st. john's

as i have mentioned, at the university i am staying in what is called st.john's college, just john's for short. it's not really a college, it's just our version of a dorm room. but here the colleges all are very close like one community or like a big frat. there's a few americans and other international kids and mostly americans so i'm able to mingle with all the aussies which is a lot of fun. since i'm american, i'm what is known as a fresher, which is our freshman. at john's freshers basically hang out with freshers. at universities in australia, most degrees are only three years so there are freshers, sophomores, and seniors. sophs and seniors hang out together. there are a lot of rules and traditions here sort of like a frat. like the freshers sit on one side of the dining hall while the other upperclassman sit on the other. there's rules for this drink, which is like our koolaid, and if you mess up the rules you could get the whole jug of koolaid poured on your head. so most of the americans stick to water! also other rules are not hats, no cell phones, you must be wearing shoes, no pajamas. so some of the rules are intimidating but i'm just trying to roll with the flow. there are also some chants and songs they sing that i don't quite know yet but i'm sure i'll learn to love it. it's really a great place and i'm meeting so many people. most of the people on my orientation are staying some where different and it's all americans. so i'm happy to be able to experience living with the australians to really soak in their culture. next week is silly season for us which are themed parties every night so i'll definitely be meeting even more people which i'm really looking forward to. i'm trying to post some pictures of john's but it's not working....stay with me though!

some aussie fun

afternoon=arvo

breakfast=breakie

sweatpants=trackies

bathingsuit=swimmers

sunglasses=sunnies

comforter(like for your bed)=duner

making fun of=paying out

ketchup=tomato sauce

parking lot=car park

bathroom/restroom=toilet

napkin=serviete

practice=training

just some lingo i can think of off the top of my head. sometimes it can be quite confusing to talk to an aussie but it's fun to find out about all their slang. everyone here is soooo nice and friendly. and sort of oddly, they are all very funny. they are just as intrigued by us and want to learn about us just as much as we do about them. it's all still a lot of fun and i'm having a blast!

pics!!!!

here are some pics from my hotel and the zoo (yes i know the one with the kangaroo mom and joey is kind of gross that that's what it really looks like!)

australia!!!!!!

i have arrived!!!!!!!!! i know it's taken me some time to put this post up but the internet in australia is ages behind the internet in the states. so it took me a while to even get the internet set up in my room. but i have arrived safely and i'm settled into my dorm room. before i got to the university i had an orientation in a town called caloundra which is like an hour north of brisbane. the hotel we stayed at was amazing, a great view of the ocean. and we also went to the steve irwin zoo where i got to pet a koala and a kangaroo. so cute. then after three days we came to the university of sydney. here i'm staying in a college called st.johns. there are 185 people in the building. americans and aussies, mostly aussies. since i'm an american i'm condsidered a freshman, or fresher as they say. so most of the people i know are freshers. everyone is soooooo super nice. making a lot of new friends, both american and australian. i still can't believe i'm really here. i'll definitely be blogging more now that my internet is working. keep reading and comment so i know you're out there. feel free to email too: katherine.stoltenberg@trincoll.edu. miss everyone!!!!

a good read

the recent release of the movie my sister's keeper made me want to rush out and go read the book. so i did. it was incredible! i'm not a fast reader and i was even able to read it in two weeks. it was so good. i didn't want to put it down. one of the best books i've read. unfortunately, then i tried the movie. after reading the book, the movie was pretty bad. even my parents who haven't read the book said the movie was ok. so if you want to enjoy my sister's keeper to the fullest, you definitely have to read the book. AMAZING. if you don't come away with a great feeling after reading the book then made you skipped a few chapters or something. so go and read it, you'll love it, i promise!

countdown.....

less than a week. 6 days. i can't believe july 14th is approaching so rapidly. july 14th. the day i leave for australia. for 4 months. i'm excited, nervous, anxious, scared, happy. it's weird. and i still have so much to do. my biggest thing is to pack. not my forte. 6 days. wow.

VACAAAA

the past week was spent down the shore. family, friends, bike riding, puzzles, trivial pursuit, muckers, frisbee, tanning, swimming, good food, good talks, ahhhh what could be better? it truly was a great vacation. and it seemed like such a long time. i ended my vacation with my sister and mike and my cousin amy in nyc for the fireworks. even though i was the only one who really wanted to stand there for 2 hours to watch the fireworks, everyone stood right next to me without complaining. what good sports. the fireworks ended up being sooo cool. i will say that it's definitely a good experience but not something to do more than once. i was soooo exhausted when i got home all i could do was pass out. anyways.... the whole 9 days i was on vacation was amazing. i loved being with my family, being able to eat and sit on the porch for breakfast. i loved it all. now back to reality, back to working camp, and back to worrying about packing for my long trip. oh how fast it has all gone by.

countdown to australia: 8 days!!!!!!