A week to go and a note on time

I'm a week out from the departure date, and its really starting to hit me: I'm going to Australia. This is kind of a big deal to me, as my previous International traveling experience was a few day trips to Canada.

No big developments on my preperation. Its time to pack and the such, but nothing big to tell you about. But some news and notes...

~I picked up some adapters today. Australia uses a type I plug, in case you were curious. AAA has these for fairly cheap.

~Also at AAA I picked up an International Driver's Liscence. Its about ten bucks, and you get it on the spot. I'm not sure if I'll be doing any driving while in Australia, but in case I do...I'm covered. Hooray.

In other news, the most common question I get these days is, "Whats the time difference?" Besides the obvious answer of, "Its tomorrow.." here's how we go.

Australia is 18 hours ahead of Pacific Time (15 hours on the East Coast) Personally, I think adding 18 is kind of messy (math was never my forte) so my answer is that Canberra is 6 hours behind, but tomorrow. For example, itss currenly 12:45 A.M. on February 2 in the Pacific Time Zone. In Canberra, its 6:45 P.M. on February 3.

Aren't time zones fun?

The other common question or comment is something along the lines of, "Thats one long flight." Yes, yes it is.

When I depart for Oz, I will be flying out of San Fransisco. The flight leaves at 10:30 P.M. on February 7. I arrive in Melbourne at 11:15 A.M. on February 9. Thanks to the International Dateline, my flight skips Thursday. To make the math simple, let's say I arrive at 5:15 P.M. Pacific Time, and we can see that I'm in the air for about 19 hours.

How I plan to spend those 19 hours...

~Sleep
~Puzzle books (I like Sudoku, Kakuro, things of that nature)
~More sleep
~Pray for a good inflight movie
~Write various notes about the experience to share with you, the reader.
~Paruse the fligh's beer/wine selection, order accordingly.

Any ideas on how else to pass the time? Leave 'em in the comments.

(BTW, those of you reading this on Facebook...the URL should be at the top of this "note".

A lesson in the postal service and my classes

Recently, I needed to mail something down to Australia. Since it was for housing, I felt it was important that it get there fast. At the Post Office I inquired about express delivery to Australia. Keep in mind this is only an envelope with a letter in it.

Normal its 1.89. Express its 35 something.

Unless this express mail actually delivers the mail yesterday, we'll take our chances with the cheaper service, which takes teen days.

Onto my classes. No schedule yet, but I am enrolled in...


Creative Writing. I'v always wanted to take this kind of class, so here we go. Maybe I'll write about a dashing young American who always gets the girl. Now wouldn't that be fantasy.

Internet and Media Communication. And you thought that the Internet was only for sports scores and feet fetishes. HA! You can mass communicate on it too.

Sports Marketing. I have no idea how I would have a use for this class. Ever....

Those are the official ones. I'm trying to get into New Technology and Globalisation. Like the Matrix, but without the Kung Fu.

Thats about it for now. Until then,

Alan

Getting ready update

Its about three weeks until I head down to Australia. People ask me if I'm excited about the trip, and the answer is kind of a strange one. Its sort of a mixture of yes and no.

Yes, of course I'm excited. I've only been to Canada twice, and thats my international experience. I'm going to Australia, its going to be awesome and a life changing experience.

At the same time, its still three weeks away, so I'm not overly excited yet. I'm not excited in the "Oh boy, here we go!" sense. I'll probably start getting that way, but right now its all fairly even keel.

I got word today that my housing forms arrived and were fine. So, I won't be homeless in Canberra. Here's a link to where I'll be staying,

http://www.canberra.edu.au/residences/on-campus/old-ressies

I'll be in a single (hooray for privacy) but I think just about everything at UC is. The dorm comes with a phone, lamp, and a fridge. At least at SIU, the first two were not included, and the fridge has to be rented.

The biggest difference is, I have to cook for myself, even though I'm in the dorms. This means that once I'm down there, I need to find a pot, a pan, and some cooking stuff. Considering I'm in the capital, I don't think this will be a problem, but it adds a wrinkle to the equation.

This also means I'm sure to do a full report on Vegemite. http://www.vegemite.com.au/

They all look so happy on that website!

By the way, if you're curious to know how I'm preparing for the trip, I'm reading Lonely Planet's guide to Australia. Anything you want to know about the country is there. Hot spots for tourists, where to get a good meal (and drink) and some of the must sees in any city. Even reading about parts of the country I probably won't see is fascinating.