First Month in Adelaide

I’ve been in Adelaide, Australia, for just over a month now, and from the moment I got here, at 5:15 in the morning, I have enjoyed every minute of it.

My first impressions of Adelaide are great; as one of the world’s first structured cities, the city itself is set out as a grid, of which there are several open public squares. The city is then surrounded by endless, green parklands, where there must be an AFL pitch for every 2 parks! The city itself is very modern and very clean; the nightlife is fantastic, and whilst it creates a lively atmosphere at night, it doesn’t over-power or ruin the city. Its hard to call Adelaide a city; whilst you’ve got your markets, shopping centres and streets, hotels etc, you’re not surrounded by massive, over-towering buildings; instead you’re surrounded by the low-lying Mount Lofty Ranges, which on a clear evening is an incredible sight.

The northern side of the city is split by the River Torrens, which links the Adelaide Crows and Port Adelaide Fans to the famous Adelaide Oval. I’ve been to watch Port Adelaide play twice; the first time we beat Melbourne with a minute to go, but the second time we lost to the Sydney Swans. I also went to see the Adelaide, and it pains me to say it, “soccer” team against Malaga. If you say “football” here, the Aussies will presume you’re talking about their version of ‘footy’. That said, maybe they should stick to their version of ‘footy’, as their soccer team on this occasion were absolutely terrible! The score finished 5 (or 6)-1.

A few days after arriving in Adelaide we began ‘Orientation Week’, which was really good. Each day there was a different social event going on, from a pancake breakfast to a BBQ, during which I have continued to make more and more friends from all over the world. On Friday we were treated to a day out at Victor Harbour, which was about an hour and a half outside of Adelaide. We spent the morning walking around Granite Island, and then in the afternoon we went to a wildlife park just outside the town centre. 

Every weekend we have had either a small kick about or a big football match. Last weekend we had at least 25 people turn out at one of the many parks within Adelaide. Again there were people from all over the world playing; Brazil, China, France, Germany, Holland, Indonesia, Norway, Sweden, to name but a few of the countries that the players were from!

I have just finished my third week at uni, and so far the modules are going really well. The campus is really good and there’s always something going on, whether its a department get-together to a free BBQ. On Friday we went to the engineering BBQ, at which they were giving out free hot-dogs and, more importantly, free beers and ciders.

I have joined the University Wind Orchestra, and next Saturday I will have my first concert with the band inside the Elder Conservatorium of Music. It is shaping up to be a really good concert, and I’m looking forward to seeing the Conservatorium packed out! I’m still doing a lot of triathlon training, and I am looking forward to joining the uni team, The Blacks, and signing up for some events next week.

In my first month i’ve also encountered the usual going abroad problems/dangers; I spent the first 2 weeks without a phone or bank account, and I still don’t have any internet at my accommodation.

 In the last couple of weeks we’ve really tried to start seeing more of Adelaide. Last weekend we visited Belair National Park, and today we went over to Glenelg, which is a small town on the coast. This weekend we’re hoping to play football again on Saturday, and then on Sunday we’re planning to visit Hahndorf, Australia’s oldest surviving German town.

I am currently sat next to the beach in Glenelg, which is a short tram ride out of the city centre. Its not quite beach weather yet, but at a mere 19oC it has been another pleasant afternoon in Adelaide. According to the local Aussies, the weather will really start to pick up in about a months time; best enjoy this cooler weather while it lasts!

An Idiot Abroad? Not just yet.