Orientation was an experience. The international student orientation was pretty chill, we just had organized day trips around the area. First we went to Caversham Wildlife Park which was sweet because we got to see all of Australia's crazy critters, but was also kind of weird because these animals have to put up with people poking them all day. It was hard to resist though...who doesn't want to kick it with kangaroos, koalas and wombats? I'm sure you all know that koala's live the life, sleeping 18-20 hours a day and eating through the waking hours.
This lovely lady is a wombat. And that's me and Amanda on either side.
Here's my homie Anna feeding yummies to a kangaroo...
And then there's the strange phenomenon of marsupials, their pouches, and offspring that are too old to be chilling in pouches still.
Our next day trip for international student orientation was King's Park and Fremantle. King's Park is right next to the colleges, its huge, has running trails all over it, play areas and ponds for kids, an outdoor movie theater, war memorials, botanical gardens, a transplanted boab tree (it came from way up north, like 3000km away and they decided to pick it up and move it...? I couldn't figure out why), and an excellent view of Perth and Swan River.
This is the outdoor movie theater...
Fremantle is at the mouth of Swan River where it flows into the Indian Ocean and is know for being funky with vintage shops, markets, Little Creatures Brewery and famous fish and chips. I recently returned to Fremantle because they have the only vegan Thai food in Perth, right next to the raw food stall. They certainly know the way to my heart. The market is huge, with crafts, clothes, art, fresh produce, and all kinds of good food. Definitely a fav.
College Orientation was insane, and not necessarily in a way I loved. A lot of the activities we had to participate in seemed more appropriate for fraternities and sororities. Everyone who was living in St Catherine's College for the first year (called 'freshers') had to go through orientation, including international students and mature age students. I know those of us falling into those categories were less than excited to be part of some of these activities. However, we did face off against the other colleges in dragon boat racing which was fun. 'ODay' was when all the clubs and a bunch of other random people set up stalls on the cricket oval in the middle of campus, handed out candy, blasted music, and set up paddling pools and such. It was madness. The day ended in a sick concert which was awesome despite the 103 degree weather (which it had been consistently for like a week).
We did find some time in between all these activities to adventure around Perth though. I was really impressed by the Art Gallery of Western Australia, which had an excellent collection of Aboriginal art. It is also housed in the old court room/jail and you can walk through these rooms, where the interior decoration has been preserved. There was also a great exhibition of year 12 works selected from the surrounding area and Japan. The beach has also been a frequented destination, as has Cap S, the hotel/bar that all of the college students migrate to en masse every Wednesday night. We also went to dinner at Annalakshmi, a buffet-style Indian restaurant, which was amazing...first of all, its buffet style. Second, its all vegetarian. Third, its right on the water by the bell tower so you can watch the sun set over the river. Last, its pay as you feel!
Class HAS finally started, and although I've been in school for two weeks, it still feels like vacation and every weekend is a new adventure.
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