PhD Down Under...

Wow! Whoever said that Aussie's work at a slower pace is certainly misinformed! The past few weeks have been a little hectic as I have been trying to get things rolling in my program. I traveled to Canberra (capitol of AU) to attend a short course at ANU, met with the Victorian EPA, and am currently attending another short course given by the Bureau of Meteorology. Needless to say I am meeting a lot of new faces and absorbing more information than my brain can hold. Overall things are good and I am sure they will settle down soon enough -- I hope.

We have certainly moved to the 'big city' as I take two trains and a bus to get to campus every morning. Initially, I thought a 45 min commute was unreal but it seems to be the norm here (as well as other large cities as I hear 2hr commutes are common in Paris) and riding is much different than driving. I won't go into driving on this entry but it is certainly an adjustment.



So how are things in the good ol US of A? You would be amazed at how much media coverage the US actually gets here. You might be disappointed in the overall perception of Americans though...