Sunrise in Melbourne

Tuesday's mean two things for me: no classes and Stoley's Cheapskate Nights. Even though I only have three classes this semester and my course work isn't too hard, it's always nice to have a day off.

One thing I pride myself in doing is taking advantage of every hour of every day. I have gotten into a good habit of waking up early in the mornings rather than sleeping in until the afternoon. Mornings aren't the most productive, but it's definitely worth getting up early to have breakfast and tea.

Last Tuesday (the 14th of August) was nothing out of the ordinary, at first. Woke up around 9AM and had eggs on toast and a cup of jasmine tea. I decided I wanted to take to the local shopping center, so I hopped on the bus with my headphones on to see what I could find.
For the most part, I just wandered around the stores and didn't really have an exciting day.


On Tuesdays, everyone usually meets up around 6PM for dinner and drinks before we head out to Stoley's around 9PM. From around then until the wee hours of the night, the students of La Trobe University got wild.

However on this particular night, instead of just heading off to bed in the late night, we decided to be spontaneous. It might've been the jugs of cheap beer and cider we've been drinking all night at Stoley's,

It's days (nights) like these that make that "homesick" feeling go away. I know in the future I'll say, 

"Remember that one time on Stoley's night when we didn't go to sleep until 8AM because we went wanted to see the sunrise?"

The key is to find a routine.


At first, I was terribly homesick. I would have probably gone home to visit if it wasn't so far away. But then again, I realized why I was here. And I don't have that homesick feeling anymore. Of course I miss the people back in Virginia, but it's the experience here and the fresh slate that counts.

It's a bit slow right now, but I've made friends whom I've grown very fond of. Yeah I came to Australia to explore and to see the sights and natural beauty, but that'll come in due time. For now, I want to flourish these friendships. 

The people of Chisholm College and La Trobe Uni have coordinated so many events for the students to interact and converse. Just last night, we had a Tower Parade, which consisted of all 12 towers having assigned themes and dressing up according to the themes. Not only was it a costume contest, the residents of each tower had to choreograph a dance. Tower 11 (my tower) was assigned Disney, and I went as Woody. Needless to say, it was a ridiculous night with some of the most fantastic costumes I've ever seen.

School is very slow at this time, especially because I'm only taking three classes. Most of the days are spent in solitude, which is a great thing once in a while. Often, I like to just put my headphones in, put on some comfortable shoes, and hop on the bus or the tram and just go explore. It's times like that I get to think about things that are happening around me. It's a very blessed time.