January 26th, 2003 I arrived in Newcastle Australia looking forward to a new adventure and the start of my MBA at the Newcastle Graduate School of Business and I couldn’t figure out why the main campus seemed so empty.
What was I getting myself into? Where is everyone? Better yet, where am I going to live!!!! One of my life learning lessons about this experience was to make sure you do a lot more research about a country and it’s culture before you arrive so you don’t look like an idiot like me!!!
After wandering around the campus for a bit, an Aussie with a big ole smile saw that I looked confused and asked if I needed any assistance. I explained to her that I had just arrived and was trying to get my bearing around my new home. She smiled and informed me that it was Australia Day (the national day of Australia) and then invited me back to her office so that she could get me a map and some other information to help me because everyone else was out enjoying the holiday.
It turns out that she was one of the University’s VP’s and happened to stop by campus for a workout at the Forum. How can you not love this country – On my first day they opened their arms and welcomed me and I certainly had a great time celebrating two more Australia Days down under and loved every minute of my time in Australia….
Life’s an adventure that shall be greeted with a smile because you never know where it’s going to take you!!!
Here are some pictures of wonderful Newcastle….
Giddyup