Well readers, it's done. I'm back in the states safe and sound. The past 3 1/2 months of my life are ones that will not not be forgotten. They have helped me shape who I am, expanded my knowledge of the world, and opened many doors to who I know. I'll try to recap the last few days as best I can.
12/18 - End Of Term Party
I laid low throughout the day. My last final was on the previous day, so I was pretty drained from all that finals week has to offer. Around 4 p.m. I decided to walk down to M Barber, the barber shop where all the students went. After the usual 2 guard halfway down, finger length on top, I walked back up and began to get ready. End Of Term party is very special, as it only includes term 6, term 9, and study abroad students. There are 9 terms total in your degree at ICMS just for reference. I decided to wear my suit from home that night because most of the kids that I had seen before walking down to Manly were wearing them. After I got dressed, I met up with Chad (Michigan State) and we went down to the Great Hall. There we found a room packed with students, about 320, drinking champagne, beer, and mimosa. We followed suit.
Chad and I at Shark Bar. He's officially done with college now.
After saying hello to everyone, there were a few announcements made, including an announcement by two of my teachers, Mr. Harris and Mr. Bonyage.
"Hello ladies and gents, welcome to End Of Term. My accent tonight is brought to you by Clay Collier, the only study abroad student that dared to take HOTS this term."
I felt my face flush as all 320 students plus staff looked my way. It was a funny moment, and I smiled at Mr. Harris.
After the announcements, heavy hors devours were served and people started dancing to house music. Later that evening the college had arranged shuttle busses for us to take down to the Steyne, the bar where the college had reserved us the rooftop for the night. The college had done this about 6-7 times throughout the term as well. The Steyne was a fun time, a chance to bust a few moves on the dance floor, talk with peers, and take our last pictures together.
Kate (San Diego) and I at end of term. Bunny ears courtesy of Daniel.
12/19 - Moving Day
I awoke to my phone ringing. It was 7 a.m. and my room was hot with the violent heat of the Australian summer that was now in full swing. The caller ID read "Chad" so I answered. It was Tyler. It turned out that Tyler (Central Michigan) was at the airport and had left his passport in Chad's room. He wanted me to get it and bring it to him. I told him I had no way of getting out to the airport, which was an hours drive anyway. I roamed around until I found Alex (Russia) and gave him the phone. I found out later in the day that Alex actually drove all the way to the airport with Tyler's passport. After saying a few more goodbye's to Erin (Central Michigan), Jeff, Will, and Stevi (All San Diego), it was time for me to go. I was getting a cab with Daniel (Sweden), Jess, and Steph (San Diego). Daniel and I planned on staying in a hostel until Steph and Jess invited us to stay with them. It would be less expensive for all, and we got to stay at the Circular Quay Marriott. We ended up doing that.
12/20 - My last day
After getting the Marriott's breakfast buffet (which was to die for) we headed out for our last day of shopping. After going to the Paddington Markets, we headed to Chinatown for the Paddy Markets. These were indoors, unlike the Paddington Markets. I bought a didgeridoo and some Christmas presents for my family. We headed back to the hotel and regrouped. I needed to do a little more Christmas shopping, so I headed out by myself to the Centre Point Mall, a mall located below Centre Point Tower, the tallest building in Sydney.
Once finished, I headed back to the hotel, got ready, and we headed to Gazebo
a funky indoor/outdoor restaurant in Kings Cross. After that, I led the group down the street to a bar that I was introduced to by my HOTS group, The Lincoln. It made me feel at home for obvious reasons. The Lincoln is known as a high rollers bar that only serves top shelf liquor. As college students, we didn't really fit in. We were about 8-10 years under the average age. The Lincoln doesn't even have red bull or Southern Comfort. To our enjoyment, my friend Nick whom I was also introduced to by my HOTS group was working that night and supplied us with anything we wanted. A good send off for our last night in the country. Thanks Nick.
12/21 - Off I Go
After grabbing a taxi to the airport and getting through the massive Qantas line in the international terminal, I found some other American ICMS students that were on my flight. Our flight had been changed to go through Auckland instead of just going straight to LA. The reason was because we weren't flying on a 747, but rather an AirBus A330. The A330 is a smaller plane that isn't capable of making the long flight over the Pacific. We landed in NZ and refueled, went through a security checkpoint again, and re-boarded. While in the airport I stopped at the Adidas store and bought an All Blacks scarf. All Blacks is the NZ rugby team, and my favorite rugby team. While in NZ some passengers got off the plane because NZ was their final destination. This allowed Candace (Widener) to get her own two seats, leaving me with the 4 middle seats to myself. Someone was watching out for me that day, I'm 6'4 and was able to lay down on the seats as if it were a bed. The in-flight entertainment was exceptional. I watched Man On Wire (I highly recommend this), British Open 2008 highlights, a documentary on the AirBus A380, and Step Brothers. The only snag in my whole way home was a gate change in Dallas that delayed us for about an hour and a half.
Thoughts
Upon returning home, my room mate Robert asked me if it was a life changing experience. "Yes" I said without hesitation. I'm a different person because of study abroad. I think differently, learn differently, and am much more aware that the world is a big place with lot's of amazing people in every corner of the Earth. I hope everyone enjoyed reading this blog. I want to keep updating it as much as I can, not just about Australia stuff, but stuff going on in my life.
Alex (San Diego) and I at Shark Bar.
Until next time,
Clay
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