Exchange vs. Study Abroad students??

Yesterday we started the day with the library tour we had missed the day before. It was useful getting to know your way around the library and being shown how to search for information from the databases. After the tour we had a couple of hours before the next session - or at least that´s what we thought. We picked up our Student IDs. (My picture was taken by this bored lady who didn´t do any proper zooming and didn´t care me looking like an idiot in the picture.) I´m not that excited about the Student ID anymore, though. They have this weird system of separating international students to 3 different categories: Degree students (doing either the whole degree or masters), Exchange students (the ones who actually exchange so that an UTS student goes to their home uni) and Study Abroad students (international students that pay the tuition fees, or their home university pays them, like in my case). I totally understand the separation of degree and exchange students but cannot see the point of separating exchange and paying students. The main difference is degree and exchange students get travel concession while Study Abroad students have to pay the full price. I feel frustrated having to pay so much more for my transportation, especially since I use the busses and trains quite often. In my opinion paying students should get the same benefits! Well, maybe there´s some logical reason behind it, but I haven´t found it out.

Anyways, we crabbed salads for lunch from a nearby restaurant and went to the Railway Square to eat them and enjoy the sunshine. Then we headed back to the uni all prepared to do our Academic Language Skills session. After waiting for 10min behind the door of the class room we became consious and went to the 18th floor to the ELSSA center to ask what was going on. They explained some mistakes had been made so that the webpage said the sessions were available also on Wednesday, but actually they had been cancelled. So instead of the session we went to Circular Quay and started walking along Geogre Street (a long street going through the city centre, where most of the shopping centres and stores are). We went to one of the malls to buy smoothies and on the way to the food court stepped into this small clothes store. I found a pretty pale pink dress that used to be $69 at the price of $10! That´s what I call shopping: Finding expensive (brand) clothes with amazing reductions. We bought frozen yoghort and walked to the Rocks. We sat by the sea enjoying the view of the Opera House and then walked a loop to see some nice restaurants and old beautiful buildgins. Then we took a train back to Geegal.

In front of the Opera House

An old boat at Circular Quay

It was Valentines Day (Happy Late Valentines Day to everyone and I´m so sorry I haven´t had time to send cards or anything!) so they organized a party at Gumal (another UTS student accommodation). The theme of the party was familiar: singles wear green, taken wear red and unsure (or gay, as some had changed it to the invition poster) wear orange. It was interesting seeing the other student accommodations. Gumal is a lot bigger than Geegal. It´s more than one buildings, 18 floors, a nice roof top and the apartments are newer and more modern. Even though they have more equipment (like air conditioning) and are cleaner than Geegal, I definately prefer living here! Geegal is a smaller and more close community where you get to know everyone :) My throat was hurting pretty badly during the party, even though I had tried to limit my speaking to the minimum during the day, so I preferred spending time somewhere else but at the main party area where the music was being played loud. So I went downstairs to have a few jelly shots with some Americans and then started talking with Florian (from Germany) at a more quiet area of the roof top. I have to admit, the view over Sydney you see at the roof top is amazing! At midnight I felt like going home to sleep.