Rubenerd

Of all the people from my class of 2004 in Singapore, I'm one of the few who didn't go to university in Melbourne or Sydney, and it seems every few days someone feels compelled to ask me why; often from people I've never met. The conversation usually goes something like this…

• Hey Ruben, where are you thesedays?
• I’m studying in Adelaide
• Eww! Why Adelaide?
• Because.
• Lame/Boring/Stupid! What’s wrong with you?
• Your fly is undone. Ha, made you look!

I'm tired of having this same conversation, so I've decided to put all my answers on this one blog post. If you've poked fun at me then asked why I'm studying in Adelaide instead of Sydney or Melbourne, take your pick from these pre-written answers below. It's like Ikea, but these are flat packed answers!

Why are you studying in Adelaide Ruben?!

• Its different.
• I grew up in large, crowded cities and wanted a change.
• People here are friendly and the atmosphere is more relaxed.
• People here don’t have a superiority complex (Melbourne, cough!).
• Given how much time I spend at them, the new airport is schweet.
• Farmers Union Iced Coffee, Coopers Mild Ale.
• My extended family are in Sydney and I wanted a fresh start.
• More affordable.
• Rundle Mall is like a miniature Orchard Road!
• UniSA staff are extremely understanding of family issues.
• Very friendly local Twitter community.
• I’ve already lived in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Trying something new.
• The state’s name is self documenting!
• Internode, Oracle, Australian Central Credit Union.
• Metro area is a navigable size without a drivers licence.
• Trees, clear air.
• Hahndorf, Barossa Valley, Flinders Ranges.
• Public transport is easier than Sydney or Melbourne.
• Only six hour flight from Singapore, and Singapore Airlines flies direct
• Mawson Lakes is a pretty little bubble that has my uni campus, a fantastic family run coffee shop, my house, a Woolies, lots of cute ducks, a GP, a train station to the city and everything else I need :).
• Why do I have to justify my life choices to you? ;)
• If you don’t like Adelaide, don’t come :)

To be fair, any negatives?

• Half hour off timezone! Why not +0900?
• Having internet quotas (though to be fair that’s all of Australia)
• Designer Direct closing down sale ads!