Arrival in Alexandria, VA

It was the night before I had to leave for DC, I had just finished packing, when it dawned on me that in ten days I would be on my way to Australia. Now that my trip was so close, my anticipation was at its highest. I couldn’t wait to meet the ten people that I would be spending the next 10 weeks with. Despite modern technologies, most notably Facebook, attempts to spoil the surprise of meeting new people, there is still nothing like the first interaction with a person.

I arrived at our Alexandria apartment around 2pm on Monday in hopes of meeting all my fellow Aussie-bound interns. Unfortunately, I had to wait for everyone to arrive. My roommate Kelli was the first person I met then a few hours later I had the pleasure of meeting my suite mates Alexie and Sonia. The three of them were extremely nice and just as excited for the trip as I was.

Our first activity as TWCers was the RA meeting at 9 pm the night we arrived. Like all intro meetings, the RAs discussed rules, regulations, safety tips, and contact information. Thankfully, they kept it short so we had some time to mix and mingle with the other interns. There are about 27 students going to London and 11 of us going to Sydney. Due to our small number and previously made Facebook group, it was easy to spot the “Sydney kids.”

Eleven is a perfect number. For example, there are 11 players on both soccer and cricket teams; not that we plan on forming a sports team but it is good to know that we have the perfect number to do so! All jokes aside, a small group of eleven is perfect for coordinating schedules, going out together, and becoming closer through this shared experience. Despite our somewhat small number, our group is made up of students from different colleges and universities from all around the world. We represent a broad range cultures and experiences.

Meeting everyone has only made me more excited for my trip to Oz (Australia) and I will be counting down the days.

Hooroo (Aussie slang for farewell)