G'day mates
G'day Mates! Wow... I have familiarised myself with some Aussie slang!
My friends told me to eat 'Vegemite' to become an Australian. I find it a joke, as I hate vegemite, but I like milo! So I bet I have to drink and eat a lot of milo to become an Aussie! Also, I eat out at 'maccas' once in two weeks! You know what 'maccas' is? Find out!!!
Anyway, this is my second monthly report and believe me, I just got so much to share with you that I have no idea where to start from. OUCH!!!..........
Firstly, the weather is getting better. I just love it. No more of hugging the heater while sleeping till daylight. The sun is out everyday with a temperature of 17 degrees which is just awesome for someone who comes from a tropical area. I could not believe the flowers that bloom. They are so beautiful! I get carried away by looking at them as I travel on the train to the city. They are so wonderful to look at as they bloom along the railway and in people's yards.
Studies are great but there are just so many readings to do. Doing sociology at any uni around the world is all about heaps of readings. It's not too bad anyway as it means skipping lectures and catching up right? That's a joke.
I have made discussion friends in all my sociology classes so I find the courses fair and square. I have to play my part and that means time management on studying, chatting online with friends, partying and just being myself backstage, sleeping or snoring.
I have had wonderful times with other people lately. I spent last weekend with family friends at their place. We had a birthday party for their daughter who turned 32. It was nice to be with new people who are my family friend's friends. So there goes the chain of friends. We exchanged numbers and email addresses and have been emailing each other since. On that Sunday, the couples I stayed with had a rowing lesson at the Albert Park Lake, so I had to take care of 2 fluffy dogs for about 3 hours. We had a walk around the lake. It was fun being somewhere new by myself with animals!!! Luckily they did not get me embarrassed where people hang out?
The student village where I live has also organised tours for the international students. There were about 14 of us who signed up for a chocolate tour in the city however not all could make it on that date so the residence manager and I had to go there alone. Well, I do not regret it, as I had sooo much fun and chocolate to eat. Any chocolate you can think of, I had it all! Yummy. We visited places like Koko Black and Haighs.
A cooking class was also organised on a Thursday afternoon for villagers. However, there were only 7 of us who were able to make it. Four uni staff took their time off to teach us how to prepare healthy, cheap, easy meals. The best part of the class was the food tasting. We had to taste (actually, eat!) about 7 different dishes that were cooked. I love it!! In addition to that, we were given food samples like cornflakes and chocolates and healthy nut snacks to take back home for free. It was a weeks supply for me!! :)
A party out with friends organised by the Melbourne Peace Action group was a time to remember here in 
Melbourne. The Melbourne Peace Action group had to raise funds for the Afghanistan project. It was the first time ever to meet other, actually only 3, Peace Scholarship recipients. We met at the hallway of Victoria University at Flinders street and sold tickets for a Brazilian Latina Fiesta to friends at our various unis which was a great success! My friends are still talking about that night at Copa Cappanna!! It was awesome dancing salsa with different cute boys on the dance floor till 2am. Anyway, we enjoyed ourselves more than we missed the train!
Last but not least, there was a very memorable dinner I had with the Peace Scholarship manager, Eleanor Rivers and her colleague, Carlie Blake and other Peace Scholarship recipients. As I have said, I missed the orientation in Sydney with other Peace Scholarship recipients so I did not meet the Melbourne group till that night. We had a good time introducing ourselves and enjoyed a wonderful dinner. I love that group and wish there are more events like this in the coming months before we all depart to our various countries.
To conclude, I am enjoying every moment of my time here in Melbourne! The studying, partying, tours and extra classes are all new experiences for me here. Sometimes they just carry me away from reality but I know my priorities!! A little bit of everything in a semester is just what an exchange student will expect, aye? What do you think?
All the best in whatever you are doing!!
Liah John Kaltoi