Nothing felt as strange as when the leaves began to change

Autumn has officially struck Burlington and is already making me question whether I can survive winter!  The leaves are beginning to change now and I am looking forward to actually seeing the changes in season, something that I am not used to at home.  I'm a little sad that summer is leaving me and it feels so strange that it's the end of September and getting colder rather than warmer.  For now though, I have had a very enjoyable weekend with some of the other international students.

Starting to feel really American

On Saturday we visited Shelburne Farm where we took a yellow school bus (how American!) and got to see how they make cheese and pat the animals on the farm.  I picked up a chicken and got to pat the sheep, goats, cow and calves.  We saw the dairy and the calf pen where there was a little one who was born that morning.  

 After we were done at the farm, we went to an apple orchard where we got to pick apples.  We also tried apple cider donuts and they were so good.  It was very peaceful being out on the farm and walking through the orchard.

Apple picking!

Today was meant to be a day of catching up on all of the study that I need to do, and I did get through some of it, but then the opportunity to go to my first ice hockey game took priority over everything!  And I must say that I believe that I have found a new favourite sport to watch!  The woman's team played McGill University and although they lost by one point in overtime, they played quite well.  It was so rough and such a fast paced game, which made it very entertaining, I didn't want it to end.  I didn't realise how many penalties were given out during an ice hockey game.  Think I really need to learn some of the rules of the game so that I have a little bit of an idea what is actually going on.

Go Cats!

Zamboni time

The men's hockey team have a game at UVM next Saturday so I'm looking forward to going to that.  Definitely going to try and get to as many games as I can.  Man I wish Australia had ice hockey.  I am still determined to see an American football game and also a baseball game while I am in the US.  I have no idea of the rules of either of them but am still keen to see a game!

On a side note, friends from home keep asking if I'm picking up an American accent.  I'm not picking up an American accent, but I am picking up American words, which makes me stop and look at myself funny.  Some of these words include saying:

• paper (assignment / essay)
• school (university)
• fall (autumn)
• major (what you're studying)

In two weeks time we have another long weekend and a big group of us are going to Montreal for the weekend, so I'm really looking forward to that!  I'm packing as many things as I possibly can into my time here because five months will go by so quickly, I mean, it's already been five weeks, which is totally crazy!!  Time is flying by..

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx

I've Got a Crush on the World

Last weekend was labour day in the US, so yay long weekend for us!  I was very lucky to be invited by my buddy to go on a little road trip for a couple of days with her and another two exchange students from Perth.  Burlington is located right on Lake Champlain, so we drove up through all the little islands that sit throughout the lake and then into New York state.

We drove through some pretty, small towns and through the mountains.  We walked through Lake Placid where they previously hosted two winter olympics and it was very cosy and like a little village.  We left there just before dark and got to see the sunset through the mountains and over lakes and rivers.

On Saturday night we stayed at Marie's place which was so lovely and her parents were very welcoming.  It was so nice to stay in such a homey place for a night (not that I don't love college, but it's always nice to have a change).  On Sunday morning we had breakfast and then went to Pixley Falls.  The water was so clear and damn cold, but that didn't stop this lady there from swimming right under the falls!

For the afternoon we went to a little zoo in Utica.  Never before have I seen a wallaby with a chipmunk sitting next to it, but it was the cutest thing!  My favourite animal there though was the fattest little beaver.  He was out swimming around in his little pond and then he got out and sat and cleaned himself and was just so funny looking but so sweet.

We got back to Burlington around 9.30 on Sunday night and then on Monday I spent the day catching up on the work I'd been putting off all week (yes I still procrastinate even when I'm on the other side of the world).  I'm still trying to find that perfect balance about what's needed to prepare for classes everyday and what is going overboard.  But I think I'm getting there.

This week hasn't really been eventful, just classes and hanging out with friends, having a few laughs and sharing stories from home.

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx

Incipit Vita Nova

Incipit Vita Nova - translation: a new life begins

The past week and half has been pretty full on.  Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of last week was international student orientation.  So pretty much you just turn up to a bunch of things and they tell you what you can and can't do to maintain your immigration status, in a nutshell anyway.  I've met some pretty amazing international students and I'm really looking forward to spending the semester with them.  We had a trivia night during the week and let's just say that my group needs to become familiar with some things to do with UVM and Vermont!  We didn't do very well but we had a hell of a lot of fun trying to guess answers!  And I am very disappointed to say that I got a question about Australia wrong...  I mean I did have it right but second guessed myself.  That question was on me.  I also found out, much to my disappointment, that UVM is actually a dry campus!  I guess it serves me right for stereotyping American colleges!!  The movies lied to me!  I got so excited about the fact that I was 21 and I wouldn't be breaking any underage rules (not that I've ever done that before =P) and then, well doesn't matter anyway Tyarna because you can't drink on campus!

On Friday the freshman moved onto campus and that night there was 'Rally on the Green'.  Kind of similar to an Australian uni market day in a way.  There was food and activities like a mechanical shark (legit a mechanical bull but instead a shark), one of those inflatable things that spin and you have to jump over and duck under like you see on wipeout, a silent disco, face painting, and you could build your own 'study buddy'!  Pretty much you chose an animal, well skin really, then you stuffed it with fluffy stuffing stuff and bam, study buddy.

This is Monty

Monty looks a little funny with wonky arms and not quite properly filled feet, but he now lives on my desk and is my designated study buddy for the semester.  My second favourite part of the night after Monty was trying a s'more!  I felt so American.  It was the first real American thing that I've done since being here, but definitely not the last!!

S'more!!

Rec Fest happened on Saturday where there were different sports you could try out and generally have a look around the gym.  I swear to god that broomball is the funniest thing I have seen in my life.  I had absolutely no idea what it was when I got to Vermont but I can safely say Saturday will not be the last day I watch one of these games!  Our group of internationals decided to put in a team to give it a go and they did not disappoint on the entertainment aspect of the game.  Basically what it is is six people per team and you run (and fall) on the ice in normal sneakers while holding this stick thing that looks like a broom and you try and hit a ball (squishy, mini soccer ball looking thing) into the goal.  It sounds simple enough but it does not look it!  There were people sliding all over the ice and wobbling and losing their balance, and honestly all I could do was laugh!  You can look it up on YouTube and they have videos, but it's not as funny when they're professional players who know what they're doing and can actually run on ice.

I present to you - Broomball

The team then played a game of bubble soccer (claustrophobia much!), and while still funny, not as hilarious as broomball.  The rest of us watched them and were there cheerleaders.  We must have had an influence because they won that game!

The group decided to go down to the lake on Saturday night to chill out and have a few drinks.  It seemed like a good idea at the time until we had to walk 3km back up the subtle, but most definitely there, slope back to campus at 12am.  It was nice just sitting and hanging out while talking about our countries and how we think classes were going to go.

Sunday morning meant I could finally sleep in and it was the first time since getting to the US that I slept through the night.  We really took advantage of not having anything on during the day and just relaxed.  My roommate also moved in on Sunday, so yay!  She's really nice and I'm looking forward to spending the semester living with her.  Sunday night saw another American college tradition take place; convocation and the twilight induction ceremony.  To begin with you squeeze 2500 freshman into the gym for the convocation speech and to welcome them as officially being part of the University of Vermont community.  After the speech, they block off part of Main St (which runs straight through UVM) and all of the freshman walk as a massive group to the University Green.  By the time you get to the green the sun is setting and everyone gets a candle that is lit while there are a couple more small speeches and then the pledge is said.  It was quite windy on Sunday evening and trying to keep all of our candles lit was actually the very entertaining.

Convocation - Class of 2020

I find it quite funny that even though I'm a nursing major (hold up... I gonna come back to that) that my first class at UVM was in fact, German.  Okay, going back to me saying "nursing major", I think that is the first real American thing I have said.  At home, we say "what do you study?" but in the US you ask "what's your major?" and I've just fallen into the habit of saying it that way already!  Why am I studying German you ask?  Well USQ only approved three courses for me but I needed four to be considered full time and maintain my immigration status, so I could pretty much pick anything.  I really wanted to do some kind of history course or something really like dance, but everything clashed with my nursing courses (which I have to do), so in the end I went with German, basically just as a refresher because it's been so long since I used German (and boy am I rusty!).  Also on Monday I have a class called Public Health Nursing and it's a senior class.  The sheer fact that it was a senior class freaked me out before I even got there!  As it turns out, the seniors have a class directly before this class in the same room, so everyone is already in there and have their seats and it's pretty much full, which makes trying to find a seat immensely intimidating, especially when you don't know anyone!  The seniors are also in their fourth year now, so they pretty much all know each other and have cemented friendships, so I really am just an outsider invading their class.  I'm also taking a sophomore (2nd year) class as well as another freshman (1st year) class.  In terms of having people to talk to in class and feeling like I really belong, German is by far my favourite.  That's also a good thing because I have that class four days a week, whereas the others are only twice a week.  My favourite class of content so far is the Art and Science of Nursing.  I'm currently reading a chapter in my textbook about the history and evolution of nursing, and I'm finding it super interesting!  I've never really thought about the history of nursing before, so I'm glad I'm learning about it now.

Fun fact: pop quizzes are actually a thing.  The movies did not lie.  College in the US is structured a lot more like high school than uni is in Australia.  You have class a couple of times a week at the same time and you're expected to do homework which counts towards your grade.  In all honesty though, I'm thinking I'm liking this system more than home.  Let's take my psychology class for example.  In total, you can earn 585 points for the class, but to receive an A+ you only need 493-500 points.  And you can earn these in a number of ways:

•   submitting homework - 20 points

•   completing concept checks - 20 points

•   attendance / participation - 25 points

•   online quizzes - 35 points

•   three exams throughout the semester - 435 points

•   final exam - 40 points

Another really great thing is that if you do super well on the exams throughout the semester, you don't even have to take the final exam if you don't want to.  But if you do average or not so well through the semester, the final exam is a repeat of the semester exams, plus a new section which is worth 40 points, and only your highest mark will be counted.  So if you did pretty well during the semester on the exams, but decide you'll do the final anyway but you do worse, they will take your highest grade.  It takes away the stress of having a final exam worth 75% of your final grade and helps in developing time management skills (and leaving everything to the last minute).  

The highlight of my week was on Wednesday night when roughly 25 international students went to one of the houses on campus to celebrate one of the girls birthday.  Somin spent all afternoon cooking South Korean food for us as she wanted to share her culture with us and celebrate her birthday such a short time after leaving home.  The food was delicious and the atmosphere was everything you'd hope for when living in another country and trying to make friends.  We sang 'happy birthday' in I don't even know how many languages and there was lots of laughter.  I looked around the table at everyone at one point and thought 'this is what exchange is about; meeting people, becoming friends, having fun, and being happy with them'.

UVM

This weekend is a long weekend as Monday is labour day, so I'll let you know what I get up to!

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx

JUMP

So I've jumped.  It was scary; but I've done it.  The next chapter has officially begun.


For anyone who has seen me or spoken to me in the past week knows that the most words I have used have been "no" and "not yet".  And the most common word I have heard back has been "Tyarna!!".  (Yes with two exclamation points).  I could really be a professional procrastinator.  I had my final week all planned out but it was thrown into a bit of dismay when I was called into work Monday and Tuesday.  Although it did mean that I got to spend some more time with the girls and have some hilariously crazy work stories.  Always a conversational topic is "have you packed yet?".  

Monday I wasn't really concerned with the fact I had nothing done, so I just listed to the girls the things that I needed to do for the week.  It was all the small things that need to be done before you leave your house for five months.  Small, but insanely annoying.  I listed that one of the things to do on my 'to do' list was make up a single 'to do' list instead of having about five of them at once.  

Tuesday was another full day where I achieved nothing but I was like, it's all good, I'll do it tomorrow.  

On Wednesday afternoon I went back into work as I was meeting up with a friend and the girls started asking if I'd achieved anything on my list by listing them to me.  After each item was "no" or "not yet" and after each "no" and "not yet" was "Tyarna", "Tyarna!", "Tyarna!!" with increasing exclamation points.  I was like, "I'll start tonight!". (I did not start that night after I got home from netball...).  

Thursday came and went as did Friday (I achieved one thing for Friday!).  

Saturday followed my normal routine of working in the morning and then netball in the afternoon.  I'm not gonna lie, it was tough saying goodbye to my beloved netball team.  Phoenix had another great win which put our team straight through to the grand final (not without it's mishaps though, which when told to one of my best friends she automatically replied with "what did you do?", as if I'm the instigator of everything; but this time it wasn't me; cheers though Cait!).  The girls were sneaky and had organised a couple of team photos from throughout the season to be framed and signed by them all and then gave it to me after the game, with a bottle of wine of course!  Now I'm just waiting for the message next Saturday that they kicked arse in the grand final and we came out premiers!!

Phoenix

By Sunday morning I decided that I really should start packing.  I'd had messages from friends asking if I'd started yet and I was replying with "now remember you love me...".  By 10am I decided that it was wine time and packing really should begin.  So I opened my suitcases and just sat and looked at them.

Decided I should probably open them

So I did..

After my second glass of wine was when I started grabbing things out of my cupboard from my list (I was organised enough to have a list!) and just dumping them on top of my bags so that three suitcases morphed into one.

Once everything was packed in properly, always one to deviate, I decided that it didn't look I had that much stuff after all, so I started adding to it.  Mistake number one.  But I still came in under the weight limit so it's a success to me!

Monday morning came around much too soon.  I was excited, but by gosh was I scared too.  The first task for that morning was loading all my stuff into Caity's beetle, and I reckon we did a good job!

Solid effort I'd say

A Maccas run for coffee and hash browns and we were on our way to the airport!  It was a pretty smooth run and we didn't get lost, no thanks to the GPS who god knows where it wanted to take us.  

Then it all happened very quickly.  I checked in (yes I stuffed up the self check in process and needed an attendant, but the point is I still managed to check in), and then it was time to head downstairs and wait to board the plane.

Before I knew it, the plane had landed in Los Angeles, and then in Philadelphia, and then in Burlington and I was finally lying flat on a comfy bed in my motel room.  I'm really glad that I didn't have to face anyone last night because I really did look like death.  The jetlag kicked in at about 2.30 in the morning and I was awake until just before 6 when I finally fell back asleep.

Today (Tuesday) consisted of making my way onto campus at UVM and finding my room.  My first Walmart experience was a success and now I have bedding and a super soft pillow that I am about to use very soon!  My roommate moves in at the end of the week so hopefully my jetlag state is much better so that I'm not disturbing her at all crazy hours of the night!  Orientation officially begins tomorrow and I'm looking forward to meeting some more people!

Now however I am off to bed as my eyes are barely open anymore, and I'm hoping to sleep through the night.  Curse the world and it's time zones!!

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx

To Travel is to Live

In 37 days, it starts again.  

I pack up my life and I move to the other side of the world.  

My gap year in 2013 changed me.  Living in Austria allowed me to see the rest of the world that was out there and gave me a hunger to want to experience it all.  When I began university, I knew that I had to include a semester abroad in my degree, I just had to.  I set my mind to it, worked hard, and now I'm almost ready to fly away again.  

Destination: Burlington, Vermont, USA. 

USA

As a Bachelor of Nursing student, my one option to study abroad is at the University of Vermont in the United States of America.  That suits me just fine.  I was very close to going to the US instead of Austria at the end of high school, so I'm happy now that I get the chance to go.  

This wasn't an impromptu decision.  I began researching and enquiring about exchange when I first started nursing in February last year.  By August last year I started setting up meetings to talk about how to go about actually applying and on the 29th December 2015 I officially submitted my application.  It wasn't until the 22nd June 2016 that I had official written confirmation that I was going to the US.  During that time, I very nearly gave up.  It wasn't just a fact of time and that I was almost running out of it, but I had other obstacles to overcome.  I was having trouble with some staff members that were making the process a lot more difficult than it needed to be.  My dream was crushed the day I sent the email that I was no longer going on exchange.  I had reached breaking point.  I had no fight left in me.  I knew that not going wasn't at all what I wanted and it was time to bring in the big guns.  It's hard to describe the passion that is associated with studying abroad, but I'm lucky enough that I have someone very close to me who shares that passion.  I'm not going to lie, my message to Cherine was full of desperation.  I needed her to tell me that I would regret the decision not to go, that I could make this work, that I needed to just push a little more and I would get there.  Always reliable, her reply did not disappoint.  I said to her, "will I be able to live with myself if I choose not to go?".  Her reply, "you won't, it's as simple as that", and that's all I needed.  I pushed through.  And now in 37 days I'll be flying out of Australia to spend the next five months in the USA.

I've been criticised for choosing to go abroad.  It's exactly like when I went to Austria on exchange.  The big problem for people?  Money.  It's because I'm 21 that they believe someone my age can't afford something as big as this, and they automatically jump to the conclusion that I'm a spoilt brat with rich parents who dish out as much money as I ask for.  They couldn't be more wrong.  My parents support me as much as they can, probably more than they can, but they're not rich, I'm not a brat, and I work my arse off to go after what I want.  People don't understand that as a uni student, there are all kinds of scholarships and loans that you can apply for for overseas study.  In addition to these, I work and save money to spend on travel and new experiences rather than a new car.  I've balanced full time study, work, sport and a social life and worked hard to put myself in the position that I'm in now, and I'm ready to prove the critics wrong.

In a week and a bit I head to Sydney to get my visa and then I'm almost ready to go! I fly out of Brisbane on the 22nd August and won't leave America until the 15th January next year.  After the semester ends I'm spending two weeks doing a Contiki tour and am going to be lucky enough to spend New Years at the Grand Canyon.  I truly am lucky.

I'm bracing myself for the week and a bit before I leave when I will undoubtably start second guessing my decision and thinking "what the actual eff was I thinking, wanting to spend the next five months in a foreign country away from everyone and everything I know".  It's part of the experience though.  It's during those frustrating hours that you're trying to pack and reality finally sets in that you're leaving when these thoughts start.  And then you get on the plane.  That first time you land in another country is the most terrifying, exciting, amazing feeling that you'll come across, and one I cannot wait to experience again.

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx