Feeling at Home

So it has been raining for the past few days.  Non stop.  And tonight we've had gusts of wind strong enough to where we're wondering if Gold Coast is in the midst of a tropical storm.  Hopefully not.

The good news about the rain is that it has given us all a chance to get to know one another.  We've had a lot of time to rent movies from the library, hang out, have discussions, and just have a good time getting to know one another.  I think it is finally sinking in that I'm not just a tourist here.  I'm living in Australia for the next few months.  I'm not longer consumed by this idea of fast food tourism.  You know, go to Sydney, take a picture of the Opera House.  Go to Cairns, get a picture with the Reef.  And move on.  Instead, I'm learning to enjoy the little moments.  I'm trying to find the memories that won't be saved on film.  I've surrounded myself with a group of people that I'm very happy to call my mates.  We're all starting to feel at home.

It's been a really cool feeling.  Tonight was a night where we sat in the room eating pizza, watching YouTube videos and pulling out old school songs to listen to.  Nothing huge, nothing epic.  No drunken stories to pass along, no bar tabs, no chaos.  Just the feeling of being at home with your buddies in Australia.  Nothing better.

I'm excited to see where these next few months will take me.  It's been a heck of a ride so far and I can't wait to keep going.

Perthect Week

So I just got back from my week's trip to Western Australia.  It was an incredible week.  I'll try to update you on what's been going on since my last post.

Wednesday's training session was really cool.  Not only did we get our swings critiqued, but we also worked on our mental game.  We put on a headset and learned the science behind the mental side of golf.  The ideal swing occurs right as you are switching from left brain to right brain, so we worked with a machine that measured our focus, muscle tension, nervousness, etc.  It was really, really cool. 

Thursday's night was a lot of fun as always.  Unfortunately, at some point throughout the night, the button on my camera broke off.  The camera still works, but I just don't have the actual button to press down to take the picture.  Bad timing.  No camera for Perth.  I'm in the process of finding a replacement part.  Wish me luck.

Friday was really fun as well.  We got last minute student tickets to the National Rugby League Semi-final match.  The local team, the Gold Coast Titans, were playing the Sydney Roosters about an hour north in Brisbane.  We made the trip only to see the Titans get dominated.  Regardless, the trip was a great time.  The atmosphere there was unlike anything from the States.  Maybe a mix of European soccer and the NFL.

Saturday we went to the beach.  Ho Hum...

Sunday we caught a 5:30 am shuttle to the airport to leave for the Uni Games.  I had met the golf team Wednesday at the training session and they seemed like great people.  After the trip, I can confidently say that they are some of the best friends I will meet on this trip.  As a team, we had high expectations for ourselves.  We came into the tournament expecting to win.  Unfortunately, no one on the team played exceptionally well.  There were 7 golfers on the team and the best 4 rounds count each day.  We did not do a very good job at balancing good and bad rounds.  The second day we all had pretty poor rounds, while we all played well on the last day.  O well.  We finished 4th overall, missing out on 3rd place and a medal by 5 shots.  This was incredibly frustrating considering that the total score was out of more than 1300 strokes.  Bond always does well in Australian Uni Golf Competitions.  Well enough in fact that as we were walking to the bus the first day of competition, all the other universities on the bus made a pact to not let Bond win.  Needless to say, there were happy faces when we didn't make the medals.  The course we played was incredible.  It was called the Vines Resort and Country Club.  The Johnny Walker Classic is played there every year by the PGA tour.  I can't begin to explain how difficult the course was.  It was a great time all week with themed social activities taking place every night.  It was a little difficult for the golf team to get any rest.  Many teams had a few matches throughout each day with a lot of down time.  Our day started with breakfast at 7:30am, walk to the bus at leave on the bus for a one hour commute to the course at 8:30, tee times ranging from 10:30 to 11:30, long round of golf, bus back to the hotel at 6, arriving at 7.  We had Bond dinners most nights that we left the hotel for at 7:30.  Quick showers, quick dinner, and then it was time to go out.  By the end of the week we were all exhausted.

Perth was pretty fun.  We only had one day off to really see the town.  We had lunch at the brewery on the water, then went to a pub overlooking the town and ocean.  Really cool, relaxing day with the golf team.  Now, however, I'm back to real life.  I have to catch up on all the work I've missed.  Midterms in three weeks, then we're off to Sydney for Halloween weekend.

The weather in Gold Coast has been extremely disappointing.  It has rained probably 1/3 of the days we have been here, including the entirety of last week (say my friends that were here).  The locals say that it has been a very long time since the Gold Coast has seen this much rain.  O well, more time for studying right?

Hopefully I can get my camera fixed and upload some more pictures for all of you.  Thanks again for keeping in touch.  It's always great to hear from everyone, so don't be afraid to Facebook me or e-mail at jschwen2@slu.edu.  I'm sorry to hear about the Cardinals (trust me, one of my best friends is a huge Reds fan and I hear about it quite often).  I am pleased to hear that the Rams have won there third game in their last 29.  Great work guys, you make St. Louis so proud.  I am jealous that I will not be attending the Blues' home opener in a week.  And I am not okay with the fact that I have to stay up until 10 pm to watch the Ryder Cup.

But how can I complain?  It's been wonderful here and I'm sure it will only get better...

Pub Crawl Weekend

The weekend started off with a bang.  Friday, after classes, was pub crawl.  We visited six bars over the span of about five hours.  We got a nice little glimpse of night life on the Gold Coast... as did our wallets.  In the morning, we all recounted the damage and talked about what a great time it was.  Needless to say, for the sake of our bodies and wallets, we're sitting out the next few parties on campus.  We had plans of going to a reserve where we could finally see a kangaroo, but it was raining on Saturday morning and by the time we all got up and were ready to go, the park was closing in a few hours.  Instead, we hung around campus and tried to get organized with some school work.


Sunday we were ready to explore the areas we visited on Friday night.  We got on a bus and took it down to Surfers Paradise.  Surfers is more of a touristy location with many shops and bars.  We walked around for a few hours until we finally decided to go bowling.  We all had a good time with a few games of bowling and then hit the buses back home.


Monday I had my Pop Culture lecture, and then I went to the library to finally get a handle on things for the semester.  I created a time table for my homework, projects, papers, and available weekends I had to travel.  I did my first bit of homework, bought some books, and returned back to my apartment feeling very accomplished.  It was a nice little reality check.  It is very easy to forget that I am actually going to school on this four month vacation.


My friends and I all organized now and ready to start planning some trips.  Our friend Marisa is definitely the planner and we all kind of follow along.  So far she has done nothing but a great job, and we're all hoping she keeps a perfect record going.  We have an "official" meeting to try to pick some weekends.  We have hopes of going to Sydney, Cairns (to see the Reef), Melbourne, possibly New Zealand, possibly Figi, maybe Thailand, and maybe a few close places in Australia as well.  The only problem is that we only have a few weeks free to do all this.  Who knew Paradise would be so stressful?!  We just have to keep in mind that the alternative is deciding between Forest Park or Laclede's Landing.  That should keep things in perspective...


Some updates for the rest of the week:
Wednesday is a training session for the golf team.  We meet with some club professionals and get our swing critiqued in preparation for the Uni Games.  We also get our golf shirts.
Thursday (as in every Thursday) is the big Uni night at the bar.  We all go out (or across the walkway) and have a good time at the Uni Bar called Don's.
Friday is a meeting for all Uni Game participants.  We get our track suits there.  No big deal...
Saturday is the final for the Australian Rules Football League.  We're planning on going to a pub and enjoying the atmosphere.
Sunday we leave for Perth at 5 am.


As you can see, there are not too many dull moments here in the Gold Coast.  I'm sure my next post (hopefully before I leave for Perth) will be jam packed with adventure stories.


Talk to you all soon!




Jon

Education in Paradise

Classes started Monday.  I had one class on Monday: Australian Popular Culture.  It was a 3 hour lecture, and we were all worried.  We arrived and there were about 200 kids in a large auditorium.  The teacher asked who in the room was from the United States, and 98% of the class raised their hands... typical.  We soon found out that the class is 3 hours because she lectures for 1 hour, and then we watch either a movie or a TV show from Australia.  Nice...  Class 1, Australian Popular Culture, no problem.


Tuesday was a bit more full of classes.  I started off the day with Australia: Dreamtime to Dust.  Sounds easy right?  Maybe a class about napping?  Not quite.  I find out that this class will be more about the geological and sociological history of Australia.  Our first lesson was about how the country physically came about and how life first originated on the continent.  Later in the semester we will follow the unique species of animals and how that inhabited the country, as well as the history of the Aboriginal culture.  Not quite the nap time I was expecting, but it should still be a very interesting course.


Later I had Australian History.  Our professor was the fastest talking Australian I have ever witnessed.  My hand was incredibly tired after I was finished taking notes in the 2 hour lecture.  (I know, poor me right?).  Wednesday morning I had Database Management.  There was about 30 people in the class.  29 of which were dudes.  Gotta love IT.  That will be my toughest class (Shocker right?).  Every class is usually paired up with a tutorial for a more intimate setting, but those don't occur Week 1.  So far, I have a perfect attendance record.


I don't have any classes on Thursday so I met up with some guys from the golf team to play a round this morning.  I was really intimidated as I assumed they would all be incredible golfers.  My legs were shaking on the first tee I'm pretty sure, but I managed to hit it down the middle.  After I finally relaxed a little bit, I got to know the guys and began to get very excited for our trip to Perth.
(For those of you that don't know, I paid to go on a trip to Perth in Western Australia for a week for what is called the Australia University Games or Uni Games.  Bond University is sending teams in soccer, volleyball, tennis, golf, rugby, basketball and swimming.  We will compete all week against teams from other universities across Australia.  Bond finished 3rd overall in golf last year, and we're looking for an even better finish this year.  Last year, in terms of points per player, Bond had the most in the University Games.  Other, larger schools send many more teams, and thus get more overall points, so the points are also divided up per competitor per school.  There is also an entire list of social activities for the week.  We get VIP access in all the clubs and have themed parties every night: team colours, retro sports, beauty and the geek, emergency services, gender bender, and go for the gold.  It should be a fun week.  If that wasn't enough, we get a package of Bond attire which includes a track suit, shirt, golf uniform, cap, water bottle, shorts, and a few other novelties.  One of the guys today said it was the highlight of his college experience.  Needless to say, it will be the highlight of my time in Australia)
Anyway, the 4 of us got to know each other well enough to start cracking jokes at each other by the end of the round.  My brain still hurts from converting meters into yards all day, but it was a great experience nonetheless.  I should fit right in with the golf team.  Some better, some worse.  But we'll all have a great time in Perth together.  That trip is in 2 weeks.


After golf we were going to go to the beach, but it was a little cold and we missed the original bus.  So we just decided to play sand volleyball on campus instead.  We played for a while, met some people, then relaxed in the hot tub by the pool.  Just another typical day in paradise...

Mailing Address

Jon Schwendeman
Campus Accommodation and Dining Services
Building 10
14 University Drive
BOND UNIVERSITY  QLD  4229
Contact No 617 559 55000

The Sunshine Coast

Week 1.  Complete.  First trip.  Complete.

This was a very eventful first weekend.  Just to clarify, at school they keep track of Weeks by numbers.  So orientation week (which is still holiday for returning students) is called O week.  Being that it is Monday here, today is the first day of Week 1.  So I guess it would be more appropriate to say O Week. Complete.  Anyway...

Friday night we were all ready to just relax.  We ended up going to Broadbeach (one of the closest beaches/towns around campus... about a 15 minute bus ride) and just walking around.  We laid on the beach at night and the stars were incredible.  Then we all decided to walk around town and see what it was like.  We ended up stopping in a bar to watch a rugby match that was going on.  Gold Coast vs. New Zealand (not the All Blacks for those who follow rugby, that's a different rugby league).  But we got some funny looks coming in, to the effect of: "What are you doing here you young group of Yanks?"  Regardless, we sat down and had some drinks while an Australian band played.  It was an older group, and we all enjoyed watching some Australians and Kiwis (New Zealanders) dance to Eagle Eye Cherry.  After the match was over, we walked around for a while longer before catching the bus home.


Saturday was beach day for Bond Uni.  We were all bussed back to Broadbeach (which is way more hopping during the day).  We swam in the ocean, learned how to play cricket, played some sand volleyball, and relaxed on the beach before catching the bus back home.  My friend Marisa was running a half marathon in Sunshine Coast on Sunday morning, so she decided it would be a good idea for all of us to join her.  (Great call Marisa).  We had a 4 pm bus to catch outside campus.  We had a bus to the train station, one train for about an hour, switch to another train for about an hour and a half, then another bus for about a 45 minutes.  Be at Sunshine Coast about 7:30 right?  No big deal.


We made the first bus at campus despite some close calls for people who went to get lunch.  Somehow we arrived at the train station late and piled off the bus as our train was pulling out of the station.  Next train in a half hour.  No problem.  We get onto the train and arrive at Brisbane Central (our transfer) to find out that we missed our original time, but another train is coming in 2 hours.  Yikes.  We decided to not let it bother us too much (No worries mate.  Right?) and just go outside the station and grab some dinner.  Little did we know that we would come across the best deal in town.  We found this hole in the wall bar that was offering a $10 deal which included a steak dinner with mashed potatoes and vegetables as well as a pint of beer.  Now this may sound standard for those of you back in the States.  Keep in mind that a burger and soda at the cafeteria is about $13.  This was like heaven on earth to college students whose bank accounts are already in shock from this first week abroad.  So we all enjoyed our meal and drink and promised Down Under Bar and Grill that we would be back to Brisbane soon.  So we catch our train and next bus and finally arrive to the hostel at 11 pm.


We ask around to see where would be a good place to go out.  A few different people responded: "Friday's."  Great.  We traveled 4 hours in what took 7 hours and we're about to go out on a Saturday night to T.G.I.Friday's.  Little did we know.  Turns out this place is not T.G.I.Friday's, but a huge building with multiple bars.  After walking around for a little bit in awe, we finally settle down at the main bar.  We run into some Australians who are at a Bachelor party.  They invite us over for drinks.  A few hours later, we have run the extent of their $1500 pre-paid bar tab (which should not be a surprise because we out numbered the guys 3:1).  We all leave the bar around 2:30 am feeling better about our saga of a transit.


At this point we were un-phased with the accommodations of the hostel and all slept like rocks.  Turns out our "free breakfast" was toast with the choices of butter, jelly, peanut butter and Vegemite.  Luckily I showed up to breakfast in time to hear that Vegemite was not a good decision.  Jelly and toast it is, and we were off to the beach.  Our stay at the hostel included free surf boards for the day.  We all grabbed a board and were anxious to hit the waves.  We arrived at the beach to find out that this was not the place to surf.  Waves were small and there were rocks all over the beach and ocean.  We tried anyway, some being more successful than others.  I was in the bottom half (shocker for those of you aware of my balance natural athletic ability... right?).  Regardless, we had a great day laying around by the beach, walking around the shops, and posing for pictures by the rocks.  I posted a few here, but be sure to check out my Facebook for a more complete album.  If I look red, it is because I am.  While we remembered to bring our boxed wine, we all forgot sunscreen (priorities, I guess).  All of us looked like tomatoes and already went through a bottle of aloe.  Live and Learn I guess.  That or live and get skin cancer.  Regardless, we're remembering sunscreen from now on.  And for those of you worried about the sleeveless shirt, it is called a singlet and that's the style down here (not that that makes it any less embarrassing).  I guess I am going to have to hit the gym.


We arrived back at the hostel in plenty of time to catch the bus, and we caught the next two trains and bus right on time.  What took us 7 hours on the way there took not a minute longer than 4 hours on the way home.  We were all exhausted and hungry when we arrived to find out that Sunday nights are buffet nights at Cafe Bond.  Awesome.  What a great conclusion to a great trip.




Classes start today.  I have a pretty tough lineup of Australian Popular Culture, Australian History, Australia: Dreamtime to Dust, and Database Management.  Should be a pretty rigorous semester.  But don't worry Mom, I'll be sure to study and go to class.




P.S.  I think if you want to make any witty comments on the blog you have to Follow the blog. Special thanks to Keeley for the first comment.  Great to hear from all of you.  Talk to you soon!

O Week

I waited until I had enough to write about for this post, and the past few days have given me plenty of topics.  I'll try and walk you through my week since my last post.


Monday:  Orientation and Toga Party
I got my classes finalized (or finalised I guess is how it would be spelled down here), got my student e-mail, student id, and purchases multiple orientation packages to attend some fun events.  After the logistics were finished, we ended up going to the mall to buy some essentials: towel, laundry detergent, and boxed wine.  Once we got back and settled into the room, we went to the Uni Bar called Don's.  (Uni is short for University... I attend Bond Uni).  We had a good time and Don's and then buses took the crowd into the city to go to a club.


Tuesday: Hypnosis Fail

I had the opportunity to see another school's campus tour.  It goes without saying that the Saint Louis University Ambassadors are far superior than the tour guides I had here at Bond Uni.  Regardless, I got a little more comfortable with campus before classes start on Monday.  We also had a formal orientation welcome planned this evening.  The dress was cocktail or business attire.  It was very interesting to see the mix of outfits there.  Evidently, many people forgot to bring dress shoes and had to resort to their bright tennies (that or I haven't caught on to that Australian fashion statement yet).  It was quite different from the SLU 101 orientation I worked over the summer.  We were greeted by a bar serving wine, beer and champagne.  Gotta love Australia.  We saw some great aboriginal dances, heard the chancellor speak, and enjoyed some nibblies (snacks).  Tuesday's evening event was a popular Australian Hypnotist.  For some reason, I felt the need to get hypnotized.  I went up on stage with about 20 other volunteers.  He pulled out the watch, told us to concentrate, and then proceeded with a few other steps to get us hypnotized.  Somehow, I failed to get hypnotized.  I had to return to my seat and join my friends who were all visibly disappointed that they wouldn't see me embarrass myself in the show.  After the hypnotist, we were all feeling the effects of jetlag still and went to bed early.

Wednesday: Australian Barbecue and American Drinking Games

Sorry for the title, Mom.  But we had lunch by the pool where we enjoyed Australian burgers, and turkey sausages (bratwurst... kind of).  Australians tend to put mayonnaise on everything here.  No one here eats ketchup (or tomato sauce as they call it).  After lunch we walked around trying to find ourselves 18+ I.D. cards (so we can enjoy Australian night life to the fullest extend.... responsibly of course).  We arrived at the Queensland DMV equivalent, where the employees are FAR friendlier than any American DMV.  We got our I.D. cards and proceeded to use them immediately at a nearby liquor store.  We returned to our dorm with our purchases and since we did not have enough room in the fridge, we just had to open them now right?  Since the whole complex is full of students that are of legal drinking age, we are allowed to have the door open.  Naturally, we took this opportunity to blast a mix between rap, the Lion King Soundtrack, and Celine Dion.  (Since then we have had multiple people approach us as "The Celine Dion Boys".  We're more than okay with this reputation.  We eventually went to dinner and enjoyed a nice trivia night put on by the Student Association.  We came back and introduced a few locals to American Drinking games.  All in a days work.

Thursday: Tight and Bright

After being in Australia for 4 days now, we decided it was about time we went to the beach.  We went to a beach and enjoyed some nice 70ish degree water, the distant Gold Coast Skyline, and of course, fish and chips (fried fish and fries... kind of the Australian fast food).  We returned home, went to the gym to try burn off some of the effects of our social habits, relaxed in the hot tub, and went to dinner.  After dinner we all got together and had a few drinks before the party.  There is a couple that lives in the building that is in charge of looking after us.  They heard the commotion and stopped by to see what was going on.  They are a middle aged couple, incredibly friendly, and are wanting us all to have a good time.  The man, Robin, even took a shot at our little beer pong match we had set up.  Introduction of beer pong to Australia: complete.  The theme of the party was the Tight and Bright party.  It is one of the most popular events that takes place at Bond all year.  Everyone goes, and everyone dresses up in their tightest and brightest clothes.  There was quite the range of outfits, many I will be happy to never see again.  But everyone was having a good time.  Buses picked us up from campus and again bussed us into the city.  When we got off the bus at around 11, we were told that another would be back to pick us up.  At 3:30.  Yikes.  But the time flew by and we all had a great time.

Friday: Relaxation and Refocus

All of us had a nice night's sleep, finally getting over the jetlag with a little help from the previous night's endeavors.  We played some sand volleyball, swam a lap in the pool (yes, a lap... gaining a large amount of respect for swimmers), relaxed in the hot tub, and then came back to our rooms to clean up and finish unpacking.  We are all looking forward to classes starting and developing some type of routine.  It has been a great week thus far, however.

So I know it sounds like all we are doing is parting and drinking.  I did want to ease any concerns that anyone has (cough... Mom.. cough) by saying that we all eat all our meals together, spend some time talking and relaxing, and just having a good time before classes start.  We all have talked about how this week is an exception to the rest of the semester in regards to the amount of free time we have to fill with nonsense.  (At least that's what we're hoping... for the sake of our bank accounts).  The meals here in the cafeteria are wonderful.  Everything is very fancy and healthy.  The only problem is that a typical meal is about $11.  We are slowly seeing our cafeteria credit wind down.  I ended up buying some Frosties (Frosted Flakes) and Milk to help save a meal every now and then.

Campus is beautiful.  I have taken a few pictures and will try and find a way to post them on here soon.  My roommate's name is Chris from Pittsburgh.  Our room is decked out in Pittsburgh Steelers fanfare and I am overhearing the Superbowl XL video as I'm writing this. I have met a nice mix of Americans, Australians and a few people from other countries as well.  My close friend group so far is mostly new people from SLU that I have met this week.

The culture shock has been exciting, humbling and expensive.  It took us a day or two to realize that we get a student discount on the bus.  Beer here is incredible expensive.  $19 for a six pack of Budweiser.  The drink of choice among college students is Goon (boxed wine).  We can hardly go anywhere without being pegged as the Americans.  Mostly by our twangy accents and loud voices.  Although I don't think the Celine Dion soundtrack to our games of beer pong does much to disguise that fact either.  Everyone here is so relaxed and friendly that it has been a very welcoming atmosphere.  I am very excited to see where the next few months will take me.

I love you all and hope you stayed awake while reading this novel.  Cheers mates!