Come and Go Blues

Greetings. Not a lot going today so I thought I'd take the chance to catch you up on the latest rumblings from Sydney. The past 9 days or so have been interesting; I've learned lots about the people in Australia, the differences of American-Australian culture, and the surprising lack of class time for a Masters Degree.

In terms of my classes I absolutely love them. Every single one of them has my full attention. This past week we wrote a pitch for a potential magazine story; my pitch was voted "best" of my group. I know, I'm so modest. They all seemed to be interested in the 500 word report that I had quickly jotted down in 15 minutes. I have this uncanny ability to vomit words onto a page as quickly I can think of them. What needs to happen next is direction: I need to work on said skill in the proper way that will allow me some semblance of a career. But, as they say down here, no worries.

Yesterday saw me at the first job interview of my life. It's for a part time position as an Editor of Thomson Legal & Regulatory Publishers. That's right, they publish law books. If I get said job, I will not only pick up a variety of skills in regards to working with strict deadlines, but also learn XML and have a nice resume builder to pick up on.

One of the toughest parts about the near month I've spent here has been the stark contrast to JMU. Having left a place teeming with some amazing people who I knew so well, I feel like I'm in a desert. But that is to be expected. I spent the last four years with some of those people, so I come here having left them and it won't be easy to come CLOSE to the kind of relationship I want to pick up. Patience only brings rewards, however, so I'm not going to complain about it; there are some great people here, it will just take time to get to know them well. It is funny though when someone from home asks "how is Australia?" I want to sell it as the best thing in the world and totally amazing. Don't get me wrong, it is awesome; I am having a great time. But I am also learning and growing a lot. I want life to be a cakewalk that has no obstacles for me. This is not true. A lot of work and effort is required if you want things to return to normal, regardless of being in Sydney or Harrisonburg.