I won the lotto and got the prestigious job of blogging first of the students and a lot has happened since we left America. Dr. S already posted pictures of where we are staying at Lennox head so scroll down the page to see how awesome it is with a beach only meters (Got to use the metric system) in front of us. For the most part we are still getting used to the differences in the culture such as driving on the other side of the road, switches that turn on the electricity outlets, and different names for food (Rice Bubbles instead of Rice Krispies). Both groups pretty much spent the day in lectures and learned a lot about Australian sports culture. The sports management students had Dr. Danya Hodgetts and Dr. Dave Arthur give lectures about what the Australian view of sport is and how it differs from America. The change in preferences are obvious as the Australian "Big Four" sports are Rugby, Cricket, Soccer (Futbol), and Netball. None of these would be considered a major sport in America and some people may not even know the rules for them. One of the most eye opening differences between the two countries are the rules on gambling. For the gamblers out there a visit to Australia is a must as not only is gambling legal, but it is encouraged by the government. Scoreboards during the game show the odds as well as where to call to place bets and many teams are sponsored by gambling companies. All profits from the gambling go back into funding sport in some way. Tomorrow's blog from Jayson should certainly be more action packed because we are getting a surf lesson from Mojo Surf so stay tuned for that.
-Tom Ward
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