About two weeks ago something awful happened. I actually had to go to class.
Somehow over the course of the last month I’d managed to block out the fact that going on exchange to a foreign uni would entail actually having to attend class. My blissful bubble of denial was burst, however, when I found myself seated in the back of a packed-out lecture hall at an hour of the morning that I hadn’t seen since my last Sydney Uni exam in June. The horror of the situation only increased as the lesson went on and dirty words like “essay”, “midterm” and “oral presentation” were used with increasing frequency. As the Prof (note my use of Canadian uni slang) started to describe what was expected from our study groups, rather than giving him my full attention, all I could think about was how having to go to study group on Monday morning would affect my plans to go to mechanical bull night at the Buffalo Club on Sunday.
For the first week after the lecture I started to struggle to get myself motivated. I did manage to accomplish a few things. Buying my textbooks, for instance, has to be regarded as a positive step. I guess some people would say that the fact they were still lying in the bookstore bag in the corner of my room at the end of the week somewhat detracts from that accomplishment. At the moment I’m choosing to ignore that particular school of thought, and I’m doing a good job if it too - probably because of all the training I had ignoring my first week of homework.
This week things are going a little better. I’m starting to shake off the study rustiness that developed during my long break and I’m actually getting some work done. I’ve also discovered that being an exchange student (and especially having an Australian accent) is a massive advantage in most of my classes. Lecturers love to get your perspective on everything and other students are immediately interested in what you’ve got to say. There’s also the bonus that if you get something wrong or mess something up, everyone just assumes it’s because you’re not from around here and they generally let it slide. Classes are also a great way to escape the trap of just socialising with other international students and help you to branch out and meet some locals. I can’t get over just how friendly everyone is here. I’m starting to think its going to be a tough readjustment when I get home and nobody cares that I’m from Australia or finds the fact that I call a sweater a “jumper” an endearing quality. It’s easy to get used to being a novelty.
This week I also got my act together and started to get myself more involved in campus life. So far I’ve signed up for yoga classes and I’m even partaking in some ballroom dancing in an attempt to overcome my almost tragic lack of rhythm and grace. I also signed up for the Croquet Club, mainly because I was won over by their posters, which looked a lot like this.
Obviously a high budget job. With an advertising campaign like that, who was I to resist?
While my brief and in no way comprehensive glance over the USYD Union web page suggested that a Croquet Club was one of the few societies that we don’t have at Sydney Uni, we do have everything from a Buffy society to a Recreation and Clowning Around Society. The thing about being an exchange student is that you find yourself signing up for things and participating in stuff that you normally never would at home. Next Saturday, for instance, I’ve somehow managed to worm my way into a team for a campus tradition here called “The Day of the Longboat”. This apparently involves me paddling a canoe up a river for two miles (not my usual idea of a good time, but when in Rome right…?) I think its all part of being in the tourist mind frame, you want to see as much as you can in the time you have. Anyway the point of that charming little anecdote is that it's has made me realise how I’ve been wasting all the different opportunities that are available for students at Sydney Uni. So if you feel like learning from my mistake, you can check out the Union website to see what they have going on for the rest of the year.
Oh yeah, and try not to hold the lack of a Croquet Club against the Union - now that my attention has been drawn to this alarming deficiency, I plan to step up next year and create one.