Orientation and Women's College

So I have been busy orientating (well busy might be a little strong). But I have a little bit to report about my College (Women’s College), which is like my dorm, and about the University. Mostly the orientation stuff has been basic stuff you would expect from any orientation, although there was one memorable session about safety in Australia, ie which snakes/spiders/sealife to avoid and how. Other than that I have just been trying to explore campus and learn my way around and finalize my schedule (I’m almost there, thank goodness). Around my college I have met a few other girls, but most won’t move in until Sunday, so it’s pretty empty. My college has a weekly ‘formal dinner,’ where we have to dress up (no jeans, no ‘thongs’ (flipflops)) and put on academic robes (really??). This meal is compulsory (mandatory) and if for some reason I cannot attend, I have to write a letter of apology to the president of the college, Dr. Aitken, who, by the way, is Scottish and very sweet. My college also gets free membership to the gym, which is great. A fun fact about Queensland is that the sun is very strong here. Apparently the hole in the ozone layer, which I always thought of as kind of a hypothetical thing, is actually located above Queensland. When summer comes, if I am outside for any amount of time I am expected to wear spf 30+ no matter what. They have the highest rate of skin cancer in the world here. Two interesting pieces of Australian terminology: When I ask the girls who have already started classes what they have been up to that day, they don’t say they went to class, they say ‘I had Uni’ (as in University). Also I went to the “lolly shop” the other day and bought candy, but it is actually called ‘lollies.’ I didn’t buy lollipops, that is just apparently the word for candy. I think that is about it for now. I start Uni on Monday, but if anything interesting happens before then I will let you know.

PS this whole entry was very grammatically and logistically confusing, so props to anyone who understood everything I said.