Adjusting to Australian "Uni" life

At the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, Australia, the looks, lingo and lives of the students appear as relaxed as the drug laws in Amsterdam. The university is in the capital of South Australia and contained 18,690 students last year, yet it has a rather laid back feel to it with its serene fountains and grassy terrain. \nWhile Adelaide is near a few different beaches, there is no surfing done here. This doesn't stop the youth from wearing the latest surf wear brands such as Billabong, Roxy, and Quiksilver. When the weather changes here, the garb around campus changes as well. In June and July, Australia's winter, it can get down to the mid 50s. This is when everyone, guys and girls, sport their Australian-made Uggs. It does not snow in Adelaide, yet Uggs are a staple to most Aussies' wardrobe. \nDifferences in cultures are also seen outside of attire. Despite the fact that both Americans and Australians speak English, there are many words and phrases that are completely different. One particular example of this is that students in Adelaide shorten their words, such as hols for holidays, tute for tutorial and uni for university. \nThese educational expressions, along with other explicit language can be heard coming from the Barr Smith Lawns where students gather to watch protests, hear bands, and munch on pastries and meat pies while waiting for or avoiding class. Nearby is the student union where one can buy anything from a new music album to a pitcher of beer. That's right, unlike IU's "dry campus," here students can enjoy a glass of Cooper's Pale Ale and a beef schnitzel in the UniBar between classes without having to worry about being late for their next lecture. \nWhen finished with class many students leave uni for their home at college. As two separate institutions, Uni is comparable to the lecture halls and union of IU, while colleges are a mix between dorms and Greek houses, and are not associated with the university at all. There are approximately five co-ed colleges in Adelaide. Here students of different universities live in either singles, flats or houses, eat pre-made, carbolicious food in dining halls, attend events such as pub crawls, toga parties, and quiz nights, and participate in inter-college sports like cricket, aussie-rules football and netball. Although watching cricket is about as exciting as waiting in line at the BMV, the bonnets the men wear, along with the between innings drink breaks for players perk up the matches a bit. \nAfter discovering these different cultural differences while studying down under during the past few months, I decided I'd like to expand my knowledge on Australian history by taking a few classes after returning to IU. While preparing to register for classes a few weeks ago, however, I could find no classes about this diverse country. No "From Convicts to Consumerism in Australia" or "Britain's Rule over Aussies." Nothing. The fact that I couldn't find a single class on Australia out of the 66 history classes offered this fall at a large, public university, says something about our knowledge of this country. Granted, it is a fairly young country, but if the Ukraine can have a class exclusively about it, then the continent of Australia should have a few. Australia is one of the largest inhabited countries on Earth, its people generally speak the same language as Americans and it has supported us in many of our wars, yet most Americans' knowledge of Australia consists of episodes of the Crocodile Hunter and Foster's \ncommercials. \nSince our uni doesn't offer any lectures on Australia, at least you can experience a little of its lifestyle by putting on a Billabong shirt, drinking some V.B. (Victoria Bitter), and watching a bit of cricket on ESPN. Just be sure not to order a Foster's or ask about an Outback Steakhouse or you'll be fed to the crocs.