Entry 9

Dayflies, sweat, and the woes of public transportation can’t dampen my experience studying abroad— which truly has been transcendent. As March is ending, and autumn descends on the southern hemisphere, I’m starting to value each day more than the one before it— knowing how quickly the next three months will fly by. This week has been somewhat of a test— the complexities of living half a world away have sunk in.  Technology, and my Internet connection particularly, are fickle and communication with home has gotten harder. I’m glad for my blog and my journals so I can keep track of everything that happens for my family and friends back home as well as myself. Tuesday was my friend Harry’s twentieth birthday, and the international students threw him a riot of a surprise party I doubt he’ll ever forget. In some ways living in the village reminds me of freshman year— living on campus in H4. The community that we’ve made is both hilarious and comforting, and I know I’ve made friends here that I’ll keep for life. On Thursday, Harry, my roommate Jon, and I went to a guest lecture on campus about the recent absorption of Crimea into Russia. Professor Norman Davies of Oxford was traveling through Sydney and agreed to give a one-hour synopsis of the complete history of Ukraine in relation to Moscow’s Russia, then explain the implication of the current annexation of Ukraine’s port city. Kiev, the current capital of Ukraine, was one of the first major cities in Eastern Europe, established before Russia was even a country. After the USSR broke apart and Ukraine declared itself an independent nation, Kiev became the capital and Crimea became one of the most significant regions of the country. Personally its hard for me to establish an opinion I feel passionate about because even after listening to the lecture, I know little about the people of Crimea and what they truly want. I do think the military pressure imposed by Russia was against international precept. I’m glad UWS gave us the opportunity to become more educated about something current and independent of my regular classes. Friday was the “Endless Summer Cruise and Casino,” which almost everyone in the village went to. We all got dressed up for a three hour cruise around Darling Harbor, then took over the club level of the Marquee, one of Sydney’s best Casinos. We walked past the slot machines and roulette tables— glassy eyed adrenalin seekers, lost in the possibility of striking it rich. I was thankful I had no desire to gamble. Inspired though—the next night a few of us played Texas Holdem with puzzle pieces and uncooked pasta as our poker chips. Today was so nice when I woke up I grabbed my sunscreen and kindle and headed to Bondi to soak up some rays. I stopped for a crabmeat pizza on my way home and thought of Piccini’s in Ocean City. The pizza was good but not as good as Piccini’s, and it couldn’t hold a candle to Mac & Mancos! I’ve booked my tickets to Melbourne for next weekend, off to the southern city of Australia.