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Just a quick note so you all know I am alive and well. I'll get a new computer and ISP next week, which should make it far easier for me to communicate with those of you outside of Australia. I'll post more photos from my adventures down under then.
The short update is that I made it through first semester, then had some weeks off to indulge in the simpler side of life. I've learned an incredible amount, not just about epidemiology, biostatistics, public health policy, and the like, but also about life, myself, and the world. This weekend I'm heading to the Mornington Pennisula for some walks on the beach and last minute relaxation before hitting the books again on Monday. Despite having a fabulous break, I'm looking forward to classes and a bit more structure in my schedule. This term I'll delve deeper into the social, political and economic determinants of international health. I even get to take a class on globalization and governance ( I know, I'm a dork that this excites me)On the social side of things, I've enveloped myself in Melbournian culture which means indulging in art and sport. I've visited the National Galleries, seen some theatre(befriended an actor/director type who has been giving me a tour of local theatre with his freebies!), played some soccer, stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to watch the mayhem that was the World Cup (on a giant screen in the middle of Little Italy), and went to an Aussie Rules Footy match (crazy game!). I've also had some time for reading non-school books, painting, going for walks, exploring random neighborhoods, and meeting friends for coffee/tea or the occasional trip to the cinema where by the way, I saw a lovely aboriginal film called Ten Canoes. According to the film, they seem to believe in rebirth and have such a lighter view of self, life and death that I walked away from the film feeling lighter myself. As you can see from the pic, I also celebrated the 4th of July with a few friends, some sparklers, 'disco' fries, and some oreos with which we tried to play poker but I didnt really want to take other people's cookies, just wanted to see the cards so it deteriorated quickly. Silly fun. All but one of those friends weren't American (and the one grew up in Portugal) but I have unintentionally found a few American friends here, Allie who's a journalist, Kelley who's working on a vaccine for malaria, somehow I connect with fellow expats easier than Aussies. I guess we all find familiarity comforting. What else, did I mention I met an Iraqi family? My talks with John (he changed his name to a western one) have definitely been a highlight, mindblowing. Oh, I forgot to mention I also attended the small wedding of friends Sasha and Dennis in a beautiful venue on the beach. Jason came home to be the best man so I did a bit of catching up with him and all of his friends. Back in June I also got to see Lama Zopa which was wonderful. I found just being in his presence changed my focus, calmed my mind, gave me perspective. I'm sure there's more to report but for now that's all that's coming to me. I love and miss you all. Hope you are enjoying the beautiful summer sunshine in the Northern Hemisphere.
The short update is that I made it through first semester, then had some weeks off to indulge in the simpler side of life. I've learned an incredible amount, not just about epidemiology, biostatistics, public health policy, and the like, but also about life, myself, and the world. This weekend I'm heading to the Mornington Pennisula for some walks on the beach and last minute relaxation before hitting the books again on Monday. Despite having a fabulous break, I'm looking forward to classes and a bit more structure in my schedule. This term I'll delve deeper into the social, political and economic determinants of international health. I even get to take a class on globalization and governance ( I know, I'm a dork that this excites me)On the social side of things, I've enveloped myself in Melbournian culture which means indulging in art and sport. I've visited the National Galleries, seen some theatre(befriended an actor/director type who has been giving me a tour of local theatre with his freebies!), played some soccer, stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to watch the mayhem that was the World Cup (on a giant screen in the middle of Little Italy), and went to an Aussie Rules Footy match (crazy game!). I've also had some time for reading non-school books, painting, going for walks, exploring random neighborhoods, and meeting friends for coffee/tea or the occasional trip to the cinema where by the way, I saw a lovely aboriginal film called Ten Canoes. According to the film, they seem to believe in rebirth and have such a lighter view of self, life and death that I walked away from the film feeling lighter myself. As you can see from the pic, I also celebrated the 4th of July with a few friends, some sparklers, 'disco' fries, and some oreos with which we tried to play poker but I didnt really want to take other people's cookies, just wanted to see the cards so it deteriorated quickly. Silly fun. All but one of those friends weren't American (and the one grew up in Portugal) but I have unintentionally found a few American friends here, Allie who's a journalist, Kelley who's working on a vaccine for malaria, somehow I connect with fellow expats easier than Aussies. I guess we all find familiarity comforting. What else, did I mention I met an Iraqi family? My talks with John (he changed his name to a western one) have definitely been a highlight, mindblowing. Oh, I forgot to mention I also attended the small wedding of friends Sasha and Dennis in a beautiful venue on the beach. Jason came home to be the best man so I did a bit of catching up with him and all of his friends. Back in June I also got to see Lama Zopa which was wonderful. I found just being in his presence changed my focus, calmed my mind, gave me perspective. I'm sure there's more to report but for now that's all that's coming to me. I love and miss you all. Hope you are enjoying the beautiful summer sunshine in the Northern Hemisphere.
posted by Dharma Mama at 11:45 PM
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