Roomies!

Kevin from Philadelphia

The Lovely Tiana from a few hours north of Lismore

Making roomie dinner

Matt from St. Cloud, MN

Scott from somewhere in Aussie Land 

My room mates have definitely added to the intensity of my experience in Lismore. From compulsory family dinners once a week, to finding them lost in the middle of the night downtown, they definitely keep me on my toes. Overall, it's been...interesting. They are all great people, nice (ish) and easy going and (sort of) sanitary. However. they are the quintessential example of party people who just want to have a good time-at any cost. Aka, my polar opposites. But it all works out in some odd way, because I've gained a backbone! It's not about feeling bad asking them to turn down their blaring music at 2 am, or to please, please just wash their dishes...it's about my place in this space as well. There have been several occasions where I've had to give in and just take out the overflowing garbage even though I hadn't been there all weekend, or washed every dish that we own that took up the sink, counter AND table for drying space. This is because our duty RA told us that if we don't to these things, we WILL get maggots, and that is something I don't want to deal with. I'm learning a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and how oddly mature I feel here. I'm usually the one that needs to settle down or learn to  pick up after myself better, but here, they call me their "mum." I'm the responsible, boring one. And it's never felt SO good to be SO boring.

I got my first paper back for my visual culture class, and I recieved a high distinciton which is the highest mark they give out! I was truly shocked because back home they drilled into our heads to accept getting a "credit" or "pass", which transfers back to a B or C at Eau Claire. Also, when students and professors say the average grade is a "credit," they actually mean it. Any Australian student I know is more than content with that grade, which transfers to a 'C.' At home, even if that IS the average, people tend to strive far beyond that. They don't fuss over GPAs here or compare grades after class. An Aussie guy in my class was appalled at our education system, when he found out that future employers actually care about the grades we receive while at uni. He literally didn't understand why that would be part of the interviewing process, when to him, everyone's on the same page after completing their course (degree). I tried to explain the competitive nature of jobs in America and how it's now necessary to look at those fine details, and he said, "even more reason to pick a person based on their character, not on their professor's opinion about their essays!"