Let me just start by painting a picture… imagine sitting on a huge balcony, staring at the green foliage of mango, palm, and eucalyptus trees as well as all other sorts of tropical vegetation. Combine that with the sounds of rainforest birds (quite comical sounding actually) and weather that seems like Mother Nature has been hiding from you her entire life. Can you see it? Ok, you can stop imagining now and be jealous since that is the reality that I am living as I write...
After 35 hours of travel from Washington Dulles International, I safely (and finally) arrived in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. My journey brought me through Nandi, Fiji for a 7 hour layover. Being my first glimpse of Pacific paradise, I was determined to stray away from the airport and get a beach. Along with another passenger, Allie, who was also on the flight to Brisbane after having vacationed in Florida for 4 weeks, we took a taxi to the “First Landing Resort” about 20 minutes away from the airport. Having miscalculated the taxi fare and not having enough cash to get breakfast, we decided to just tour the resort and then head back towards the airport for breakfast. We used the next 2-3 hours to chat about American politics and what Brisbane was like.
My last “short”, 4 hour flight brought me to my final destination. Unfortunately I also arrived one bag short, but after a few “rings” to the airline, I am now fully here… snorkel gear and wetsuit at the ready. Funny enough, after having waited over 30 minutes for my lost bag, I was greeted by an Australian customs agent saying “So… who’s gonna win?” Delirious, I looked at him and finally realized he was talking about the election… only the 5th time someone had asked me about the American election race. I simply replied, “Are you offering me refugee status?”
I happily exited the doors of travel-land and was happily greeted by my Rotary counselor family, John & Judy as well as my new roommate, Kathy, and her counselor, Suzanne. Kathy stood holding stuffed koala and Aussie flag… and everyone was happy to great me to the land down under! After changing some money and reporting my lost luggage, I headed outside for my first breath of Australian air. Having come from temperatures in the 30’s (Fahrenheit) my first reaction to the summer air (about 75-80 degrees) was simply laughter. Only in my first few seconds of life in Australia and I knew calling it home wouldn’t be too difficult.
In this past week, I’ve been busy finding, moving, and setting up my new home located at:
1/71 Macquarie St
St. Lucia, QLD 4076
As John & Judy put it… we got lucky. Our 1st floor 2br/1 bath apartment is newly renovated and is close to the river, university, and public transport. Being that Brisbane is booming at the moment (at a rate of something like more than 1,000 people/day), rental properties sometimes have lines out the door for visits. Due to our Rotary connection as well as great help through our counselors, Kathy and I were able to nab this apartment.
Being “O week” (Orientation), I attended a mandatory welcome for international students on Monday and was able to meet some of the other Peace Fellows as well as learn a little more about the “Uni” (university). This year there are about 2,000 international students from over 100 countries to mesh with the already 35,000 students attending UQ. Other activities included a welcome from the Mayor of Brisbane at city hall! The political science department hosted an informal welcome for international studies students where I was able to meet the other Peace Fellows, students, and professors in my program. Overall everyone seems to have some amazing experiences which I look forward to learning about during the next 16 months.
Outside of registering for classes, getting settled, adjusting to the 15 hour time difference, etc… I’ve also used my time to explore my new city. Basically, take Southern California and mix it with European feel/architecture… yep, that’s Brisbane. With over 2 million people, Brisbane is a very eco-friendly city, with loads of public transport, including the “City Cat”, a water taxi (catamaran)… and of course the train & bus that lead straight to the beach J There is definitely not a lack of Americana either… Starbucks, K-mart, 7-eleven, McDonalds (they put beetroot in their hamburgers!), Subway, and KFC… just to name a few. Not being to take advantage of US’s economies of scale as well as a high Australian minimum wage ($15 !!!), prices here are also quite high.
Now, a week since my arrival and the day before I start classes, I can already tell these next few months will pass by quickly. With 3 day weekends during my entire stay here in Australia, I’ve already done some planning for domestic and international travel… though I think this first semester will mostly be domestic… there’s just SO much to see and do.
I’ll be posting pictures of my adventures on my picture site: http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/kevin.melton
Hope you are doing well and look forward to staying in touch!
