Tony in Australia: Week 1

I thought about how to describe the aesthetically stunning campus, fully loaded iMacs, incredible educational facilities and Australian nightlife into a concise, opening paragraph.

After countless revisions, this is what I came up with.

Holy cow.

That phrase sums up the jaw-dropping, wide-eyed look I've had during the first week at Bond University because everything about the school and Australia left me dumbfounded.

But first and foremost, I am studying abroad, which means getting an education is the No. 1 priority.

Interesting thing about Bond is that even though lectures have over 100 students, the tutorials -- a part two, interactive class that compliments a lecture -- have anywhere from five to 12 students.

Even though Bond is slightly less than 9,400 miles away, the tute's one-to-one-teaching atmosphere reminds me a bit of Bonaventure.

Bond also uses an unique teaching style that heavily incorporates research and Web-based class participation, and I absolutely love it.

After talking to one of my professors, she said one of the reasons that she loves teaching here is Bond's willingness to adjust to the modern world's needs. If that means debating why a certain YouTube clip has over 3 million clicks and what an advertising agency can learn from it, then so be it.

That's right. For three out of four classes, I've spent three hours surfing the Web and researching (and referencing) from the most up-to-date textbooks -- the Internet.

After finishing a lecture or tute, I'm greeted by a campus too beautiful for words (A little side note: I'm working on a photography project that I hope to display somewhere near or at Bonaventure. More details will be revealed later).

By the way, that picture above is a self-portrait under the campus archway about two-and-a-half-Devereux-Halls high.

I can also stop by the state-of-the-art campus gym, the multi-tiered library with as many books as computers or the cafeteria where a 10-ounce steak with trimmings costs only $15.

For fun, it's a short bus ride to Surfers Paradise where there are literally as many clubs in a four-minute walking area than the Las Vegas strip. Clubs are open until 5 a.m. and on Sundays, too.

If daytime fun is more your thing, then you'll love Surfers Paradise's beach that stretches across the entire city or the Robina Town Center, which is a mall bigger than Bonaventure's campus.

Like I said. Holy cow.

Combine that with incredible weather, legal drinking age of 18 and 4,000 other college students, I'm completely overwhelmed in a good way.

However, it's Friday night, and I'm working on an assignment due next Tuesday. The last thing I want to do is fall behind and miss out on everything Australia has to offer.

But my Monday class doesn't start until noon. Who knows? A Sunday nighttime fun might be a possibility.

Seriously, somebody pinch me.