melbourne welcome

So I'm going to NEED to do a photo post soon, 'cause I've done quite a few things since arriving and quite a few things since I last wrote. Tuesday-Saturday I was at Trinity College at Melbourne Uni for "Melbourne Welcome," an orientation program put on for incoming international students. Most of the students were from the States, but I met people from England, Ireland, France, Sweden, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Mexico, Taiwan, and more. (My 'host group' consisted of 10 people, 7 from the US and 3 respectively from Mexico, Norway, and the Netherlands.)

Tuesday was check-in and the initial tours around the campus and around the city; we did a bit of shopping at QV Square, (not to be confused with the Queen Vic Market) where we visited Big W, which is kind of like an Australian Walmart. I think it's run by Woolworth's, though, but don't quote me on that. In QV is a food court level, and I found myself a Japanese bakery with melon pan! (If you don't know of my obsession with melon pan...it's deep-seated. I love melon pan.) Naturally I bought one and consumed it on the spot--should have bought two!

Wednesday we split the Trinity group in half and went to a couple different locations around the city. My group went first to the National Gallery of Victoria, a big art museum in Federation Square. After a few hours there, we went to a nice restaurant a few doors down to taste some Australian flora and fauna--shrimp, veggies, cheeses and quail eggs, but also crocodile tail, emu steak, and kangaroo chorizo! Everything was actually really good; I kind of wish the kangaroo had been a little less spiced so that we could experience its actual flavor, but I suppose I'll have ample opportunity to go seek out more. After we ate our slightly terrible bag lunches, we headed over to Eureka tower, the highest public observation deck in the southern hemisphere! (Australia is all about being the best of the southern hemisphere.) We zoomed up to the 88th floor and had a look around. Unfortunately it was a cloudy and rainy day, so we couldn't see far into the distance, but the view was still very nice. My host group, led by the indomitable Ash, left a bit early to check out the Crown complex. Crown is a huge, and I'm talking Vegas huge, casino complex on the Yarra. It's the biggest casino in Australia and, you guessed it, the southern hemisphere, and we only spent a few hours wandering around. Endless restaurants, luxury shopping (Versace, Guess, Burberry, Prada, and some random designer pajama maker that was selling rainbow leopard print onesies), restaurants, arcades, and gambling. Wednesday night we went to Melbourne Central for bowling at an Ed Hardy-themed bar/alley, but I didn't really want to front the cash to embarrass myself, so I hung out with some other bowling abstainers. We actually ended up down in the basement, shopping for some necessities at the grocery store near the train station before heading back to Uni on our own.

Thursday morning we went to the zoo! Finally saw some koalas, wombats, and penguins I could photograph! Unfortunately the platypus was hiding this morning, so I'm afraid I probably won't get to see one in the near future. (At $24.90 a pop, I don't think I'll be going to the zoo again soon.) I was especially excited when we entered a huge aviary and I saw a cassowary! He was kind of just standing there, hiding in the bushes, and refused to move a little bit so I could see his big massive feet. Alas. In the afternoon we went to the Botanical Gardens for an 'Aboriginal Heritage Walk,' led by 3 Aboriginal men who welcomed us to the country and walked us around the gardens, telling us about native uses for plants. Thursday evening was our formal dinner, with important College and University attendees. When we arrived in the hall, we were to stand behind our chairs until the people who were going to sit at the high table entered the room. It was all very British and Hogwarts-y, and there was a great deal of wine on the tables to be had. After our dinners, there were speeches, and some of us took part in a special drinking game where you had to take a sip whenever "Trinity" "College" and "thank you" were uttered. Not that there weren't enough of all of these, but the game REALLY would have gotten going if we'd also thrown "welcome" into the mix.

Friday morning we were split into 4 different groups, based on trips we'd signed up for when we first arrived. I went to the Melbourne Cricket Grounds, where cricket and footy are played. Had a good wandering about through the complex and at the National Sports Museum, which is also inside, then had lunch and the afternoon off, which was a very nice break. Then dinner and sleep for me, though there was an Aussie-themed party going on for those who wanted to go out.

Yesterday was really just checkout of Trinity, walk back, and chill, which was very nice for recharging batteries. Today we're going to a footy game (if I can ever figure out when people are leaving for it), so I'll have to write again soon!