The Week that Was

The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.

I have had two very enjoyable weekends and a very interesting week.  Last Saturday I spent the majority of the day in the hospital at UVM for one of my classes.  I must say that I loved being back in a hospital environment and really remembered why I love nursing.  I much prefer the practical side of nursing rather than the theory and not having been in a hospital since January has been killing me! I was really surprised that all of their charting is done electronically.  That's different for me considering that at uni at home we are still taught how to chart on paper.  The way they get their medications out is also really cool!  It's all computerised as well; the nurse puts in their patient and selects the drugs that are needed at the time and then a draw pops open, you grab the drug, close the draw, and the next draw pops open to get the next drug!  It keeps going until you've got all of the drugs you requested.  They also have pre-drawn up saline solutions which makes it so much easier to do a flush when you don't have to go through the 'correct' procedure of drawing up your own flush.

Those sexy green scrubs :P

 Then on Saturday night, Saskia, Kate, Clare and I went to see Dracula!  I love going to the theatre and it was made even better because Caitlin (my roommate) was one of the main characters.  And it was so good!!  The lighting, the effects, the acting, all of it was just on point.

Then came Tuesday, when I experienced the most American event so far and probably the most American thing I will experience.  Everyone knows, no matter where you are, that it was election day.  

Tuesday was calm.  It was only late Tuesday evening and very early Wednesday morning that the mood changed.  A few of us internationals thought that we should be American and head to the Davis Centre where they were live streaming the polling results.  I'll start with the fact that I live in a democratic state.  

Clinton - democrat.  

Trump - republican.  

In the beginning things were looking fine, it was close, but there was no need to worry.  And then things began to change.  There were cheers when Clinton took a state and boos when Trump did.  And then Trump took Florida.  And the atmosphere changed.

Pennsylvania was running neck and neck and the possibility of Trump becoming President was becoming more real.  That's when Van Jones made his speech.  The whole room turned silent while he was speaking.  I'm directly taking what he said for those who missed it:

"People have talked about a miracle - I'm hearing about a nightmare.  It's hard to be a parent tonight for a lot of us.  You tell your kids, 'don't be a bully'.  You tell your kids, 'don't be a bigot'.  You tell your kids, 'do your homework and be prepared'.  Then you have this outcome, and you have people putting children to bed tonight and they're afraid of breakfast.  They're afraid of, 'how do I explain this to my children?'  I have Muslim friends who are texting me tonight saying, 'should I leave the country?'  I have families of immigrants that are terrified tonight."

The end of his speech brought on the most cheers of the night.  We were kicked out of the Davis Centre at 1am and believe that it was at this time America realised they effed up.  I got back to my room and Caitlin said "I don't think we fully considered that Trump may actually be elected as President".  The following day the effects were already being seen.  The vibe around campus was sombre with a hint of disbelief.  During the day there was an email sent out from the president of the university to all members of the UVM community that said "we are a caring and inclusive community that is committed to the safety, security, and wellbeing of each and every person".  There has also been a separate email direct from the OIE to all of the international students saying how much UVM and America values what internationals bring to university communities across the states.  Throughout the rest of the week, I also received an email from ISEP (the company I am doing my exchange through) which basically said the same thing that both UVM emails said.  Professors have also been checking in with students during classes to make sure that everyone is doing okay and there has been tremendous amounts of support for students.  While the rest of the world may know what's going on, it's the people currently living in America that are feeling the beginning impact.

I actually want to share with everyone the email from the OIE because it really shows what international relations are all about and one of many reasons that students decide to go abroad during their education.

To UVM's international students:

I want to acknowledge the feelings some of may be having after this week's election results.  This note does not reflect a preference for any political party.  Regardless of candidate's policies, we know that some of you were surprised that Americans elected as President a man who has openly said things inconsistent with UVM's Our Common Ground and whose words have made some members of our university community feel unwelcome in this country.

As the director of UVM's Office of International Education, I want to emphasise the following:

• Our staff remain available to talk with you during walk-in hours or at our events if you'd like the chance to talk through how you're feeling in the weeks and months ahead
• The University of Vermont values deeply what you bring to our community.  As indicated by UVM President's note on Wednesday, UVM has been and remains a caring and inclusive community.  Your talents, knowledge, skills, experience and perspectives bring tremendous richness to our campus
• The City of Burlington and the State of Vermont also value what you bring to our community and to our state

The friendships you make while you are here in the US (and that US students make while they study abroad) are what help the rest of the world learn about the real US in ways that transcend politics.  These friendships also help Americans learn about the real lives of you, your family and friends back home.  All of these relationships ultimately affect public policy positively in all of our countries.  Empathy, and a deep understanding of one another - these are the critical goals of international education, which moves the world closer to peaceful relations.

Office of International Education

All in all, I have found the election to be interesting even if I'm not happy with the results, and in a way I'm glad I was here to experience such a big moment in America's history.  Definitely an eye opening thing to go through.

On a totally different note, last week I had to buy some new shoes because the pair of boots I bought a month ago completely fell apart.  I took them back and was like to the guy, yeah I bought these a month ago and they've completely fallen apart.  He opened the box and was like, yeah they have completely fallen apart.  So I got a refund there and finally found a pair of shoes I liked in Macy's.  I got to the counter and the guy went through the whole "do you have a Macy's card? do you want to sign up for one?" and I told him, no I'm not here long enough thanks.  I think that kind of threw him and he was like, oh where are you from?  Told him Australia.  He was like, ah I've never met anyone from Australia before, let's see if there's a discount for that.  And I came out with a $10 discount on my already on sale shoes just for being Aussie.

This past Saturday was an orientation meeting for US students going abroad next semester and I was asked to talk to people going to Australia and I got to meet a couple of nursing students who are going to USQ!  It will be nice to have some Americans around next year on campus and I'll hopefully be able to show them some things around the Darling Downs.  I also got a free shirt which is super comfy.  I love that about America, seems to be for whatever reason, there are free shirts involved.

Sunday was a super nice day!  I went with my buddy and a couple of other exchange students to Montpelier to have a look around.  Montpelier is the state capital of Vermont and a cute little place.  We saw the State House, walked through the main street, walked up Hubbard Park Tower, and had lunch at a diner.

After lunch we went a bit out of town to Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks where they make 100% pure maple syrup.  We got to try different maple syrups that they have after we walked around and they were all pretty good.  Then we bought maple creemees (maple flavoured soft serve ice cream) and sat outside in the afternoon sun.

Weird wood at the Maple Farm

And then because we thought that since we'd already had ice cream, we better go and have some more ice cream, so we went to the Ben & Jerry's Factory!  When we first got there we looked at the flavour graveyard where they have a tombstone for all of the flavours that are no longer being made.  Marie, Sandra and I did the factory tour because Elsa and Courtney had already done it, and during the first part of the tour, the tour guide asked who thought they had come the furtherest from the factory.  I won.  When he asked where I was from and I said Australia, the whole group was like, yeah you win.  We walked through the factory and then got to try a sample of milk and cookies ice cream and it was pretty good.

It was definitely a very enjoyable Sunday away from study and work and it was so lovely hanging out with the girls.  Last night was a mens ice hockey home game against Dartmouth and the Cats won 5-2!!  Now though I am only two days away from being able to escape for a week for Thanksgiving break!  12 weeks is way too long to study without a break.  I was even lucky enough to be invited to Caitlin's place for Thanksgiving and I'm really excited!  In saying how excited I am for the next week though, this week marks one month left of being in Burlington.  One month.  That means only two months left in America.  I don't know if I'm entirely ready to face that fact just yet.  For now though, stay tuned for my first Thanksgiving adventures!!

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx

Kisses, -A

Everyone knows that Halloween is an American tradition and I wish that I could be in America every year because it was definitely a lot of fun!!

But first, let's flash back to a few weekends ago.  The OIE (office of international education) here at UVM did a day trip to Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York, which is an old historic site.  We got to see musket and cannon firing, a shoe maker, small museum and the gardens surrounding the fort.  It was a nice day out away from campus.

While everyone at home is beginning to warm up, October 26 saw the first snow of the season in Burlington!  I was so bummed that I was stuck in class for the short amount of time that it was properly snowing.  My friends loved seeing me get so excited about the first snow.  I haven't seen snow since I was in Austria and I've never seen the first snow of the season before so I was really excited about it.  It was short-lived though because then the rain set in and it all melted.  It did snow again that night but then the rain ruined it again.  And because I was stuck in class, I didn't get my photo in the first snow liked I'd planned.  I've been told that the snow won't start to stick until around December.  It has since been getting progressively cooler and my bank account took a pretty big hit when I decided it was time for a proper winter jacket and some good winter shoes.  At least now though I won't die of cold (but don't quote me on that just yet) and I won't lose a toe to frostbite!  

All that remained of the first snow when I left class :(

On Friday night was another home game for the mens hockey team.  I love the atmosphere that surrounds hockey games here.  We got there early enough to get good seats and had a great time watching the Catamounts win 3-0!  And also because it was Halloween weekend they were throwing chocolate into the crowd, and I came out with a full sized peanut butter Twix bar.  My night was made.

<3

Saturday saw last minute shopping trips to finish off my Halloween costume for that night!  I got ready in my room and then met the other girls in one of their rooms while they finished getting ready and then we headed to the mens basketball game in the gym.  So it was another first experience while I am here in America.  The team also had a win so it was a good weekend for the Cats.

Now it's time to bounce back to Halloween festivities.  I chose to be the Red Coat version of 'A' from Pretty Little Liars and believe it was a pretty good choice.  I wasn't sure whether to be insulted or flattered when I got a message from Caity saying that I'd 'make a very good A' :P

After the game it was time to head to the Davis Centre on campus where the Halloween activities were taking place.  When we entered there were tables covered in heaps of different chocolates and lollies (or candy, if you're American) and we filled our pockets.  We checked out what was happening around the place, went to the mac and cheese bar and had mac and cheese, and then waited in line for tarot card readings, which turned out to be very popular as we waited ages.  But we just hung out and chatted and people watched the different costumes.  My tarot reading was half on point and I don't know whether I actually believe in it or whether it was just luck and a coincidence that those cards came up.  Once our group was all finished with tarot cards, we went to the zombie maze.  They sent Saskia and I in first, so with linked arms we walked around the first corner and screamed when the first guy jumped out at us, but made it through alright after that.  Although there was this person in a creepy plain white mask that was pretty much everywhere.  Things were starting to wrap up soon after that so it was time to call it a night.

I'm back bitches and I know everything -A

My favourite internationals <3

That lighting makes us look all the more creepier

On a totally random note, I've been asked a lot lately what I'm missing most about home.  I really miss playing netball, but my finger is still hurting from when I stuffed it up mid season this year, so I remind myself that it's probably a good thing I'm not playing to let it heal properly before next season.  But lately I have been totally craving maltesers and shapes; original barbecue flavour and chicken crimpy's.  I don't even know where those cravings are coming from.  I'm thinking it must be because I use to have shapes with me at work on Saturday's when I was out doing deliveries.  I also miss my cat, but Mum makes sure I get to see her on Skype whenever we talk and she goes crazy when she hears my voice but can't see me.  It's actually the cutest thing and I feel kinda mean by talking to her and watching her walk around and around the iPad nudging it, but it shows me that she loves me and makes me laugh.  And of course I miss my family and friends, but I am loving my life in America and as people keep reminding me, it's going by very quickly and I'm using this time to make the most of it and not dwell on Australia (even though I love Australia and the people there).  Apparently I have a very distinctive accent because as soon as I say one word, people ask "is that an Australian accent?".  So I have enough reminders of home that stops me from missing it.  Although I am bummed that I didn't get to watch the Melbourne Cup.

I have nothing big planned for the next few weeks before Thanksgiving break.  I get to spend time in the hospital next Saturday.  Yay!  Yeah yeah I know, crazy nurse lady that loves hospitals.  But I've been deprived since last clinical which was in January, and I need a reminder why I love nursing.

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx

P.S.  How the hell is it already November?!  Where has 2016 gone?!

wanderlust consumed her

wanderlust consumed her; foreign hearts and exotic minds compelled her.  she had a gypsy soul and a vibrant hope for the unknown

This weekend some internationals went international; we headed to Canada!  Because you know, when you live somewhere other than Australia, a weekend in another country is easy peasy.  And the fact that Burlington is only about an hour from the Canadian border helps too.  So on Friday we unleashed 19 college students on poor, unsuspecting Montreal.  Half of the group left during the afternoon and the rest of us left that night, eventually.  Our bus was scheduled to leave at 7.10pm so we got to the stop (on the side of the road outside a church with absolutely no shelter) just before 7pm and continued to wait there for the next three hours until the bus showed up.  During that time, food was ordered and delivered to us, a trip to the bottle-o was made and beer was bought, and I almost had a nap.  Our side of the road party came to an end when we finally got on the bus and left Burlington at 10.10pm.  

Bus Stop Party!

We finally arrived in Montreal at 1am and then had the fun task of finding our hostel, and believe me, we went the long way about it.  Saturday morning was a well deserved sleep in before waking up to a rainy day.  Half of us decided it was a good day for indoor activities so we made our way to the Biodome which has been converted to a little indoor zoo type thing after being used for the olympics.  We spent a few hours in there looking at all of the animals and staying dry.

We decided that another fun indoor activity would be going to the underground city and doing some shopping.  We found the subway station no problem but took the wrong exit and ended up outside walking around for blocks and blocks trying to find the place, only to stumble across it by accident after we had given up!  Turns out you can walk directly from the subway station into the shopping centre... But oh well, we explored above ground a bit more.  And we did come across a nice church on our little detour.  

Once at the shopping centre, the girls split from the guys and we went shopping for an hour before meeting back up and heading back to the hostel.  We stayed in the basement of our hostel and it had three separate rooms down there.  When we got back, my room decided that we would have a communal siesta, and it was the greatest thing.  As soon as the lights were turned off, no one said a word until our alarm went off half an hour later.  A couple of the others actually thought that we had left because we were so quiet (and we had the most people in our room).  Some of us then went to dinner at a sushi and tapas restaurant and it was really good (and yes, I was the last one to get my meal, karma by association apparently)!  Such a nice change from dining hall food!!

On Sunday 10 of us went to Notre Dame and was the day we did continuous head counts to make sure we had everybody.  I still cannot get over how beautiful and intricate places like that are.  We sat in the church for a while before heading out to explore Old Montreal.

During our walk is when we found the most beautiful trees and we turned into real tourists.  I've said it so many times but I'll say it again, I just cannot get over how beautiful the autumn colours are here!  Australia you're seriously missing out!  I absolutely love the pictures of us playing in the leaves because we look so incredibly happy, just like little children, without a care in the world.

<3

Our next adventure was walking up Mount Royal to see the view of Montreal, and it was much more of a hike than I anticipated it to be.  It was already well worth it by a quarter of the way up though because we saw a wild raccoon!  Some of the group decided it would be quicker getting to the top by going cross country and straying from the path, which is where we came across our squirrel friend who came up to all of us and then continued to follow us for a while.  We seemed to be climbing up for a very long time on our non-path path.  Eventually though we made it to the lookout area and it did not disappoint.

Our trek down was a hell of a lot quicker than going up.  This may have been in part to taking another short cut that was a little less than desirable in the shoes I was wearing.  We decided that we should have a Canadian dinner so we went on the hunt for poutines.  We waited in the line outside for half an hour and then the line inside for another half an hour, but, they were worth it.

On Monday morning, four of us decided to go to the botanical gardens after we checked out. It was peaceful, it was quiet, it was sunny, and it was almost perfect just walking around.  A lot of the time we really had no idea where we were, but that was okay.

After the gardens we figured that we would grab some lunch before we caught the bus back to Burlington.  That was all well and good until we turned up at the hostel to pick up our luggage 15 minutes before the bus left and it was a 10 minute walk to the bus station providing we didn't get lost.  It was a very fast walk to the bus station and we stepped on the bus with two minutes to go before our scheduled departure time.  We were the last four of our group on the bus and got the looks of 'cutting it a bit close guys' when we sat down.  But hey, we were just making the most of our time in Montreal!

So our long weekend came to an end and reality set in when I still had homework to finish and then an 8.30am class the morning after we got back.  It seems to be that each week I spend my time catching up and being up to date on Friday, only to be behind again by Monday.  I wouldn't have it any other way though because I'd rather be out there making memories than stuck behind a desk.

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx

Let's go to Luke's

They don't tell you how short a semester is.  There are so many things that you want to try and fit in and time just fly's by!  That is why I'm trying to fit in as much as possible and this accounts for very busy weeks.

On Saturday night was the first men's ice hockey game of the season and tickets are free for UVM students.  Let me just say, it was very American!  And I loved it.  I honestly wish that Australia had this kind of school spirit and pride.

Because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing

The Catamounts played against Concordia and it was rough and pretty damn cool.  They lost, but oh well.  There is also the UVM pep band that plays at the games and everyone gets really into cheering the team on.

Canadian & American anthems played

On Sunday, I really got to experience Vermont.  A group of us went hiking with the UVM Outing Club for the Catamountain Classic.  My group hiked the Sterling Pond trail in the rain, mud and fog but it was still quite pretty.  We didn't have amazing views where you could see for miles, but the trees are really nice at this time of year and that was enough.  When we first made it to the pond, it was so foggy it looked like something straight out of a horror movie.  By the time we were about to leave it was clearing up a bit and you could see more of the pond.

Horror movie pond after the fog began to clear

I never look back darling, it distracts from the now

Let's go hiking in the mud over the slippery rocks

Last week I experienced my first pop quiz and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.  I also handed in my first assignment over here, only to realise I wrote the whole thing in British English and not American English.  It's the small differences that you don't even notice.  Luckily that professor loves the fact that I'm Australian so it wasn't a big deal.  In general, I'm finding my classes interesting and although it's a bigger workload to what I'm use to at home, I really think it's helping me manage my time better than what I previously have at uni (weekends being an exception to that when I decide that activities and exploring is more fun than schoolwork...).

I realise that it looks like I've been painting a picture of how perfect living overseas can be, and in truth, it has been close to perfect until this week.  While you're living a whole new life, your life at home doesn't stop.  I have this freaky connection with Mum that sometimes when she has a migraine, I'll have one too.  Guaranteed if I have one, Mum has one.  And it happens the most when we're apart.  So my week began with a pounding head and continued with two personal events from home that left me feeling down.  And the worst part is that you feel absolutely helpless when you're on the other side of the world.  The key to getting through though is having friends.  I have been able to turn to my friends both in America and in Australia and they've supported me by either offering to bring me food and giving me a hug, or offering to FaceTime with me at godly hours of the morning in Australia if I need it.  And because of them, today, the day I was dreading, I had a good day.

I had a very Rory Gilmore kind of day.  I went to class, I went shopping (retail therapy involving shoes always makes me feel better), and then I went to Luke's.  And now I am looking forward to the long weekend that we having coming up which means Montreal!

Until next post.

Adios Amigos.

Tyarna xx

P.S.  I have the best roommate, she brings me cookies