One month...really?

Not much to report. I figured since I've just passed the one month mark, a new blog entry was in order. I've been going to classes for 3 weeks now and life is starting to settle into a comfortable routine. It's amazing how quickly time flies the minute a routine develops. I remember thinking how incredibly long my first week in Sydney was, and now here I am a month into my time here and I can't recall where it went. It really will be just a second and I'll be back on the other side of the ocean.
So what is my daily routine here in Australia? (Not too exciting, that's what, but I had to write about something!) Well, depending on whether or not I have class, I typically spend my day either on Abbotsleigh's campus or Macquarie's. My class schedule is (very) light--I have class for two hours on Monday and Wednesday nights and on Thursday morning once a fortnight. (This means I can almost always sleep in!) On class days, I take the train to uni a few hours before class begins and spend some time prepping and completing assignments in the library. On days I don't have class, I'll either run errands in one of the nearby villages (Gordon, Chatswood) or find a comfortable place to study (my room, the Wahroonga park, the uni's library) and spend several hours reading (which is all I ever do anymore). I can't protest too much because the nature of the degree means we get to read a lot of children's and young adult fiction. (I've actually just begun reading Peter Pan.) My total assignments for the semester are seven essays, the longest being 3,000 words so, again, I can't really complain.
Outside of school, my evenings are usually spent studying in my room or watching whatever is on one of the two decent channels my TV picks up (I've gotten quite into the Aussie criminal drama, City Homicide) or socializing in the office with whichever resident(s) is on duty. Occasionally, during the day, the Junior School will call to see if any of the residents are available to fill in for a sick faculty member. Last week I was able to spend five hours working in the JS library as the head librarian's assistant was out with a cold. It was a great experience getting to work with a younger age group of girls (and being surrounded by books all day!) and of course getting paid $20/hour was a wonderful incentive. ;)
Spring break (which Aussies just refer to as "holiday" like every other holiday, apparently it doesn't hold the significance it does in the states) is at the end of September and since I have two luxourius weeks all to myself, Sara (another resident) and I are tentatively planning a trip to Melbourne. (And, of course, there will be plenty of pics and videos!)
I haven't been into the city too much since arriving. I think a total of 4 times? The last time was last Friday night when I went on a cruise around the harbor with over a hundred other Macquarie international students. It was absolutely gorgeous being on the water at night. I'd like to go on another cruise once summer rolls around so I can be on the water to watch the sunset. I imagine it's breathtaking. The cruise ended at 10pm so we headed into the city for a few more hours and can I say how incredibly clean the city is?? I shouldn't admit this, but having been in heels all night, I actually took them off for a bit and my feet were no worse for wear. Apparently, Melbourne is even cleaner (I don't see how that's possible) so maybe I'll just forgo shoes when I visit. :)
Alright, well I realize this hasn't been the most riveting of journal entries but I am going to a show at the Opera House this Thursday which I'm sure will give me plenty to write about.
Below are a few of the pictures from the cruise. Enjoy, and please comment or query!