"Wadda Mooli"

     "First of all, I would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Townsville Region. The Bindal and Wulgurukaba people..."  Each informational session I have gone to has started in a similar fashion.  Australia was originally populated by hundreds of aboriginal clans that each have ancestral claim to the areas now populated by descendents of European immigrants.  In response to how the aboriginal people were treated during settlement, all Australian gatherings begin this way as a sort of apology process.  This also means that many of the native names are used for rivers and towns, resulting in creeks named Wadda Mooli (which is a greeting in the native language spoken by both the Bindal and Wulgurukaba clans) and towns called Wollongong, Geelong, and Mullumbimby.  I discovered this while learning how to ride a bus.

  Let it be known, I have never had any sort of sense of direction.  I therefore, greatly appreciate good public transportation, and luckily, that is available in Townsville.  A bus ride anywhere will cost you $1.40AU with a student discount, so its relatively cheap and easy to get around the area, that is until you realize that Australians are rather fond of shortening any name longer than 1 syllable. Stockworths, a sort of indoor outlet mall, is Stockies;  Woolworths, basically Walmart, is Wollies; the list goes on.  You must also realize that Australians are not work-a-holics like Americans.  They close shops at noon for hour and a half lunch breaks.  Stores are only open until 4, unless it's Tuesday, which is the one day they are open until evening, and most don't even open until 10.  And don't even try on weekends. It is a big mental shift from the work-centric world of the states, to the relaxed and home-centric world of Australia.  People are really friendly here, and are open to anyone.  Within the first 2 hours of being in my dorm, I had friends and plans for that evening.  It is exciting to be with people who are so open and excited about their world and the other people in it.