So I didn't end up sitting with either of my predictions. On all my flights (Knoxville-Chicago, Chicago-Los Angeles, LA-Sydney) I sat with guys, none of whom were overweight. Phew. My four-hour Chicago-LA flight was not an enjoyable experience. Every seat was filled, there were babies crying, and we flew through a huge cloud bank almost the entire way. Needless to say I was not looking forward to another 14 hours of that on the way to Sydney. It WAS painfully long, but I learned an important lesson in the LA terminal: Talk to people.
Seriously, do it. I met two other study abroad students that were Australia bound and we wasted away our layover chatting and walking around the disappointingly sparse international terminal. Turns out that one of them, Madeleiline, was also going to be at the University of Canberra, and the other one, Robin, was sitting right in front of me all the way to Australia. New friends, coupled with the fact that there was an empty seat beside me and the hospitality of Qantas Airlines made for a bearable flight. Besides getting two full and surprisingly decent meals, the airline gives you a little pouch with a lanyard, toothbrush, eye mask, and socks. I'm not sure what made them decide on socks, but I've got a pair now.
I mentioned in my first post that I would probably forget something important. Well, I did. I left my glasses on my desk at home, in their case, ready to be packed. I suppose I'll be surviving on contacts for a while. Good thing I've got enough.
My flight schedule worked out so that I ended up having a full day in Sydney, which is nice because I've decided that it is the cleanest and most beautiful city I've ever been to. It is, in all seriousness, breathtaking. I didn't even spend any money on tours or ferries and had a fantastic time walking around downtown, to the harbor bridge, Opera House, and the Royal Botanical Gardens. On top of that, it was 70 degrees and sunny, and it's the middle of winter down here.
It is, in all seriousness, breathtaking.
Arrival in Canberra was not as spectacular as I'd hoped. It was rainy and cold, and reminded me of Knoxville in November. I checked in, moved in and then walked to the mall which is about five minutes away. I needed basic things like bedding and toiletries, but wasn't expecting to pay as much for them as I did. At first I thought it was my math with the exchange rate, but everything here is pretty expensive. I paid 35 Australian Dollars for a set of sheets, and 54 for a quilt. Crap. This is going to be more expensive than I thought.
There was, however, a free barbeque dinner tonight for arriving students, where I met people from Kuala Lumpur, China, England, Mexico, Lithuania, Sweden, Japan, Canada and some other Americans, including Madeleine who I'd met at LAX. Everyone hung out and got to know each other, and then watched the rugby game (Australia vs. South Africa) while the Aussies who were there explained everything about the game to us. Part of our "orientation" the next day was to go bowling with one of the Senior Residents (like an RA), who then took us to the bar, where they gave the new foreigners a couple free jugs (pitchers) of beer. I doubt that would go over well in the States.
It's just been five days since I left, but I've made lots of interesting new friends and been to lots of new places. Although things will only settle down from here, I am excited to see what the rest of the week has in store for me.
I was told the other day that my accent wasn't "that bad," for an American. No worries mate.
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