Today I looked at the program schedule a little closer, and I'm pretty excited about what the first few weeks will look like when I get to Australia. I'm hoping to get a flight out of Ohio on February 8th, and arriving in Melbourne on the 10th. There are 2 days to recover and hang out at the dorms, and then the Australian orientation begins.
We travel out on the Great Ocean Road, a 263 kilometre war memorial along the coast from Geelong to Warrnambool. We will stop in Lorne, a resort town, and stay for 3 days and 2 nights. There, we can start learning how to surf, go on hikes through Australian rainforest, and meet the locals at the pub. There are presentations and other sessions geared towards meeting new friends and learning about the best ways to travel around Australia. We will leave there and be dropped off at our respective campuses (Deakin has 5 different campuses). We will be back on the 15th.
The Deakin orientation starts on the 16th, where we'll learn about the school and register for classes. It goes on for 2 days. Classes officially start on the 27th.
I also got in touch with a few of the people I'll be going with. I'm glad there are a few that have finished some of the things that I need to do, and can give me pointers. I was told that the electronic visa application process only takes about a day to complete, so that is very reassuring. The only 2 things that I am still worried about are housing and a plane ticket. I was also reminded that I should probably learn how to cook before I leave. I don't think the ticket will be too much of a problem, but housing might be a different story. There is not much I can do right now to help it, so I just have to wait it out for Deakin to get back to me. I'm feeling much calmer than I have in the past few days.
I decided that I'm going to have to pack my gloves, helmet, and skates, so I can play at least a little bit of hockey while I'm there. I'll pick up a cheap stick when I get there. I don't think I could survive without it for 5 months. Contrary to popular belief, Australia does have ice.
Saturday, December 30, 2006
Friday, December 29, 2006
Calming Down
I opened up comments to anyone, meaning you don't have to pick up an account to post comments for me.
I am in the process of getting all the money together as of now, while I wait for news from USAC and Deakin. I've calmed down a bit, and I realize that I still have a month to get ready. If I stay on track, I know I'll be able to pull through. Another thing that needs to be done is to get my plane ticket. I have to wait on my dad to grab some more air miles to get me to Los Angeles for free. I plan to have my flight plans and ticket taken care of by the end of next week. Hopefully by then, Deakin will have gotten back to me.
I picked up a few things for Christmas that will prove useful while I'm in Australia. My parents got me a really nice digital camera, so expect to see some of my pictures in the next few weeks. They also got me a travel channel DVD of a program about Melbourne, which I am watching as I write this. I am hoping to pick up a cheap MP3 player, mostly for a little entertainment for the trip. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
USAC sent me an email with the names of all my fellow American students that will be heading to Australia with me. There are about 30 of them listed, but there may be more. More than half of them are from California, and I am the farthest east out of all of them. I hope to get in contact with at least a few of them before I head out. EDIT: Just got on Myspace and searched all of the names. I found 13, and sent them all a message. We'll see if they decide to get back with me.
I'm glad to hear that I already have a few readers, and I can't wait until I get to start telling you about the stuff that is actually interesting.
Also, I can't figure out why the title on the Internet Explorer toolbar is the HTML format text to display the banner I created. If anyone can tell me how to change it, I would greatly appreciate the help.
I am in the process of getting all the money together as of now, while I wait for news from USAC and Deakin. I've calmed down a bit, and I realize that I still have a month to get ready. If I stay on track, I know I'll be able to pull through. Another thing that needs to be done is to get my plane ticket. I have to wait on my dad to grab some more air miles to get me to Los Angeles for free. I plan to have my flight plans and ticket taken care of by the end of next week. Hopefully by then, Deakin will have gotten back to me.
I picked up a few things for Christmas that will prove useful while I'm in Australia. My parents got me a really nice digital camera, so expect to see some of my pictures in the next few weeks. They also got me a travel channel DVD of a program about Melbourne, which I am watching as I write this. I am hoping to pick up a cheap MP3 player, mostly for a little entertainment for the trip. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
USAC sent me an email with the names of all my fellow American students that will be heading to Australia with me. There are about 30 of them listed, but there may be more. More than half of them are from California, and I am the farthest east out of all of them. I hope to get in contact with at least a few of them before I head out. EDIT: Just got on Myspace and searched all of the names. I found 13, and sent them all a message. We'll see if they decide to get back with me.
I'm glad to hear that I already have a few readers, and I can't wait until I get to start telling you about the stuff that is actually interesting.
Also, I can't figure out why the title on the Internet Explorer toolbar is the HTML format text to display the banner I created. If anyone can tell me how to change it, I would greatly appreciate the help.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
Freaking Out
I had my first official freak out last night about the trip. Not because I am afraid of going (that kind of freaking out will probably wait until a week before departure), but because I am not sure I will have enough time to get everything done. I already have some advice for anyone who may want to do this in the future: Get everything done early. There are a ton of things that go into studying abroad like this, and they all take time to do them.
1. Get a passport. - This is the one thing I didn't procrastinate with, and I am very lucky. It takes about 4-6 weeks to get done. It costs about $90, but lasts for like 10 years. Do it as soon as you are serious about going.
2. Apply to USAC. - USAC stands for University Studies Abroad Consortium, and is who sets up everything with the host country's schools. You have to write an essay, which I waited to do, and now I am paying the price. Get the essay done, the application process only takes a few days.
3. Apply to the host school. - USAC gives you applications for the host school. In my case, it's Deakin University. This is the application I am worried about. It has everything to do with housing and classes, and takes about 3 weeks to process. I'm hoping I hear word from Deakin in the next week.
4. Apply for a visa. - You can only apply for a visa after you get accepted to the host university. I have obviously not started this step, and that is very bad. It shouldn't take more than 2 weeks, possibly even 3-4 days, but I'm not sure. This is why applying early is a very good thing.
5. Get a plane ticket. - Expensive. Havn't done it yet. The VSR Travel website says it will only take 48 hours to process my flight itinerary and everything, so I think this one is plausible.
6. Get money in order. - I can't even begin to think how this is going to work. I will be applying for a credit card for me to use while I am there, but this one is still in the works.
7. Pack. - God help me, I have no idea what I'm going to bring or how much.
That's all I can think of right now, but I'll add more if anything else comes to mind.
1. Get a passport. - This is the one thing I didn't procrastinate with, and I am very lucky. It takes about 4-6 weeks to get done. It costs about $90, but lasts for like 10 years. Do it as soon as you are serious about going.
2. Apply to USAC. - USAC stands for University Studies Abroad Consortium, and is who sets up everything with the host country's schools. You have to write an essay, which I waited to do, and now I am paying the price. Get the essay done, the application process only takes a few days.
3. Apply to the host school. - USAC gives you applications for the host school. In my case, it's Deakin University. This is the application I am worried about. It has everything to do with housing and classes, and takes about 3 weeks to process. I'm hoping I hear word from Deakin in the next week.
4. Apply for a visa. - You can only apply for a visa after you get accepted to the host university. I have obviously not started this step, and that is very bad. It shouldn't take more than 2 weeks, possibly even 3-4 days, but I'm not sure. This is why applying early is a very good thing.
5. Get a plane ticket. - Expensive. Havn't done it yet. The VSR Travel website says it will only take 48 hours to process my flight itinerary and everything, so I think this one is plausible.
6. Get money in order. - I can't even begin to think how this is going to work. I will be applying for a credit card for me to use while I am there, but this one is still in the works.
7. Pack. - God help me, I have no idea what I'm going to bring or how much.
That's all I can think of right now, but I'll add more if anything else comes to mind.
First Post
As you may or may not know, I will be going to Australia in early February for a study abroad program. I will be attending Deakin University in Geelong, which is about an hour southwest of Melbourne in the state of Victoria. I'll be gone for about 4 and a half months, and be back in June.
I decided to create this blog to share my experiences with my friends and family while I am in Australia. I will try to update it regularly during the entire process, both as a way for you to know what I am up to, and a journal for me to look back on and remember my journey.
I hope to update throughout the whole process, including preparation, the actual trip, and my assimilation back into the midwest American culture after my 5 months on the beach. That way, anyone who is thinking about doing something similar can use this as a sort of guide on what to do. I'll be your guinea pig.
Hopefully you will enjoy reading as much as I will enjoy sharing these experiences with you.
I decided to create this blog to share my experiences with my friends and family while I am in Australia. I will try to update it regularly during the entire process, both as a way for you to know what I am up to, and a journal for me to look back on and remember my journey.
I hope to update throughout the whole process, including preparation, the actual trip, and my assimilation back into the midwest American culture after my 5 months on the beach. That way, anyone who is thinking about doing something similar can use this as a sort of guide on what to do. I'll be your guinea pig.
Hopefully you will enjoy reading as much as I will enjoy sharing these experiences with you.
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