Monday, March 28, 2011

Brisbane, Day 2


I am rather sleep-deprived, due to waking up three times last night – one of which was a lovely encounter with a fire alarm and building evacuation because someone was smoking pot in the basement.  I’ve been officially awake since 5:30 a.m.  Breakfast was moldy toast (don’t ask), peanut butter, jam, cereal, milk, and vegemite (which I didn't try, because I was out of toast).

The other 17 students in my program are very nice.  We've been spending all of our time together as a giant group, and people keep staring at us.  This was especially bad when we were all wearing matching University of Queensland hats, carrying UQ bags, and loudly pointing at the interesting creatures and plants around us.

The University of Queensland has an absolutely gorgeous campus.  We toured it today, as part of our orientation.  The architecture and overall feel are somewhat reminiscent of Stanford.  Other than that, it feels like going to school in a park or nature preserve.  There are huge ponds, with fountains and lots of wildlife.  We saw a kookaburra, a wide variety of ducks, many ibises (which try to steal your food), turtles, eels, cockatoos, water dragons, and others!

In about three days, I will be heading off on a two-week field trip with minimal internet access.  I promise details of baby sea turtle hatchings, the Great Barrier Reef, ancient Aboriginal rock art, and other interesting things when I return.  Hopefully my blog posts will become more entertaining as I become less jetlagged and less pressed for time on my internet access (we have been using the slow-but-free wifi at the local McDonald's).

1 comment:

  1. "(we have been using the slow-but-free wifi at the local McDonald's)"
    That sounds like traveling in the 21st century: looking for the wifi hotspot to update the blog and check email. Sounds like an exciting start, and I wish you the best of times!

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