Surfs Up!

G’day!

So today is Thursday and I have almost made it through the school week! I am so excited for tomorrow because after class, I leave to go on my surfing trip. We are traveling about 3 hours south to some of the best surfing spots in Australia… I just hope to come back with all my limbs! I am so excited for this trip… Surfing is one of the things I wanted to learn while I am here and I can’t think of anything better than spending an entire weekend dedicated to polishing and refining my surfing skills!!

Classes are going alright. I learned the technique silver service, which isn’t hard once you learn how to do it. The concepts I am learning aren’t hard or mind- stimulating but they spend WAY too much time going over everything. I wish they didn’t take attendance because I would never go to class and turn in my projects and papers when they are due, and I would still pass without difficulty. But since that it not an option, I print out Sudoku puzzles in the computer lab before class to pass the time. I have done so many puzzles that I have surpassed the easy level and am now working on medium level puzzles. God knows where my Sudoku skills will be by the end of the term.

Now I know that Americans have the reputation for being loud and rude, but when it comes etiquette in the classroom, that is hardly the case. In my classes, there are people from all over the world and surprisingly, it is the Australian students who show no respect for their teachers. In every class I have, they are constantly talking when the teaching is talking. And it just isn’t my class, all of my friend’s have said the same thing about Australian students. It get so irritating that they are NEVER QUITE. This girl in my class when up to one of my professors and told him that this boy is never quiet and she can’t concentrate on what he is saying in class because he never shuts up. She said that the Australian boy is being disrespectful to him (the professor) and if he doesn’t do anything about it, then she will. We were all proud of her because someone needed to say it for the benefit of the rest of the class. I can’t understand why Australians are so disrespectful to teachers in the classroom. It’s like they were never taught that when the professor is teaching, you are quiet.

Another downside to my classes is that since they are all 100 level, I am with students who have just started their first term of college, aka 18 year olds. In my EVT 110 class it is the worse, I think I may have to start taking headache medicine before I go to class because I always have a headache while leaving that class.

On Monday, in that class, our professor asked us how Mardi Gras was, and everyone responded “Awesome!” “Great!”, etc… except for the Australian girls. One girl said “Gay Lesbian Mardi Gras is only fun if you are underage” I rolled my eyes and asked her if she was too cool for Mardi Gras now that she can legally drink (You only need to be 18 to drink in Australia). She glared at me for an instant and then turned to her friend to talk about how drunk she got over the weekend. We did another activity in class where we partnered up. One person was a car dealer and another person was the buyer. We had to tell the class what price we settled on and a girl said she settled on only $1000 but promised to give sexual favors.

Give me a break

These are just two examples of stupid things that the younger students do ALL THE TIME. This class lasts two hours, twice a week. I feel like I am back in middle school, that’s how immature they are. It is the longest two hours of my life.

But really, I shouldn’t be complaining. I am in Australia and I do love it here… it’s just the people in my classes could be better. Life is good and I should just be grateful that I am here.

I am off to eat some dinner and then begin a paper. Yuck. Can’t wait to tell everyone about my surfing trip! I'll write in a few days!

More Aussie Lingo:

Syllabus = Scheme of work
Downtown = CBD (Central Business District)
Elevator = Lift
Portapotty = Portaloo
Cell Phone = Mobile
Quick = Wiki
Sweater = Jumper
Swim Suit = Swimmies