I've been in Perth 9 days!
My flight here was absolutely boring. I thought it would never end..but it did and it was SO worth it.
Everything has gone so perfectly. From thinking about applying to come here way back in November of 2007..to applying and getting accepted, to booking everything...to flying here (all my luggage made it)..to moving in and meeting tons of new really cool people..it has all worked out much more perfectly than I could ever have imagined.
The Singapore airport was absolutely gigantic! This place has 3 terminals, connected by it's own train system and each terminal if I had to guess would have as many shopping stores as one of Calgary's biggest malls. Duty free smokes and liquor? Those are the small shops...if you want you could pick up a 46" LCD TV from the Sony store. During my flight here I read a book called "A long way gone"
This is my place in the Student Village! I was one of the first people to arrive on February 2nd because my flight got in at 7:30am. I didn't have any roomates until the following Monday but I still managed to meet a ton of people. We're still missing two roomates!
I arrived just after another guy named Michael (who has the same last name as me) and so the housing lady said that my brother had just shown up, and so I made an instant friend. We hit up the Galleria shopping center the first day for groceries. The day I arrived the temperature was 38C.
This is the campus I'll be studying at starting February 23rd.
The day after I arrived I went on an adventure to Fremantle (a.k.a. Freo) with my friend Claudia which was pretty awesome, on our way down we walked around the CBD (Downtown) of Perth and saw the "Perth Eye" as she so cleverly named it. To the left are the Swan Bell Towers.
We then took the train to Freo to have fish & chips by the docks followed by some amazing gelato. At this point we were being baked by the sun which must have gotten to atleast 34C that day so we headed back north to the CBD and then back to Mount Lawley the suburb I live in.
They have Christmas trees in Perth...for real!
Even the elevators and trains are backwards..when you're walking on the sidewalk and someone is coming towards you, you are supposed to go left - NOT right! It's not just driving a car..it's a way of life.
The Beach
The first beach I got to go to in Perth was Scarborough beach on Wednesday Feb 4th. Michael, Rachel, Katherine and myself all drove there late in the afternoon. We are obviously new to town so we didn't know that a
light breeze (called the Fremantle doctor due to it's cooling effect) usually comes in the early afternoon just after the sun is its hottest. We got to the beach and it was basically a sandblaster with a small puddle of water beside it known as the Indian Ocean.. If you could run across the beach without having all your flesh torn off by the blowing sand you were alright until the massive surf with a strong rip current got you. We played in the water until we got the nerve up to run back across the beach.
I'm not complaining whatsoever - but lesson learned.
The evening continued with a night out on the town aussie style with Harold (Andre) and Kumar. The VB brand beer is not bad at $10 a jug. Enough said. (Picture left to right: Kumar, Harold, Me, Michael)
Following day..Cottesloe Beach - Michael, Paige and myself went to cottesloe beach the next day..again we went in the afternoon (you'd think we would have learned?) but some people just take forever to get ready!
Again, windy but worth it. We'll tell Paige we're going at 6am next time so we make it there by noon.
Perth Zoo
A Kangaroo!! They are so soft..
More Beach
Just can't get enough of it! Even after the sandblasting we return. By this time I'm pretty red and I have been using sunscreen.
Aussie Words for the week
The Boot -> is the trunk of a car..
Ranga -> a redheaded person...like orangutan
Cotton Bud -> Q-tip
Rubbish bin -> Garbage can
Dunny -> Washroom
Doona -> Blanket
Feral -> Disgusting
Bogan -> A Feral aussie
Mozzie -> Mosquito
Anika, Hanna, Janina, Alex, Me, Nilesh & Eddie having desert after our wonderful burgers at Little Creatures.
A complete list of who played and the stage set up.
I've been in Perth 9 days!
The Singapore airport was absolutely gigantic! This place has 3 terminals, connected by it's own train system and each terminal if I had to guess would have as many shopping stores as one of Calgary's biggest malls. Duty free smokes and liquor? Those are the small shops...if you want you could pick up a 46" LCD TV from the Sony store. During my flight here I read a book called "A long way gone"
This is my place in the Student Village! I was one of the first people to arrive on February 2nd because my flight got in at 7:30am. I didn't have any roomates until the following Monday but I still managed to meet a ton of people. We're still missing two roomates!
The Beach
More Beach
