As some of you know I started out with a very chaotic travel experience in my efforts to actually reach Melbourne. So here goes the tale of my trip here. After delays in Philly and LA I finally made it onto an Australia flight, all while hobbling (I was having some extensive discomfort with my right ankle for some unknown reason) around from agent to agent trying to make my connections. (apparently they gave away my ticket for my LA flight even though it was delayed long enough for me to still make it - so after a mini temper tantrum they gave me a new ticket and got me on the plane) My foot was not doing well so I made all efforts to stay off it and feared taking of my sneakers and actually looking at it, so obviously I continued to ignore it. By the time I reached Brisbane I had missed my connection and the chance to call and reschedule my airport pick-up (we had to make an unscheduled stop on some French island for fuel??). The lady at the ticket desk was very helpful and got me a new flight to Melbourne right away and then even let me use her phone to call and get the university my new flight number. When I actually reached the university, Trintiy College (like a dorm/student housing area) set me up with my temporary accommodations (the third floor of an elevatorless building), after some very colorful language I managed to haul my two 50lb bags, a carry on, and a back pack up the stairs and find my room and rush over to the library to email my family and let them know I got here. After being kicked out of the library in ten minutes, I returned to my room and decided to investigate my excruciating foot. Upon removing the shoe I discovered my painful ankle was swelled to the size of a small grapefruit and purple. (fun!) I went down and got some ice and the name of the student health center for the morning. I decided to call it a day at 7pm and slept forever. In the morning after breakfast I found my way to the doctor - where he diagnosed my foot as a"severe sprain" and informed me that I highly increased my risk of a death causing blood clot on the plane. He wrapped it up gave me some icing instructions and sent me on my way. His exact words were- "i'm pretty sure it's not broken or fractured, but come back if it gets worse". After the Doc's I moved out of my 3rd floor home and into my new 3rd floor elevatorless home across campus in Queen's College for the Melbourne welcome program. I'll leave it at that for the moment and attempt to get some pictures up - I swear my next entry is happier!
One of the Qantus planes, see the Roo? (no worries mine had a jet engine!)
Some of my first views of Australia (since taking off from Brisbane was my first window seat...)
The dining hall of Trinity College
My building in Trinity College
My building in Queen's College
1 comment:
what a trip
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