More Firsts

Today, after a week of frantic but generally successful preparation, was Callie's first day of class.  Leaving home early and arriving home late, Callie made quite the delicious scones amidst attending lectures and befriending a fellow student, and while tomorrow promises to be another early start, Callie seems positively elated about the upcoming semester.  

At the same time, I was able to spend the day- not attending classes- but rather, adjusting to the size and composition of the University of Sydney.  "Sydney Uni" is roughly 36 times larger than Birmingham-Southern in terms of its undergraduate and graduate populations, which creates quite a different academic and social environment from the Hilltop.  I spent most of the day perusing the campus (particularly the book store) and doing my best to studiously prepare for the October LSAT, which proves difficult as the library overlooks the weathered sandstone of the Great Hall juxtaposed against Sydney's elegant skyline.  It is quite distracting, but it somehow helps one feel more intelligent- as if simply being around the Quadrangle endows greater scholastic ability.  

But, it hasn't been all about classes and school the last few days.  This past Saturday, we officially signed the lease to our new apartment in Gladesville, and we enjoyed The Dark Night, which, with Heath Ledger's performance, has been the leading story in Australia this past week (until Greg Norman remembered he could play golf).  On Sunday, we were able to spend most of the day with Dom, John and Kathy's oldest son, who took us to the Tangora Zoo, which is perched on Sydney's north shore across from the Central Business District.  With all manner of wonderfully strange animals (i.e. an echidna- an oversized pincushion known as a monotreme), we had a lovely time before having a chance to meet our host Rotary counselors for drinks later last night.  Suzanne and David welcomed us into their home, and we had an opportunity to converse on a wide range of issues from the U.S. presidential campaign to Australian water management policy before having to turn in to prepare for the week's early start.  

Being able to connect to an established network of individuals who are welcoming and supportive- both through Rotary and the Blahuts and the innumerable other helpful strangers- has perhaps been the greatest quality about Australia thus far.  The city with its Opera House and snow white beaches and beautiful buildings have been spectacular, and in no way would I wish to diminish their grandeur or charm.  But, more compelling than the manifest beauty of this place has been the grace and hospitality that has been extended to us, a gift that we feel we can never fully merit or repay.  I certainly don't mean to be overly sentimental, but I was struck by just how improbable this opportunity is for us as I was riding home today.  

As we were crossing the Harbour Bridge, the sun was setting across the rich blue water below that disappears into the numerous inlets and headlands that constantly carve into the gentle hills of the city, and I realized that I had never expected to live in a place like this.  Australia felt like one of those places that you needed to visit on a vacation; it wasn't a destination to necessarily live for any extended period of time.  Needless to say, we can't say thank you enough to those who have helped us thus far, and as we begin new classes at new schools with new friends in a new place, we feel very lucky to have stumbled upon a country seemingly full of generosity.