Leaving it Behind

Here I sit in North Ryde, NSW at a sandwich shop that has free wireless internet access. How about that, something that's actually free in this country. Who knew. Things are going okay. I think I bottomed out about 45 minutes ago, but things are looking up again. I think I'm just a bit on information overload. We had our last day of orientation today and we got all our timetable information and all that. Basically they've just been telling us a ton of stuff we need to do and after a while it just gets a bit overwhelming. Like, I fully should have gone to the head of English today to ask him a question and I still could I guess, except I don't have his name with me and honestly I just don't think I have the strength left to get anything else done. I got my ID card, my health care card, made sure my address was right in the uni system, started on getting my ISIC...and I think that's enough for one day.

I feel like I've been doing nothing and everything all at the same time. Orientation can be so slow and it's something to do, but ultimately not much. Everyone just feels like they're hanging in the balance right now. I'm craving routine. Got that everyone, I actually want school to start. I can't wait for school to start. I can't wait to have a schedule and go to class and have lunch breaks and go to student life and just try to settle in. Nothing is settling right now. Everything is up in the air. And the uni doesn't help with this. Yesterday they took us out to Luna Park, which is a lame sorta amusement park right on the Harbour. Lame but still fun. So they give us all (hundreds of us) a ride out, but don't tell us how to get back! And tomorrow they're doing the same thing at a footy game, though I asked this time so at least I know in advance that I'll have to improv my way home! Don't they think we have enough stress in our lives right now. Honestly, we're transitioning to another country and culture. I know things will be difficult and we need to have adventures and find our way on our own...but just give us a damn bus back.

Enough of the vent. Things really are okay. Roommates are fine, I have a group of people right now that I can chill with. They all live in my complex and they're American. I do and don't like that. It's good that we can all support each other and understand what everyone is feeling and what we're used to. But I don't want to hang out with just Americans. I can do that at home. But I keep reminding myself that this is just now, and as school starts and I get involved in stuff at Uni I'll be meeting more Australians. And really, I already know more Australians than the rest of the group I'm hanging out with combined. So what if I already knew them before I came?

There's so much more floating around my mind but I just can't process everything right now. And I think a lot of it is along the lines of vent paragraph and I just don't want to go there. During orientation yesterday they talked about culture shock and it's various stages. First was a high, which they labeled enchantment. Next was an extreme low, which they labeled disenchantment. Despite the past hour, I'm probably still in the enchantment stage. The other stage probably won't hit until I hit mid semester and have all this school work coming up and all I want to do is cry. Or maybe not. Let's try to be optimistic here. But really, I know the crash is coming. And I know an entire series of highs and lows are still to come, but that's just going to be life here. I'll love it anyway though, and I wouldn't trade this chance for anything. So this is me, picking myself up by my bootstraps (so to speak) and saying "keep on keeping on." God's gonna get me there. I'd appreciate your prayers. And I know I have so many of them already because I can tell the difference. Thank you. Until then...