I completed my first week of classes at Deakin! It was a rough week though. I'm having some trouble fitting my level of knowledge into my classes because they're categorized so differently. I found that two of them were way above what I need and I was not prepared for them so I'm currently waiting for the ones I signed up for to show up on my account so I can select what times I want. It's so complicated! Everyone here where I live is going through it together though, so it makes it so much easier to deal with.

I started taking note of things that were different than home the minute I got here and now I have a list a mile long. There are so many things that I took for granted! Grocery shopping for example is so bizarre because things that were not expensive at home are expensive here -- like syrup..so hard to find! Items have different names and are impossible for me to locate -- raisins are sultanas, granola is muesli, ketchup is tomato paste, oatmeal is oats. This doesn't seem that hard to understand but when you're looking for things that are familiar and they don't exist it makes it that much harder to relate. Food is measured in joules of energy instead of calories... All the basic things I never thought about are completely changed. It definitely makes things interesting. I think I'll have a new-found appreciation for home when I get there again. Don't get me wrong, I love Australia and everything in it. But the very basic things I never thought I'd have to consider, I do.

It's also very interesting watching TV. For some reason it never crossed my mind that I wouldn't be able to watch my favorite shows. I have no idea why. Of course some of the rediculous shows are the same like Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy. So even when shows from North America are on that I hate, I watch them anyway because I know them. I don't watch that much TV to begin with so it's not that big of a deal. It's just something else to think about.

What's really surprising to me is the world's constant obsession with American politics and our new president. I love watching Barack speak and I'm so excited to hear all the things that he's implementing and passing. There is serious doubt here and I'm sure everywhere about whether or not he can do the positive things he promised. The news each week always includes something about the state of the economy and Barack Obama. It's so interesting to hear American news from an Australian point of view. It's not just the news that is consumed with this though. It's also the people I live with and hang out with. They love talking about it as well, which is so strange to me. It's almost like every country sees him as their president as well. It's pretty cool.

Also, the weather here has definitely lived up to its name -- four seasons in a day. Yesterday was hot and very sunny and I was woken up in the middle of the nigth by torrential downpour. It's insane but I love the unpredictability.

Also all the recent horrible things that have happened here like the Victoria bush fires. Both times I flew in I saw the smoke line where flames were traveling. It was so surreal to see what I'd seen on TV before I left. And so sad too...today is actually a big fundraiser in Melbourne for the victims. I believe tickers to the show sold out. The country really came together during that time and there are donation jars at every store.

I feel like I've been away from home for months because I've done sooo much in the past few weeks. I was cleaning today and I found some US cash. It was so bizarre because it looked really foreign to me for the first time. It was a weird feeling!

So those are my thoughts for the day. There's alot I've been wanting to write about!! I'm still having the time of my life and meeting more and more people every day. I feel at home at Deakin and am loving the campus atmosphere. Let's just hope I still want to come home at the end of June!