More university ramblings

I am bad at this regular blogging thing. I don't feel anywhere near interesting enough to be writing about my life and posting it for others to see.

So, where did we leave off?

Orientation week was fairly good. The university organised a music festival dubbed "Gear Up" with headlining bands such as Hungary Kids of Hungary, The Salvadors and Ball Park Music stealing the show. I went there not knowing a word to any of BPM's songs and ended up having a brilliant time, dancing in sync with everyone else. There was a pretty cool guy who walked me to my bus stop and talked about his life and his boyfriend, which I found strangely interesting. I feel guilty for forgetting his name though, since we even visited the bottle shop together. Hmmmmm.

At the university orientation day I met some really friendly people who turned out to be in some of my classes. However, the most interesting part of my day was winning first prize in the iPad mini draw. Nothing says "welcome to university" quite like a free iPad.

On the Friday night I went to the Rising Sun Music Festival, organised by the Australian Youth Climate Coalition. I had been hoping to meet up with a group of friends, but they bailed on me at the last minute. I actually ended up going with Jack (who works for my dad) and his friends. I was introduced as the boss' daughter and was affectionately called that by everyone throughout the night. Despite my social anxiety, I really felt comfortable with these people I hardly knew - they were just so lovely and easy to like. We had a lot of alcohol and swayed in unison to the reggae beats. I discovered some fantastic musicians, such as Xango! and Irie Knights. This experience has me craving for more live performances...

First week of university was both exciting and scary. I didn't get too lost, but having Japanese at a different campus can be annoying. The people overall seem really friendly and down to earth, which I love. The tutors are also pretty cool and don't talk down to me, like many of my previous teachers did.

We're halfway into the second week already... wow. It feels strange because I only have about 10 contact hours, since some of my subjects are conducted online.
I made a really classy entrance into my Japanese classroom the other day. The door requires a bit of force to pull it open, and I misjudged how much effort was required and fell backwards. My recoveries are getting a lot better though... I simply walked into the room, looked around and said "we're not going to talk about that" and sat down.
Speaking of Japanese, I was surprised just how much I'd forgotten after 18 months of not studying it. However, I'm still glad that I'm not in the beginner's class!

I'll try and get better at blogging, and at least try and make it more interesting to read... maybe throw in some lions and bears or something like that. I'm thinking of signing up for a radio program through the university, so maybe instead of reading my ramblings you'll all be forced to listen to them. Mwahahahaha

University and other scary things

In less than a week I am starting my double degree in International Relations and Journalism. I can't help but feel this mixture of excitement and terror all at once. Part of me is going "yes, I get to meet new people with similar interests", and the other part of me is going "but Milly, you are terrified of social situations - what are you doing!?"

I am surprisingly ecstatic anticipating the start of university life. I like the idea of a clean slate and choosing subjects that suit me. I have the opportunity not to be the shy girl in the corner, and join social clubs and shape my life in the way I want to. This all sounds very romanticised, but apparently one week in and I'll be praying for the holidays to come sooner.

I've had a few hassles with enrolling (i.e. my SATAC application wasn't actually submitted for 2013 - oops) but it's all sorted now. I accidentally enrolled in Japanese 1A, which I just realised was designed for absolute beginners. I was almost tempted to stay in the class, but when I thought of "learning" hiragana and katakana again for a year I made the transition into 2A.

Which brings me to my subjects:
Principles of Journalism
Japanese 2A
Discovering Language, Culture and Society
Peace, War and International Politics

Never before have I been so pleased with a line-up of subjects.

I've been reading up on unilife and my mind has gone into overdrive - already I'm planning on enrolling in an Associate Language and Cultural Studies degree, signing up for the Global Experience Program and joining a small number of clubs. Maybe my laziness will fade over the next four years...?

I'm at the different campuses on Wednesday and Thursday for Gear Up (orientation music festival type thing) and my course introduction. I'm a university student. This is actually happening!

And now for the "other scary things"...

• Tigger (my dog - expect a whole blog post about him later down the track) has problems with his eyes and is getting the final (hopefully) surgery he needs for his vision to be fixed. A specialist is performing the surgery, but I always worry anyway.
• Willow (the family dog) is turning 13 this year and we're concerned that she's not going to make it through 2013. Considering the vet said she wouldn't live past 8 she's done alright for herself. She's still the greediest dog ever to have walked the planet though!
• I need to get a proper job to support myself through university. My job at the chocolate shop is only seasonal so I can only rely on work over Easter and Christmas. I don't want to have to go back to the fast food industry, I'm still mentally recovering from it (literally).
• My sister can legally drive on her own now. It's one thing that I'm on my full license, but having her on her provisionals? Wow, it's so strange not having to drive her everywhere anymore.

On a more positive note: my organ donor card came today. I was already listed as a donor on my driving license, but I just wanted to make extra sure. If I die tomorrow at least someone else may have the chance to live.

On that note, Ja mata!

Mental Illness

Not my usual post, but I feel that this is an important issue to at least touch on. I may even share some of my experiences on here later down the track (or maybe not)...

I am so glad to see advertisements regarding the awareness of mental illness. Many people don't understand how it affects people who live with it and how it impacts those around them. As someone who lives with a mental illness, I find it to be such a relief to be able to discuss my issues with people who won't label me as attention seeking, or claim that my illness is any less real because there are no obvious physical symptoms. I think that community awareness brings us one step closer to helping those who do have a mental illness, and hopefully finding a long term solution.

For information on depression visit: beyondblue.org.au