and so it officially begins...

so classes started this week. whooaaa there. wasn't quite expecting those to actually happen...but they did and i think im becoming a better person for it. haha. but lets re track back to this weekend. i mean, honestly, it really wasn't that interesting. i went out originally to the Turf Club next door with everyone but then i got bored, so i left and came back upstairs and went to sleep. i was just burnt out from the week chock full o'stuff. on saturday, we went into the city...per usual...and explored some more but that was good. got some crepes that were delicious and found some nice little shopping stops for the future. saturday night, we all stayed in and everyone came up to our room to watch the footy game. it was a good evening. however, all of us were a little "p-o'ed" at andy and louis because they actually WENT to the game and didnt tell anyone. losers. but we all had a good time just chilling and capped our night off with some gelato on lygon street which wasn't as good as the other place we had went to...but at least we know that now for the future.

sunday is when the sickness hit me. not home-sickness...actually sickness. it was nooo good. i basically stayed in bed all day long and was miserable. i was really annoyed because it was the day before the first day of classes and i was sick. so, that was sunday.

monday the first day of classes hit and i was miserable. worse than sunday but i trenched my way torridly through my 4 classes...with a nice 1.5 hr nap in between. but all i wanted to do for the entire day was go to sleep. all day long. it was actually the most miserable first day of classes that i've ever dealt with because i was sick but im glad the last couple of days have trumped monday.

so tuesday and wednesday were alright though. classes here are really really really big. put it this way, my global politics class is in a theatre that probably seats about 300 people and there are still people sitting in the aisles and in the back of the theatre because there is no room. insane, i know. i really like that class, my european history class (my old professor is adorable) and im starting to kinda dig my genetics & the evolution of life course. i had my "prac" today (lab) which was very overwhelming when i got there. so i get there...on time and what not and im used to a lab with maybe 15 people max and there is about 100 people in my lab. LAB. a little crazy, ya think? but, i get there...and then everyone starts whipping out their white lab coats from their bags and i start getting a little worried. NO ONE gave me the memo that i needed to BUY a lab coat. i mean, really? we don't do that in the states. no worries though...i was able to rent one for the class free of charge...but you know where I went after my classes today...to buy a lab coat. books are also cheaper here overall which is nice...but still expensive nonetheless...so thats that. but i was really scared of "prac" and it ended up not being that bad...so hopefully it goes well this semester because its 25% of your grade! crazy. i know. i've also learned that for most classes you really dont have to go to lecture here. honestly, the professors dont really say much besides what they put online...but i'm going to go anyways because going to class here is kinda fun. i mean, classes are only 1 hour long and actually end up usually only being 45 minutes so its different...but nice.

i've also tried to be very observant about things recently...you know taking everything in. so here are some differences that i've noticed from the states. 1) its ok to eat by yourself here...its actually more than ok...its normal. i feel that in the states its basically weird and almost socially unacceptable to eat by yourself but here everyone does it and no one thinks your a loner or anything. 2) there building can be very deceiving. some of the academic buildings are gorgeous on the outside and inside...and then some are pretty standard and plain looking on the outside, but on the inside they are crazy hi-tech and gorgeous. its a little strange. 3) the price of eating here is actually cheaper...at least compared to DC. not only can you get a sushi roll for $2.00, yes 2.00 but also everything else is really cheap too. you can eat a full lunch for about 5.00 here but back home...its about 10.00. its actually really strange because things tend to be more pricey here in terms of food usually but then its cheaper? i dont really know...4) people get really really really dressed up to go to class. this was the shocker. they told us to be cautious of this when we were packing to come here but i thought they were over-exaggerating...definitely not. its a true statement. you will rarely find a girl wearing sweats (and if they do...they get strange looks). and not only do the girls and guys get dressed. they get dressed. skinny jeans, leather boots, sweaters, skirts with tights...the works. its intense. i thought that i got dressed up to go to class...you haven't seen anything. i think its definitely more similar to europe in this sense and especially in the fashion sense.

alright. well, i think thats definitely enough for now. i really haven't been out in a few days due to my illness but i think im going to go hang out tonight. on a wednesday night? i know...scandalous. haha. so, hopefully that'll be a good time which i'm sure it will be because all the australians are here now! yay! i'll probably be updating on friday or saturday so until then...

g'day mate!