Orientation: Day One

I haven’t been in school for almost four years so I thought maybe I would be different this time, but as soon as I got to campus all my old insecurities came running back to me. Typically on “first-days” I am the girl standing alone pretending to look busy and secretly hoping someone will come talk to me. And I regret to say that once again I was that girl… at first.

After our first session ended we had a break (“morning tea”), and instead of socializing with other students I went to hide out in the bathroom trying to pass time. While I was in there I had a conversation with myself that went a little something like this:

“What are you doing? You moved all the way to Sydney and you’re hiding in a bathroom! Stop it!”

“How?”

“Just get out there and stop being such a baby. Start being the person you wish you were.”

So with that I walked out to a room full of strangers and surprisingly one of the students came up to me. Technically he was one of the peer mentors and was supposed to talk to new students, but I found myself talking a lot and feeling really comfortable. Then when he left I must’ve been feeling really good because I approached the first person I saw who was standing alone.

This person I approached was named Tim, I think. I don’t really remember because the moment he spoke and I actually looked at him, was the moment I fell in love. This hot Aussie was so nice and cute and I have no idea what we talked about, because I was too busy trying to be flirty/cool girl. Later I noticed that he was holding a D&G book bag, which may mean that he plays for the other team, but either way I want to be the mother of his children.

After this the day went pretty well, I found out that my “in” was just talking about how I’m an American. Most of them are Sydneysiders so they ask a bunch of questions like “How long was the plane ride?” or “Texas? Oh, George Bush….”. And I play the role of the ignorant American and ask them questions like “How much is bus fare?” or “What’s a good neighborhood to live in?”.

I chatted with some other people throughout the day, but the orientation was mostly undergraduate students (i.e. straight out of high school) so I’m not too concerned about finding my SBF (Sydney Best Friend) just yet. It was a good day. Plus I got to try my first lolly (see side bar under Dingo Lingo), and after orientation I managed to find a shopping mall a bought a hair straightener. This means tomorrow will probably be even better since my hair won’t be a hot mess.