We decided to try out a new beach yesterday.  Aarika and I took the bus, with her British roommate Harry, her neighbor Eli, and a few other people.  The bus here is cheap.  I bought a 10 trip interpeak pass which works between 9am and 3pm for around $7.50.  The new beach is called Henley.  Its only a few miles up from Glenelg beach, where we have been the last 2 times, but it is completely different.  The water was so incredibly clear and there were fairly big fish in the shallow water.  It was so calm, with hardly any people or waves.  I loved it.  We swam out pretty far to a sand bar.  The current out there was really strong.  We all ended up quite a ways from our stuff!  The guys were teaching me how to throw an Australian Rules Football ball.  They throw it from their side and kind of roll it.  They made fun of me a lot because I was TERRIBLE!

After the beach, I went out to dinner with people from St. Marks college.  Wednesday apparently are International Pub night at a bar near here.  We all dressed up in short shorts and tall socks and went to dinner at the Oxford.  The Oxford is St. Marks' "place".  The owner give the students good deals on drinks and food and has St. Marks shirts hanging out the walls.  They said they go there every Wednesday night.  The students were telling me about how the other colleges try to go into the Oxford and all the rivalries.  Apparently, there is this big sports competition and everyone gets really into it.  They said they need more swimmers, so I'm in.  I will probably try something else too.  Maybe cricket event though I have no idea how to play.  One girl said that if I have played softball I will probably be decent.  

So far, every single person has told me to be excited for what is called "O" week or orientation week.  Its next week.  Basically what it is, is games and fun things in the mornings and lots of partying at night.  Everyone has said it is the best week of college and you meet so many new people.  I think it will be really great.  The only problem is that I have "O" week for both my Uni (haha the schools are Uni and where I am living is called college) and college the same week.  So I will have to figure out how to do both of those.  Last night, they told me to rest today and tomorrow because next week will be very crazy and tiring.  I can't rest too much because I already signed up through Uni to do a tour of Victor Harbour tomorrow for the whole day and Sunday is a trip to Port Adelaide and a dolphin cruise.  Busy already!

I think I made a really good choice staying in St. Mark's college.  It is like a mix between the dorms and Greek life.  It has the living style and co-ed sense of the dorms, with older students living with the new ones, but it has the social aspect of a sorority or fraternity.  I suppose that dorms might be like this at smaller schools.  I just really like how involved everyone is with the new students.  I walk around and when I see someone I dont know, they usually know who I am.   If they dont know right away, they ask if I'm a new student and as soon as I say I am a study abroad student they know.  I dont know if I would have liked it at home, but here is makes me feel so much more comfortable.  I'm also happy because I have been told that sometimes international students tend to only hang out with other international students because those are the only people they really get to meet.  Here I know I will get to hang out with TONS of Australians, since there are only 3 or 4 international students.  

Anyways, so far so good!

I tried posting pictures, but I am having trouble.

There will be some really soon!