frozen toes & tuna fish.

Well hi!

I’m writing this from my dorm room, on the fourth floor – overlooking the city of Seattle. There’s snow capped mountains in the distance, there’s rotting food in the fridge beside me, I haven’t been able to feel my feet or hands for days and I’m here, in America. I’m here.

my dorm.

& my room.

I actually have to tell myself that a couple of times a day.

“I’m in America!”

 I said it out loud in the hall on my first day. Someone looked at me funny. People always look at me funny. I’m weird here. Reasons being: I wear shorts, and singlets. And thongs of the flip-flop variety. I use an umbrella when it rains. I get up before 9am. I look to the right when I cross the road. I pass people on the left. I stand at the tap for 5 minutes trying to turn it on the wrong way. I don’t drink coffee. I take photos of squirrels. I wear my hair on top of my head. And many, many more.

just a few plugs.

First impressions are mostly all good. My flights weren’t terrible, and even though I was stuck next to a crazy lady on my 13 hour flight (she was SUPER protective of her 30cm square space and even slapped my leg at one point when, asleep, I apparently inched into her spacing), I made my connections in LA, I wasn’t charged for my over-sized bags, and the man at immigration even smiled at me! I wasn’t even questioned about my dozens of doxycycline tablets.  Time wise, I arrived in America one hour after leaving Sydney, it was a long – but very bearable – 18 hour 1 hour. 

America!!

Since arriving, people have been nice to me. Too nice, and overwhelmingly kind, and it has made my transition much easier. Picking me up from the airport, introducing me to people, lending me clothing, sending me a phone, taking me out to dinner, giving me directions, riding the bus with me, ordering Starbucks for me (tall is small, what?!) and just generally being understanding, patient and inclusive. 

exhibit A.

But, let’s start big and work our way small. America so far. Accents are wonderful, and I love the little things that make it constantly feel like I’m living in a movie, the yellow school busses, the squirrels (8 so far! still no raccoons), the shops – like GAP, anthropology, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, i-Hop, Victoria’s Secret etc etc. I like the college spirit and the idea of a college town. I like hanging out with American’s, they’re loud and opinionated and say what they think.

Seattle so far, my new city – is stunning. I’ve mentioned the mountains but there are also the trees, green and brown and bare and beautiful. The transport system is good and there is this fantastic international element, there is a lot of good, cultural foods, and people. There’s also this great indie hippy element, with heaps of alternative people, old record stores, tattoo parlours and clothing exchange depot’s, I’m a fan. 

incredible view from my dorm window.

The University of Washington blows me away. It is incredible and the grounds leave me speechless. Architecturally and environmentally, they have a lot to be proud of. The campus is huge, and I’ve spent a lot of my first few days wandering around it with an A3 sized map in my hands – looking lost and getting lost. I live in a mixed international dorm, as I mentioned, on the fourth floor. This means I have to take a lift (elevator) to get to my home! I find this awesome, and a little bit Gossip Girl. I use a shared bathroom, about 200 metres down the hall (which makes it fun walking back in my pyjamas at all hours of the night – again, getting some strange looks from some of the boys). I have a roommate, she is wonderful. 

the quad.

cherry blossom trees!

"you dub" as they say.

the sky was blue for about 3 minutes, don't be decieved.

hogwarts library.

I’m frozen. I think this misunderstanding came about due to two factors, one – my own lack of research, and two – a slightly different definition of a “light jacket” and the season of Spring. I have never, ever been so cold – it’s colder then Winter, and my wardrobe especially is completely unsatisfactory. I can’t really be outside for more then 3 seconds before I feel like crawling into a hole and just generally giving up on life. I’ve been shopping a little bit, bought some essentials, like jeans and a sweater, but I still have a major shoe problem. The problem being I have none.

reppin it like a real American.

I’m taking three classes (one screenwriting and two epidemiology) which is a full load here, and it is exactly that – a full, full load. I’m a Senior apparently, which in my limited experience so far means that I’m supposed to have no life other then school. My classes have been great – a combination of American speaking lecturers, watching Contagion in class, and reading the screen play for Superbad – but the work load already borders on the ridiculous. Where at home a weeks reading would be a few academic articles and a few chapters from a textbook, here – I have to read a 300 page novel, about viral disease, by next Tuesday.  Fun! But, for both my health classes my professors name is John Mayer – so that almost makes it all okay.

a few of the many.

The gym on campus is actually the best place in the entire world. Not only is it free, but it’s 6 stories of everything you could possibly want or imagine, huge weights rooms, hundreds of exercise bikes and treadmills, an indoor pool, a rock-climbing centre, tennis, basketball and squash courts, an indoor track, hockey fields, you name it – they have it. Including, a bar that just makes protein shakes. I plan to spend a lot of my time there, especially given my next point, on food.

my view at night.

I have a campus card, which like a credit card is charged with food money, which I can use anywhere on campus, and campus is huge. This means a whole heap of restaurants, cafés, cafeterias, supermarkets – the lot. It’s a little more then exciting. I’m talking rooms filled with $1 bagels, $2 bags of cashews, chocolates, smoothies, juice bars, subway, burger joints, pizza places, Mexican places, pretzel houses, bakeries, salad bars – it’s overwhelming. I’ve vowed to try everything at least once and so far I’m doing pretty well, with twizzlers, red vines and milk duds (all incredibly over-rated, and kind of plastic tasting) and reece’s, hershey’s, bubble tea, root beer and starbucks (all incredible).  Determined not to get fat, but already edging toward the freshman 15. 

starbucks & root beer & vietnamese & great old friends!

soooooo good!

yuck yuck yum.

POG bubble tea.

And so, all in all I’m doing good. My sleep patterns are almost back to normal, but because I have no routine I’m staying up much later, and getting up much earlier. Not homesick at all yet, and all I really miss is having both a printer and a kettle. I’m going to church this Sunday – Mars Hill, I have to find it first, and I’m slowly meeting more people and making this my home.

I’m in America!