Student Life

Lisa-from UOW, in UVic Canada.

I think I adapt pretty quickly, I never really felt like a fish out of water, I guess it is due to being in a pretty similar environment uni and Canada really isn’t THAT different to Australia. sometimes I find myself forgetting I am overseas, as everyone is white like me. I have only been to Asia before so I never forget I am on holidays or away from home. however when I walk past someone and here them say ‘about’ or ‘out’ or ‘ay’ I cant help but smiling 🙂

The uni life as an exchange student is so sweet!!!! Everything I need is next door, classes, food, bar, book shop ect. and there is a free bus!!! that could be the best bit. It goes regularly so you don’t need a timetable. My friends like next door.  I live on campus, on the top floor of a 6 story tower. AND I have a view of the ocean!!! I can see USA from my window, on a clear day of course, which is about once a week. It does rain a lot here and very cloudy, I asked someone when the rain is going to stop and she said oh about….March. I bought an umbrella.

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I am in the honeymoon phase and love it. study all day go out every night – not like clubbing but there are SO many activities on! I went to the clubs day and got a bit carried away and joined 6 clubs 😛 I joined the outdoors club, french, korean, kayaking, games and photography club. I am mainly friends with other internationals at the moment, which is great I love them. they are from mainly holland, germany, france and Sweden. but I am keen to meet more locals. I am friends with a few Canadian guys so im going to hang out with them more 😛 My mum sent me a package yesterday with Vegemite in it. So this morning I made Vegemite on toast for 3 Canadian guys, one spread it like peanut butter and I had to fix it for him. on didn’t mind it the others didn’t like it. I even showed them the “were happy little Vegemite” commercial – what a classic add!?

I went to a party at one of the self-contained units on campus on saturday night and on the way home we saw a deer! I was so excited I tried to get a picture of it but it hopped away – they hop!!! like bounce, so strange. On Vancouver island they have cougars and bears, I was contemplating doing a 3-4 day hike down the island, but don’t know how to manage these animals. not sure about you but snakes and spiders or bears and cougars? (cougar as in mountain lion not old woman after a young man). people are so afraid of Australia’s wild life and I just don’t get it! they have massive animals with claws and teeth!!!

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So far I have only met 2 other Australians, and I think that is enough. Someone came up to me and said oh I met another Aussie he is over there, and I said oh that’s cool but I really want to meet Canadian, as I can meet Aussies in australia… One of the Australians I met is on exchange for a year, this is her second semester. I tried to have a conversation with her but all she talked about was getting drunk – no not drunk but smashed, wasted ect. every day and all last semester. Also about parties and guys and it made me feel a bit awful, sure partying id great but that was all she did. What about the other aspects?? and it seemed like she was missing a few brain cells from her experience. Australians also have a HUGE reputation for drinking! last semester there were heaps of Aussies and they were the party animals – any suggestions as to why this is?  just curious.

sorry it was a bit of a rant… 🙂

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This is a trip down to Cadboro bay.