No Worries

So Australia’s laid back feeling I think has rubbed off on me a bit. I got my outlets fixed but unfortunately the wheelchair will still not charge. I called the number I was given of a repair place on Wollongong, the number didn’t work. I emailed them but because it is Saturday I don’t think they are open…I’m keeping my fingers crossed but I’m not allowing it to get the best of me. I feel that even if I can’t get it fixed right away everything will be okay because everyone here is being really helpful. I’m a little annoyed though that it isn’t charging and I never even thought to make sure the chair charged before I left the airport, It moved and that is all that mattered to me at the time. Then again I never thought I would have problems with it charging…oh well. Although I’m calm about the situation now, last night I wasn’t and I have to say the fact that I am calm about it now is a little bit strange feeling for me.

There are a million things swarming in my mind right now that I want to share with you. I’ll probably jump around.

Another reason why I haven’t given my chair much though except when I look at it in the corner of my room or wish I could use it so I could explore…it is because I’ve spent several hours today just trying to get my phone card to work properly so I could call home. I l have learned not to call home when it is raining because it doesn’t work so well. Although I very briefly spoke to my mom yesterday when I arrived I needed to call her again. I really wanted to talk to her last night but because of the time difference I couldn’t. I have learned though whenever I talk to her that is when I get the saddest. I’ll start trying now not to call too often till I am able to feel more at home here. Sending emails to keep her posted is easier because I don’t hear her voice and feel home sick.

I’ve also meant some people who have moved in to Campus East. Everyone really is super nice and friendly. There isn’t many of us here so at lunch today we all gathered around a table to eat. Yes, Dele I finally met a cute Australian too! His name is Alex. He’s doing something in Engineer but Engineering here isn’t the same as it is in the States. From how they talked about it Engineers don’t get as much respect because of how most think Engineers here are drunks and lazy…something like that.

I also gave away myself on just how American I am. We were all eating when the girl next to me said “Is that a cockroach.” I looked and sure enough it was, right by my chair, I quickly moved away. The girl said they never saw anyone move so fast before. lol. At least I didn’t scream that would have been embarrassing. We all got a good laugh about it.

As I said earlier I don’t feel to worried about my chair not working either because like four times today when I’ve been struggling to get up a hill or open a door usually a person will pop by and open the door or give me a push.

Every time I say thank you for something they say, “No worries” which is equivalent to “No problem” but for some reason it sounds different to me by the way they mean it. Usually in the states people say “No problem” as an automatic respectful response but when people say “No worries” here it is like they are saying, ‘It isn’t a big deal of course I’d help you.’ As if to them it is not only expected but they want to help.

I made it to the beach! It is bit of a walk from campus, although we found a shortcut on the way back. I’d say it is about 15 minutes away. However, I don’t think my power chair even if it was working could make the trip because of all the bumps along the way. Andrew, the guy who is letting me use his account to use the internet took me to see the beach. I also couldn’t go to all the way to the water either because of the sand. Nevertheless, I loved the view which is enough for me. J The water is a bit too violent for my taste.

Walking to the beach was fun because I got to more of Wollongong. You have to see the houses!!! Seriously I’m in love with them. Most of the city is surrounded by mountains, beautiful green mountains. Oh if you can see it! You can’t help but feel happy. Of course I think Andrew thinks I’m a bit odd because the whole way there and back I couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful I thought everything was haha. He’s from Melbourne and to him Wollongong isn’t that great.

I’ve been getting great sleep here too. Although my timing is off. It is 6am here and I got up at 5am and had got to be around 10pm. I’ve been only getting 6 hours but waking up very refreshed. Usually I need more sleep then that to feel refreshed in the states.

Despite all my planning, things I didn’t consider have popped up besides my chair not working. For example, I had though my meals came with the housing fee…it doesn’t. Nevertheless the convenience of having a cafeteria near is good. Right now my meals have been free because there aren’t that many people here. Also, in order to get to campus via the bus they have here you have to buy a bus pass. Which as I was re-reading the material I was given about fees here at the dorm they do mention all of this. L Most of my worries had lied with wheelchair related things. But all of this isn’t the end of the world either. Just remember (and they will tell you this too before you leave) be flexible. Be prepared to be flexible.

So I realized in my last blog I mention the food I’ve eaten here and left it at that. I meant to explain why I mention it. All of the food I’ve eaten here are things I normal eat in the states (that is all they have been offering) BUT the thing is that all those foods taste different here then in the States. For example the chicken looked just cooked but it was spicy. I had pizza here yesterday for lunch. It looked just like a veggi pizza but tasted differently. But mostly because of the cheese they use. It is very fresh so it tastes different; I’d say a bit bitter.

Here are some more pictures: