Day 26 (LaTrobe University) - Bendigo, Victoria Australia

What I'm Craving:

Having a normal dinner in the Merrill Res Res with friends, where we sit for an hour taking our time eating and socializing, gossiping, being stupid, causing drama, all the above. Eating here is very "get it and go," and I don't like it. Dinner here, or tea, reminds me of camp. We get two choices of a hot main meal, there are three options of vegetables - always carrots, broccoli, and something else - and chips (French fries). Tea is served at 5:30pm and they stop at 6:30pm.You have to go early and stand in line, otherwise they might run out of something. Dessert is usually ice cream and something else the cooks make. The RA on duty distributes the mail during tea and makes "announcements." Very summer camp feeling. When you're done eating you're suppose to wipe the tables down and push in your chairs too - but no one seems to ever do this.

I also miss having intellectual conversations with friends. Being harassed/made fun of/being told that American Football sucks compared to Footy/hearing how great footy is, gets old really fast. I tried having a conversation/debate about how and why at Central we don't say "gay" or "retarded" and especially not the n-word. The responses could be basically summed up with, "We're Australian, we don't get offended." It was physically and mentally draining trying to communicate about how these words are offensive. I think I was defeated, but I tried.It's different too because a RA is not living in the building with us, so there's no leadership or enforcement of rules. Another new experience that I'm glad to be in.