This past week has been full of new adventures and friendships in the most livable city in Australia, Melbourne. It is still crazy to believe that I am living and studying here for the next 5 months. A couple of weeks ago it felt like an impossible dream and now I am here and boy oh boy is it everything I dreamed of and more. It's like the first day of university all over again with new faces and a whole new world of possibilities and opportunities ahead of me.
This past week has been jammed packed with activities. I arrived on Thursday, July 20th at the ripe time of 5:45am. I took the day to get adjusted, check in to the res hall and wander around the areas by campus. Over the week, Swinburne put on a bunch of Res events for all the students living on campus. Through everything from trivia, to free dinners, and dress up parties, I got to meet a ton of other local and international students and quickly started to feel more and more at home. The international office also planned different activities for all the international students, my favorite being a scavenger hunt that took us all over the city, allowing us to experience the city we will be calling home for the semester. I have always loved being in new places because it pushes you to explore and get out there in the short time you have in a place. This week did not disappoint as you can see from the photos below (musings continued after).
1 week, 3 beaches, 2 gnarly blisters, 5 free meals, 50+ miles later, I am happy and worn out in the best way possible. I can already tell this semester will be one I remember and cherish for the rest of my life. Here's to weekend trips, rooftop bars, long walks, new friendships, and a crap ton of laughter.
Xo - keleniak
p.s. Before this experience I promised myself I would do one new/slightly scary thing a week: This week that was introducing myself to a stranger, which I did about 100 times. Sometimes pushing yourself out of your comfort zone can lead to some amazing experiences and friendships. So from the tall Canadian/American studying Graphic Design, shoutout to all the people I got to awkwardly introduce myself to this week, you all rock.
p.s.s. How to speak like an Australian - Abbreviate EVERYTHING. Breakfast = brekkie. Afternoon = arvo. McDonalds = Maccas. Definitely = defo. I think you get it.