random things...

So I just got some great news! I just got the course reader for my final class and...no exam! This means that I do not have exams for any of my classes, which means I will be able to leave around mid June, instead of mid July.

Yes, I do like it here a lot, but I would also like to see my friends and family, and there is no point in staying any longer here if I am done with all my classes and if I have traveled around.

So there is something that I have realized in the past few days...I don't care if it sounds corny or sappy. It doesn't matter where you are in the world, if you around the ones you love you will find happiness.

Why am I saying this? Well, because I am in Australia, and the people I love are in the U.S. Being here is weird for me; a very new experience. It isn't the same as being away at school. Coming here alone has lead to me experiencing many new things. I am forced to deal with not having any familiar faces to look at. I do not have the comfort of knowing anybody prior to coming here. I cannot visit home for a weekend, and I can hardly even talk to the people back home because of the 16 hour time difference. Not that I am unhappy here, it is just a lot to adjust to. But, I am glad that I came, and I feel that I will experience a lot of changes due to the circumstances. I am forced to meet new people, because if I don't then I won't know anybody here. I am enjoying the process, and I am meeting a lot of cool people along the way. It feels like I have been gone for longer that two weeks, I guess just because I have been pretty busy. But I do miss everyone from home, and I would love to hear from you (email, blog comments, facebook messages, Skype).

Enough of that...

So I will be booking my surfing trip pretty soon I think, and I am very excited about that. I'm not totally sure what I will be doing for spring break yet, but I will be booking something soon I think.

So I had my first serious lecture today (last week was all orientation/class info stuff), and woweee was my hand tired! I swear this lady never stopped talking. Slide after slide after slide! And no I'm not a slow writer, messy yes, but not slow; everyone else around me kept groaning just as I did as the lecturer would change slides before we could get everything down. And it's not like she's even reading from the slides, she is talking about something to do with the topic on the slide. So apparently we are supposed to be able to process everything on the slide, write it down with extreme precision and speed, while simultaniously listening to her example/story. I think I might need a second brain for these lectures!

This big school thing is a dramatic change for me; Niagara only has about 3,200 students, and Macquarie has 30,000. I like certain things about this school being so big: lots of cool people, amazing facilities, beautiful women, good sports teams, lot of clubs/organizations, a great education, and people from all over the world (8,000 international students). But, I am definitely used to talking to the professors more and actually having them know my name (actually during last semester one of my grades was based on if the professor knew my name or not, lol). But, I am saying this before attending any tutorials, which are supposed to be smaller groups, so I will have to see how that goes.

I feel somewhat disconnected from the U.S. right now, so keep me updated!

I would like to take a moment of silence for the loss of Brian Dawkins...
No he isn't dead, but he did get signed by the Denver Broncos, and that's big enough of a loss for me. What a great player and a great person, he will be missed by Philadelphia and all Philadelphia Eagles fans.

Well, that's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading. :-)