I'm hereeeeeee!!
So, I'm not laughing like a manic the way Dean is doing in that userpic up there but I am outrageously happy because I made it. Immigration let me in! (I know, someone needs to go take a look at them, because, me in the country, really?!)
The flight wasn't the funnest thing in the world but that's because I'm like a six year old child when it comes to long trips - "are we there yet" on a twelve hour flight is hardly the best combination in the world. But they served us food and snacks quite regularly which is pretty good for the price and they played us some cool movies and then I just slept in between.
It's funny how doing a season, knowing there are loads of people doing the exact same thing as you, and being in a foreign country almost completely strips you of any inhibitions (though some would argue I never had any) because I randomly approached these two vaguely my age looking guys in Vancouver airport and just started chatting to them. I have a feeling I'm going to be meeting lots of people I may or may not stay in touch with but who are easy to get along and fun, whilst I'm out here, which is totally cool.
The hostel is pretty fun too. It's like a whole other mind set for me though, considering I don't share living. Ask Soph and Hols. I'm bunking in with three other girls, but the turnover here is obviously pretty swift and yet people don't blank you just because you won't be hanging out for ages and it's really fun. You just get used to the idea of sharing your personal space with three complete strangers from far flung stretches of the world. Okay, maybe not that far flung (Australia and Germany) but still.
It's a very open, chilled environment and I daresay it's healthy for EVERYONE to get involved with this type of trip after uni. Because as fun as uni is, it's stifling compared to the freedom of sharing not just showers (because people do that at uni in halls anyway) but your sleeping space. I don't know, maybe it's just me but I'm not as stuck up about it as I thought I would be, though I think having awesome roomies helps. You can kind of see why North American colleges make you share dorms, as daunting as that initially sounds.
It's weird being a twelve hour flight away from home and God knows how many miles, and yet it doesn't really feel like I'm so far away. I guess because it's another western country, so, as different as some of the details may be (driving on the wrong side of the road), it still bears the hallmarks of a civilised (arguably...?) nation, which is obviously advantageous for the culture shock thing. I haven't really ventured outside yet though so this evaluation may in fact change!!
The flight wasn't the funnest thing in the world but that's because I'm like a six year old child when it comes to long trips - "are we there yet" on a twelve hour flight is hardly the best combination in the world. But they served us food and snacks quite regularly which is pretty good for the price and they played us some cool movies and then I just slept in between.
It's funny how doing a season, knowing there are loads of people doing the exact same thing as you, and being in a foreign country almost completely strips you of any inhibitions (though some would argue I never had any) because I randomly approached these two vaguely my age looking guys in Vancouver airport and just started chatting to them. I have a feeling I'm going to be meeting lots of people I may or may not stay in touch with but who are easy to get along and fun, whilst I'm out here, which is totally cool.
The hostel is pretty fun too. It's like a whole other mind set for me though, considering I don't share living. Ask Soph and Hols. I'm bunking in with three other girls, but the turnover here is obviously pretty swift and yet people don't blank you just because you won't be hanging out for ages and it's really fun. You just get used to the idea of sharing your personal space with three complete strangers from far flung stretches of the world. Okay, maybe not that far flung (Australia and Germany) but still.
It's a very open, chilled environment and I daresay it's healthy for EVERYONE to get involved with this type of trip after uni. Because as fun as uni is, it's stifling compared to the freedom of sharing not just showers (because people do that at uni in halls anyway) but your sleeping space. I don't know, maybe it's just me but I'm not as stuck up about it as I thought I would be, though I think having awesome roomies helps. You can kind of see why North American colleges make you share dorms, as daunting as that initially sounds.
It's weird being a twelve hour flight away from home and God knows how many miles, and yet it doesn't really feel like I'm so far away. I guess because it's another western country, so, as different as some of the details may be (driving on the wrong side of the road), it still bears the hallmarks of a civilised (arguably...?) nation, which is obviously advantageous for the culture shock thing. I haven't really ventured outside yet though so this evaluation may in fact change!!