Chapter 12 – The Queen of Swag

In which our hero truly comes in to her element ...

Those who know me know that I love free stuff. Pens. Little flashlight dealies. Magnets. Cookies. Whatever. Mostly pens. Today was a good day for free stuff. But first, I'll start at the beginning.

It's been raining off and on – mostly on – for like three days. Yesterday was occasional torrential downpours. Today, more of a constant light rain/drizzle that increased or decreased in intensity periodically. Luckily I have my nifty new Uni Brollie to keep me dry. (Sort of. Basically only head and shoulders stay dry, and the wind blow the rain onto the rest of me.)

So I started the day by getting a ride down to the station to catch the bus in for the second day of orientation. Yesterday there'd been a huge lake filling up the dip in the road because the storm drain was blocked. I didn't much fancy navigating that on foot, so I got a ride. Turns out the drain had been cleared anyway. So, down to the station, and off to school. Got there early. My first event didn't start till 10:00, and so I milled around for a bit. Then went to the session, which was about balancing life and university. We did an interesting ice breaker where you had a bingo card, and had to go around and find people that fit the statements in each square, and then write their names down. I met several people, which was the whole point. Two of the guys at my table were also studying engineering, but different disciplines. The third guy disappeared after the ice breaker. This is where my day of free stuff begins. The presenters asked questions when they were done to make sure we'd been paying attention, and I got a star-shaped stress ball for getting one right.

Then, I went to the Student Guild/Link Building, where they were handing out swag bags if you signed up for the Student Guild Social Club. Then you kept walking and got into a room with a bunch of stalls from different campus services, local nightclubs, travel agents, Subway, a mini-golf place, etc. So I went around getting all the free stuff I could. Again, it was mostly pens. In the original swag bag was cool stuff like a lanyard with a USB in the clippy part, and a daily planner, and a wall calendar. Then there was a little stall from the Gold Coast Titans, the local Rugby League team. I got some magnets, and stickers, and temporary tattoos, and stress squishy things, and balloons. Mostly for the munchkins. Then there was a stall demonstrating Windows 8, and I watched the demo, then played the little game of memory that they had set up, and won some ear buds. Then the next stall was the campus travel agent, which had pens, bottle openers, and little beach balls. I got one of each, then two more beach balls because I told the girl I lived with three kids. Then there was more pens. Then the Subway place had free cookies, and some little coupons, then if you took a picture with the Subway Man mascot, you got a free 6” sub voucher. So naturally I did that. Then there was the Australian Blood Services, where I told the nice lady that I'd given it a go, but unfortunately I was a fainter. She gave me a pen and a lollypop. Then there was also the Australian Electoral Commission, or something, who were getting people registered to vote. The lady asked if I was registered, and I said that no, I wasn't, because I wasn't a citizen, but could I have a pen anyway, and she said sure, why not. During this swag fest I ran into a girl who was wearing an inukshuk necklace. I asked her if she was Canadian, and she said that no, she was Danish, but had a Canadian boyfriend. We chatted briefly, and I ran into her a couple more times during that particular event. She told me where the free cookies were. It was good. I also got several compliments on my Doctor Who shirt, which I wore on purpose in the hopes that that would happen, and maybe some conversation would start. 

Subway Man and Me - the pic that got me a free sub.

So I finally exited the swag fest, and at this point it's like 12:45. I was going to try to find somewhere dry to eat the lunch I'd brought, even though I wasn't super hungry due to the candy and cookies I'd just eaten. I went up to the bookstore to get a Nestea, because if you bought one, you got a free USB. More free stuff. Then I figured I'd head to the next event, which was basically a meet and greet for shy people, and how to make friends and things, and just eat my lunch there. On the way down, I noticed a BBQ type thing going on in the same location as our free lunch yesterday, which we were given after the general International Student Orientation session. I walked up, and it appeared that they were just about to pack up. I asked if I could just grab a burger quickly before things were put away, and they said sure. So I did. Free lunch. It turns out it was the Business Department Orientation, and it was lunch for business students. Kind of a don't ask, don't tell type thing. I never said I was a business student, but they also didn't ask. I'm sure it was probably fine. It probably would have been chucked or something anyway. I was pretty proud of myself for swagging a free lunch.

So on to my afternoon session, where I sat and ate my free burger while they set up. Then in came the girl from Denmark, so she came and sat with me at my table. Then came one of the engineering boys who were at my table at the morning session, so he came and sat with us too. Then the girl from Denmark put on her name tag, and I recognized her name from the morning bingo ice breaker. I hadn't realized she'd been there. I thought I just knew her from the swag fest. Then in came a Vietnamese chap, who said he recognized the three of us from the morning session, so he sat with us too. Then he asked if we were all in the same program, and we all said no, we weren't. Then we went around the table, and it turned out we were all in various forms of engineering. We got a good laugh out of that. We were talking about the Student Guild swag fest, and whether it was worth it to go. I showed them all the stuff I got, and they likely thought I was a bit nuts, although they expressed admiration for my mad swagging skills. I explained that besides the pens, it was mostly for the munchkins.

Then the event got underway. I got another free pen to fill out the little questionnaire that we did. Then we did the same bingo ice breaker. The four of us quickly filled each other in, because we mostly remembered which squares we'd been in earlier. I ended up getting a bingo, and winning a flash drive. Then we discussed things a bit, then had a tea break, during which one of the student helpers for O-Week (Griffith Mates) came and sat with us, and he convinced Denmark and Vietnam to sign up for the Amazing Race event in Brisbane on Saturday, which I was already signed up for.

When this session was done, they went up to the tent by the Student Centre to sign up. I went with, just for something to do. The tent was just about to pack up, and the girl asked us if we wanted a hat. Naturally we said yes. Free awesome bright red Griffith University baseball cap. Perfect end to a day of free stuff.

Then I mosied back to the bus stop, and went home.

SHWAG -- layed out on my bed at home.

On my way home I cut through the mall to avoid the rain. There was a pet store. It had puppies in the window. There was one female puppy all alone in a pen, because she was the only one of a particular mix there. I felt so bad for her, being all alone, when the others had friends, or quite likely siblings, to play with. She was white and scruffy and the sign said she was a Silky Poodle mix. I so desperately wanted to buy her. But that would be nuts. I could feel myself starting to cry, so I decided I should probably leave, for my own sake, and for the sake of the puppy, in case she was getting some false hope from me standing there and watching her for so long. Sigh.