After enduring the long (but exciting) plane ride, I finally arrived in Australia, Canberra, Australian National University, Burton and Garran Hall. Did not sleep throughout the entire flight, but I felt obligated to participate in their activities, so I ended up there, half awake and zoning out often. The first thing I realize was that Australians (and possibly all westerners) could just easily talk to any random stranger along the street! They are so sociable, but within each other, so I kinda felt left out there.
The second thing was the weather! In the noon and afternoon, it is almost impossible to stand in the sun for 5 minutes. You either get sun burnt (really high UV irradiance due to ozone depletion) or you get fried from the temperature (39 C), usually it is a combination of both >.< I was really happy in the morning as I walked out of the hall though, for once, it felt so cool, my hands actually got slightly numb from the cool. Hope it cools down fast! The air is too dry for a Singaporean, so much so that I have some rashes, but I am not sure whether it is allergy to the skin repair cream or the dryness... Need to take care of myself, really.
Yesterday, I finally got the chance to buy more daily essentials. Yesterday night, I met my friend from secondary school (year 7-10 equivalent) and his parents for a meal in a chinese restaurant. The food there really tastes like chinese food, and I felt so thankful that I could meet him again (and his parents for the first time). They were so kind and hospitable, it made me very happy, I really appreciate the meal and the chat, but I think I did not thank them enough for how they made a difference to my first few days here.
I have only finally settled down as of yesterday and finally starting to get comfortable with living alone, ~ 6000 km away from home. This is a picture of the view from my room in summer. Very hot in the afternoon.
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