Busy Little Vegemite

First instance major instance of me having to repeat to myself, “It's not weird, just different.”, occurred at dinner on Tuesday. A returning fresher wore light skinny jeans and a pair of tan Ugg boots. Indeed, it was a boy. It was certainly a sight to throw an American off. Just thought I would share the image.

Recently I've been weighing whether getting a job would be a good or a bad thing. These thoughts have been influenced by my recent agenda of making travel plans. This is quite difficult since many things, like money restraints, timetables, and travel companions can all change what is possible for me to do. I've had tons of recommendations and several ideas. New Zealand, Melbourne, and Whitsundays seem to be at the top of my list. I will already be visiting the reef and Sydney with Dickinson. I'll also get a chance to see more of Queensland with a class I am taking in the Marine Environment department.

Speaking of Sydney...
The first wrench to be thrown into the gears of a wonderful study abroad experience was the date change of our Sydney trip. The new date coincides directly with “bunker”, the biggest college party in the southern hemisphere that is hosted by none other than Cromwell itself. It is talked about almost daily. And the recovery, the day after, is equally amazing and sometimes said to be better. I do not know everything about bunker, but I do know that it involves costumes, lots of beverage intake, and a memory no study abroad student would want to miss. So what to choose? Sydney, the wonderful capitol trip with the Dickinson crew, Ann, and Russ (our awesome tour guide for the weekend). Or bunker, the most talked about event in all of Cromwell. We are brainstorming. Decision to come.

I've got my schedule sorted out for now. No class on Fridays and class starts late on Mondays. I am very excited for my classes, Marine Environment, Contemporary Australia (mandatory culture class), Psychopathologies, and Social Neuroscience. We'll see if I can handle two upper level psych classes.

Today is Friday and people are starting to return. There is a hefty pros and cons list for this. For one, I am incredibly nervous about making good first impressions and remembering names and fitting in. The four of us from Dickinson are all starting in on their second semester so all the groups have formed and bonded. So far it has been easy to meet people since there were only a few of us, but now there are loads of people that we have to meet all at once. It is stressful. However, it is really nice to have other people on the floor instead of just Megan and I. Hopefully the initial shock will fade away and I will be able to relax and enjoy it all.