandering, as usual, to meet up with a couple friends.  Before I found them at the bar (surprise, I was at a bar), I played a game of pool with a guy from England who also spent time living in Florida and Canada.  This meant he was a hockey fan (because of Canada), but a TB Lightning fan (because of Florida).  Interesting.  I lost spectacularly.  Not much else to report, really--an routinely enjoyable night.

One thing I noticed (and took advantage of) tonight in Melbourne is a public toilet.  I know it doesn't seem that exciting, but this is an absolutely brilliant idea, so city planners back home take note.  The bathroom was a very futuristic metal box right off the main street; you push a button to open the door, at which point the door closes again (very sci-fi) and tells you in a computerized voice that you have 10 minutes to do your business.  I didn't stick around long enough to find out what happens after 10 minutes.  (Does the door open while you're still on the john?)  Everything inside, even the toilet seat, was electric, so you didn't have to touch anything.  It was very useful.  It's something we tend to overlook in the States, but a couple of these here and there would really be an improvement in any city (especially Boston).  Kudos, Melbourne, for realizing that humans need to use the bathroom.

Getting pumped for MUSEX surf weekend!  Stay tuned.

A note on alcohol...

I realized from reading through my blog that some of the posts give the impression that I've been drinking a lot, and I thought it might be worth touching briefly on this issue to alleviate any concerns among family and friends...

I need to point out, first of all, that Melbourne--and Australia in general--is a drinking culture.  This doesn't mean everybody is out getting smashed all the time; what it means is that social gatherings, more often than not, happen over drinks or in the presence of alcohol.  That being said, there is no pressure to get really drunk like there is at college back home.  Instead, drinking here is a very social activity, as it focuses on relaxing and enjoying the company of friends.  If it seems like my posts talk about a lot of bars, that's because I'm at a lot of bars; that's just where people hang out at night.  But that doesn't mean I'm drinking that much.  (Considering how expensive it all is here, I couldn't afford to anyway.)  Rest assured, there are other things to do, and I do them, too.

Sure, I'll admit it was exciting to finally be of-age to drink when I got here.  And yes, let's not kid ourselves that now and then I'm going to get drunk--hey, I'm a college student.  But it's a very safe culture, and I want to ensure everyone that I am imbibing in moderation and being responsible.  If any of you were, in fact, worried at all about the drinking, I (and my liver) want to sincerely thank you, because I know it's because you care about me and want to know I'm safe and healthy.

I'm officially enrolled, everyone.  Today was a complete scramble, and I felt like I was running around like a headless chicken getting approval forms signed, registering for subjects, and setting up my timetable (otherwise known as a schedule).  Considering 70,000 other people also were also trying to do these things this week, you might imagine this chaos is universal--and you'd be right.  It's looking to be a great semester time-wise: no Fridays, and nothing on Monday until 4 PM, a careful decision I made to allow for some pretty epic long weekends.

I'm taking four subjects (a.k.a. classes--everything is called something different here):

1. Control Theory -- some boring engineering course that's required for my major that deals with electronics signals, feedback, and controls from a mathematical perspective (I'm sure it's just as confusing as it sounds).  I went to see the professor for an approval, and I had almost no idea what he was talking about when he told me the things we're supposed to already know, but the first couple weeks are review so I'll have time to get up to speed.  I might do some reading beforehand (haha).  This will most likely be my hardest class, and I'm not expecting to do great, but I hear its pretty brutal back home, too, so I might as well bomb it here so it won't count towards my GPA.
2. The Global Environment -- an introductory earth sciences class that's supposed to teach a basic understanding of topics like geology, paleontology, meteorology, etc., and it's counting as an elective for my Sustainable Energy certificate at Princeton.  It sounds pretty interesting, especially since it will use Australian examples to support the material, and that's something I can't get anywhere else.
3. Science and Society -- a History of Science-type course that looks at how the relationship between technology and society has evolved.  I've always wanted to take a course like this, but there is only one at Princeton and it's a graduate-level class, so now seems like a great opportunity.
4. Australia and America -- pretty much what it sounds like.  This class compares the history, politics, cultures, etc. of Australia and America.  It should give me a chance to really explore contemporary and historic Australian issues in a more formal setting, while my everyday life here does the same in a less formal setting.

Oh, and on a different note, when I said I wanted to try surfing again I wasn't kidding.  I bought tickets to the MUSEX surf party weekend that starts on Friday.  It's three days of all inclusive surfing, partying, eating, partying, drinking, and partying.  Can't wait!  Updates to come.

As seems to be the case with this city, tonight was nothing short of interesting.  My initial plans were to meet up with a friend (and presumably other people, as well) at  MUSEX party at some bar.  I got tired of waiting for him to go out, so I went out by myself in the direction of the bar, hoping I'd meet someone I knew along the way.

Well, I didn't meet anyone I knew, but I did meet this guy, Peter, who was walking in the same direction. Apparently he teaches a sociology course at uni.  I decided to go grab a beer with him, which is something I normally wouldn't do with a totally random and definitively sketchy stranger like him (he kind of reminded me of Frank Gallagher from "Shameless," both in terms of his scruffy long-haired look and his buzzed-if-not-intoxicated demeanor).  Anyway, since many bars close early on Sunday nights, or were already at capacity, we finally found this weird hipster-type place, and I had a beer with him, figuring it might be a while before my friends were at the other club.

So Peter did no fall short on my sketchy expectations, as he didn't even have enough money on him to pay for his (admittedly expensive) pint, and I had to throw him a two-dollar coin.  But, in all fairness, that was a good price to pay for his eccentric company, and we had a pretty engaged conversation about religion, politics, and various other subjects I pretend to know about when I've had a few in me.  He really was a nice guy, but I told him I had to go meet my friends and I left him at the hipster bar.  I'm sure he'll be okay.

I continued down the street towards where my friend said the party was at.  I stopped in an alley to, umm, take care of some business, and played it off by taking a picture of the interesting alley-graffiti with my phone (that's becoming a theme, I guess).  A couple girls saw me taking the picture and asked what I was snapping, so I showed them.  When they weren't impressed, I admitted what I was really doing, and they laughed.  They were headed to the same club, so we walked together to the Night Cat.  Anyway, there was absolutely no one I knew there.  It was a very hip salsa scene with a live band, but since I can't dance salsa for the life of me, and there was nobody I knew, I decided to head home early.  That was probably a good idea, anyway, since I have to meet with my advisor tomorrow to pick classes and enroll. Should be a busy day.

The MUSEX party was pretty fun.  It was at Turf Club, which is a local bar right next to RMIT Village (where a bunch of study abroad kids live), about a minute west of campus and less than a five minute walk for me. The coin-flip drinks were fun, too.  As statistics would dictate, I only paid for a couple drinks (heads every time), not including the one I bought for a certain cute female.   Everyone was having a great time.  We got pretty rowdy, which didn't make the bar owner so happy.  Whiskey ginger has been my go-to drink lately (thanks, Asher), which is pretty nice when they make it with Red Label or Jameson.

There was a minor setback at the end of the night that I feel is worth mentioning--for the sake of learning from it, and not for the sake of dwelling on it.  A kid, who up until now I had been nothing but cordial with, started chewing me out for going to Princeton, assuming and insinuating that I'm a spoiled rich prick who somehow thinks he's smarter than everyone around him.  I'm not sure what I did to provoke this antagonism, but I should have known the conversation wouldn't go well when he started out of the blue with "have you ever been punched in the face?"  He seemed fixated on the financial connotations of my Ivy League school, and assumed money must not have been an issue when I applied to college.  It's safe to say I've never been misjudged so badly in my life.  As it turns out, his dream school was Cornell; he got accepted, but he couldn't afford to go, and now he goes to Ithaca College and has to deal with Cornell students always thinking they're better than him.  Funny thing, that is.  When I explained to him that Cornell had been my dream school too, and that had I been accepted I also probably couldn't have afforded it, I think he started to realize he was talking out of his ass.  I explained as best I could my situation at Princeton, that I am, in fact, extremely sensitive to the financial aspect of my education, and that I don't believe for a second that I am smarter than him (as is evident by the fact that he got accepted to Cornell and I didn't).  Anyway, we both were a bit tipsy, and we managed to make up (although somewhat insincerely) at the end of the night and shake hands.  We'll see how it goes the next time I run into him, but I do hope we can get past it and become friends.

I must be honest, I left the bar pretty upset about having been misjudged like that.  (I was also not so thrilled that the aforementioned lady friend went home with someone else.)  For a bit I wished Princeton never happened, because it seems to brew up all sorts of resentment and preconceptions, but hey, then I would never have had the opportunity to come here to Melbourne.

Some things I learned in the few couple days:

• I'm not as good at pool when I'm drinking
• "Free" is a really tasty flavor
• I've never been punched in the face
• Princeton has been a sweet blessing, but in some ways also a bitter curse

Anyway, tonight is another MUSEX party at a music club that I'll probably check out.  Goon and a movie is the usual pregame...

Well, enrollment day was not exactly thrilling.  We had a large assembly where we were talked at about pretty boring bookkeeping and enrollment stuff; I guess it was useful, but many of us were not paying full attention.  The important thing they kept reminding us of was to pay attention to the differences between our own cultures and Australia's, and to keep in mind especially the differences in our education systems and studying needs.  It was cool to see how many study abroad and exchange students there are here.  There were probably upwards of 300 people in the room.  A fun fact I learned: Melbourne has the third largest international student population in the world, behind London and (proudly) Boston (at least that's what the speaker said).  Pretty cool that I've lived in two out of three.

We also had a brief session with just science, engineering, and architecture students to go over a few more details.  I've decided I'm going to change around my courses a bit so I can take one about Australia (and to avoid Friday class).  Now I have some bureaucratic approvals to jump through.

Tonight is a party for MUSEX, the UMelb club for international/study abroad/exchange students.  Should be fun, and it looks like a really great club.  Supposedly we will flip a coin with the bartender when we order drinks, and it we get it right they're free.  Wish me luck!

Today was supposed to be a beach day, but the weather did not exactly cooperate.  I woke up on the later side, and then after brunch I got on a tram towards St Kilda. beach.  Turns out it wasn't exactly the right tram (although the transportation website told me to take it), and I had to walk a bit to get to the beach.  That was kind of nice, though, because I ended up getting a tour of the neighborhood around St. Kilda, where there are some nice eateries etc. (typical beach-side stuff).  Supposedly St. Kilda is near the Jewish area of Melbourne, although I did not see anything particularly Jewish (I think I was a bit too far west).

Anyway, apparently there's a little amusement park with a roller coaster, but it wasn't running.  I sat on the beach for a bit and listened to my iPod, which was great.  It's a pretty nice beach--not huge--and there were some good people there (to look at ;-) ).  I attempted to read Angels and Demons, which I started at the beginning of last semester, but I kept feeling like I'd read it before since I've seen the movie twice, so I put it away and just napped with my headphones.  Anyway, as I said, the weather didn't cooperate and the sun started to go behind some pretty ominous clouds and it got windy.  A lot of people started leaving, and when I felt a couple rain drops I did, too.  Good thing, because it started pouring right after I got back on the tram!  I'll have to go back this weekend or next week.  I also want to try Brighton beach, which is a little farther but is famous for its colorfully painted "bathing box" shacks along the sand (google it).

A roller coaster.  Pretty self-explanatory.

It was beautiful out before it started to rain...er, pour.

Tonight my friend invited me to a film festival called Flicker Fest at a theatre down in the CBD, and since my mantra of "try everything" applies in Australia, I tagged along.  Definitely a good decision.  It was a showing of eight or so short Australian films (they seemed to be mostly by film graduate students from the uni).  They were so good.  With the exception two, all were pretty funny.  Take a look at the program.

1. Dad, you would have loved the first one, "Nullabor," a really funny Pixar-esque animation.  It was only 10 minutes, but apparently it took 4 years to make because it was done entirely with CGI.  
2. The second, "Kamambo," was inspired by a true story about West Papuan asylum seekers (father and daughter) in Australia; it was a bit sadder than the others, but had one funny moment.  
3. "Shoplifting" was about a family of shoplifters and their efforts to beat the department stores' new security measures.  Funny, but with a heavier ending.
4. "Teddy" was a hysterical flick about a jealously homicidal teddy bear who tries to murder its owner's boyfriend.
5. "The Op Shop" was about three old ladies who run an op shop (Australian term for a thrift store),  and their adventures while trying to figure out what a mysterious item is, which the audience all knows is a sex toy.  Hilarious, as they all take it home to 'ask their husbands' and come back the next day very happy from having figured it out (and tried it out).  The three old ladies each had three costumes (it takes place over three days), but because the film was not shot in sequence for scheduling reasons, there were over 30 costume changes during the single day of filming.
6. "The Stranger" is about an awkward guy who steals a suit and a bottle of wine and crashes a house party in search of people to hang out with.  The ending was strange.
7. "The Winking Boy" tells the story of a hospital patient who pretends to be paralyzed and communicates by winking.  His secret, that he can actually walk just fine (and he does so at night when the nurses are not around) is a "lifestyle choice," and he uses this unknown ability to sabotage the relationship between a male nurse and (very attractive) female nurse.  Also very funny.

I'm really glad I went to the film showing.  At first I thought the $18 price was steep for about an hour and a half of film, but it came with a free drink (classy, I know) and ended up being well worth it.

I'm making it an early night because tomorrow morning I have to be at enrollment day at 9:45.  Cheers.

The past day and a half have been pretty relaxing compared to Melbourne Welcome.  That's not really a fair comparison, though.  Yesterday I went to buy some much-needed apartment things--a toaster, some more utensils and dishes, a trash can--so now I'm all set up.  I made myself dinner then headed to the south lawn on campus where there were a bunch of Newman College welcome kids hanging out.  Some were playing dizzy bat, some just chatting.  (All were drinking goon.)  We took the tram to "Euro Trash," a bar in chinatown, but I didn't end up going in because my friend Dillon (Princeton MAE) who I went with didn't have enough ID.  So we went back to International House where he's going to live (it's a hike, I'm glad I don't live there) to get his ID, but by then it was pretty late so we just had a couple drinks at a closer place.  I guess it was a casino, because there were slot machines everywhere.  I promptly lost $1 and stopped.  Kind of a quiet night, but it was good catching up with Dillon.

Today I walked to Melbourne Central to pay my rent at the bank since I couldn't get the online banking to work out.  Then I just took a walk, with no particular destination in mind.  I like to walk here instead of taking the tram because the weather is nice and I get to see more, plus it's good exercise and it saves me a few bucks.  I decided to walk back to the laneway with the graffiti because I didn't have a chance to look at it for so long the last time, and I wanted to take a really good picture for my desktop background.  There were much fewer people there this time (not a weekend).  The murals are really incredible.  You see new things every time you look, almost as if there are multiple levels to them.  I think the spray painting is technically not allowed, but it seems to get a blind eye because it's not at all an eyesore.

"I love graffiti!"

I can hardly even tell what it is.  Some really graphic sort of crazy eyeballs and teeth. The words at the bottom say "loveletters."

A creepy six-legged horse skeleton.  It's got orange arrows and markers all over it, almost like an anatomical or technical drawing.  As an engineer, I can relate.

I got a call today from the rabbi at the conservative shul in Melbourne, who just moved here six months ago.  He used to be the assistant rabbi at Renana and Mike's shul in KC.  He was really nice, and invited me to come by whenever for shabbat or holidays or just to grab coffee.  I think I'll take him up on that once or twice.  I never pass up a home-cooked meal.

Not too busy of a night tonight (it's Wednesday, hump day).  I'm just going to grab a quick drink with a friend and I'll probably call it an early night.  Tomorrow I have to try and finalize what classes I'm going to take so I'm ready for enrollment day on Friday.

Melbourne Welcome: Recap

Melbourne Welcome was nothing short of incredible.  We packed so much into four days that I feel like I’ve been here for a month.  I have fallen in love with this city.  I remember walking around at one point and thinking I could totally see myself moving here.  It’s such an awesome place to live.  The spectacular amount of culture they’ve packed into this one city is really impressive.  I’m so happy I made the decision to come to Australia and study abroad.  I’m having the time of my life.

Melbourne Welcome: Day 4

The Melbourne Zoo at Royal Park is actually in walking distance of the uni, north of campus.  This is a pretty nice zoo we’re talking about—both indigenous and non-indigenous animals.  Yes, dad, I finally saw my first kangaroo (a small one).  There were emus, koalas, etc.  The kangaroo wasn’t actually my favorite animal.  I really liked the primates (orangutans, spider monkeys, gorillas).  Except for the dangerous ones, the animals are not as enclosed as they would be in a lot of other zoos, and you can actually reach into their habitats (if you wanted to, although it’s obviously not allowed).  The lions were pretty bad-ass, as usual (I am very proud to be one).  I took so many pictures my camera battery died.  Everyone was really enjoying the zoo.

Orangutan

Kangaroo butt.

This gorilla was sitting so still I thought it was dead.

I had to leave from the zoo to go back to my apartment because I accidentally locked myself out so I needed to go during reception hours to get let back in (they charged me $30 to do so).  I met back up with the group south of the CBD at the Yarra river (right near Eureka tower) for a cruise.  The river cruise was a little too relaxing, and I fell asleep for a bit.  We were all so tired from the weekend, and I wasn’t the only one to fall asleep.  Still, I managed to hear some of what the captain said.  Apparently the river is manmade.  It was widened, dredged, and straightened as a drainage solution for the city’s flooding problem (Melbourne is in a floodplain).

Dinner tonight was formal.  We had to dress up (good thing I brought one pair of slacks), and the tables were set with linens.  We stood up as the vice-master of Queen’s College, some study abroad people, and our Welcome coordinators walked in with robes.  There were a couple speeches and grace (awkward at the “in the name of His son” part).  We were served by waiters and the food was significantly better than other nights. I had the salmon.  Apparently they have dinners like this three times a week at Queen’s during the semester.  Not too shabby!  Dinner ended up being part of the pregame for the night, because they served us wine.

The evening activity was an Australian-themed party with the other Melbourne Welcome group from Newman College.  It was at a bar, and we were to dress in things we bought at Vic Market.  I wore a flag as a shirt, and a funny Australian souvenir hat.  The party got pretty rowdy with the usual dancing.  It was a great way to finish off the program.

Melbourne Welcome: Day 3

Last night’s bar crawl was a ton of fun (a “heap” of fun, as they would say here).  I went early with a group of European girls to the first bar and sipped on a beer with them until the rest of the group came.  Unlike in the states, where mixed drinks are more expensive, the economical way to drink in a bar here is to buy “basics,” which is basically mixed drinks with mid-shelf booze.  We didn’t stay at that pub too long.  The next one was really cool.  It had a big balcony that looked onto the CBD street one story below.  A few people were dancing inside, but I mostly chilled outside.  The last bar was by far the most fun.  The hosts rented us a private room with its own bar and dance floor.  We were in control of the music, and it ended up being an incredible dance party.  I was dancing until I could barely move anymore at 1:30, when I walked back up Swanston Street to Queens with a few guys.  What a great time.  The bar scene here is a ton of fun.

Today was a long but incredible day.   In the morning my host took us on a tour of the uni campus.  It’s not a huge campus—in fact, I Princeton is probably just as big—but somehow it will accommodate 70,000 students in a couple weeks.

The campus is a mixture of moden concrete buildings and older Princeton-esque ones.

After the tour we went down to Queen Victoria Market at the edge of the CBD.  It’s a huge place, and it reminds me a lot of the shuk in Jerusalem.  There’s an indoor area where dozens of vendors sell fresh meat, cheese, pastries, and stuff like that.  The shopkeepers stood in the aisles shouting out prices.  Then there’s a tented outdoor fruit and vegetable market.  I’m not sure, but I’m guessing the fruit is fresher and cheaper than at the supermarket; it all looked pretty tasty.  The rest of Queen Vic Market is tents and tends of vendors selling souvenirs, art, luggage, wine, toys, shoes, and virtually anything else you can think of.  Plenty of locals were moseying around with their bags and carts picking up food and goodies.  It’s open five days a week, so I’ll definitely head back and check it out again.

A meat vendor at Queen Victoria Market.

You can buy live egg-laying birds!

We had lunch in a park next to the market, then we walked south towards the river to the Eureka tower.  At 300 meters, it is the tallest building in Australia and the tallest residential building in the southern hemisphere.  We headed up in the fastest elevator I’ve ever seen.  My ears popped, and in less than a minute we were on the 88^th floor, the Eureka Skydeck, where we got a breathtaking panoramic vantage of the city and the area around it.  I could literally see for miles.  Everything looked tiny from 10000 ft up there.  I could see the racetrack where the Melbourne Grand Prix will be in a few weeks.  I could see the entire Yarra river.  I could literally see everything.  There’s actually an outdoor cage that we could go into that’s exposed to the elements.  It gets pretty windy up there.  It started raining when we were up there, which was really cool because we were actually inside the cloud.  (The weather here is very temperamental; it can go from hot and sticky to windy and rainy really quickly.)  The tower was really awesome.

Eureka Tower is clearly taller than anything around it.

That's me, outside at the skydeck.

And that's the view that 300 meters gets you.

After the tower we took a tour of some of Melbourne’s laneways.  Laneways are essentially alleys, and a large portion of Melbourne’s shopping and cultural scene happens in them.  It’s pretty cool, because you have to navigate through these narrow twisty spots, through café tables and past vintage shops to find these out-of-the way places.  Some are indoors, some outdoors.  One of the outdoor ones was decorated with the most elaborate and provoking graffiti I’ve ever seen.  Calling it graffiti actually doesn’t do it justice, as it’s pure art—not oil on canvas, but spraypaint on brick.  Apparently a lot of people like to take wedding photos in the laneways, so there were a few couples and photographers.  They were riding in antique black Rolls Royces, which definitely made for an interesting juxtaposition against the colorful and modern street art.

A laneway.

Can you imagine how long it took to spray paint that?

Exhausted from a day of nonstop walking, we took the tram back to Queen’s for dinner.  Then we went back out to catch the end of the St. Kilda music festival.  On the tram I had my first taste of “goon,” which is the term for crappy boxed wine, the Australian equivalent of a thirty-rack of watery American beer.  It’s not that bad though (at least it's sweet), and it got me nice and ready for the coolest concert experience I’ve ever had, hands down.

The street leading to St. Kilda beach was closed off, and it was full of street performers (they’re called “buskers” here).  One group was a rapping reggae duo.  They were pretty cool.  Then there was a silent disco.  Imagine this: a dark tent full of twenty-somethings dancing their asses off, but it’s dead quiet.  They give everyone a pair of wireless headphones with three channels (red, blue, green, with a light indicating which one you were on so your friends could see) corresponding to the three DJs on the podium in the middle.  Even though we were all listening to different music, we were all able to rave together.  It was epic.  Everyone was smiling (I was ear to ear).  When the “silent” music ended we headed to the main venue.  I forget the name of the performer, but he was good (house music, of course). I vaguely remember passing a crowd surfer.  Again, more dancing, until he was done at about 10:30.  I went with a couple kids to a bar after because it was still relatively early.  We met these weird people in an alley on the way and talked with them for a while about random things, and then got to a pretty decent bar/club.  I only stayed for a little while, and then got on a tram to uni.  Luckily Melbourne University was the last stop on the line, because my not-so-sober self fell asleep on the.  It was really an exhausting day, but one I’ll remember for the rest of my life.

The silent disco--it sounds weird becaue you can't hear my headphones, but believe me it was awesome!

Total rave.

Tomorrow is the Melbourne Zoo.

Melbourne Welcome: Day 2

The pub last night was pretty fun.  It was a small, comfortable place.  I couldn’t tell if they’d gotten us (maybe 30 or 40 of us) a special room or if we were just the only ones there.  I was drinking Carlton Drought, but at $6 a pint I couldn’t have too many.  I might look for a part time job to offset my beer consumption, which could be really nice considering minimum wage here is so high (upwards of $16).  We chatted and played some snooker pool for a couple hours, but most of us went home by 11:30 because today was going to be an early (but incredible) day.

They woke us up at 7 for beach day.  They bussed us about an hour outside of Melbourne (west, I think) to a beach with decent beginner waves where were met by a surfing outfitter.  I was in the first group to go, so we got in our wet suits and carried boards down to the beach.  After a quick jog and a stretch (believe it or not, surfing is a strenuous workout) we learned the basics of how to paddle and get up on the board—just a five-minute lesson—and headed into the water.  Just so we’re clear on this, SURFING IS SO MUCH FUN!  I got up on just my second wave.  I’m not sure if snowboarding helped or if I just have decent balance, but I was able to ride a bunch of waves successfully, more than most of the other kids who hadn’t surfed before.  The water was comfortable, especially with a wet suit. I was smiling the whole time.  I can’t wait to surf again, and I can’t believe I had never tried it until now.  So fun.

Touch beach rugby

The boardwalk, ominous clouds, and white surf

Ocean grove beach

Unfortunately, I din't have a picture of me actually surfing, so I'll have to go again to prove it.  Tough life.

The rest of the day we spent hanging out on the beach while the other groups surfed.  We had fish and chips for lunch, which was deliciously greasy.  The ketchup (no tartar sauce) tasted more earthy/spicy and less sweet than American Heinz.  We just hung out, talked, and played beach games for a few hours.  We moved up to the pier when the tide came in.  To be honest, the weather wasn’t great.  It was overcast most of the time, and rained a little bit.  I still managed to get sunburned, though (this whole ozone depletion thing is pretty intense in Australia, and you burn really quickly).  I’ll have to have another beach day when the weather is nicer.

We’re back at Queen’s College for dinner now.  Tonight the hosts are taking us on a bar crawl to see some of the good places to go in the city, which I’m looking forward to.  (There’s also an option of a movie, but who would pass up a bar crawl for that?)

Melbourne Welcome: Day 1

This is only my third day in Melbourne, but I feel like I’ve been here for a couple weeks already.  I think that’s a good sign, since it means I’m really enjoying this city.  But seriously, what’s not to love, especially since classes won’t start for a few weeks.

Anyway, today has been an exhausting day.  It was the first day of Melbourne Welcome, an international student orientation program based at Queen’s College.  Queen’s is one of the residential colleges just North of campus.  It’s surrounded by a fence and has its own quad, so it seems more self-sustaining than a residential college at Princeton.  We all have singles; bathrooms are unisex.

After lunch and a quick safety/sunscreen briefing, we split into our host groups.  Mine is small but diverse; girls from Barcelona, Colombia, China, and the rest of us are from the states (California, Maryland, Michigan, and, of course Boston).  Our “host” is a fourth-year (a.k.a. honors) student.  We started with the usual icebreakers (two truths and a lie, etc.).

Once we knew each other’s names, we went on a scavenger hunt in the CBD.  We went around to different stores and sites, took pictures, and collected things to earn points in a competition against the other host groups.  It was tremendously tiring, but so much fun.  It turns out the part of the CBD I saw yesterday on my errands was only a tiny fraction, and there is so much more.  This city is really amazing.  I took a tram for the first time.  I took a photo modeling a $400 piece of lingerie at a department store.  I rode on the longest escalator in the southern hemisphere.  We got on the subway, too, and had to get off and take a photo at each stop.  It was exhilarating because the doors only stay open for a few moments, so we had to sprint out of the train, pose in front of the station sign, and run back on before the train left.  People must have thought we were pretty strange running around the platform like that.

We were going so fast that I wasn't able to take too many pictures, but I did grab a few shots...

Chinatown, where we had to find an obscure Asian grocery item for under $1.

Of course, I was interested in the trains... these commuter trains are EMUs (electric multiple units) manufactured by Alstom, very similar to the ones I "crash tested" at the Volpe Center.  Of course, there were no accidents on our trip.

The Victorian parliament building.

When we got back to Queen’s (exhausted, of course) we ate dinner and now we have a bit of down time.  In a few minutes most of us are going out to a pub (an Irish-sounding joint a few blocks away).  Tomorrow we’re spending the day at the beach, including surfing.  Supposedly they won’t let you surf if you’re hung over, but how will they know, really?

Things I've noticed...

Some things I've noticed about Australia (or, at least Melbourne) so far:

1. You don't pronounce the 'r' in Melbourne; it's pronounced 'Melbin' (think of that with an Aussie accent)
2. There seem to be people here from all over the world.  A lot of Asians and Indians, which makes geographic sense.  There's a lot of Halal food, so there must be a significant Muslim population, too.  St. Kilda East is the Jewish district.  It's a melting pot.
3. They drive on the left.  This is really hard to get used to, especially when crossing streets because traffic is coming from the right (I look both ways multiple times).  When I went to sit in the front seat of the airport shuttle, I went to the wrong side at first, as the wheel is on the right.  If I ever drive here or in New Zealand, I'll have to take it slow at first so I don't screw up.
4. Everyone is friendly, and they like to call you "mate," "champ," and things like that.
5. Everything is expensive.  I'm talking $5 for a slush, at least $10 for a sandwich, etc.  It's kind of like paying for the snack food at a movie theatre.  The AUD is a bit stronger than the USD, too, which doesn't help.  I'll have to be frugal in some areas so I can really splurge on exciting things.
6. If you know me at all, you know the first thing I usually notice about a place is what cars people drive.  It's really fascinating.  Some cars are the same as we have in the US, but with a different name (i.e. Honda Fit is called Honda Jazz), while some have the same names as ours, but are different cars (Toyota Corolla, for example).  They have some brands we don't get stateside, like Alpha Romeo, Vauxhall, etc.  Audis are popular, and there's an Audi dealership two blocks from me with a mouthwatering display (including an R8).  A lot of motorcycles.  The toyota Hilux is pretty popular (think an Australian version of the Tacoma pickup), often with a snorkel intake.  One interesting car is the Ford Falcon.  Its a two-seater with a pickup bed, like a new-age El Camino, and I can't seem to decide whether it's a car or a pickup.  A lot of people seem to be getting away with bald tires (it never snows here).  People drive pretty loud and fast.
7. UMelb advertises as the best university in Australia.  I'm curious how it compares to Princeton, one of the best in the US.  Hopefully it will be challenging and interesting, but not as stressful and competitive.

Day 2

My internal clock is still not adjusted, so it was a weird night.  I thought I was going to take a quick nap, but when I woke up it was dark out.  I didn't know what time it was, since I still hand't hooked up the internet or gotten a phone, so I just watched a movie and fiddled on my computer until it was light out.

I walked around campus a bit this morning to try and find a public computer to check my email (I needed to get my WiFi access code so I could use the internet in my apartment).  It's really nice.  Plenty of trees and park-type areas.  A mixture of modern architecture and more traditional styles.  Very clean.  It almost reminds me of Florida, but that might also just be the weather.  I'm only a two-minute walk from campus.  In fact, the engineering buildings are closest to where I am.

Once got my internet set up, I was able to look up the location of a grocery store so I could make some breakfast.  The one I went to first was in Melbourne Central, a mall in the nearby central business district (CBD).  I couldn't buy everything I needed in one trip because it was too much to carry, so I got the basics and walked back to my apartment.  Food here is expensive.

After breakfast, I went back to Melbourne Central to buy a SIM card for my phone.  Considering how expensive everything here is, prepaid mobile phone rates actually seem quite reasonable.  After I bought the card, I walked around a bit in the mall and a few blocks around it.  This city is pretty bustling.  I'm really starting to like it.

I walked today, but the trams are a popular method of transportation.  Think Green Line C trolley, only the tracks are level with the street (you can walk across them, although I don't think you're supposed to).  There's also an underground subway in the CBD, I think.

Some New York-caliber buildings

This old lead pipe factory is actually inside Melbourne Central, under a huge glass canopy.  Pretty cool.

The library.  Plenty of people were hanging out on the lawn in front.

One of the tram lines uses these old-fashioned trolleys.

Some pretty swanky architecture here.

On my way home, I stopped at a different grocery store to pick up the rest of the things on my list.  Turns out, this one is a few blocks closer to me, and the prices seem lower.  Interestingly, there were only a few carts in the store, and no baskets.  Everyone had their own shopping bag that they used to hold things and carry them out, and they don't provide plastic bags like other supermarkets (very green, I'm impressed).  It's actually a pretty good solution for a store with limited floor space, since there are no carts clogging the isles.  A lot of things were in boxes, sort of mini-Costco style.  (I used an empty box as my "shopping bag.")

Now I have pretty much everything I need and I'm settled in.  The Melbourne Welcome program starts tomorrow morning at 10, and I'll be staying in a residential college (a.k.a. a dorm) for those few days.  I'm not exactly sure what the plan is, but I'm pretty sure it involves surfing and sleeping outdoors for a night.  Sounds fun, I'm excited!

My apartment

So there was a slight hiccup moving in, because I didn't realize I was supposed to check in at the main apartment office (UniLodge), not at my actual building.  I looked at my email and found the proper location.  Luckily, I had obsessed enough over Google maps to have a pretty good idea of where things are around here, so I made it to my check-in appointment with time to spare and filled out all the paperwork to get the key.  This is exciting...

So it turns out the apartment is even smaller than it seemed in the pictures.  But it's still very nice.  I have a great view of the downtown Melbourne skyline from my 6th floor window (well, actually, it's the 7th floor if you count the American way).  Everything is very modern and in good shape.  It's a very comfortable apartment, so I'm going to have to make a conscious effort to leave it as much as possible.

Anyway, here are some pics..

I'd need a fisheye to get the whole bathroom in one shot

Finally, my own kitchen!

Bachelor pad... well, sort of

For sleeping?

My view (1)

My view (2)

My view (3)

I landed!

I landed.  This is awesome.  By the way, the A380 was incredible: enormous (a flying hotel, really), comfortable, pretty good food, good service, and ahead of schedule.  The first thing I’ve noticed is that the airport customs people here are very friendly.  There seem to have been a bunch of UMelb study abroad students on my flight, so now I’m waiting with them for a ride to our apartments.  Oh, and the weather here is amazing.

This might give you an idea just how big the A380 is...

Expectations and Goals

So, here goes.  My first post…

I must admit, I was pretty nervous when my mom dropped me off at Logan this afternoon.  I haven’t been out of the country since high school except for Canada (which is really part of the US anyway), and this will be the longest I’ve ever lived away from home.  Until now, this all seemed kind of informal, but now that it’s really happening I’ve got some butterflies.  I actually met a kid on my flight from Ithaca College (he lives near Worcester) who’s going to be at UMelb also, and that calmed me down a bunch.  He’s pretty cool.  I’m pretty sure there will be no shortage of cool people in Melbourne.

Right now I’m sitting in the international terminal at LAX.  The flight from Boston was pretty uneventful, save for the rough landing (I think an air mask actually came down somewhere) and the fact that they don’t feed you on domestic flights.  The plane (B767) was not full, so I had room to spread out.  The movie they showed was pretty weak, so I queued up V for Vendetta instead (great decision). I stayed awake for the whole flight so I’ll be tired on the next leg and arrive in Melbourne tomorrow morning ready to start my first day in Australia.

Speaking of the next leg, this is the part I’m really excited for.  I chose to fly Qantas because they fly the new Airbus A380.  You know you’re a nerdy mechanical engineer when you chose a flight because you want to gawk at a huge airplane.  But seriously, this is pretty cool: two stories along the entire length; snack bars; staircases, lounges, the whole shebang.  My entire house would fit inside this plane.  Until now, the A380 seemed like a myth I only know through YouTube, but tomorrow morning I, along with 449 others, will arrive in Melbourne on the largest and most luxurious wide-body jet ever built.

So I guess it might be smart to hash out some of my goals and expectations so I can see in June if this was all worthwhile….

Expectations:

1.     I know Melbourne is a pretty substantial city.  It’s got a reputation of being a really cultural city, with lots of food, entertainment, bars, etc., but not as much of a hard-core party/club city as Sydney.  We’ll see if that image holds up.  I hear there’s a ton to do, and I’ve been instructed (Thanks, T) to try everything.

2.     Melbourne is supposed to have less Americans than Sydney, which is really good.  After all, I’m not flying halfway around the world to hand out with Americans.

3.     Australians have a reputation for being really outdoorsy.  I brought a sleeping bag, and I plan to use it.

4.     According to trusted sources, the women are beautiful.  Enough said.

5.     I have this picture in my head of what my apartment (flat) will be like.  I know it’s small, but that’s just a good reason not to spend a lot of time in it.

6.     UMelb (the “uni”) is supposed to be a great school.  I’m hoping my classes won’t be too hard, but I know the engineering classes aren’t a cakewalk.  But let’s be honest, I don’t really intend on studying all that much.

7.     I am so excited to be surrounded by the Australia accent.  It always makes me happy.

Goals:

1.     Get away from Princeton, both physically and mentally.  Check.  There are a lot of things at Princeton I need a break from.  I was starting to feel really burnt out last semester, and this trip should be exactly what I need to unwind and reset so I can come back senior year ready to finish strong.

2.     Meet lots of people.  Hopefully I’ll get better at remembering names along the way.

3.     Try a ton of new things:

a.     Surfing?

b.     Vegemite?

c.      Foster’s (although supposedly its hard to actually find in Australia)?

4.     See the Great Barrier Reef.  Scuba dive?

5.     Tour New Zealand.  It’s one of the four places I need to see before I die (Italy, Alaska, and Machu Pichu are the other three).  More on this later.

6.     Do well in school (without trying too hard).  I’ll have to get used to the Aussie system.  That being said, I don’t want school to get in the way.  Studying dominates Princeton culture in a way I don’t like, so this is an opportunity to really branch out as a student.

7.     Have fun.

8.     Have a blast.

9.     Enjoy every minute.

Things I’m looking forward to:

1.     Everything.

2.     Living independently (finally).  Cooking for myself (no more dining hall food).

3.     Good weather.

4.     Good (and beautiful) people

5.     New Zealand.

6.     Visiting Sydney.

7.     Barrier Reef, camping, hiking, etc.

8.     The Australian Grand Prix in March—the first race of the 2012 Formula1 season

9.     Everything

Well, that should be enough for now.  Congratulations if you made it to the bottom of this post.  Thanks for reading.  Keep checking in, hopefully I’ll be good about posting.