Funny the Way It Is...

Written on 11 Jan 2010

 It feels like freshman year all over again: the overwhelming new school, new people to meet, new activities to do. We hopped on another flight this morning from Cairns to Brisbane and now we’re finally at Bond University where we’ll spend the semester (or as the Aussies call it, we’ll be attending “Uni” here on the Gold Coast). The drive from the airport was about an hour and the view was amazing! It reminded me of Miami, with gorgeous beaches and houses along the shore, and plenty of things to do and places to shop. The campus is stunning: it’s hard to believe we actually have to take classes and study here. We had some time to get settled and then headed over to break into the good ol’ meal plan and had dinner. This week is Orientation Week or “O Week,” so there’s plenty going on including info sessions, meetings, and nightlife fun—it’s hardly like QU Orientation, but an orientation is an orientation and it’s making me miss the OL’s back home but I’m looking forward to this summer’s orientation all the same. That’s the great thing about Bond: I’ll be back in the USA early enough to be an OL again which is just about the greatest thing ever.

Anyway, let’s backtrack. Before we left Cairns, we had our little service day which was nothing like I expected. It was pretty disorganized and there didn’t seem like enough jobs to go around, so a few of us ended up just standing there—as I applied sunscreen every 5 seconds. You wouldn’t believe the tropical weather! Sun showers happen as often as Lindsay Lohan is on Perez Hilton: okay, corny simile, but it’s true, they happen all the time! It would rain for 5 seconds, then stop, then start again. Back to the service day, I was really looking forward to some Habitat for Humanity-like jobs, but it wasn’t like that. It’s ok though, being up in the rainforest was cool and I saw an unbelievably huge spider and didn’t freak out. I know, I know, I’m growing up.

The next day we went to Rainforestation and it was SO amazing. I keep using that word but there’s no other way to explain it. We got to hold a koala (and they even gave us a picture of it) and hang with the kangaroos- literally we just chilled with them. They were hopping around all over the place and were really calm, so we spent a lot of time with them. We also saw wallabies, a dingo, (both so adorable), huge crocodiles, and a little baby koala.

So yeah, Australia has been treating me well for the most part: I’m meeting some really awesome people and my sunburn is even going away. I’m not exactly homesick, I just really miss everyone. I can’t listen to The Fixer by Pearl Jam and not think of my roommate Marissa and all the times we belted that song out in her car, or the fact that my other roommates Caitie and Leigh left for Barcelona today and must be so excited. But, everything’s going to be even better once I get a routine going and get settled, and maybe not get lost around my dorm like I did earlier today. Classic Tracy, directionally-challenged.

No Worries,

Tracy  

A few weeks ago, my roommate Marissa and I were about to walk into Dunkin’ to satisfy our morning coffee fix (medium caramel latte with skim, to be exact). Before we walked through the doors to the Taj Mahal of all coffee shops, a little old man with a cane and a heavy limp was just leaving. Marissa was walking a little ahead of me, and the man looked at her and said: “Never get old! Being old is the worst.” She kept walking, and looked back at me with a confused expression. I hadn’t heard what he said to her, until I walked past him and he said “I was just telling her, never get old! Everything gets so much harder.” As we entered, I thought about what this man said to us, and I told Marissa that I thought it was depressing. Everyone fears getting old. Heck, I was freaking out on my 20th birthday. But guess what? It’s inevitable. That’s why it’s so important to live in the moment, to make everyday count. And we all know this, too. Every so often, we’ll read a quote or watch a t.v. show that reminds us to life live to the fullest. But, then we forget about it. It’s only when something severe happens that we remember to really live the life we love. It made me sad to think that this man had such a pessimistic attitude. I guess no one ever told him that staying positive, appreciating simple things, and not intimidating two 20 year old girls was a good way to be young at heart… not to mention, optimism can help you avoid wrinkles. Sure, he was old. But in 60 years, I’ll be that old too. I think at that point, I’ll remember how fun it was to be young and it’ll remind me to be young at heart. And hopefully I’ll be a cool grandma. One who knits blankets and carries around a Vera Bradley cane ;-)