0 Week Experience, another one! (Daniel)

Hello to everyone.

I’m as the name say’s above ( or is it below?) Yoddeuss. This is mainly due to the fact that my real name was already taken and I have a penchant for aliases. Not that I’m too secretive just that it’ s because of a series of circumstances that I’m not at liberty to change it (aka, the profile tool won’t let you change your name). So here I am ready to give a brief introduction of myself after the electric amd somewhat surprisingly hectic O-week.

Me an Arts student is also doing a diploma of languages (Japanese) to make his course longer, and so I’ve only got for my first year one “true” art’s subject choice per semester. How so? IDF takes up one spot, Breadth takes up a spot and Japanese takes up a spot out of the 4 course slot’s you’re provided with. Anyway, anyway, anyway getting to an introduction of myself. Here we go…

I am a guy from Melbourne, who travelled a lot for school, had a job, for a trip to Japan and went for about three weeks. < It’s almost a song (think the tune from The Grand old Duke of York). Moving away from shanties (?) and sing songs; I’ve lived in Melbourne all my life, but alas! For lack of money (and a penchant for working really hard for school) I know not too many hip/cool city joints. I mean while there is a kinda image of University students (or perhaps it’s just me) as being the party animals and knowing all the really good nightlife spots, I’m not going to become something I’m not. I’m more of the not going out much kind of uni student…person everything doesn’t have to revolve around uni, but now I’m getting away from myself and turning this introduction into a rant about the irresponsibility of SOME people.

Ahem…. moving on.

During year 12 (which while annoying is only really 9 months, getting through it is a nice relief) I was one of those always studying (hard if I want to flatter myself) kind of person/people based purely on the fact that I wanted to do well(ish) during my last year of school. Kinda like Boxer in Animal Farm, (yay literary reference) it was more or less something that I had to slog through. Which is why I’m kinda a bit wary(?) about how much freedom (see social life, parties, BBQs, Birthday parties, clubs/societies, theatre productions and anything you can swing a cat at) I’ve got now as opposed to last year. So while some people might have been experiencing all this freedom last year or the years before (I’m not judging and neither am I a saint), I’m still new to the whole experience.

Wow, twice with the whole party thing. I must be feeling a bit threatened by everyone’s party atmosphere and my own very conservative (and perhaps what I think is boring) stance on being responsible and able to get home by myself (no one is going to pick me up drunk). Thankfully university is not completely like that at all. It’s more of a bit of this bit of that atmosphere where you can do what you want, so kinda like life (the smallest example I could think of. No one is forcing me to feel this way, it just seems like they’re (the party people) are having more fun until you see them throwing up or in the gutter or in the gutter throwing up. Then the charm goes away.

Moving onto another tangent University is full of temptations in that you have unlimited choice (more or less) in everything you do (see clubs as an example). So while you can go right ahead and go out to do things you’ve only dreamed of or make friends with a bunch of new people you’ve always gotta keep something for yourself. Hrmph, hard to explain that. Let’s try again. In university you have a chance to become a new person and do new things, but while the possibilities of choice are there you should always stay true to your own wants and soul. Don’t sell yourself out, there we go that’s what I was trying to say. Hmph still stuck on party/becoming something I’m not tangent. Probably because of all the things I can go to but haven’t because of something else being on.

Ok ok ok a quick spiel about O week, because that was the title, duh! O week is good, probably the best to start meeting people and getting to know the University. But mostly you have to rely on either yourself being really self confident (SAY HI TO PEOPLE) and people being comfortable enough to say hi back. That being said some people (extenuate the some if you’re reading aloud it helps to get the tone out) will in the complete opposite of what I said in the previous paragraph stick to narrow mindedness and do the unspeakable minimalist approach to a conversation AND!/OR! completely ignore you. In short they’ll be really selfish people in that they won’t give you a real response of interest (whilst talking) but a conversation for the sake of the social environment (see not telling the truth as in continuing to talk to you but not actually having a conversation). Instead they should be honest and say “I’m sorry I’m tired,” or “Look I need to get this done, but maybe some other time.” Most people luckily are interested in what you have to say and making new friends. That phrase “new friends” uttered brings in another piece of advice, DON’T STICK TO YOUR OLD FRIENDS it’s clicky and hard to approach others in that situation especially if you’re an outsider. I don’t know why but it’s easier to come up to one person, have a good conversation and become friends than it is in a group. That’s just personal experience though….. But yeah aside from that O- week is just about getting to know the university and the community. Don’t be afraid to ask about things within Union House or anywhere, because chances are you’ll have to do it sooner or later and the sooner you do it the easier it’ll be.

Ok enough preaching onto a conclusion!

Hrumph, it’s hard pelting this out when all you want to do is stop for a while on a Saturday morning. Aha, that’s another thing I’ve wanted to say. Don’t become a work aholic (note this is more to me than anyone else). Me, I had to work to get throughYr 12 and then after that had to work to go to Japan (which was cool) and so I haven’t really had time to stop doing things, such as a holiday, holiday and have become like one of those cross country runners at the end of a race. Ragged and weak. So I think I’ll stop now and have a completely me time morning….. before giving up my time (yet again) to go out.

Anyway Hello and hope you enjoy the rest of my posts. AND! That this one was not too preachy in its regards to life so far.

Thanks

Yoddeuss

(Now for a spell check before I put this up) Yay only 3 words wrongly spelt