Scheduled First Weeks In Oz

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.