It's Mac-QUARRY, not Mac-QWAIRY

Yes, it's true. I've unwittingly been butchering the name of the uni for all of these months. When I first arrived here and was asked where I was studying I eagerly piped up with an excited "Macquarie Unviersity" (pronounced Mac-QWAIRY) only to be met with furrowed brows and replies of "Never heard of it." Well, the lovely staff and and girls here at Abbotsleigh, politely informed me last night that the reason for the confusion was that I wasn't pronouncing it correctly. The first, I'm sure, of many language faux pas I will commit. But, anywho, on to the uni.
I had some trouble getting to campus for orientation as I live in Wahroonga and the university is in North Ryde. To get to campus, I have to walk to the train station, hop a train to Chatswood and then switch to another line to get to the Macquarie University stop. It's not as difficult as it sounds but I couldn't find the train station and then wasn't sure which train to get on once I got to Chatswood. After some wandering around, I figured it out and feel much more confident with getting from here to there. I certainly felt like the struggling, lost newcomer but I suppose it's all part of the experience.
The campus itself is fairly large because in addition to it's academic buildings it has it's own research park and hospital. Thankfully, all the buildings I need are fairly close together and easy to find. I wouldn't say it's the prettiest campus I've been on as most of the buildings are concrete and brick and various shades of gray and tan. It is winter, though, so some of the trees are without leaves and the weather's slightly dreary and I have no doubt it'll look downright spiffy come spring (which begins in September).
The schedule for the semester is actually quite short. We begin classes August 2nd and then get two weeks off in September for spring break. Then more classes in October, exams begin in November, and we're out and on our way by Dec. 3. As a postgraduate I probably won't have any exams, just papers, so according to our Orientation guide, I'll most likely be done well before the 3rd, leaving me with plenty of time to get to know Sydney (and to keep you all well-informed).  :o)