Orientation Begins

My orientation to life at the University of Melbourne began today.  Needless to say, life at a university this size will be quite different than my former experience at Centre College.  The University of Melbourne has around 44,000 students, undergraduates and graduate.  Centre College has just below 1,200.  The number of international students at the University of Melbourne is around 11,000.  My home town of Somerset, Kentucky has somewhere around 12,000 people total.  Somehow the phrase, "little fish in a big pond" comes to mind just about now.  However, as staggering as those numbers are, we must grow up sometime.  Last night I was telling my housemate Rob about Centre, and how it was a lot smaller than what I'm about to enter.  He said to me, "Wow, mate, you're in for a shock."  Earlier today before I left for my orientation events, he texted me saying, "I reckon there's more than 1,200 people hanging around the architecture building right now.  Welcome to the big pond buddy!"

I set out today doing as I've done numerous times the past week, walking east down Arden Street, listening to my latest podcast of This American Life as I tromp towards Uni.  However, today was a bit different as I would be mingling with not only international students but all the Aussies as well.  I strode onto campus and headed for the Student Union events.  Immediately, I could tell that the place was much more crowded than the days before.  Pockets of students crouched below eucalyptus trees, laid themselves out on the lawn in front of the beautiful standstone Old Arts building, and sauntered to and fro from all sides of campus.  Union lawn was my destination, and upon arriving I knew this would be an interesting event.  Not one minute into my arrival at Union lawn, with the area teeming with students of all ages, a guy approached me and asked if I wanted to sign a petition to end the seize in Gaza.  A bit flummoxed, I slowly comprehended what he said, and then thanked him but said no.  Not two seconds later, another guy comes up to me and asks if I want to join the Marxism Society.  A more confident and faster no escaped my mouth.  Geez, I'm here two minutes and already I'm being drafted to support Palestine and communism.  Welcome to the rest of the world, silly American.  Most of the tents had promotional booths for campus organizations and clubs.  Other booths had tables promoting the two big papers in Melbourne, The Herald Sun and The Age, different banks to open up student accounts, and various stores that students might find interesting or useful like Ikea.  Another booth caught my eye that had a busty brunette and a bubbly blonde, scantily clad, handing out free Coke Zeros.  I had to go investigate because free stuff is always a plus.  Sure enough, you could get your picture with the girls as well...  so I did.  It's shameful, I know, but I'd better go ahead and admit it now.

So with some free Coke Zeros and a big smile on my face, I headed off to my orientation to the Faculty of Arts.  I am enrolling in a Graduate Diploma program in the history and philosophy of science, which marks the first time I will have ever been an official arts student with no science in the mix.  Science has pervaded most of my studies up to this point, so I find it rather odd but exciting to think of myself mingling with those of the more Platonic bent rather than Aristotelian logic.  The event kicked off with a lecture explaining the ins and outs of being a part of this particular faculty.  The best part, though, was the welcome party that followed the meeting.  Any faculty that thinks serving wine, beer, and some fancy dinner snacks for a welcoming of the new graduate students has my effortless and enthusiastic approval.  With a chance to meet some of the faculty and a few of the students I'll be among this year, it was a great way to start things off, and I look forward to the next few days as I get acclimated to life at the University of Melbourne.  Hey, maybe they'll be handing out free Coke Zeros tomorrow.