Its late afternoon and I am delighted to find the front laws buzzing with the kind of activity that befits any normal O-Week. Handing out flyers for the international exchange fair (to be held this week on Thursday the 29th March) I was in competition with the army of faithfuls that represent the EU (the Evangelical Union - not to be confused with the formidable European bloc), and the eager and helpful bright green SPOCS. We vied for the attention of excited first years, as they stumbled around, arms laden with freebies, in a bit of a daze having just joined half a dozen societies.
The Clubs & Socs program at Usyd remains as diverse as ever, with offerings from a huge array of cultural, religious, political and creative organisations covering every desire from letting your inner child loose to indulging in your Mr Darcy obsession. These all contribute to a lively campus atmosphere and myriad of opposing opinions, which is one of my favourite things about being at uni. Now is a time where we have the ability and freedom to experiment with ideas, to debate, and to be passionate about what we believe in. And hopefully we might even learn something from it and direct that passion into the future.
Though this atmosphere can be overwhelming, particularly at O-week, I was pleasantly surprised to see it alive and kicking. To be honest I had some serious doubts, returning from a semester abroad I wasn’t sure how we were going to deal with the implementation of the user-pays policy of VSU. If you are a new student or still at high school you might not even know what this means. Basically, for the past few years us university students have been taking to the streets to try and prevent the government from allowing the abolishment of compulsory student unionism, an amazing system that provided a whole range of practical, enjoyable & necessary services. Though we weren’t successful in our goal, someone (the union?) must have been doing something right, and thanks to the access card we still have, well access… to a lot of these things.
One such example is the Manning building and amenities within it. If you were at Beachball which was massive this year, or have just wandered past its packed balconies on a sunny day you will be aware of the wonderful institution that is Manning. Up at the bar the other day I found myself amongst old classmates, enjoying a beer whilst debating the merits of anarchy. (Just another day at uni!) For a moment I tuned out of the conversation as I felt quite troubled… was I ready to throw myself back into this thriving academic milieu after an exchange semester that was followed by two months of gallivanting about the globe? However I was quickly distracted from my fears when I realised that they had installed a meat pie vending machine into the bar in my absence. Until you have been in a pie-free zone I don’t think you can appreciate the true satisfaction granted from one of those piping-hot Aussie pastry delights filled with mixed meat and goo. Mmmmm….
But in all seriousness settling back into Australia has been a very difficult thing for me. Having traveled before it’s not as much to do with the bursting of the excitement bubble, which you get when you realise everything’s still the same. This time I left behind a life I’d made on exchange in Boston and came back to one I was not sure I really belonged to anymore. My walls are bare from the pictures I have taken down and I feel like throwing out half my belongings. A lot of my friends here have graduated, are off traveling or somehow have found themselves in another of those turning points of life. It’s weird to feel separate from a uni world I have over the last three years been so joyfully entrenched in. Meanwhile, weathering the snow storms in the States are a bunch of the most special people I have ever met, who I am not sure when I will see again. Yet slowly, as I get back into uni, return to work, and enjoy the last of the summer that I missed, things are getting easier. In the end any nostalgia I feel only proves how special an experience I had, and any changes that need to be made or have occurred here are inevitable and should be welcomed. Should being the operative word….
So whilst I may no longer be a celebrity merely due to my nationality, I am quite happy to slip back within the sandstone walls of the Quad, or more realistically to reacquaint myself with the endless stacks in Fisher.
Speaking of change, this somewhat rambling entry marks my transformation from an exchange blogger to an honours one. I hope I can provide an insight into another aspect of uni life that I am (tentatively) about to embark on!