Around Brisbane

Drinking beer for the first time with a girl from McGill
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It's been a few days because I've been out and about for a while, and sometimes this website goes wonky and doesn't let me update. Anyway, I've just been around Brisbane and actually doing other things besides collecting supplies for my apartment. In the past few days, I've met a lot more people, either other students in my apartment building or other people form McGill. The other day I went to the Gallery of Modern Art to see the Andy Warhol exhibit there which was really nice. Yesterday, two McGill friends and I went to the man-made beach in the city, which was pretty nice considering it was public and free. The three of us tried Aussie beer for the first time. When we asked the bartender what he'd recommend, he gave us a bottle to try between the three of us for free, which was pretty awesome. We couldn't imagine a North American bartender giving away a beer like that...but if you ever want a free beer, just say you've arrived in the country two days before and that this is your very first time trying it. Maybe it'll work. It worked for us!

A beach in the middle of Brisbane? Okay!
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We met up with two other McGill girls and went to a 24-hour pancake house for dinner. We've been finding that everything is so expensive here! I guess it's just city life, but I've been consistently paying above fifteen dollars for a modest meal that usually doesn't even taste like it was worth the money. I did eat the most delicious milk shake there though. Although I love eating in restaurants with friends, here I'll have to eat dinner and then go out. Even buying liquor in a store is more expensive though, compared to the dollar. It'll take some getting used to, I guess.

Brisbane River on a rainy day...can't remember if I already posted this photo.
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After dinner, they were all going out, but by the time I got home, I had a migraine from the sun earlier in the day. I've been wearing sunscreen, but I forgot my hat, so I think next time I'll definitely have to shelter myself more. I can't let these stupid headaches keep me from having fun.

Today I had my first day of orientation. It was totally different than McGill's Orientation, which is sponsored by Boreal beer and is centered around copious drinking. Today's orientation was just about how to enroll in classes, etc. There were a few interesting things, like a breakdown of all the international students. The most were from Singapore, US, Canada, and China, which were around 200-250 from each country. But most countries just had a few people. I met a lot of people around school, which was nice.

The banyan fig tree I love so much.
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It's weird how fast things go from being totally foreign to something that seems perfectly normal. A few days ago I had no idea how "Australia" worked, how to get to school, where other cities were on the map, or anything. I had to figure it all out, which I'm proud of. I'm one of the people who's been in Brisbane the longest, and I've found myself helping newer students and organizing social events. It's nice I guess, because I'm kinda shy and quiet by nature, and I'm not usually the one that gushes friendliness at everyone and talks to everyone within listening distance. Two of the girls I've been hanging out with are like that though, so after they do the initial introductions of random new people, I step up and try to make conversation. I kinda miss home although I'm trying not to. I think one of the most special things in the world is having a relationship with people you feel comfortable with. I love, love travelling, but I think I'll always miss having familiarity with me. But that's what the internet is for, and I know my time here will fly by.

Botanic Gardens.
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UQ (my school) has some really good programs, and they have (relatively) cheap adventure excursions, which range from scuba diving to camping trips on some of the best islands off the coast. I'd really like to do horseback riding with them and definitely a two-day camping trip to Fraser Island with a group. The group of girls I've been hanging out with are planning on going to the Gold Coast this weekend. We're going to try to learn how to surf. I'm not very coordinated, so we'll see how that goes, but still, it's completely unreal that I can go surfing on weekends!

It's weird being so far from everything I'm used to, but I know this is such a great opportunity for me. :-)