University of Queensland (Uni)

The past week marked the first week of classes. As such I thought I would take some time to tell you about the University of Queensland and the courses that I will be taking while I am here. The University of Queensland (or Uni as everyone refers to it here) is located in the Brisbane suburb of St. Lucia. It is located on a bend in the river so it is surround by river on 3 sides. I often opt to walk to campus (it is about a 20 minute walk from my apartment) however, I can also take the City Cat ferry or a bus, both of which have stops conveniently located right by my apartment!

Campus is absolutely gorgeous. Instead of a quad, the middle of campus contains the great court (a much cooler name if you ask me). It is surrounded by a ring of gorgeous sand stone buildings. These are by far the most beautiful buildings on campus. As I would imagine is true for most campuses of this size (there are 40,000 students on the St. Lucia campus of the Uni of Qld alone), there is pretty much everything you could imagine on campus. There are around 100 buildings on campus, including 11 libraries, a few cafes, the student union (complete with several restraunts, cafes and a bar), a dentist office, hair salon and more that I probably haven’t even come across yet. There is also a fresh fruit stand set up every day on campus and a miniature market that is on campus every Wednesday. You could literally get along on campus without ever leaving.

The educational system in Australia is quite different from the states. Students enter the uni at 17 and take 3 years of classes to acheive their degree. There is no focus on the liberal arts education that is given so much credence in the states. Students that desire to extend their studies can take an honors year following the first three years which is much like a masters back home. Following this year they are pushed directly into a phd program which is completed in 2 to 3 years. Another thing of interest is the idea that many of the professional programs in the US are more like undergraduate degrees. When I told one Aussie student that I was studying chemistry and then planned to go into grad school for physical therapy (physio) he asked me why I didn’t do that in the first place. I have since learned that in Australia physio is a 4 year degree that begins your first year of uni. Similarily, pharmacy begins your first year and is completed in 5 years and med students begin in their first year and are in school for 7 years. All in all, Aussie’s are completed with their degrees much sooner than studnets in the states.

My classes over the course of the semester should be both interesting and a bit challenging. I am taking Biological Chemistry while here so that I can officially be completed with my chemistry degree back home. This class will be the most challenging I am taking by far both because it is the most advanced class I am enrolled in and because I am finding that my chemistry background is slightly different from students that have undertaken their entire course (or degree) in Australia.

I am also taking a class titled Introduction to Philosophy: Ethics and Policy as part of my general education requirements back home. I think this class will be interesting because the textbook seems to be written from the American prospective and in class we are given the Australian prospective. Although this seems to generally coincide in terms of ethics the focuses seem to be different between the two cultures which should make for some interesting observations over the class. Another aspect that I find interesting about this class is that it functions as both a first year course and a graduate (or post-grad) level course. Both levels are attend the same lectures and are mixed into the same tutorials. The only difference between the two is that the post-grads much write essays that are 500 words longer for the two assignments we have over the course of the semester.

My last two classes are my chance to learn a bit more about Australia during my time here. I am taking a course entitled Australian Popular Culture that introduces us to what exactly is Australian Popular Culture after which we will choose an aspect of Australian Popular Culture to perform a cultural study on. It should be an interesting investigation into Australian culture. Like my philosophy class, this class also functions as both a undergraduate and post-graduate class.

My final class is Torres Strait Islander Studies and is an aboriginal studies class. I am most excited for this class as I think it will be the most unique to my experience in Australia. A lot of the focus of this class will be on the aboriginal way of life which will trickle down into how the class is run. The class will be much more discussion based and in an effort to learn the culture better we will be doing things such as sitting in a circle of chairs rather than at desks being lectured at. At the end of the semester we will have the opportunity to learn a aboriginal dance and to participate in weaving. The class will end with a celebration as the aboriginal culture has a celebration whenever they end anything.

My first week of class was a good introduction to everything I will be doing over the semester. This week classes are actually beginning in earnest and meeting at all of the scheduled times. Some observations I have had from the past week or so:

* Most classes consist of a lecture and a tutorial. During the lecture the professor simply stands in front of the class and reads from their lecture notes (some a little more so than others). You are supposed to take notes during this time; however, when you do take notes they tell you that you don’t have to as the lecture notes will be posted at the end of the class. I have yet to figure out exactly what my role as a student in these classes is and find it very difficult to not take notes as I guess that is how I have been conditioned. It makes it very easy to identify the American students in the class.

* Professors and lecturers ask that you call them by their first name instead of a more formal title.

* Students dress up for class here way more than in the states. No sleeping until 5 minutes before class here.

* The Australian idea of a milkshake is very different from that in the states. I was at a cafe yesterday afternoon and ordered a strawberry milkshake. When I received it I was surprised to get a class of strawberry flavored milk. It apeared to have been stirred the way milkshakes are made back home but was not thick at all.

* Sausage sizzles are very popular on campus and you can find one going on at any time any day. As far as I can tell this is the most popular barbeque meal in Australia. It consists of a grilled sausage (very different than hot dogs if you ask any Aussie and they do taste different) with grilled onions on bread. Tomato sauce (ketchup) and less often mustard (apparently it is really more of an American thing) can be added but often are not.

I had intended to include pictures of campus in the post but haven’t had time to add them yet. Watch for them later in the week.

Welcome to Brisbane: O-Week

This past week (O-week) has been a blur of orientation activities. The week has been full of information sessions and registration to prepare us for our time in Australia and at the Uni. This week has been an introduction into Aussie culture and lifestyle. I have been surprised at the number of cultural differences I have experienced over this past week. It is easy to think that there won’t be many differences here in a westernized, English speaking country; however, I have learned that this is not the case.

My first introduction into the Aussie lifestyle was on Sunday when we arrived in Brisbane. We traveled from Cairns to Brisbane on Sunday as a group of AustraLearn students. I was quite happy that I was one of the lucky people to receive both of my bags: one of the perks of being the only person in the group to not have heavy tags stuck on my bag making mine the last two to make the flight. The flight to Brisbane was great because I was seated next to the window and was able to see the coastline since everything was so clear. When we arrived in Brisbane things started to get a bit more interesting. We were met at the airport by a car service sent courtesy of the university to take us to our accommodation. When we arrived at our apartment we were met by Tyler, another AustraLearn student who had arranged his own flight and had arrived at 8 that morning. He was still waiting outside when we arrived at 4. The driver dropped us off, and we waited around for a bit hoping the realtor would arrive. Fortunately she arrived shortly after we arrived and we were able to get into our rooms for the night. That was about all we were able to do for the day because everything closes at 3 pm on Sunday afternoons.

On Monday we received a full introduction into the “No Worries” attitude held by Aussies. We tried to attend the first information session for new international students but learned that it was full despite arriving 20 minutes early. We intended to return for the repeat of the session later in the day – but plans rapidly changed as the day went on. We headed over to E.L. Properties in the afternoon to sign our lease. Unbeknownst to us, this would be a 5 hour process lasting most of the day. We got lost on the public transit system on our way to the place turning what should have been a 10 minute trip into an hour long trip. Once we arrived we wait for half an hour to meet with the correct agent and then spent over 3 hours signing the lease despite the fact that everything was paid for and taken care of before we arrived. Small talk is definitely a bigger part of the culture here than back home and they don’t hold the same “time is money attitude” of the states. Although this will be nice once everything is settled it is frustrating when you have lots to finish and very few hours to complete it. After we finished the lease signing we rushed over to the mall to get a few necessities (like food) before 5 when everything closes. I think this “no worries” attitude will be great once things get settled but it has made it hard to get everything settled since arriving.

Not all of the culture differences I have experienced this week have been as frustrating, in fact some of them have been rather nice. Morning tea is a huge part of the day here. During many of orientation sessions we would have a break mid-morning for tea. At these breaks they served tea, coffee, juice, pastries and fresh fruit. The fruit here is amazing! We had a similar break today at the church I went to this morning. The service started with a period of worship music followed by a break for morning tea. After the 20 minute break for tea and fellowship we regathered for the teaching portion of the service. Although this seemed a bit unusual at first it definitely encourages fellowship as people aren’t in a hurry to rush of to their next activities. I especially enjoyed this time as it was one of my first chances to meet other Aussie students from UQ as most of them are just starting to return to the Uni from their winter break.

Sport (as they call it here) is also an extremely big part of the culture. On Saturday night we went down to a pub in downtown Brisbane to watch the big Australian Walabies versus the New Zealand All Blacks rugby match. This is the big match that everyone looks forward to as it is the big rivalry. Rugby is a rather interesting game and very different from anything I have ever witnessed before: it is more violent and unstructured than I realized. Following the tradition of the past few years, New Zealand once again won the match. Some of the crowd was very happy and but the majority was not. We all decided that we wanted to go see a match in person and also that we want to see an Aussie Rules Football game as we have been intrigued by it when we see matches on TV.

Since everything is closed on Sunday afternoons some of my flatmates and I decided to take advantage of the free time and to explore the city of Brisbane. We took a bus downtown and walked around the city. We ended up walking along the river by the botanical gardens which was gorgeous. When we arrived at the City Cat station (a public ferry that works in conjunction with the buses on the river) we decided to ride the entire route. It was a great way to see the city. I will leave you with some more trivial cultural observations from the past week and pictures from my trip around the city today.

Observations from this week:
• They sell hamburgers at McDonald’s with beets on them. I haven’t decided if that is something I want to try while I’m here.
• Aussies shorten everything. Within 5 minutes of meeting you they are bound to shorten you name. They also shorten a lot of words. For example, Brisbane is referred to as Brissy and the University is called the Uni.
• Australians drive on the left side of the road much like they do in England. By extension they also walk on the left side of the sidewalk when you.

Pictures of Brisbane:

Carins, Australia: AustraLearn Program Introduction (Pictures added!)

G’day everyone! I hope you have all been having a wonderful week! The past few days have been pretty awesome. I have gotten to learn a lot about Australian culture and experience a few of things that are uniquely Australia.

The flights over here were extremely long as expected. I had always thought O’Hare was the worst airport to have to spend time in; however, LAX has now taken that honor. Qantas airlines on the other hand has to be about the most deluxe airline in the world. In economy class we were provided with a personal video screen complete with on-demand movies, TV shows and games. We also received a menu for our meals and schedule of the flight so we could plan the activities of the next thirteen hours. The meals were pretty good and we were given lots of snacks and amenities (likes sleeping mask, toothbrush, etc.). I slept for about 7 hours of the flight and although a little cramped the flight went much better than I had hoped. Our trans-pacific flight took us to Auckland, New Zealand. From there we went to Brisbane, Australia were we had to clear customs. I was one of the lucky 6 people who lost one of their bags. Fortunately I received it the next day, but after declaring my luggage and waiting for the people in front of us to make it through customs I missed my flight to Cairns along with two other girls. We entertained ourselves in the Brisbane airport for the next 5 hours and were excited to catch the next flight out. We were met at the Cairns (pronounced Cans) airport just in time for dinner and were taken to join the rest of the AustraLearn group. Rumor has it we were lucky enough to miss out on what was dubbed a boring information session on how to be safe in a foreign country.

Our first full day in Cairns was spent at the Rainforestation, located outside the city. Our first stop was the wildlife park where we got to see and experience the animals native to Australia. We saw koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, wombats, salt and fresh water crocodiles, snakes (which some people opted to hold – no thanks!), and a cassowary (a large Australian, flightless bird). At the end of the animal viewing we had the chance to feed the kangaroos and wallabies. They are so cute and very friendly. It was definitely a very “Australian” moment and we were all talking about how in the states this type of activity would involve a petting zoo with goats. We then moved on to the Dream Walk which was an area devoted to aboriginal culture. We watched a performance of many aboriginal dances, learned how to throw a boomerang (rather unsuccessfully but in theory I know the proper technique ), learned about aboriginal spear throwing and learned how to play the didgeridoo (a traditional aboriginal instrument). I found it interesting that it takes 3 months to a year to make a didgeridoo using termites or fire and that once it is completed it is only played once before being destroyed. After lunch we went on an army duck tour of the rainforest and learned that there are very few things that are safe to eat in the rainforest. My thought it that if I am ever lost in the rainforest I will just go hungry as anything you might try to eat will likely kill you. We finished the day with the ever popular Australian Koala Picture. Those little animals, although soft and cuddly as they look, have very sharp claws and smell rather interesting. We were all excited to have our picture at the end though. In the evening I took a trip with several girls to the coast in Cairns. We watched the sunset which was gorgeous and had dinner together.

Our second full day in Australia was spent on the Great Barrier Reef. We took the Passions of Paradise boat on a two hour trip out to the reef. Four other girls and I who were certified at SCUBA got to go off from the rest of the group a bit for our dives. This was especially nice since they offered an introduction to SCUBA option for everyone else on the boat and we were able to get away from them. Our first stop on the reef was Michaelmay Bay. We took a small boat to the Banana Bommy site and did a backwards roll into the water. I was a bit concerned about getting down under the water but it was much easier than any of the dives I have made in Minnesota. We spent about 40 minutes underwater and got to see a million fish, coral, giant clams, grayfish and a “nemo” fish in a sea anemone. We also were able to swim through tunnels in the coral and rock formations. After the dive we joined the snorkelers on a small island beach. Access to the beach is very limited and it is only open certain hours of the day. It’s primary function is as a bird and turtle reserve. During peak breeding season there can be more than 20,000 pairs of birds on the island! We took a break for lunch (both for us and the fish) and then moved over to Paradise Reef. This dive was even more spectacular than the first. The colors were more vibrant and there were many more fish. We saw a puffer fish, more nemo fish, crabs, star fish, sea cucumbers, and coral that would “hid” when you passed by. I especially enjoyed this dive because Rob, our instructor) showed us all of the things we could touch. We spent another 40 minutes under water and then headed back to the boat for a trip back to Cairns.

Today we are leaving Cairns and are heading back to the airport for a flight to Brisbane where I look forward to finally being able to unpack and settle in. Congrats to those of you who have made it to the end of this rather long entry. The last few days have been a lot of fun and I had a hard time condensing things. I will leave you with a few interesting things I have noticed since I left:

• In Australia they call airplanes “aeroplains”, pronounced airoplanes.
• In Cairns, the stoplights make noises to let you know when it is safe to cross. The signal that it is safe to cross is rather comical and sounds like you have just won a game show.
• Trash cans are labeled rubbish.
• Toilets have full and half flush options to conserve water.
• Australians love their chips (read fries). We went to an Italian restaurant for dinner and were served chips along with our pasta.

Heading Down Under…

Welcome to my blog! I have decided to use this site as the best way to keep in touch with everyone while I’m gone. Not only will it allow you to check up on me as you please, but I should also easily be able to post some pictures here…which I have had lots of requests for . If you prefer email update, you can subscribe to my blog using the blogarithm link on the side bar or by clicking here. Simply enter your email address in the field on the blogarithm page. After you confirm your registration through an email they will send you, you will receive an email every time I update the site. My hope is to write an update weekly with the adventures of my past week, assuming things don’t get too busy!

I have been busy today finishing grad school applications and getting everything packed and ready to go. I leave from the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport tomorrow afternoon around 3 for the first leg of my trip to LA. All in all I will be on one plane or another for a total of 22 hours and 40 minutes (yikes!) split up between 4 different flights. I will arrive in Cairns (located on the east coast of Australia up north by the great barrier reef) around noon on July 12, which means I will be skipping the 11th when I cross over the international date line.

For the first few days, I will be in Cairns, Australia partaking in an orientation session with the AustraLearn program I will be affiliated with. After that I will be traveling down to Brisbane where I will be moving into an apartment with other international students. My first week there will consists of a university run orientation before classes begin.

That’s all for now! I hope that you will all keep in touch with me while I’m away. Either leave me comments here or drop me an email. I would love to hear how everything is going back home!

Enjoy the rest of the summer and have a great fall!