Orientation at USC

It has been already a week since I arrived at University of the Sunshine Coast and already I love it! Since I arrived, it has only been orientation week for us which means I have been settling into my apartment, meeting new people and getting ready to start classes.

My first full day at the USC included me creating a list of things to do as well as walking into the little shopping area in Sippy Downs where I will be getting all of my essentials to make food as well as making my room more personal. That first day, I was by myself though I had met a few nice Australians through one of my roommates. During the second day, the University held a huge BBQ for the international students. I ended up meeting a group of nice international students, many of which were Scandinavian and American. Right after the BBQ, one of the girls took us to her apartment where we all mingled. It was a great way to get to know everyone and we even established a group on facebook in order to keep everyone updated on all the different activities going on.

Photo credit goes to Dorthea Knudsen

Within a few days, all of us planned shopping trips, meet ups and more. One night, we all met up and had a small get together before everyone hit the clubs. The very next day we took a trip to the Glasshouse Mountains. One of the girls had done the hike before and many of us wanted to give the hike a shot. We all met up in the morning to take a bus and train to Mount Ngungun. With the GoPro on my head and a few people going at my pace, we panted as we walked up the trail. It was all worth it when we were able to get an amazing view of the Glasshouse mountains and of the country side. As I looked out, I forgot I was even in Australia. It was not the view you would expect when you think about the land down under but I took it as it was. It was also a nice view to eat a tuna sandwich and some TimTams.

We even had three birthdays my first week. For one of them, we all went hiking. For the other two, we had a little celebration with Italian food. I made a bowl of Spaghetti Carbonara and the host made some delicious ravioli with red sauce. A lot of carbs in one night but it was great otherwise.

Photo Credit goes to Louise Bertram

Of course you cannot forget about the beaches! USC is about ten minutes from Maloolaba beach which was our first beach stop. I spend part of my day at Maloolaba swimming and throwing the rugby ball around. For our last day before classes, we made a trip to Alexandria Headline Beach which was in the same area
as Maloolaba. The reason we picked this beach for our last day was because it was a surfing beach and a bunch of us wanted to rent some boards and test out the waters. It felt amazing to get back up on the board though it drained the life out of me. Since then, I want to try and surf at least once a week if possible. It was even awesome to see some of the gang try out the board and want to continue surfing for the next few months.

Overall, I can say I have basically settled in. I have three great roommates and an awesome group of friends who are just as active as I am. I have my own room and a common room kitchen as well as a living room and a pretty little patio where I can see the pond and a small glance of the university. USC is a very modern campus that is located on a nature reserve. Many different kinds of wild life live here such as snakes, birds (ones that like to wake me up at night) and kangaroos. So far I have seen a decent amount of kangaroos lounging and hopping all over campus which I will have to get use to eventually. The bus stop is right by the university so it is easy to get places even if I do not have a car. The weather has been a bit chilly but only recently has it warmed up. It is only suppose to get warmer which I can get use to. Classes start on Monday which will be interesting. As of now I do not have Friday classes because I was able to switch one of my classes to a different day which is a first for me. Time get start on my studies!