A week of ups and downs. But it's the Southern Hemisphere, so is it downs and ups?

A lot has happened in my new life down under during the last 5 days but it is much better that I write this now, as I am comfortable for the first time, a bit more tan, and a billion times happier than earlier this week. A rollercoaster of emotions have flowed through me while tirelessly searching for comfort in this foreign country. No matter the similarities in language and culture, Australia is not an easy place to adjust to when you’ve got no family, best friends, or even a tiny bit of security to fall back on. Writing this entry at the end of today is a way better idea than a few days ago because my heavy words might have caused a few freak-outs back home.

Sunday was spent in a coffee shop with mediocre/intermittent wi-fi access where Lauren and I began the search for housing in Sydney. It didn’t take us long to realize that this was not going to be an easy task. Both equipped with computers and cell phones, we secured a corner of the coffee shop as our temporary office. 8 hours, 1 latte, a plate of delicious French toast, and 1 pot of hot tea later we were no closer to having a home than when the day began. We weren’t there the whole 8 hours, because after many failed attempts to look at homes near the Uni, we began to seriously consider and look into living at the beach. In our minds we figured that if we had to commute to school, it might as well be from a great location. So, we expanded our search, stumbled across a perfect apartment on Bondi beach (pronounced “Bond-eye”), and we left our coffee shop office for 2 hours to venture across the city to the coast. On a normal day with trains running and with previous experience navigating this path, one leg of the trip should have taken between 20 and 40 minutes. We had been in Sydney for 3 days so it is needless to say it took us a bit longer. Lauren and I finally arrived at the beachfront apartment and our guts dropped as the landlord showed us everything that we had been wanting in an apartment. It was beautiful but with beauty comes price. The advertised price was just barely within our budget but with extra costs and the heavy amount of travel costs, we would be sacrificing a lot to live there. Plus, I personally cannot afford to spend 2 hours a day on a bus/train- my time is worth money to me. We went back, set up shop again, and sat until we had at least one more place lined up to look at. On our way back to the hostel we visited an apartment so nasty that I don’t even want to stir the memory enough to write about it. I hope “gross” suffices in a description.
We awoke to yet another rainy day on Monday and made our way to Uni Syd for the first day of International Student Orientation. Being a senior where in Boone I know every in and out, every shortcut and backwards way, and a large group of friends that I can always call on in any situation, I wasn’t exactly looking forward to being the freshman again. I actually got the beginnings of an anxiety attack as I was walking towards this large group of unfamiliar faces, and for a brief moment I ran through my head to find a way that I could get myself out of this whole predicament. My nerves calmed as I reminded myself that I was going to be a stronger person at the end of this. The giant group of students convened in the cathedral-esque Great Hall, which was absolutely stunning. I didn’t want to be the nerd taking pictures, but I now regret it because the only time that students get the opportunity to meet in that hall is at graduation. Uni Syd is Australia’s first University, founded in 1850 and modeled after the gothic architecture of Oxford. The beauty of The University of Sydney is a bit overwhelming and I am still having a hard time believing that it is MY school. I am a registered student. This campus will soon be the background of my daily life. WHAT?!
They had teatime for us at 10:30 and the sun made an appearance for the hour of tea and cookies. So, I was able to enjoy the legendary Sydney sun while I sipped tea within the Quadrangle lawn meeting a few new friends and feeling a bit like I was in a Harry Potter movie. The information overload was intense but the day was full of accomplishments. After a campus tour in the pouring rain, Lauren and I met back up in the Library to do some more apartment hunting and we were able to line up two apartments to view that night. Both were total disasters, leaving us at square one once again. We passed out by 10pm, utterly worn out and frustrated.
Tuesday morning was not greeted warmly as we once again woke up to the sound of rain. 6 days of rain is enough to make someone go crazy…and it did. I can’t remember how long it’s been since I’ve had such a rotten mood. After a few failed attempts to call home with hopes of encouraging words, it was going to take a grace of god to lift my spirits. I went through the motions of orientation, just in a haze of frustration and hate towards ASU and UNCEP for allowing me to be thrown into a new country with no help or arrangement for accommodation. I felt so betrayed! We were able to finish the day on a good note when we lined up a few more apartment viewings for the next few days. Lauren and I took this opportunity to grasp the positive, so we left campus in high spirits, ate a really delicious dinner, and watched a movie back at the hostel before making it another really early night. Our bodies and minds were worn out from the consistent battle inside and out to try and make this place our new home.
Wednesday I slept in until 8:30 and spent a slow morning getting ready at my own pace. I knew it was going to be a good day because at the end I was going to be resting my head in the Lynch home and not a nasty hostel. I walked to campus to get my bank account set up and do some more apartment searching, and by 2pm the sun was out and here to stay! My heart lifted immediately with the sun out, but the heat was not helpful on our trek allllll around Sydney looking at apartments as Lauren and I had dressed for the morning’s rain. By then end of the walk I was badly blistered and sweaty, but we had two great living options and the Lynch family waiting at the hostel.
The Lynches are Ian, Teresa, Bynum (18), and Austin (3.5). They are the loveliest family that I have ever met and I have been absolutely blown away by their willingness to open their home to Lauren and Me. We were able to leave our hostel a week early and use their house as our refuge until a permanent place is secured. As much as I had insisted on doing this whole experience alone so that I might grow into a stronger person, I am SO very thankful to have this opportunity to stay with the Lynches and find a place of comfort along with a temporary family while so far away from my own. Today they so generously drove us to Manly for our first beach trip since our arrival. It was stunningly gorgeous and the moment I stepped foot into the Pacific Ocean I knew that I am where I need to be. Every inch of uncertainty was washed away as the surf ran over my feet. I layed back on my towel to take in more rays, put in my headphones, and sat content for the first time in months. Nothing in my life is certain and I need to learn to accept that it will always be like that. Waking up the next day is not even certain, so enjoying life, no matter how rotten it may seem, is the most important thing I can do. I finally feel like I have arrived in Australia.

The mantra of my week:
“With a sky blue sky
This rotten time
Wouldn’t seem so bad to me now
Oh, I didn’t die
I should be satisfied
I survived
That's good enough for now”
-Wilco

University of Sydney in 1870, twenty years after opening.

Look closely and you can see the city through the walkway.

Morning tea on the lawn.