Sunday was a beautifully sunny and humid day so I decided to participate in a bit of independent exploring! I like to call it getting lost on purpose. I find that you discover the best places when you have absolutely no idea where you are! While I was out and about I saw my first kangaroo- they are more intimidating in person than I thought they would be! I would say that CQU has at least a dozen full-grown kangaroos and a few little joeys around campus. And yesterday morning I saw two males fighting and it was quite the sight. Their arms and tails would actually balance them while their hind legs kicked up at the other. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures or videos of that!
The CQU campus is stunning! Incredible native bushes, flowers, and trees give the campus a rural feeling and a "wildly tame" look! I'm still adjusting to the humidity/ heat but I'm really looking forward to studying and relaxing outside once my body can handle it! To best describe the campus layout, I would say that it's organized into three side- by- side layers. The first layer is the residence area with multiple dorms and the dining hall, the next (middle) layer consists of all of the sport fields, gym, pool, and outdoor arena, and then the last layer is the "Uni" campus where all of the education buildings, cafes, bookshop, support services, chapel, medical building, and library are found. It is quite the walk that I'll be taking to classes and everything else!
So far life at CQU hasn't been all that eventful. This first week was orientation week. This is when all of the first year and international students are introduced to the campus, what's expected of us, and what we can expect from the university. There were a couple hundred students on campus for that! Today, Friday the 21st, was the last day of orientation that was dedicated solely to international students. Information overload! Otherwise, I've been hanging out in my dorm trying to overcome the heat and jetlag- I think I've taken more naps in the last week than I did all last semester of school! I'm struggling a bit more than the other American students on campus (there are eight of us total) in terms of overcoming jet lag and participating in the fun activities that residence had planned for us this week. - I'm also battling a cold that flared up during my travels over here. I always seemed to fall asleep at mid-afternoon and maintained a deep slumber until about 11 at night! I'm getting better and will be out and about in no time!
The food is FANTASTIC. I haven't been exposed a multitude of new foods yet but I'm sure I will soon! Fruit is in abundance here and I'm definitely eating my fair share. Our dining hall here serves fruit with almost every meal and it's a double-win because they also cut it up for you. Call me lazy but that always played a huge role whether I'd eat fruit or not at home! Too lazy :)
I had my first car- ride yesterday being the passenger on the wrong side of the car. My friend Jess drove to Stockland's (a local shopping center) located in the middle of Rockhampton. I finally was able to purchase some necessities like sheets and bug spray! Seeing all those cars driving on the other side of the road made me slightly nauseous surprisingly! Also, it seems that the general consensus is that red lights are optional here in Rockhampton- makes for some pretty interesting moments in the car!
Classes start on Monday and we shall see how that goes!
Toodles,
Tina
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