Been busy with school work lately (which is the main reason I am here) but have had some time to play and get amongst it. Highlights of the past week or so: - I cycled from Corvallis to Albany and back which was 13 miles /20 km (just over an hour each way). The route I took was on the Willamette Valley scenic bikeway which took me past cute farms and streams with a mountain range as a backdrop. The sun was shining and although it was a bit chilly, it w...

This week has been another busy one in good old Oregon. I'm pretty much officially a local now as I have checked out downtown Corvallis a couple of times, have been running in a few different areas, made the long journey to Albany (the next town over but it took me almost all day on the buses to get there and back) and most of all I am now the proud owner of an awesome little cruiser bike to get me around. It is pink and just cool (unfortunately it doesn't make...

Second week of classes has begun and I am certainly feeling overwhelmed with the amount of work, especially reading, I have up ahead of me. So far though I have found the academics here really interesting, stimulating and already challenging which is great. Last week we watched OSU play Stanford in the men's basketball which was a fun night. College sports really know how to entertain and between the band, cheerleaders, dancing and competitions, there was also a...

Corvallis: my new home for the next few months or so. Not normally one for small towns and cold weather, it will be interesting to see how long it takes me to go crazy and be found washing my hair in the river or singing karaoke at a bar... Corvallis is a university town, located in the Willamette Valley about 140km south of Portland and is where Oregon State University is located. Most people living here either work at or are students of OSU. Of course it is th...

I've been in Oregon for a week and it feels more like months! I have to say it had been pretty easy to fall in love with this state. The people here are super friendly, which some might say has something to do with my Aussie accent, but I like to think Oregonians are just friendly people. So that has made me feel more at home. On arrival, I spent only a day in Portland, mainly shopping (I brought barely anything with me except my snowboard and a few clothes) an...