Disparaging The Boot is a Bootable Offence!

Today I was asked about The Boot.
I wondered how long it would take. 1 month, not bad.

The maintenance guy for my building is about my age and a Simpsons fan. We discussed the toilet fallacy and he seemed pretty knowledgeable about the toilets of the world so I thought he was joking when he first broached the subject of Bootings. But the thing is he was neither joking nor completely stupid: he had heard about the rattan beatings they give in Singapore and wondered if we really had some bizarre corporal punishment that Matt Groening was trying to parody... I dunno, I was expecting to be asked about the size of our beers or whether we call bullfrogs "chuzwozzers" but the Boot question really caught me off-guard.

The only other really stupid question so far was "Have you ever seen a kangaroo?" from an Indian guy. His Indian friend pointed out that this would be like me asking him "Have you ever seen an elephant?" and it stopped there.

I thought by this time I would have more anecdotes about how Americans see us. I think it might be that they can't tell the difference between my accent and the English. Oh, well, I'm sure I will get plenty more in my time here.

Getting Started

I've just finished my first week of classes; finally I've started what I came here for.

It does feel a little strange going back to coursework after 2 1/2 years but I've been eased into it pretty smoothly. I'm so glad I got here early, all that walking around campus during the break helped me to get my bearings so that, now the campus is bustling, I don't have to think too hard and try to orientate a map. Luckily I've bought most of the necessities for my apartment so I can concentrate on finding the right books etc.

There are 6 other incoming grad students in masters and doctoral programs, so it's not too hard to know them all. But each of my classes have about 20 students because the older grad students are there too, even some students from other departments. I guess that's what happens when the system is geared as a whole grad school. The atmosphere seems pretty similar to Australia: not too formal; class discussion as well as pure lectures.

The orientation party last Saturday night was pretty good. It was at the house of one of the professors, Colin Allen, so I think the department must be pretty social. I got to talk to a few people including, for the first time, my supervisor, Jordi Cat. He was unconcerned about my choice of classes (I had already emailed him about this) but wanted to make sure I was settling in ok. We discussed groceries at some length, where to buy lean meat etc (seems all foreigners commiserate about the quality of American food!). And I've now been invited to a welcome party for the Philosophy dept, where I'm not enrolled yet. It seems HPS and Philosophy get along so well that they are happy to invite each other to social events.

I think the best thing is my timetable -- none of my classes start before 2.30 pm. (One class is on at a very strange time, 5.30-8pm! but there's a break in the middle for pizza!) Makes a nice change from getting up at 6.30am to catch the 7.52 train from Emu Plains! I've heard that Descartes preferred never to get out of bed before noon and did most of his philosophy in his dressing-gown, looks like I'll be able to follow his lead!

Greetings from Indiana, the Crossroads of America

I've been in my apartment here in Bloomington, Indiana for a week now and am settling in well. The weather is stinking hot and very humid. But I guess I should savour it before winter comes and it starts snowing.

When I first arrived I stayed in one of the dorms temporarily but it wasn't the most comfortable place and they set a 3-night limit on my stay. So I looked at a few apartments and, after hearing from various people where not to live, I found a tiny 1-bedroom apartment 10-15 min walk south of campus, which is perfect for me.

It's also walking distance from a laundromat, a big supermarket and a small international grocer. Before I left I heard horror stories about not being able to get various Australian products but this little grocer sells Cadbury chocolate and even Milo (but not Vegemite, so I'm still glad I brought that with me)! And Bloomington even has a farmers' market on Saturdays with real Amish selling veges!

Orientation was pretty straightforward. They didn't make me take the English test! But I think I'm the only international student this year with English as my first language. The others are mainly from Korea, India and China, which makes me feel far less of a foreigner, especially when they assume I'm American!

I've completed the special orientation for international students and have another week before classes start. Talking to other students I found that Business, IT and Law all have week-long orientations for their programs. My department has a 2-hour meeting Wednesday arvo and then a party Saturday night!