My first Australian blog...

So I've been here, at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, one month.  Time flies.  I suppose I should start at the beginning to fill everyone in.  Starting with the flight from Chicago, it wasn't bad.  Long, but not unbearable.  I met a few people from DePaul that would be partaking on this adventure with me.  I have to say we all became pretty fast friends, something that I was not necessarily used to.  When we arrived at the airport in Melbourne, everything seemed to go smoothly, that was until the dog sniffed by bag and found my turkey jerky.  Apparently that is illegal here in Australia.  I almost had to pay a $200 fine for lying to the Australian government about my meat smuggling, but they let me go with calling me ignorant and naive. 
Since I have been here a month already and I am kind of behind in my reporting, details are a little hazed.  Whilst I have been here, I have met a ton  of people from all over the world.  I have friends from all over the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia, which is convenient for me because now I have places to stay when I travel the world.  Every night with them, especially in the first couple of weeks, has been quite rowdy.  Drinking every night is an understatement.  People here know how to rally.  Because the first couple weeks I was here we did not have class, I participated in the irresponsible behavior, but now that class has started I've cooled down a bit. 
During my time here so far, I have been to the largest mall in the Southern hemisphere (Chadstone), I've hiked and swam in the beaches of the Gold Coast (Surfers Paradise), which if I had to compare is a lot like Ft. Lauderdale, FL, cheered at an Australian Football League Game, and have been to a dozen(s) clubs, pubs, bars, and themed parties.  
To talk a bit about school, I am taking four units (classes): Australian Idol, which is like an Australian anthropology class with field trips, Ancient Religions, Jewish Philosophy and Kabbalah, and Addiction Studies.  All is ok but a little different.  Grades depend mostly on one paper and one exam rather than DePaul, where grades depend on a number of assignments, papers, and exams.  It has been easy to get used too, though. They have been keeping me busy which I am happy about.
Enough about my classes.  Australia, although on the opposite side of the world, is not much different at all.  The city of Melbourne is a lot like Chicago with lots of shopping, restaurants, bars, and activities.  It takes me, from my campus in Clayton (a suburb) around 45-one hour to get downtown by public transportation. It kind of sucks :( but I have grown used to it.  Australia is also VERY expensive, especially alcohol.  Since we are all broke college kids here, we stick to drinking "goon" which is boxed wine.  Disgusting, but cheap.  But Australia does make up for it with the no-tipping tradition and no extra tax when you ring your things up at the counter.  If it says $4.95 on the tag, you pay $4.95. More Australian culture norms include calling McDonald's Maccas and saying "How are you going?" instead of "How are you doing?"
All in all, I've made a lot of friends, have been learning a lot about Australia and in my classes, and myself.  I know it has only been a month, but I feel like I learn something new about myself everyday, and I definitely have a travel bug!  More adventures and travels are to come so keep reading.  I'm off to a cross-dressing party now. Miss you all.