Stuff for Today; Today Being February 6th, 2008

Folks, I have arrived! I am alive and well, have overcome the day of jetlag. The flight on the 747 was really good. I was awake for a few hours, ate dinner (but stayed away from the "chicken"), slept for a pretty solid 8 hours, then ate breakfast (and steered clear of the "omelet"). Currently searching for an apartment so I can move out of the hostel I'm staying at. Two appointments to view apartments tomorrow and hopefully I'll snag one of them so I can have a sense of "moving in" for these next several months.

Customs went very smooth - I was surprised! I saw the QUT airport reception guy and took a seat as I was the first student of 8 to be picked up. When about 5 of us had gathered I decided to count my bags: one, two, three. Shoot! I forgot to pick up my duffle bag!!! So I rushed back into the "Do Not Enter" door of the Customs area to explain my situation. My heart was racing but I was fortunate and found my bag - whew! Go figure I'd only grab the suitcase and completely forget about the duffle bag - my herring bone duffle bag at that!

The hostel is satisfactory. It's not as nice as the pictures online depicted, but it works. I've a bed, pillow, sheets, blanket, and locker cabinet. The bathrooms are surprisingly clean, and the staff is very friendly and helpful. In fact, every Australian I've met so far has been very kind.

So, my first impressions of Australia and Brisbane: absolutely amazing! The weather is warm and humid (I'm crazy because I love the heat and humidity), the city is modern and I love the architecture! Birds calling, people around, lots of shops, I'm in love! Except the Internet and phone situation, haha. Well, I take it back - it's nice not being so tied to the electronic and cellular world, but it's hard to hunt for an apartment with such limited Internet access.

Price flash: I went to Target to buy two towels, face wash and toothpaste - that cost me $35. Ouch, I know! A stamp to send a post card from Australia to the States is $1.00. Wondering where the photos are? They'll have to wait until I find a permanent apartment - can't do much with photos in these little Internet cafes.

Just for fun, today's Australian Slang Word of the Day: arvo = afternoon.

A few Australian differences I've noticed in the two days I've been here:

*kind of obvious but strange to me all the same: they drive on the opposite sides of the road
*drinking fountains are hard to come by; they live on bottles of water here
*overweight people are far and few between; when people eat fast food (i.e. Mc Donald's), they sit in and enjoy the greasy goodness
*it is acceptable for men to wear shorts that come up to their mid-thighs
*the city shuts down between 4 and 5; there is a mall that is open from 9-4 monday through thursday and until 5 on fridays - good thing I'm not a shop-a-holic!
*most everyone, including males, carry a handbag of some sort

All right, my Internet time slot is about up! Check back again soon!

-Amanda