Rainy Days

Self portrait I suppose

Oi! I can't believe it's nearly August! ...and still cold. :-/ Weather has been miserable this week. It has been raining since Saturday. But the rain is really funny here because it will be showering one minute and the next it will be sunny. I thought New England weather was unpredictable, but Tassie takes it to a whole new level. I've seen so many rainbows already. One showed up over the bay while I was getting all wet and muddy on the basketball court with some of the girls from Christ College. I decided to get into some of the college sports. It was actually really fun and relaxed. Plus, it felt so good to get active! I might even try out the Australian Football (Footy) after basketball.

I'm (reluctantly) getting into my third week of classes now. It was fun getting introduced to new subjects, class styles, and people, but now it's time to get to work. I ended up staying in "Cognitive Neuroscience" despite my worries. Luckily, half of the work is a group research experiment, which means I can just be a really good listener, say a few comments here and there, and hopefully pick up a decent grade. It's still pretty challenging though. We have to conduct an experiment relating to cognitive neuroscience without access to advanced equipment like MRIs. But I think my group chose a fairly simple topic/design. It has already been hypothesized that when letters are slightly more spaced than normal, it is easier to recognize words. We are going to show words with different amounts of spacing between letters to our participants and record reaction times to see how the kerning effects orthographic processing. (See, I'm already picking up on fancy neuro-lingo!) ... I'll worry about the exam part of the unit later.

View of the city from the reserve..
this isn't even near as good as it gets.
...achin' to explore more!

My other academic unit is a first-year Geography class. It's called "Space, Place and Nature", and yeah, it is as broad as it sounds. The lecturer is a hoot, though. He goes off on heaps of interesting side notes and personal tangents. He tries to make a joke every few minutes, but always ends up chuckling at himself alone. I already mentioned how he enjoys talking about poo. But at least he knows what he is talking about! I've learned that wallabies just poop wherever, whenever, while rabbits make themselves a circle of dumplings to eat once more before leaving it to the earth. I see rabbits all around campus, it's so cute! (Especially now that I know they like to eat their own feces.) We went on our first field trip last week in practical. We just went up  to the Uni Reserve behind Christ College and did some fairly uninteresting measuring, but it's much better than sitting in a classroom.

I went for a walk up there again yesterday since we didn't get to explore much during class. I was surprised at the size of it. I was expecting something like Clark's Arboretum ... but this blows that poor patch out of the water. The view of the city is really great up there and I even caught the sun setting behind Mt. Wellington.

Great end to a rainy day! ...notice the snow on Mt. Wellington.

I think I'll make it a regular spot. It's a great place to relax for a bit on a quick walk, and the birds sound magical. :)

Cheers!

Humble Hobart

View of Mt. Wellington right outside the School of Art

I've been in Hobart for about three weeks now. Just Hobart. I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't explored anywhere else in Tassie yet. But I have gotten to know Hobart pretty well. Since I have to walk down to the city every time I go to one of my drawing classes, I've been spending a lot of time meandering, getting lost, and eventually finding my way. Luckily, it is not a very big city, so getting lost is not as dangerous as getting lost in a place like NYC. I've found from meeting some "Hobartians" that this is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone. It's a quaint little bubble with everything you want in a city -- a decent night life (less clubs more bars), a cafe on every corner, a waterfront, and an exceptional art district -- with an added close community atmosphere.

The Teddy Bear Shop .. Hobart you're adorable.

I just wish that I had an unlimited budget for my time here. I could spend over $300 a week between all of the cafes, restaurants, and shops. It's quite expensive to live here. The standard of living is just much higher than the US....and from what I have seen it's based on more than just money. People generally want to help each other if they can. This lends to the sense of community I get. The locals I have met are more than willing to show me a good time because I'm new to town. Oh and I'd say a sense of humor is more a part of everyday life. Maybe it's the laid-back island effect. The other day in my drawing class my mentor was talking to me about my project, and he couldn't understand my concept. I kind of started to freak out -- if my mentor can't understand the message I am trying to put out there how is anyone else going to? But then he asked me if I thought Americans were more serious than Australians. After some thought, I realized how true it is. I get about 20 "no worries" a day. There are no number grades, a "High Distinction" is considered the highest and is equivalent to an 80 or above. My lecturer for a course called "Space, Place and Nature" laughs at himself every 2 minutes, and picked up some wallaby scat the other day as an example of a project we could do.

Wouldn't be a city without motorbikes, alleys, and graffiti!

Needless to say, I am really enjoying getting to know a new place and some new folk. The quirky community reminds me a lot of Clark .. which is both a good thing and a bad thing. It's very comforting because it's what I am used to. But on the down side, it's a reminder of what I am missing at home. I'm getting a bit homesick and antsy to see parks, museums, and other touristy stuff. But I have plenty of time. Until then Hobart will do just fine.

Getting Settled

Ahh, hello! I have been slacking on posting, mostly because I feel as though I need something incredibly interesting to say every time. I suppose I can make anything interesting though.

I got through my first week of classes, and now uni life is starting to pick up. I am definitely not in semester mode yet...still wishing it was summer. In fact, I should be working on sketches right now for the drawing class I have in a couple hours. The unit is "Extended Concepts of Drawing" and essentially it is comprised of whatever project I wish to undertake. I love the freedom, but it is a challenge to get things started on my own. Right now I have some ideas of synthesizing psychology from the point of view of a scientist and an artist. I'm not quite sure where this project is going to lead me, and it wouldn't matter if I ended up somewhere totally different from where I started. That's the beauty of it. It's all about the creative process. A part of my grade will be determined by a journal I'll be completing independent work and research in. To me, this is a fantastic way to grade creative work. I'm really looking forward to seeing where my project ends up!

The other drawing unit I am taking is life drawing. The first class was a tiring three hours, but very interesting. We jumped right into drawing a model. Mostly everyone else in the class have all studied under the same mentor, so my technique was very different from everyone else. The mentor is extremely helpful, though. I am very keen on the mentors at the School of Art. None of them are "teachers" per se, just artists who want to share what they have learned throughout their personal careers.

That pink building would be the Tasmania School of Art..pretty awesome!

Wish I had time to write more, but I have to finish some sketches and then walk down to the city.

Until next time,
Shazzer --- (I was told last night that the name Shannon isn't that great in Oz because it would probably be shortened to something such as Shazzy or Shazzer ... but I like it! hahah)

(DIS)Orientation Week Begins

& I'm not exaggerating the word "hike"

As promised, I spent the rest of my first week exploring the grounds a bit more and getting myself situated in my new home. The walk to my single in Christ College is quite the climb, especially when you are carrying a backpack full of groceries. I don't think I'll need to join the gym to stay fit. I'm kind of forced to hike everyday...

HOWEVER, I recently stumbled upon a community garden which is only half way down the hill. I haven't fully become a member yet, but as long as I volunteer 8 hrs a month I can get 30% off fresh fruits and veggies....so I'm in. I've also noticed that the locally grown organic food here, unlike America, is usually cheaper than the crap food in grocery stores.  
~ more money + more energy (to spend on adventures) = double score ~

A great place to get local food/goods is at the Salamanca Market. It's about a 30 minute walk from where I stay -- SO worth it. It's held every Saturday and attracts vendors, musicians, and buyers of all kinds. It's just like being at a fair. I guess I was testing the waters a bit for my first time, I didn't want to drop too much money in one day. I couldn't resist some handmade lavender and eucalyptus soaps though. I'm amazed with how well Tassies synthesize science and art. You can find anything from potted plants that could sit in a magical garden to glass jewelry that is handmade to look like precious stones. If I'm going to fall in love with science, this is the place to do it.

Apparently street musicians also have to keep left.

It's also a great place to get into a wide variety of music. To the left are The Foley Artists. They brought amazing sounds and energy to the crowd, especially the children. I had to stop and watch a guy with dreads playing a bagpipe. Oh, and there was also a duo playing on a steel guitar and washboard.

It seems like the majority of people here just aren't afraid to be different. (Although it's probably just different to me as a foreigner...still hard to tell.) I'm regretting leaving all of my ugly thrift shop sweaters at home. Assuming Clarkies were the only ones, I thought I would look like a weirdo. Jokes on me, though, because those warm geometric jumpers* would do me quite well here.

It's been sort of quiet at the Uni the past week, but today was full of energy. I started off my classes with Cognitive Neuroscience. I think I learned more in one 2 hour lecture than 3 years of high school science. It would be a pretty rough unit considering the majority of the other students have already spent a semester on neuroscience... So I'm not sure if I will stick with it or switch out. It's an incredibly interesting subject, but would require loads of studying and memorization. I'll have to decide how much I want to learn in class versus how much I want to learn outside of the Uni.

Who's that girl with the pink hat & cool backpack?

In more exciting news, this week is "DisO Week" at the Uni. Traditionally, after orientation the student union hosts a bunch of events to welcome everyone back. Today there was a barrel*, which is basically an event where students can gather, get cheap drinks and have some bbq food. Despite the cold, it was so exciting to finally see some of the school's social life. I met some really cool Tassie girls and learned some new lingo. For example, a thrift store is called an OpShop* (short for opportunity shop?) and "fresh" or "crisp" is not as cool as it sounds to Americans. The US equivalent would probably be "newb" or whatever the kids are saying now...

After the barrel I popped my curry cherry at Dolphin Indian Cuisine (nothing fancy, just a take away place in Sandy Bay). We started off with an Onion Bhaji to share -- delish! It was similar to onion rings, but much lighter and with the added taste of chickpeas. For my plate I got a bit adventurous and tried Chicken Korma (cooked mild) instead of the more popular Butter Chicken. Mix it with rice and maybe some raitha sauce then fold it all in a garlic naan, and you've got an Indian taco. I won't say it's my favorite style of food, but I was pleasantly surprised by the mildly sweet yet rich spices.

I'd say DisO week has gotten off to a good start, and it's only begun! Looking forward to this weekend -- Friday there is ArtHaus, another barrel for the Uni held at the School of Art with music and art of course, and Saturday I will witness my first "butt" party at Christ College (if I can pull together a Disney themed costume).

I'll leave you with the Eucalyptus, where Koalas live!  (not naturally in Tasmania, unfortunately)

Welcome to Tassie

So I have been in Tasmania for about 3 days now. Did I mention it is Winter here? Well, Australian Winter anyway. I would call it Fall if this were New England. On a sunny day it's almost 60 F, but gets rather chilly at night.

No surprise that the 3 flights I had to take to get here were stressful and tiring. I was really worried about going through customs when I got to Sydney, but I should have known to not worry as I was entering the land down under. Customs was a breeze. The part that wasn't so fun was having my rolling luggage break as I tried to find the domestic transfer within the airport. The "metal" handle bar snapped and from then on I had to either carry both of my 50 lb bags or get a cart. I managed to get my bags to the next checkpoint and on route to Hobart. From there, I had to lug my bags up the mountain to my single room in Christ College. This is when the strap on my duffel bag decided to break as well. Picture an exhausted, jet-lagged girl trying to make her way up flights of stairs with 100 lbs on her back. What a fun time. I quickly unpacked, turned on  my heater, and passed out early in anticipation for my 9.00 orientation the next morning.

I was so excited that I woke up before 6 am Monday to catch the sunrise. The view from my window is amazing. It is great motivation to get out of bed and do some yoga or at least morning stretches looking out to the sea and mountains.

Orientation was awkward at first. We were all in one area getting tea and pastries, not knowing whether an introduction was worth it or not. We got over it, though, and before I knew it I was walking to get lunch with a couple of other Americans and heaps* (* = authentic Aussie slang) of Europeans. After being over stuffed with information packets and brochures, my new international friends and I went to Hotel SoHo in Hobart for some around the clock steins. I paid $10 for a giant mug of cider and a plate of chicken parmy and chips. (Chips are fries!) In Australia, this is a steal, as a bottle of beer can be $10 or more. I found out that night that I can be funny in any language thanks to the many odd facial expressions I have no control over. #winning! It's such an amazing opportunity to be around people from all over the world. I'm making connections and learning things from Denmark to Malaysia.

I tried taking the bus home that night, only to miss the stop I was supposed to get off for the Uni. Thankfully the locals here are lovely* human beings. The bus driver helped me out and even gave me some insight to a nice cafe with a view. He loved my accent, which I find funny because I can't get enough of the Tassie* accent.

The next day I got to go into town and explore the School of Art for a small orientation there. I'll be taking two drawing classes there, and I cannot wait. From what I have heard, and seen, it's an amazing art school. The Aussies who were there told me it's actually very hard to get into the school; I'm lucky enough to have the chance to skip the introductory units and choose almost any subject that interests me. The School is four floors, each floor with its own area of study. As students progress in their degree, they get their own studio to work in, most of them with an amazing view of the wharf. I got to see some of the students' work on my tour. I'm going to feel like a small catfish in a big koi pond, but if anything I think this will help me learn more and become a better artist.

I'm looking forward to starting classes next week, and finally getting to meet heaps of Aussies and Tassies. Until then I am going to explore the campus and city more with my Canon... expect more photos next time. :)

Today is the day!

Whoa, I can't believe how fast this came. I'm leaving from JFK tonight at 6:55 and will be in Australia Sunday! Not going to lie, had a minor freak out last night, but I should be good to go now. Saying good bye to everyone was so hard, but it made me realize how many amazing people I have at home. I guess sometimes it takes leaving it all to realize how lucky you are.

It's going to be a long flight, that's for sure. And a long journey to follow. Watch out Tassie here I come. (: