Roll With It

So I'm almost at the three week mark. That will be on Sunday, for those of you keeping score at home. Today marks the end of my second week of class and there is a lot to report.

The first is the style of class. Having been an American student for the last 22 years of my life (ok maybe less than that) I find myself trying to figure out the education system here. Their grading is completely different. Their teaching styles are different. Heck, even the language they use is somewhat different. But I'm just going to roll with it. I've come to two conclusions about the kind of classes I'm taking: they aren't going to be excruciating to pass, but to get the highest marks will prove some effort. And that's what I'm here to do. I'm going to give this year of my life my academic all--I'm going to leave satisfied with my level of effort and the knowledge that I've gained. The second conclusion, after going off on a tangent, is that I'll learn as much as I'm willing to put into it. And that is another reason why I'm going to increase my level of work.

The second conclusion hinges on the kind of people I'm around. It's great here--a complete melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. At JMU, you wouldn't run into someone from the United Arab Emirates in your dorm. That didn't happen. I am looking forward to learning about interacting with people of different backgrounds and who have seen a much different part of the world than I am familiar with.

The third conclusion relates to the difficulty of the task at hand. I've never been in a situation like this before--meeting new people, so far from home, so little around me that I'm familiar with. But challenges are designed to be overcome, and I know that I'm going to leave Australia (one day) a changed man. And that has me excited. In fact, I know that these few weeks have already done quite a bit.