Traveling Without Processing is Tourism

This was something we were told right away at our ASC orientation, sitting inside one of the bigger classrooms at Wesley, trying to keep our eyes open after crossing the Pacific. We had been told several times that this was a pilgrimage (something, my fast friend, Courtney, and I had observed together on the plane), and they did not forget to tell us again when we landed. Well, I'm here. I've accepted the challenge. Let it begin.
I can't believe how much God has blessed me since I've set foot in Australia. Compared to the apprehension that comes with freshman year of college and making friends and figuring out where you belong, it's been a breeze. Of course, I'm not a freshman anymore, and God's taught me so much over the past year and a half, but I was still nervous. I was very outgoing at LAX--I actually frightened my then future room mate Carissa because I was so hyper and excited. I was not completely alone then either because Kristen and Katie were there with me as well. I sat next to one of the few LOST fanatics from the program on the plane, Courtney, and hit it off. Everyone was open to this new adventure and everyone seemed open to meeting new people.
After we landed, we quickly went through customs and baggage claim and met up with Kimberley and Melanie for the first time. Some of the wibbles (Student Leaders at Wesley) were there to greet us as well. On the way to campus, everyone snapping photos of what they could see of the harbor bridge, one of the Wesley students informed us of a pest here they call drop bears. They're small creatures that live in the trees and drop down on people and scratch them. They are particularly attracted to the American accent as well, but have been known to be repelled by applying a thick layer of Vegemite to the forehead. Needless to say, I didn't believe the trick for long. I had to reassure a friend later that it was indeed a farce, that she did not have to avoid standing or sitting under a tree.
Once we arrived on campus, we began orientation, getting a tour of the campus (which is about the size of the campus mall, the grass part of it). At about 4 or 5 or so, people's homestay families started picking them up. Carissa and I waited until everyone had left so that Kimberley could take us home.
15 minutes after we arrived at Flo, we went to dinner. We quickly tried to clean up before we met some of the residents for the first time. And let me just say, after traveling for 24 hours, I was not a pretty sight. We met probably a quarter of the Flo residents at dinner, for most did not arrive until this past week.
Since I had thrown out the shampoo and conditioner I intended to pack in a desperate attempt to make my luggage lighter, some of the residents walked us to a near convenience store to get supplies. That night, So You Think You Can Dance? Australia was on. Carissa and I made it through first hour before we about fell asleep on the couch.
On Thursday, everyone arrived back on campus all fresh and clean. Carissa and I got to take a taxi because Kim couldn't show us how to use transportation in time. The taxi driver had an unusual accent. He was born in Timor, a country right above Australia, but had moved to Aus later in life, making English his second language, which resulted in quite a unique accent.
That day, the rest of the Wesley first years joined us for orientation. After lunch, we went into the city to do a scavenger hunt. We were split up into groups with other Wesley students and had to perform certain tasks, take photos, or acquire objects. For example, we had to get someone to buy one of us an 50 cent ice cream cone from Macker's (probably the cheapest thing you can buy here. Oh, and Macker's is Macdonald's). We also made a human pyramid to look like the Sydney Opera House.
My team was not the most competitive group and ended up sitting on a grassy knoll by the opera house waiting to meet up.
That night, we went on a harbor cruise. There was live music and great views. There was dancing going on most of the night, the Americans taking up most of the dance floor.
When we were about to dock, all of a sudden the music stopped. People started yelling there was a man in the water. Everyone looked over the edge of the boat. There was an elderly man floating along the side of the 20 foot wall from which he had just fallen. A Wesley student was on the verge of jumping into the water when the captain of the boat came running forward with a lifesaver. A life raft was there almost immediately after, the man was safe, and the last song commenced.
Although the thought of falling off a wall into the ocean is terrifying enough, the fact that the harbor is a hot spot for sharks was pointed out to us the next day. Double whammy. Good thing I didn't go for a swim.
Friday continued our orientation. Some of us decided to meet at Circular Quay that night at 9. I never really understood where exactly we were to meet, but I was expecting a phone call. Well, the phone at Flo is broken, and no one had cell phones just yet. And this is the part where Dad should stop reading because he'll just worry about me more. Carissa wanted to stay in and play board games with Flo rezies, so I went to the city alone. I must say, I did lack a little foresight with the whole plan. I figured I would walk around until I found them. I got there early and walked up and down the quay. I walked to where I knew their bus might arrive. No sign. Although this story sounds quite pathetic, I myself embraced my independence and enjoyed the scenery. The harbor was lit up with pink light from the cruise liner and the customs house had large glowing tigers in front of it with pictures of a beautiful city in China. After an hour, I gave up looking, grabbed a gelato (quite tasty), and hopped back on the train. Usually, I'd be very bitter about such a situation, but there was no one to blame. I'm guessing this sort of event happened often before the advent of the cell phone. Or people just planned really well.
Turns out, everyone who said they would go went, just none of us saw each other. They either arrived later or were at a different spot. Regardless, I had an independent adventure, and I survived.

We slept in a bit on Saturday morning before heading into the city. We bought a beach towel and some thongs (yes, they still call them that here--you'd think they'd shorten flip flops to flippies like they do everything else) before heading to the wharf where we were to meet up with some girls to take the ferry to Manly Beach. Everyone showed up this time.
The ferry ride there was beautiful. It seemed like everyone was sailing. The beach was very crowded, but was fun just the same. Sand is such a nuisance.
After getting back and cleaning up, we headed back out again to go meet some friends from ASC. On the way there, we met a very entertaining couple. The girl was from Texas and the guy was from England. Both were a little tipsy. They had actually met part of our group earlier that day and went on about how the Americans are taking over Australia (with a few choice words thrown in and around). We rode the train to the city with them and they proved to be quite nice and helpful.


And thus concludes the long-winded version of my first 4 days in the wonderful city of Sydney.