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I finally found an internet cafe nearby, so I can update my blog now! I moved in to my apartment on Monday afternoon and managed to fit all of my stuff into the taxi (just barely). The driver was nice and very talkative. He was also actually Australian. Most of the other drivers I have seen are foreign. I'm finally unpacked and almost have everything settled, just in time for school to start. It's really nice to finally feel like I have "arrived." It was a bit worrisome to have temporary accommodation and not know where I would end up. I love the location of my apartment and have been exploring the area all this week. The mall next door has been a blessing, and I discovered another larger one a half-mile down the road, the Leichhardt Marketplace. It has a Target, Medicare office, a branch of my bank, and many more shops that will come in handy. Between the two shopping centers, I should be able to find anything I need this year.
On Wednesday, I enrolled in my classes, which start next week. I am taking four classes, three required and one elective. My elective class is a screenwriting class, so hopefully I'll get a more in-depth knowledge of screenwriting. The last screenwriting class I had was great, but it was a May-term class and was condensed into only a month. I'm getting excited about classes. Next Tuesday, we'll have our school's orientation which will include a BBQ on the school's lawn. Hopefully, I'll get to meet everyone in the MFDI program. I still have to go get my campus ID card, which I'll probably do tomorrow.
I have my own land line now with another weird phone number to remember, and I'm waiting to hook up my internet. They said on Tuesday that it would be available in 10 days. I'm really anxious to get it set up. I got a TV and antenna yesterday, so it's not so quiet in the apartment now. It was quite a walk carrying a 21" TV back to the apartment, but I managed. I got it on sale at an electronics store next to Norton plaza. I have a couple of small pieces of furniture I'm going to put together tonight, and then I should be pretty much settled in. I'm just dreading trying to sell all of this stuff once it's time to leave.
It's been a busy week. I don't know how many times I have walked to the stores trying to get everything I need. It's a lot harder to manage without a car, but I think I've handled it fair enough. I did find a bicycle on sale at Target. They had it marked down 50%, and I bought the last one in stock. I got their floor sample, so it was already assembled. Thank goodness. I had no desire to assemble a 15-speed bike on top of everything else I'm trying to do. I just need to find a helmet now. The ones at target were pretty ugly, and I don't want to be riding around looking like a giant purple hornet. I think helmets are compulsory in Australia, so I can't ride my bike until I find one. I'm not sure what they do if they catch you without one. I don't want to find out.
There are so many gelato shops and bakeries around here. I haven't tried any of the local bakeries yet, but they are tempting me everyday. I have tried some of their delicious gelato in the Italian forum. I'm anxious to try some of the Italian restaurants in the forum as well. There's so many, I don't know which one to choose! They all look so good. I'll probably hit them all before the year's over.
While shopping in Coles this week, I discovered their Kangaroo steaks in the meat section. I'm tempted to try some, but I haven't a clue how to prepare kangaroo. I'll probably wait and get some from a restaurant somewhere. Maybe they'll have some at the BBQ next week. I guess that will be the most "Australian" cuisine I can try.
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