It's the Shit

The "first" of anything is a pretty big deal. I can remember my first soccer practice, first day of high school, first kiss, and perhaps some other firsts that will go unmentioned. So now, here I go with another first that can be tucked away in the memory bank — first day of graduate school. While my mom wasn't there to toss me a brown bag filled with a bologna sandwich (or spam musubi) and juice box, there were many of those same anxieties and nervous jitters that come with change.

Maybe I'm still in the honeymoon phase, and maybe I'm a nerd, but I'm totally stoked on my classes so far. In particular, there's a class titled "Dealing With the Media" that should be interesting. Lately I've been "the media," so I'm really curious on what dealing with me is all about.

Speaking of media, I came across a hilarious article today in the Sydney Morning Herald. On a somewhat related note, it's ironic that while I'm trying to immerse myself in local news sources, the article that grabs my interest is actually an American story. Anyhow, it's about one of my favorite bands, Kings of Leon, who walked off the stage during one of their concerts due to massive amounts of pigeon droppings landing on them. For those out there who know and love The Onion, you'll probably get a kick out of reading this. Thing is, this isn't satire, which makes it even funnier.

If you're too lazy to read it, let me just share a quote from one of the band's managers: "Jared was hit several times during the first two songs. On the third song, when he was hit in the cheek and some of it landed near his mouth, they couldn't take it any longer."

Some of you may recall me ranting about getting crapped on by a bird under that big tree at the MACC a few months ago. Long story short, the poop managed to graze my face in just the right spot so as to drip from my cheek to the corner of my lip. It's nice to know stuff like that happens to other people — even super cool rockers — too.

It's a Small World After All

Hawaii people are always pretty proud to describe the place as a "melting pot" of cultures. But when it comes to diversity, Sydney makes Hawaii feel about as exotic as, say, Indiana. For example, while talking to a group of students during orientation this week I looked around and this little United Nations of sorts, and counted people from the Czech Republic, the Maldives, Korea and Columbia. It was pretty tough to play the "I'm cool 'cause I'm from Hawaii" card in a crowd like that. That said, one thing that definitely gets me some street cred among the international crowd is that it's Obama's hometown, which is far better than the usual "Have you ever seen Dog the Bounty Hunter?" question I usually get.


The University of Sydney was established in 1850, which makes it a toddler by many American university standards, but an old fart in Australia. To be precise, it's the oldest university in the country. The campus itself is relatively small given the school's enrollment numbers — more than 49,000 students within a 177-acre campus. While the buildings are a mix of modern architecture and historic structures, the heart of the campus is the Main Quadrangle. Its Gothic stylings is something you'd expect from an Ivy League school somewhere in the northeast, giving the place a real academic feel. Yikes, I'm already starting to bore myself, so enough with the technical stuff.

Now, not to keep ragging on the Japanese (see, it's a bit more acceptable since I'm sorta one of them), but I am fascinated at just how obsessed they are with taking photos. I admit, even I get the shutter bug from time to time, but I'm not nearly as bad as one girl I observed this week. During a three-hour series of PowerPoint presentations, she literally snapped a photo of EVERY. SINGLE. SLIDE. I mean, it was tough enough to sit through these sessions the first time, why would anyone want to voluntarily revisit it a second or third time?! I was almost tempted to take a picture of her taking a picture, but the irony in that was just too much.

Meeting so many international students this week has given me a new appreciation for hard-to-pronounce names. It's also reminded me to have a bit of patience when people have difficulty pronouncing mine. Among the most popular interpretations are "Lydia," "Leah" and my favorite — "Leeha" (like yee-haw with an "L"). At this rate, graduate school may turn out to be a lot like undergrad in Chicago where my first name became "Thatgirlfromhawaii." Or, I could opt to do like one Korean girl I met and fabricate a name altogether. "Wow, how did you get the name 'Green'? " I asked after meeting her. Her response: "Oh, it's my favorite color." In that case, I think I'll just call myself "Aubergine."

Two Weeks Notice

I've never been a fan of mass e-mails or mass texts. It always feels so impersonal and sort of like you're being spammed by your own friends. It's ironic, then, that I've finally caved in and decided to jump into the blogosphere to communicate with friends and family.

Up until this point, I've kept in touch with a few of you via simple Facebook comments or one-liners via e-mail, which usually read something like, "Sydney is awesome! Everything is going great! Miss you!" So, in lieu of generic updates, this space will serve as a more detailed recap of life Down Under...in case anyone cares.

For now, I can only promise two things: 1) That I will attempt to feed this on a somewhat regular basis. 2) I will refrain from updating with mundane daily activities like what I ate for breakfast or my current flavor of chewing gum. Unless, of course, I eat something really cool.

The blog is called "Sydney Sighter," although I'm open to suggestions. It's a play on words and the term "Sydneysider," which refers to the locals here. I'm still a newbie, so I'm not about to classify myself as a true Sydneysider.

So, here goes...

It's been just over two weeks since touchdown at my new home and Sydney has not disappointed. Week 1 was filled with house hunting, which I've more aptly referred to as a "Sydney apartment crawl." After some pretty dodgy accommodations (read: shit holes) and even dodgy-er potential roommates, I've settled on a fantastic place in Sydney's inner west, which I share with two guys, an Aussie and a Finnish.

I've been at my new digs for about a week, and it seems each day brings a new discovery. Like stumbling upon a yummy Thai take-out joint just down the street or realizing that a running path along Sydney Harbour is a literally around the corner. I haven't decided whether this is a good or bad thing, but I've counted 1 gelateria, 1 frozen yogurt shop and 1 churro place that lines my walking route to the university.

Speaking of school (after all, that's my supposed excuse for being here, right?), classes don't start for another week, but I've already become proficient in navigating my way around the massive campus thanks to hours of orientation, registrations, enrollment, etc. More of the same tomorrow, with another round of international student orientation sessions. What that really means, is that it'll be a bunch of Asians all swarming around, standing way too close for comfort, flashing the peace sign and snapping pictures. No offense, but it's true.