Home Sweet Home

Even though it had only been six months since departing Australia, it was a great feeling to fly back into Melbourne's airport. We had had a fantastic flight, with our seats in the emergency exit which allowed enough leg room even for Jen to stretch out. Thus, with hospitable flight attendants who were determined to get us drunk, and movies at our fingertips, we settled back and relaxed for the 15 hours in the air to Melbourne. As we landed in Melbourne, nothing could have prepared us for the site of smoke that had engulfed Melbourne, a cover so thick that you could see nothing from the window of the aircraft as we landed. This smoke was coming from fires that had been burning for weeks in the areas around the city.

Despite the smell of smoke, it was incredible to be back home and with my family again. Our home coming however was slightly overshadowed by another family member’s special day. Turning one year old was the newest addition to the family, my sisters dog, and the slightly less retarded of the two bull terriers my family owns. One must ask the question though, which one of my family members are crazier? The one who bought the cake...the one who bought the present...or the one who made the special hat...? It is truly great to be home.

Pictured: The family home, the birthday celebrations, and my 'Christmas kiss'.

Night at the Midway Hlton

Departing town for a three week break usually involves a degree of last minute organization and stress…add in a 12 hour final exam which ended 40 minutes before our train to Chicago departed, two final papers, an exam for Jen, the prospect of a night in the airport, and the need to pack for a stop in LA and then two weeks in Melbourne…and it is a miracle we were still able to form complete sentences. Amazingly enough we found ourselves relaxing on the train after leaving South Bend with a clean apartment to return to, all the Christmas presents we had bought with us, all our exams completed, and our sanity in tow…the rest of the night however would prove to be a rough one.

We arrived at the airport by about 12.30 in the morning, and began our search for a quite corner with comfortable seats on which to spend the night. We found such a corner, beautifully situated and warm, and away from the business of the airport. About ten minutes later about six workmen arrived to remodel the area about 12 feet from us, with jackhammers, stereos and a fine showing of ‘plumbers’ cracks. In desperate need of sleep, we relocated to the only spare seats now available. These sat in the middle of the thoroughfare and were perfectly situated under an air-conditioner…just what you need when it is roughly 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1 Celsius). Regardless we each took turns passing out in an array of uncomfortable positions, before climbing onto our plane and promptly falling into unconsciousness for the flight to LA.

We are scheduled to fly to Melbourne on Monday, with a few hectic days in LA prior to this. Updates to come, and see all those in Melbourne soon!

Pictured: Our five star accomdation at the Midway Hilton

Heart attack anyone...?

So a quick trip through the frozen food section last week revealed a few notable culinary delights that will split the coveted ‘Heart Attack in a Box’ award for December.

While the corn dog phenomenon is nothing new to my American friends, this level of sausage creativity is yet to hit the Australian shores, and thus deserves a mention…especially since the makers were willing to go that extra mile. Not satisfied with the standard floor scrapings of meat, shaped into a sausage and wrapped in deep fried corn batter, Foster Farms decided that doubling the size and coating it in honey would be the only way to go. Ladies and gentleman…the still microwavable…still indigestible…jumbo corn dog in honey.

A close second is a favorite of mine, and one that I am sure I have mentioned to many people before. The great land of America is renowned for its freedom of choice and ability to clog even the healthiest of arteries…and Smart Bacon is no exception. For those freaky vegetarians who refuse to eat meat and give those little pigs a purpose in life…there is vege bacon. It looks like bacon, it smells like bacon, it destroys your stomach lining like bacon…so what more could you want…so next time you crazy tree hugging hippy vegetarians get that monthly urge to consume a nice strip of dead animal…the scientists at Light Life have got you covered!

Can anybody see the road?

It seems that a forced adjustment to living in a colder climate is the way to go here, with the winter coming through in full force. Previous experience in the cold had very much been of the holiday kind, with very little to actually do and the quick acknowledgment that snow always looks nicer from inside. Being forced to function in this sort of temperature is tough, very tough, with a trip to a nearby town proving to be one of the more terrifying experiences of my life. Needing to review some charts at a nearby hospital I set off in the middle of a snow storm and proceeded to navigate extremely slowly through weather conditions I had never driven in before. Through the course of the drive I watched cars slide off the road into ditches, slide through intersections, and at one point I lost sight of the road completely due to wind and sleet. Luckily, there was someone in front of me whose bumper I was able to make out and follow, simply hoping that they were going somewhere close to where I wanted to end up.

Over an hour later I had made it to the hospital and set about collecting the information I needed. Then I was back on the road, in the same weather, but in the opposite direction. Over an hour later, as I pulled back into town, I have never been so happy to see the ugliness of South Bend.

Pictured: The red devil preparing for the trip back again, and about as good as the visibility got on the trip.

Baby its cold outside…

As the first days of December come and go, the temperature is dropping steadily. To friends and family in Southern California and Australia, the following is South Bend’s forecast of the coming week:

Monday: High: 26° F | -3° C Low: 19° F | -7° C
Tuesday: High: 29° F | -2° C Low: 19° F | -7° C
Wednesday: High: 28° F | -2° C Low: 17° F | -8° C
Thursday: High: 29° F | -2° C Low: 20° F | -7° C
Friday: High: 30° F | -1° C Low: 23° F | -5° C

Suddenly the couple of thousand dollars to fly back to Australia is looking like a bargain...especially considering with windchill this
temperature will top out at a tropical 5° F | -17° C

Pictured: Jennifer and my replacement...the new heater.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

With the Thanksgiving break upon us we were all set for a flying trip to Los Angeles and the warmer weather of California. In order to save a few dollars we had decided to fly out of Chicago rather than South Bend, and thus sleep deprived and exhausted we embarked upon our trip to the airport:

2.00am: Leave South Bend
2.20am: Realize left directions behind
2.45am: Leave South Bend (again)
4.00am: Arrive Chicago
4.40am: Finally locate a parking space to leave our car
5.00am: First train to airport after standing under a ‘heat’ lamp for 20mins
6.30am: Arrive O’Hare airport…not realizing that it was half way to Canada
8.00am: Friendly greeting from warm-handed airport security
9.10am: Pass out as flight departs for Los Angeles

Despite this mid-morning trip to the airport, it was amazing to be back in LA. It had felt like a long time since we had left to drive across the country, and a lot had changed in the time since. Jen’s family were glad to see her, and were well impressed by all that she had achieved. The next few days were complete with the consumption of a small country's annual food supply, family gatherings, movies and relaxation. As LA always is…a great break from reality.

What do you have to be Thankful for?

I am guessing that your answer to the question above has changed since seeing the photo of me below…and that you are now thankful that you didn’t have to see me as a seductive pilgrim – complete with my five o’clock shadow and a conservative yet ‘fun’ skirt. Despite my fashion based attempt to upset everyone’s appetites, the Thanksgiving holiday was brilliant, with plenty to eat and drink.

In true American form, I decided to follow the Thanksgiving tradition with my first (and last) ‘Black Friday’ experience. For those who live in less insane parts of the world…basically retailers open their doors at 5am for a few hours of unheard of specials. Such specials incite panic, violence and determination usually reserved for riots, with hundreds of people camping out overnight to ensure their spot in the line. While we did not take it this far, we were at the store at 5am…in a line…of at least 300 people. The lines of course only continued inside the store…but people had come prepared. As we watched the line move slower than Eric after his third plate of turkey, we realized people had come prepared with water, energy bars and Gatorade to get them through this retail marathon. Four hours later we emerged from the store, feeling dirty and violated, and holding our purchases high above our heads like trophies for the world to see. I am yet to decide which is more sad…the fact I was willing to get up at 5am to go shopping…or the fact that having got up at 5am…the most exciting thing I purchased was a new flash drive for my school work.

Stupid is as stupid does…diet coke and Mentos the freshmaker

Having been evicted from the apartment due to the bridal shower, and with two hours to occupy without a bar being open at 8am Sunday morning, an intellectual pursuit of knowledge was proposed. Armed with a bottle of diet coke and a pack of Mentos, and with the interests of science close behind us, we set out for the local school to test this urban myth. Under carefully controlled conditions we risked life and limb to determine if indeed diet coke exploded with the addition of Mentos…it was quite a show indeed. And people have the nerve to say that higher education is a waste of money!

End of the World

Hi all,
For those who haven't come across this before:
http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/end.php
(Contains swearing)

Just an update...

With the time difference making it harder to call friends and family in Australia, I have put together a quick update of our lives here for those I haven’t spoken to in awhile.

As for me, school is going very smoothly indeed. Very busy, but nothing too stressful, and I have to admit that after a few months in the program I am still thoroughly enjoying it. The research I am involved in is largely based on examining the ways in which people cope with cancer, and in turn creating more effective forms of treatment. This has been very interesting, and has involved a lot of time in clinics and hospitals in the area, and a crash course in the field of oncology. Classes are fairly straightforward, with much discussion regarding the legalities and ethical guidelines associated with sleeping with your clients (the reason we all want to be psychologists). Statistics is still statistics, and I expect will always be statistics, but there are enough distractions to make the program all together pretty incredible.

Despite the hours we have committed to work and school, Jen and I have managed to setup a home and the beginnings of a life here in South Bend. We have both begun working at a hospice nearby, an experience that is proving to be an incredibly challenging and fulfilling. We are of course regulars at the $1 movie theater, with plans to move onto the $1 bowling and $1 ice skating in the near future…it is non-stop, big city action here!

Jen has carved out an incredible position for herself here in South Bend. In only a few months she has secured two jobs, including a position in one of the premier hospitals in the state. She has topped both the classes she is taking, and is coping remarkably well as the temperature here begins to drop for the winter.

Coming up we have a trip to LA for the bonanza that is Thanksgiving, and then back to South Bend to finish off the school semester. Then it is back to LA for a wedding and onto another plane bound for Melbourne and an Australian Christmas! It feels like a lifetime ago that I was home, and I can’t wait to see everyone. It is going to be an incredible two months.

Pictured: Jen in her new sexy scrubs (before being stained with vomit), and me in pants for the first time since arriving…having made it all the way to November 13^th (Temp: -1ºC/30ºF)

So…the candidate who didn’t strangle his Peruvian mistress won?

As the shift of political power is officially announced here in America, it is always a pleasure to look back over the electoral process and admire the integrity and dignity by which candidates conducted themselves. While the political situation in Australia is by no means something to brag about, there is something amazing about being able to sit through twelve campaign advertisements with absolutely no mention of anything even resembling an ‘issue’. The campaigns here took mudslinging to an entirely new level, with entire campaigns based upon character flaws, public scandals, or the relative degree of corruption compared to your average politician.

Some ‘highlights’ of this midterm election included:

• The senator who was accused of attempting to strangle his Peruvian mistress.
• Appeared on television to publicly apologize for having a mistress…but professed that he didn’t attempt to strangle her
• The senator accused of spending tax dollars investigating the masturbation habits of elderly men
• The senator who was accused of spending taxpayer dollars on phone sex which later turned out to be an apparent ‘misdial’

These ‘issue’ based campaigns ran along side the regular political controversies and scandals, including the now infamous Foley incident, and Haggard’s forced exit from his church.

As if having to sit through the myriad of ridiculous campaign advertisements wasn’t enough to deter most Americans from voting…guess what…you can’t purchase alcohol before 6pm on election day!

Considering the current state of politics…can you think of a day when you need a drink more?

Oh the joy!

As my family will no doubt recall, and many of my childhood friends will identify with, I spent much of my childhood and teenage years in the unfortunate position of attempting to follow the NBA from a far-away island called Australia. This was the era of rivalries between Jordan, Bird and Johnson, the Pistons and the Bulls, and the beginning of the Shaq era, all of which we found out about approximately six months after the event. I remember ‘Shaq Attack’ themed basketballs reached Australian shores before the majority of the population even new who Shaq was (I still bought the ball anyway…damn my impressionable young mind).

While it is now difficult to imagine a world without internet connectivity and cable television, that was the sort of barren and unsophisticated society in which we lived in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s in Australia. This technological dark-age condemned my friends and I to maintaining our devoted status as basketball fans through box scores in the newspaper, two-week delayed games broadcast at 1 o’clock in the morning, as well as a host of other sad and depressing attempts to be involved in this American past-time.

Television stations that aired such games would be careful to edit out the American advertising, as if to ensure that we would not be exposed to the level of coverage available on the other side of the world, and hence further condemn our current situation. Occasionally they would slip up, and advertisements for the multitude of games to be aired in the coming week, or various stadium giveaways would give us special insight into how sad our lives had truly become.

It was thus an exciting night indeed this past week that witnessed the opening of the NBA season, my first as a long-term visitor to the USA. The excitement was somewhat lost on Jennifer, and basically everyone else I have spoken to, but none-the-less it was an event, and the joy found in being able to choose from multiple games to watch will remain a highlight to be savored. Ain’t life grand!

The spectacular Swiss-Michigan Alps.

With the sun shining in late October, and the prospect of moving to Michigan in the coming years for Jen’s program, we decided that it was time a for a day trip north into our neighboring state. What awaited us was a whole host of even smaller towns than South Bend…beautiful…but damn…to think that our time in South Bend could be our exposure to ‘big city’ living is pretty terrifying. None-the-less, we made the most of it and tried to picture ourselves living in the middle of nowhere on one of these properties. With the wind in the willow trees, silence all around us, sipping iced tea on the patio as the sun fades, buying a dog named Rover…and having no one except each other to talk to…hmmm…better make that a Long Island.

As we drove home, through some of the flattest country side we have seen, we were amazed to see signs for nearby ski fields. As ridiculous as this seems, you have to admire the sort of optimism that considers a hill of about the same gradient as my driveway as suitable for a ski resort. Awesome stuff!

Pictured: The stunning Swiss-Michigan Alps and gorgeous Three Rivers.

And we have a winner…

A friend once told me that if you took all the excess fat off the American population, it would fill the Grand Canyon. Having visited the Grand Canyon, this remains one of the most disturbing and utterly revolting trivial facts I have ever been privileged to hear. Now, in the average American’s defense, eating any substance that could possibly be identified as ‘healthy’ or ‘nutritional’ is one expensive habit, and one that many Americans can’t afford.

With this disclaimer out of the way, I am now free to introduce you to one of the most incredible culinary delights I have ever laid my eyes upon. There is nowhere in the world that provides the same range of deadly eating options as the American supermarket. Isle after isle of mass produced frozen death traps stare eagerly at unsuspecting shoppers as they pass by with their industrial sized carts. The lights shine brightly as gorgeous models promote the dietary ‘advantages’ of cramming the equivalent of three-days food into one pristine breakfast bar…’for people on the go’. In stark contrast lies the dreaded fruit and vegetable section, relegated to a dark and lonesome corner, much like the ‘adult’ section of the video store, which shoppers are equally embarrassed to be found browsing in. Luckily, many stores are sensitive enough to carefully place ‘other’ food stuffs throughout the fruit and vegetable section, allowing ashamed shoppers to pretend they were indeed looking for the pumpkin pie or caramelized apples if caught unaware.

While I will be sure to keep this updated and current, the winner of this months coveted “Most Deadly Boxed Foodstuff” goes to the now legendary Jimmy Deans Chocolate Pancakes and Sausage on a stick. This award winner easily covers each of the major food groups (fat, sugar, meat and chocolate), and delivers a microwaveable package of breakfast, lunch and desert…all on a stick! So ladies and gentleman, it’s official. The American Revolution…the Civil War…the Civil Rights Movement…thanks to Jimmy Dean…it was all worth it.

Pictured: ‘Heaven’ in a box.

Exotic weekend away in...South Bend?

So it's fall break at Notre Dame - a week off from classes and commitments - that gives hardworking students time to travel somewhere exotic and relax...or alternatively, move five-minutes down the street to apartment-sit for a friend. So Jennifer and I, determined to make the most of any situation, moved into a friends loft in downtown to take care of his new kitten and live it up for a few days. It turned out to be an awesome weekend away, with time spent relaxing in the city, sampling the night-life, and realizing that we are maybe not yet ready for a pet. It also meant we were walking distance from the Notre Dame football stadium, and hence all set for our first Irish football experience against those troublesome out-of-towners from UCLA. An amazingly close game ensued, complete with plenty of Rudy impressions and a last second game winning touchdown pass. All in all it was an afternoon to remember.

Pictured: The spectacle that is Notre Dame Football.

Dirty...'liberal'?

So with the non-presidential elections soon to take place, we have been privileged enough to witness the truly amazing phenomenon that is political advertising in the conservative Midwest. Politics in America, like at home, runs predominantly on scare campaigns, with a few particularly unique ‘Midwestern’ themes. For those who like me, never really knew where Indiana was, it is potentially one of the most land-locked states in America. With thousands of miles and multiple states separating the great land of Indiana and the Mexican border, you would think that illegal immigration would maybe take a back seat to more pressing local issues…nope. It is as if people here are convinced that every immigrant jumping the border has a map of the United States, with a big red circle around Indiana and dreams of cornfields and Steak’n’Shake…

Then there are the incredible television advertisements, including my favorite…the ‘dirty’ liberal. This ad identifies policy decisions of a particular candidate, with a similar soundtrack to that of Jaws playing in the background. Then, as the camera zooms out, and the viewers sense of dread is at its peak…the voiceover asks ‘What do all these decisions mean?’ By this stage you have reached such a paranoid frenzy that you are ready for anything…she is a Nazi sympathizer…she eats babies…she actually liked the fashion of the eighties…but no…she is a ‘liberal’… one of those dirty, left-wing hippy activists who supports gay marriage rights, greater tax relief for the poor and human rights for illegal immigrants…my god…what a monster!

Snow in...October?

So ladies and gentleman, it has finally come...we are experiencing the first signs of a Midwestern winter. Until now, it has only been talked about quietly, mentioned behind closed doors, everybody ensuring that Jen didn’t hear those terrible words. Nobody spoke of ‘snow’, ‘ice’ or ‘windscreen scrapers’…all words that struck fear into poor Jennifer’s heart, but now there is no avoiding it, for last night it snowed. It was awesome to see, and incredibly beautiful. Only about six more months of it to go…

Pictured: Denial, fear and more fear…except for me in shorts…that’s just plain stupidity.

Snow in...October?

'Out of Towners'

It’s always exciting to have friends come to stay…especially when you have relocated to a new part of the country…and of course especially when that new part of the country is SOUTH BEND. After months of being teased with the occasional photo of cornfield country, Steph and Kyle (Jen’s sister and her boyfriend) were absolutely busting to see the Las Vegas of Northern Indiana. Despite their eagerness, we decided that they would have to wait, for as soon as their flight landed we informed them that they would be forced to spend the day in Chicago, a dreary and lifeless city with few attractions and even less culture and atmosphere. Accepting their fate we headed into Chicago and made the most of an afternoon in the city. The highlights included standing in the only clearing within five city blocks during a thunderstorm, tasting Chicago style pizza, and Jennifer not buying anything on the Magnificent Mile...

As we drove out of the city towards South Bend, the tension and excitement was palatable. Stopping only for a extremely average meal at White Castle, which we all wished was In’n’Out in more ways than one, we arrived at our apartment. As locals we knew that despite the thunderstorm, South Bend is most stunning at night…in the darkness…preferably with no street lighting. Despite their exhaustion, Steph and Kyle were like wide-eyed youngsters for the full duration of the five minute city tour. A long day was concluded with much drinking and catching up…and of course…a healthy dose of David Brent…

Sunday brought a hangover and blue skies, always a great combination, and after staring blankly at each other for an hour over coffee and aspirin, we headed to the campus of Notre Dame and Ivy Tech. Then it was off for another culinary treat, this time at the famous Midwest diner ‘Steak’n’Shake’. Despite the disappointment of their not being a ‘steak flavored shake’ , we were able to settle down and relax over our meals. Later that night, a further culinary feast awaited our guests, with our staple diet of corn making it a full South Bend experience.

So Steph and Kyle’s flying visit quickly came to an end, with the weekend feeling much too short, and making us both miss family and friends. We did realize however, that a true sign of love is actually being sincerely sorry to see someone leave, after taking them to the airport at five o’clock in the morning. It was an awesome weekend, which went by way too quickly. So thanks again for coming to stay guys...and we look forward to seeing you at Thanksgiving.

Pictured: ‘Sunny’ Chicago, our visitors from the West Coast, and the infamous Steak’n’Shake.

Midterm Madness

So there is nothing like a few exams to take you all the way back to your undergraduate days. After being lulled into a false sense of security, and thinking we were responsible semi-professionals now with our big offices and own mail-boxes, we are back in the hot seat of exam time. While sitting exams is never something you look forward to, the inevitable nature of testing seems to bring out peoples true personalities, a fact that can provide at least a degree of entertainment as you cram 600 pages of knowledge into whichever part of your body will take it. So after six weeks of cruising the halls pretending to be calm and collected, panic is starting to emerge through the cracks of a few peoples facades. Slowly but surely, doors are being closed and office lights are on later and later, and sadly enough, the faint aroma of marijuana is slowly leaving the halls of the psychology department. As for me, I have one more to go…statistics next week…which amazingly enough, no matter how many times you take it…is just never, ever, interesting.

Pictured: Asserting my masculinity over a bookcase. Granted, nothing to do with exams, but I know you only look at the pictures Andre, so just for you my friend (and yes…still fighting the battle against sleeves)

Get a haircut...and a real job?

Ok – so while the haircut is on its way (as all jokes aside…it is getting way too close to becoming a baby mullet), what is even more disturbing is that my school life is, slowly but surely, resembling that of a dreaded ‘job’. Having committed myself wholeheartedly over the past years to skillfully and creatively avoid any resemblance of full-time work, it has been devastating to be deceived in such a way. Through subtle and careful encouragement and planning, I have been slyly tricked into ‘working’.

First came the allocation to an office and handing over of a key, a novelty in itself and an apparently harmless gesture. Then came the suggestion that you should ensure you are seen around the department on a regular basis, a not all together inappropriate request. Then slowly the list of commitments during the week began to build, combined with a well-disguised degree of responsibility. Surely you say, I should have put all this together! But alas, blinded by the acquisition of a student card, the campus surroundings, the existence of moronic undergraduate freshman, and the ability to still purchase half your weight in vodka for $10.99, all led me to believe I was still nothing but a student.

Then the final parts of the puzzle finally fell into place. I had begun to refer to school as work…I was spending more and more time fulfilling irrelevant and unproductive commitments across the campus…and finally…the opening of my eyes to the ‘academic soap opera’ that is largely hidden from undergraduate students (and I wish continued to be hidden from graduates). Sure enough, it was all there: the necessity to deal with a varying array of stupidity on a day-to-day basis, the spending of time in meetings that could otherwise be spent doing something useful, and the bombardment of ‘department gossip’ around the water cooler, all made me certain now…that despite my most gallant efforts…I have entered the workforce.

It is a sad day, one that I am sure will be followed soon by me ‘growing up’, being ‘responsible’ and finally becoming ‘one of those people’ who never fail to get a wishful sparkle in their eye when they talk about their ‘school days’.

So as my reckless student days slowly diminish among 8am meetings, the payment of bills, and the shocking realization that plastic liquor bottles are no longer cool…the final question remains…the next time I watch Officespace…will I laugh…or will I cry?

Pictured: The psychology department at Notre Dame

Whoopie Pie...with your partner?

The mention of Midwestern American cuisine rarely elicits an excited response, however after a month here in Indiana I have been fortunate enough to come across a few diamonds in the gastronomical rough. First-class honors must go to the entertainingly labeled ‘whoopie pie’, a most excellent name for a most excellent snack. With two small rounds of chocolate cake encasing frosted cream, how can one go wrong? In second and third place are a couple of American favorites, the equally unhealthy Milk Duds and Ho-Ho’s. The mystery still remains as to how so much creativity can be involved in naming chocolate coated caramels and cream cakes, and yet so little evoked in American sitcom production.

To finish, a further nuance of living in the Midwest. Now in a town where supermarkets reserve parking spaces for expectant mothers, you quickly realize that if you are twenty-two and not married with children, then you are obviously lacking in some regard. In a region that is therefore quite used to attending high-school weddings, the term ‘partner’ carries somewhat different connotations to back in Australia. This was made evident to me a week ago when setting up a bank account. Upon referring to my ‘partner’, the employee promptly asked his name, and whether he would like to be on the account. While correcting her would have been easy, it was much more fun to create a joint account in both my name and my ‘partners’… George W and I are living the dream in Indiana...

Imposter!

So after four weeks as a ‘Graduate Student’… I am still standing and able to dress and feed myself. Despite the occasional temptation to curl up in a corner and rock back and forth, I am still actually enjoying being back at school. The novelty of having an office is still yet to wear off, and the campus seems to possess an unending array of things to do and explore. I have also been able to launch myself head long into my research here, running in and out of hospitals and cancer support groups, reading and preparing to submit my first conference abstract.

One of the stranger things I have come across however, is the general graduate belief in the ‘imposter syndrome’. This belief appears to persist throughout the four year degree, and involves the general impression that you were mistakenly admitted to the program through some bizarre clerical error. This underlying belief consequently entails the need to maintain the constant façade that you are indeed intelligent, otherwise you will be discovered and the error corrected. Exaggerations aside, this phenomenon is none-the-less observable in classes, particularly first-year graduate courses.

With students possessing a variety of learning backgrounds, there are of course theories, concepts and noteworthy figures that individual students will not have come across before. Strangely enough, should such an example of this be brought up in class, students will adopt a casual and confident demeanor, followed by a knowing glance or nod, much like this was something they had covered in grade school. As the class concludes, you will see various students hurry to the closest computer to immediately ‘Google’ the unknown term, and gain at least a rudimentary understanding to further protect against the unthinkable being found out. You mean…you don’t know everything?

Sweet Home Chicago!

After a grueling three weeks in ‘corn-field country’, and wondering if indeed a peak hour actually does exist in South Bend, we decided it was time to make our way back to the big smoke for a weekend in Chicago. Unfortunately, as we huddled in a doorway on the side of the road, we realized that after only three weeks in a smaller town, we both had adapted to the ‘slower’ life. The ‘bright lights’, busy roads and fast-paced lifestyle of the big city was all too much for us. We were tough though, and armed only with a hangover from the night before, and our trusty lonely planet guide, we set off for a day in downtown Chicago.

Naturally, as college students we had an important decision to make as the day started. We could see Chicago in style: full of limousine rides, fine-dining, shopping and helicopter rides…or…we could get down and dirty and see what the Windy City had to offer on foot (complete with an energy bar for lunch, window shopping, and I believe we may have even seen a helicopter). Being the adventurous soles that we are (get it…walking…soles…you know you want to laugh) we chose the low road…and began our day long trek through Chicago.

Graced with blue skies and sun, we walked the length of the city, from downtown to Wrigley Field, with many stops between. We stumbled upon Chicago’s yearly jazz festival, checked out the beaches along the lake, wandered through the zoo, and counted our pennies as we strolled the Magnificent Mile. It was an amazing weekend, and great way for Jen to see the city for the first time. While I can’t say we really missed the corn, it was nice to return home to our apartment, and now we will have time to prepare ourselves properly for our next adventure to the big smoke!

Chicago Pictures

Downtown Chicago
Weird Chicago
Chicago SkylineBaseball in Chicago

New Photography Website

Greetings all,

I have managed to setup a site to display photos from our past, present and future trips. Just click on the link ‘Errol J: Photography’ below and to the right, or go to http://erroljphotography.blogspot.com

I will try to keep it updated with new photos as we make our way to different parts of the area.

Swimming anyone?

The past week has also seen Jen start school and land an awesome part time job. She starts this weekend and I am sure is looking forward to having something better to do with her days than study or watch movies…hmmm…maybe not. We have also continued to explore this area, tracking down an incredible farmers market…which for the first time that I have seen actually includes the farmers at the market. All that Midwestern goodness is on sale: from corn, to home-made cookies and pie, to corn, to peaches, apples, and corn. We also tracked down a nice set of parks along the river, attended a few more parties (taking our ‘friend’ count into double digits!) and checked out the Irish pub in town. To our surprise, ‘Fiddlers’ was as close to a Melbourne pub as I have seen in America, dispensing decent beer in a uniquely offensive surrounding…beautiful!
The adventure continues this weekend with a trip to the site of the world’s largest rocking chair…and people said Indiana would be dull!

Pictured: Our ‘welcoming’ pool sign – doesn’t the mention of diarrhea make you just want to jump right in!

First day of school...

The first day of school, whether it be kindergarten or as a graduate, is in many ways the same. After making myself look nice, obtaining a packed lunch from Jennifer and briefly contemplating how nice the past few weeks of doing very little with my brain had been, I trundled off to campus. Once there, I made my way through the ‘quad’ to the psychology building, and assembled in a small room with 10 other kids who were trying to look slightly intelligent and confident of their new surroundings.

As I looked around the room at my fellow first years there was still that same level of tension and social discomfort that plagues all first meetings. The great thing about psychology courses though, is that it seems to attract the two extremes of social society. At one end of the room you have the ultra-social students, laughing and introducing themselves confidently as they discuss the various traveling or drinking escapades that brought them to South Bend over the summer. Then, like in a movie, you have the other end of the social scale, a group of recluses that the field of psychology seems to not only service professionally, but also attract to the academic world. Thus, huddled uncomfortably in the corner, attempting to make various degrees of eye contact and mimic socially acceptable greetings, are the students who will emerge from their studies to eat and occasionally sleep, while declining the majority of potential social contact.

While the work will no doubt be unending, there does appear to be a significant degree of perks to this whole graduate deal. Remembering my days as an undergraduate, it was a proud moment being handed my own office key, shown my mailbox, and the bottomless coffee pot in the lounge to aid us in our studies. The department faculty seem friendly, my advisor and lab partner are both great, and apparently the first year grads aren’t given too hard of a time in regard to work load. I am also expected to fulfill my role as a teaching assistant in a first year psych course which should be interesting…very interesting.

So this was as the first day began, and first day ended. A wealth of introductions, and an overwhelming amount of information regarding our duties as students over the next five years. While it is early days, it seems as though this program will be both interesting and exciting, in other words…vastly different to my undergraduate days.

So ladies and gentleman, I have survived my first week at my new school and am, strangely enough, looking forward to the next…if such a trend continues I am going to need glasses, a retainer, and a ‘pocket protector’.

Pictured: The ‘quad’ at Notre Dame.

Life as a temporary Hoosier...

Greetings friends and family – so another week has passed here in Northern Indiana – and we are slowly but surely making ourselves at home. With every relocation comes a host of potential pros and cons to the situation – or perhaps it is better psychologically to consider this a list of the ‘differences’ –

Pros:
No traffic - Maximum driving distance to anywhere is 10 mins in traffic
$1 movie theaters
Everything is cheaper
We can have corn whenever we want
Cheap petrol/gas

Cons:
It’s Indiana
You can’t buy alcohol on a Sunday – an atrocity and nearly reason enough to leave the state all together –
We can have corn whenever we want
Stating you have just moved to Indiana – and being constantly asked ‘Why?’
No In’n’Out – but there is a Steak’n’Shake – which just has my taste-buds rearing to go!
It’s Indiana

The past week also included my international orientation at ND – a morning full of questions, confused foreigners, and a handy list of 101 ways to get kicked out of the USA. With the majority of my immigration responsibilities now complete, I am free to enjoy all the benefits that American society has to offer…aww crap…we live in Indiana.

We also had our first Indiana ‘kegger’ – a party put on by one of the older students in my department. It turned out to be a great night, with plenty of drinks and the comforting thought that students who had lived here for nearly four years were still relatively normal. We also made our way to Lake Michigan, a thoroughly confusing site for poor Jennifer, who was not expecting to see a beach for a long long time. It was a beautiful day and the perfect way to farewell the lake before it freezes over next week…

So with preparations for school under way – and classes beginning this week – I am officially a first year again. Tomorrow we are off to school…with our sack lunches, our hair combed and sporting our favorite pair of underwear (for that extra bit of confidence) we are ready to go!

Pictured: It had to be done – a cornfield – I would like to say we had to drive a long way to take this picture…but that would be lying…this particularly attractive cornfield is all of 2 minutes away from our ‘downtown’ apartment.

And above – Lake Michigan – as close to a beach as Jennifer will be getting for awhile.

Get off my leg...

Ok so we have made it through our first week in Indiana, and what a week it has been! Our main priority was getting our apartment set up before school starts, and thus we have been in and out of more furniture stores in the past week than I ever wish to see again. We have hunted high and low for furniture that we could afford and that didn’t have an ‘interesting’ past, or smelt like curry, and have had our legs humped by almost every salesman in town – an experience that somehow leaves you feeling dirty and cheap...and has left very little desire to own a home with more than one bedroom.

But finally, with a bit of wheeling and dealing, we have managed to get most of the basics taken care of – and our apartment is now very much livable…although we now have to wait almost a week for the internet and cable tv to be connected - a fact that Jen believes excludes us from considering the apartment to be in any way livable.

So all is going very well – with our apartment coming together nicely, and Jen and I still talking to each other – it seems we have passed our first test. We now have about a week before school starts in earnest, so we are going to try and settle down and relax – with our days spent near a pool and our nights spent thinking of new corn recipes – ahh the life -

Pictured: Our apartment – complete with the cut price furniture we nearly killed ourselves finding (color still to come) and above - our first look at the Notre Dame campus.

First Impressions...

So after five days on the road, we were both pretty nervous as we drove into our apartment complex in South Bend/Mishawaka - our home for the next few years. Given the general impressions that a smaller city in Indiana evokes (mullets, cornfields…and…ahh...well), we were happy to find that our apartment lay just off a main road, with shops and a mall, and not in the middle of a field. The apartment complex is beautiful and indeed has all the things we were told about: two lakes, complete with ducks, a gazebo and a waterfall, tennis courts, basketball courts and swimming pools. As for our apartment, it turned out to be much bigger than expected, with a balcony and plenty of room for the small amount of stuff we have brought with us.

So we signed our lease, collected our keys, and moved our stuff in (about a 30 second process), and now are happily deciding where exactly to put our inflatable mattress - a tough decision when you have no other furniture to speak of. Now, after a year long application process, much preparation, and five days driving across the country, it seems all is well, and we will be happily able to carve out our own little piece of existence in northern Indiana.

While we survived the trip across the country, we are both fighting off colds and severely sleep deprived from various coughing fits throughout the night. Now armed with little sense, even less money, and two weeks before we start school, we are going to attempt to furnish our apartment…no doubt the true test of a relationship.

Pictured: The view from our balcony - and our apartment complex.

Day 6: Greeting the Fighting Irish

Well my friends and family, we are now only a few hours from reaching South Bend and our new home for the next four years. After an amazing road trip that enabled us to meet new friends and see parts of America that we had never laid eyes upon, it is now time to settle into our new apartment and city.
The adventure continues...

Pictured: The clouds form to see us out of Iowa.

Day 5: Where's my mullet?

As we passed into Iowa the scenery began to change into beautifully kept farmland, and our excitement was growing at being only a few states from our final destination. While the author Bill Bryson remarked that the only reason he was from Iowa was ‘because someone had to be’, we found the state and its main city of Des Moines to be a rather beautiful place. We managed to find a diner whose specialty was a ‘cake shake’, a beverage that enabled you to ‘have your cake and drink it too’. This awesome creation of chocolate cake churned into a vanilla shake was damn good, and may potentially represent the highlight of our time in Iowa. We continued our drive an hour past Des Moines to the college town of Iowa City, our final nightly stop and couchsurfing experience. After touring the town and campus briefly, we met our hosts, Melissa, her son Rain, and sister Christina, at what is apparently the towns premier Thai restaurant. After a beautiful meal, we settled down in a now all to familiar humidity, and enjoyed a few beers. The last leg of our journey awaited us, with our arrival in South Bend, our apartment, and our home for the next few years, only a few hours away.

Pictured: Who said Iowa didn’t have its fair share of tourist attractions? Welcome to the Largest Truck Stop in the WORLD.

Day 4: You can't stop and drop...

Despite the hype, the interstate through Nebraska lived up to all expectations, and after not moving the steering wheel in four hours, we decided that indeed this may be one of the most boring stretches of road we had seen. Luckily, we had a further couchsurfing host awaiting our arrival in Grand Island, Nebraska. Liz was from Massachusetts, and had decided to move to the middle of Nebraska in order to ‘see what it would be like to live in the middle of nowhere’. Upon seeing the town, and awarding prizes for the top three mullets we had seen, we decided that she deserved a lot more credit than one would think. After an evening of drinking and watching Arrested Development, our host proclaimed that this was about as exciting as it got on a Saturday night in Grand Island.

While we appreciated being able to visit the Las Vegas of Nebraska, it was time to move on the next morning. The trip through Grand Island was however made almost worthwhile simply due to observing one of the best signs we have seen on the trip. As we drove back to the interstate, we passed a church that proclaimed to passers by that ‘Stop, drop and roll will not work in hell’. Can you imagine the Sunday sermons?

Pictured: The Nebraskan 'ever-changing landscape' and Grand 'Las Vegas' Island

Day 3: Beef Country!

As a vegetarian, one can only feel slightly out of place when entering a state that introduces itself to travelers as ‘Beef Country’, with the temptation of Beef Jerky soaked in Jim Beam proving to be almost unbearable. With this test of my willpower complete, we set our course for the small town of Laramie, and our first couchsurfing experience. For those unfamiliar with this wonderful idea, check out the website (www.couchsurfing.com), but in brief, this site enables travelers from all over the world to stay with, and host, other travelers. We had been lucky enough to find one such host in Laramie, and after spending 6 minutes and 38 seconds seeing the town, we arrived at the home of Michelle, Joel and Jordan. After greeting the 3ft iguana in the front room we settled down for a fine night of drinking, obscene jokes, movies and our first true Midwestern cream pie. Our first couchsurfing experience was great, and with some new friends and a hangover, we climbed back in the ‘red devil’ and set course for Nebraska and for what is reputably one of the most uninteresting stretches of road in the country…

Pictured: Laramie

Day 2: Moutain views...

With neither of us having visited Salt Lake City before, and of course being exposed to the numerous Mormon jokes that any mention of Utah elicits, we weren’t sure what to expect from Salt Lake. The city turned out to be a highlight of the trip across the country, with a beautiful downtown and a city area that is surrounded by incredible mountains. After little sleep the night before, and our longest drive of the trip, we arrived exhausted at the home of Jo and Allan, our hosts for this part of the journey and a further extension of the incredibly generous Maxwell clan. Their house, perched upon the side of the mountain, provided amazing views of the city and valley below, and with their ability to make us feel at home, it was a perfect stop.

Our day in Salt Lake was spent touring the downtown area with Jo, one that is dominated by the Mormon culture and their famous Temple. Religious preferences aside, the gardens and buildings here were amazing, and the people themselves (Mormon or not) were very helpful and friendly. It must be noted however, that one of the highlights of the Mormon Temple is the ability to send Missionaries with promotional videos to visit you at your home address. Unfortunately, we didn’t have our new address in South Bend with us, but felt it would be sad to not be able to take advantage of such an offer, so should someone visit, just remember to be open minded. Next, with a little help from our hosts, we were able to locate one of the few stores in the city that sold Mormon shot glasses and hip flasks…ahhh the classic irony! Our time in Salt Lake concluded with an incredible drive into the mountains in order to reintroduce Jennifer to fresh air, and dinner with our generous hosts. After a nights rest, our adventure would continue into Wyoming and the Midwest.

Pictured: Salt Lake City from Jo and Allan's balcony.

Day 1: 'In 'N' Out' of Los Angeles

The beginning of a big trip is always an overwhelming experience, full of mixed feelings, goodbyes and as much excitement as one can muster at 6am. This one was no different. Jen carefully timed her bout of flu to coincide with the majority of the packing for our trip, and thus left me to pack our car and contemplate just how much stuff can be crammed into a four-door sedan. Having succeeded in squeezing our lives into a car, with the bonus being that there was room for us to sit, we made our way out of Los Angeles.

A departure from the west coast of America is only complete once a traveler has fulfilled one critical gastronomical task: a final meal at In-N-Out. I must admit that as far as fast food goes, this place is the best I have come across, even as a vegetarian, and the irony of a fast-food chain whose name describes not only your eating experience, but the digestive course of your food, seems only to enhance the enjoyment of the meal. It was thus with sadness that we sped away from Las Vegas, having gambled, drank and completed our final culinary mission, and set our sights on the Mormon capital of the world, Salt Lake City.

(Picture: In'N'Out...oh how you will be missed)