So I live at Hogwarts

Yeah you read the title correctly, today I moved into my living quarters and it turns out it is a mythical castle where they teach magic, or it at least looks like it.

The Building:


My Room:



The Dining hall, you cant tell me that doesnt look familiar:


Despite being a nation where grown men willingly play field hockey, culturally the US and Australia are pretty well in line. Burger King (for what ever reason) is called Hungry Jacks, Starbucks is on every other corner instead of every corner and they charge you 30 cents for ketchup (they call tomato sauce) to put on your chips (not french fries) which is I think ethically wrong. Now I know Australia doesnt have a bill or rights but you would think that somewhere it would be mandated that ketchup (or what ever you choose to call it) packets should be free and bountiful.
Other small differences include: no brewed coffee. I thought that everyone drank drip coffee but they dont, they dont even sell it at star bucks. Its expresso or no coffee. This is very annoying if you dont like expresso or spending 4 dollars on your coffee or in my case both.

Also much like europe when you ask for tap water with your meal in Australia, they look at you sympathetically like a poor, troubled individual who clearly need therapy.

Yesterday I went to the south coast of Australia and watched thousands of little penguins march in from a day out at sea...they didn't let us take pictures but if you're incapable of google image searching "Australian Penguins" then you couldn't be reading this anyway. The site despite being very touristy was actually pretty cool and well worth the trip.

Im staying in the University but they are on Holiday, so the place is pretty empty. Last night (which was Friday night) I began my quest to meet Australians. I first went to the rock climbing gym and climbed for a while and met a few people (who were admittedly a little strange but I was in desperate need) and they took me out to a few bars and bought me lots of drinks but unfortunately had to leave somewhat early.

I walked home content with the night thus far when it then dawned on me that despite there being McDonalds and Burger Jack Hungry King, there are no Taco Bells. Where you are supposed to wander after a night at the bars to get a 99 cent burrito with dogfood meat remains to me a great mystery.

Thank god I found KFC.

While in KFC I observed 5 young people 3 men dressed in Golf Attire, and 2 young ladies dressed very scantly in what appeared to be tennis attire. Golfer pro's and tennis hoes themed parties apparently knows no borders. I easdropped and they were discussing how to play the American game Beer Pong. "No no you need 6 cups on each side and 8 ping pong balls" interjected short white skirt, "No no 11 cups on each side" corrected pink polo vest.

I felt obligated as an American, as many other americans have in the past to impose my knowledge on clearly a lesser people (see 'Native Americans' 'The Philippines' 'South America' 'Iraq' 'Afghanistan' for more on this)

Upon discovering I was infact an American, they listened to my version of the rules of Beer pong as though they were scripture.

The sporty group, awed by my seemingly infinite wisdom, invited me with them and we went out to the bars once more. I met all of their friends and it turns out they are all med students. Small world.

I got a few of there numbers and added a few of them on facebook and am currently sitting waiting for some sort of indication that they want to continue being friends (yeah I know im really cool)

At any rate im slowly making my way into the melbourne social scene and ill keep you all posted.

Australian word of the day: You do not order pitchers of beer, or everyone you are with will laugh at you. It is of course, a jug.