My O Week Diary - Lina Caccamo
	Name: Lina Caccamo Age: 18 Program: Bachelor of Sport Management Hometown: Sydney (Pymble), NSW Interests I love playing basketball, running, going to the beach, shopping and hanging out with friends.Â

‘As a student entering into university for the first time, I expected  to feel slightly daunted and intimidated; however, when I started  ICMS as a new student, I had the opportunity to go through orientation week or, as it is commonly known,  O Week. O Week consists of various seminars, social events, activities and compulsory agenda items like check-in and registration. At first I thought some of the events weren’t going to be fun, but I found that the team at ICMS made all of O Week an incredibly enjoyable experience. ‘

Monday, 2 February 2009

O Week started today. This included all the standard activities such as check-in and registration.  Everything was organised so I completed them in no time. Later, we were put into groups for activities, which gave me the chance to get to know other students. I found that even waiting in lines became an opportunity to meet new people from Australia and various countries around the world such as America and Sweden.  The first day of O Week fell on the same day as the Super Bowl , which for many new ICMS students was a must see event. Sand Bar was transformed into a couch potato’s haven, complete with lounges, a large projector and endless supply of Doritos and salsa. This allowed students time to interact and meet each other in a comfortable and relaxed environment while watching the Steelers edge out a win over the Cardinals 27-23 in the last few minutes of the game. 

Tuesday, 3 February 2009

Today all new students were given a program specialisation briefing which at first sounded like a two hours to catch up on lost sleep, but I was surprised to find that this was not the case. I am specialising in Sport Management and this briefing gave me and the others in my course the opportunity to meet the head of our program, Mrs Elizabeth McIntyre. It also allowed us to gain an understanding of the course specifics, which previously weren’t clear to me.  It also gave me a heads up on what to expect during my first term at ICMS.

Tuesday night was a great introduction to the social side of ICMS. At 5:30 PM students and their families arrived for a welcome ceremony in the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel. This service formally welcomed new students to ICMS and progressed to a cocktail reception in the front courtyard of the College. The reception was exceptional.   The food was fantastic.  Everyone had a great time getting to know each other and experiencing first-hand the great ICMS atmosphere.

Wednesday, 4 February 2009

Today was a relaxed day since business suit fittings were the main item on the agenda. The suits are what I expected from a business college.   They are neat, smart and have the ability to make even a group of everyday casually clothed orientation students look like they have been attending ICMS for several terms.  

Thursday, 5 February 2009

I think everyone had been looking forward to today.  It was the day for teambuilding activities and surf safety. Teambuilding was another opportunity for the O Week team to encourage us to interact with people we didn’t know yet.  They started by separating us into different groups to get us out of our comfort zones. In one activity, each group squared off for a tug-of-war competition.  The strongest group was left standing with both victory and rope burn.  We also played volleyball, but this was not like any volleyball that I had ever played.  Ever tried lifting a big ball (and I mean a massive ball) over a volleyball net? My team members and I had to use all of our strength and coordination to get the ball over the net.  Last on the teambuilding agenda was the obstacle course, and this was no ordinary course.  Think inflatable. Each team had to get all their members through the course before the others to win; this was by far my favourite team building activity.

Surf-Safety was next on Thursday’s to-do list. We were led down to Manly Surf Life Saving Club and  learned how to read the waves, find rips, and what to do if we happened to be dragged out to sea.  We also discovered how to respond to blue bottle stings and the five essential ways to protect against the sun:  sunscreen, sunnies, hat, shirt and shade. After the less physical aspect of the day, we headed to the beach where we had fun with the boards and good old waves.

Friday, 6 February 2009

The last event on the O Week schedule was the Australia party on Friday night in the CYC. Everyone wore Aussie gear and got into the spirit with a traditional Aussie BBQ.  What made the night really memorable was watching the guys from the wildlife park handle great Australian animals. I had the chance to get up close with Rosie the crocodile, snakes, a monitor, a bluetongue lizard and a shingleback, who is commonly known as the two headed lizard. The night continued with endless photos of people with the animals.  It was a great end to an amazing week. I would like to thank everyone who played a part in making O Week such a success for us beginners.  You are all greatly appreciated!