So it’s been a while…I’m in school now!

“Love your blog Alex”. “You haven’t blogged in a while Alex”. “Alex, you should blog again”.  OK! OK! I can take a hint!

Well, since my last blog I’ve been back and forth to school a lot – which we’ve measured is about a kilometer. Not bad, until it rains…which it does. A lot. I’m not complaining, because it breaks the humidity (which was 86% last week), but I’m not a fan of sitting in wet clothes for a 2-hour accounting class. Classes are great. They’re all smaller than I expected, and for the first time in my life I’m in the minority. At least 75% of my class is from Asia. It’s such a different experience, but a wonderful one. I’m making lots of friends from other countries, which was my original intent. I stopped by the Canadian Student Association on “Club Sign Up Day” but didn’t sign up.

BECAUSE….the students’ guild (union) system here is backwards! They don’t charge general student fees (which when you’re trying to save money is a plus, I guess) but have an optional $88 guild membership. This includes a gift bag with a couple coupons, travel mug and other trinkets. Your guild membership acts the same as the Student Price Card (SPC) at home. You get discounts on textbooks, the campus gym and some other stores. I looked into and it’s not a great deal unless you’re buying a lot of textbooks and going to a lot of the stores several times. I have deduced that because of this system, the guild has a limited budget for events and clubs on campus. I reason this, because you have to pay for EVERY event on campus. (Guild members do get a discount on these - $5 off a $50 ticket isn’t much). What surprised me even more was the fact that you have to pay to join clubs. $5 per club you wish to join. Maybe my new job here is to rework the guild system. Alex Musial taking over students’ unions everywhere…we’ll see.

I’ve had two really great weekends now. Last weekend my long-time best friend Shari Brezovski (soon to be Shari Betts!!!) came to visit. Shari and I met in high school and became instant friends. Shari moved to Perth when I started grade 12 and came home to visit us for Prom/Grad but I haven’t seen her since. When we met at the airport it was like we had never left each other! She has asked me to be her Maid of Honour when she marries Matt next March so we spent some time that weekend trying on potential bridesmaid dresses. We’ve gotten very good at finding “what not to wear”.  We chatted a bunch, watched some movies and went to the beach. My first swim in the Pacific Ocean. It was amazing! 

Toes in the sand...Shari and I didn't get a single picture together. Too busy chatting!

This weekend was St. Patrick’s Day. However, it’s not really celebrated in Australia. There are a few Irish Pubs that had events going on and the University put together a small night, but non of my roommates had ever celebrated it before. So of course, we had a house party. We spent the morning getting decorations, transformed our house into green central and had a fabulous night. Even taught them how to play flip-cup (something else not done in Oz).  It was so great to have a fun night in with everyone, and make some new friends! The next morning….well let’s just say I had another Aussie first. Hung-over Maccas (McDonald’s). Yes I have had McDonald’s before, but they don’t use preservatives in Australia so it tastes a little different, and totally healthy. Maybe not totally, but I justified it a little more : )

St. Patty's Day with my new roommates

Oh I almost forgot. Emma and I spent Saturday together. We went to Max Brenner’s Chocolate Bar.  A chain of chocolate cafes across Australia. For those of you who need more convincing to come visit: http://www.maxbrenner.com.au/menu/menu.pdf

We each had a peanut butter iced chocie (frappe) and split the fondue. It was heaven in café form. This is my new monthly treat; we’ve made plans for additional dates. I’ll keep you updated I’m sure.

Fondue for two

I’m handing in my first paper today. I needed to use leadership/management theory to reflect on a past experience. Well I chose to do a compare and contrast style essay. I’ve discussed my personal leadership style at a high school dance I organized and my leadership style at the more infamous Pit Party I planned at X. The format the prof wants the essay in is a little wonky, so I’m not totally happy with it, but the assignment isn’t worth much and it’s done as an “Amber Alert Assessment”. This is an assessment done early in the semester to make sure everyone is at the right level. If not, you’re directed to additional resources at the school. I’m hoping I don’t fall in that category, but it’s a nice service. My next assignment is a video case study analysis on The Lion King. The Pit Party and Disney movies; I’m pretty happy with my program.

I’ll try to keep this updated more frequently, but until next time!

Alex

PS Dad lands in Sydney in 17 days!