Rush week is over at Tech, and fraternities and sororities have started handing out precious bids. The Technique caught up with a few students to ask about their perceptions of the Greek system at Tech.

Eric Maday, a freshman CS major from Chicago, IL, recently accepted a bid from Sigma Phi Epsilon.

“I chose there because when I went around rushing, it was the place I felt most welcomed right off the bat. I actually met two of the brothers during FASET… and I hit it off with them. They are also big on intramurals, They didn’t seem like the typical ‘frat’ where all they want to do is ‘Party, party, party,’ so that was another part of it,” said Maday as he recounted his past week rushing.

Having visited six different fraternities, Maday had many options to weigh in the next few days.

Stepping out of his comfort zone, Maday decided to hang out with the brothers of Sig Ep.

“Friday morning, I got a text inviting me to the SAC field because [the brothers] were playing sports. I played sand volleyball with them during the day, then I went back at night and talked with more brothers, got to know different ones, and they got to know me. On the second day of rush, I meant to go back to three or four houses, went to Sig Ep first, and ended up staying there three hours,” Maday said. “I like how relaxed it is,… you kinda just pick and choose where you want to go, and it just feels very casual when you go in there.”

According to Maday, rushing is a great way to meet new people and become acclimated with Tech. Being from Chicago and only knowing one person coming to Tech, Maday was able to gain many new friends in his first week.

Kylene Barut, a fourth year EE major from Malibu, CA, also enjoyed her rush week last year. She is now a sister at Alpha Xi Delta.

“I joined Alpha Xi because I came to Tech as a third year, and, being EE, I knew I wasn’t going to meet a whole lot of girls in my class. So I wanted to have a group of girls to help acclimate me at campus and get me involved at Tech. Some sororities’ nationals only let them have X amount of third and fourth years, so some sororities I was eliminated from right away, but Alpha Xi was really welcoming,” Barut said. “Alpha Xi is one of the only sororities that has all the new members learn all the older girls: their majors and years, just facts about them. I like that about them. Why would I be in a sorority with 150 other girls when I don’t even know some of their names? It’s nice that they encourage us to learn everyone’s name.”

Barut did include some criticism of rushing, both as a new student and as a returning sister.

“I wish that they didn’t have girl rush so early. To rush when I was not in a sorority yet, I had to get here Wednesday. As an older girl, I had to pay $75 a day, and I wasn’t allowed to move in until Saturday on top of having to pay for rush,” she added. “Being in a sorority, I have to be here a week before the first day of rush…. I’m out of state, so that’s a big deal, coming a week early.”

Both Maday and Barut mentioned that there are negative stereotypes associates with all Greek life, such as hazing, constant partying, and attempting to be Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. However, these perceptions are not always the truth.

“I never had any problems like they say, girls getting hazed. None of that kind of stuff happened,” Barut continued. “I didn’t join a sorority until I was a junior because I had this image of sorority girls like Legally Blonde. Then I realized my best friend [who] goes to Stanford… is in a sorority there, and she’s so not the ‘sorority’ type. I realized it’s just a group of girls that hang out and do philanthropy and have fun events… girls that eat together and hang out and stuff.”

Greek life isn’t for everyone, though. Devin Roach, a fourth year ME major from Albuquerque, New Mexico, chose not to join a fraternity.

“When deciding whether or not to join a fraternity, there’s a few obvious things that I was thinking about when I was rushing: …time and monetary commitments. The whole rushing/pledging process takes time, especially as I was becoming acclimated to a brand new school, a brand new culture coming all the way from the west coast. It was totally different,” said Roach.

“Most frats require some sort of dues… not to mention the fact that you pay for date nights and other frat-organized events. So that’s what people have to decide,… whether or not those are things that you’re interested in. If you can’t make the decision to say, ‘This is most definitely going to enhance my college or postgrad experience,’ then it’s not worth it.”

Without the burden of out-of-state fees, though, Roach probably would have joined ATO or Sig Ep.

“I did rush,… and I enjoyed it. I’m the type of guy who says, ‘What’s the fun thing to do?’ or ‘How can I have the most amount of fun, and what are all my homies doing?’ And the majority of them probably would have joined frats, and I probably would have gone right along with them.”

Rushing is a great experience for incoming students to meet new people and to adjust to life at Tech. However, before pledging, students should weigh all of the potential pros and cons of Greek life.

Most of you probably know the beauty of having a clean, organized and most importantly considerate roommate.  I, however, was not so fortunate—two years in a row!  During my RAT year, I was living with a mediocre roommate.  He provided the futon, and I provided the TV, but that was pretty much the only agreement that we were able to settle upon.

Our sleep schedules conflicted frequently. Most of the time he would interrupt my schedule with his multiple bed buddies.  Luckily, once he pledged, he only slept in the room about three times a week, which was certainly a plus on my end.

By the time my RAT year ended, we were able to tolerate each other, but neither of us really planned to acknowledge each other’s existence anymore.

The real fun began when I choose to room with three of my newly acquired friends.  I would have been able to say three of my newly acquired fraternal brothers; however, the third roommate did not make it to the end of the process due to difficulties.

Thus began a year of this particular roommate simply being very unmindful.  He opted to make a proverbial nest in the living room, claiming the entire kitchen table and one of the two arm chairs, leaving the rest of us with the couch, a chair, and the coffee table for meals and company.

Now, that does not sound too bad, until you try cooking.  I quickly realized that my only counter space was literally a three foot square . The only available space was the coffee table, which was incredibly impractical for use as a kitchen table, crouching over whatever meal you have.

The most annoying fact was that my roommates and I did confront him about our issues.  He would either comply for about three days or simply refuse.

Luckily, after a full year of coping with such an annoyance, we were able to break the news that we were not going to room with him the next year due to all the issues mentioned.  Do not get me wrong, he was a great guy outside the room, but inside he never really cared about the sanity of his roommates.

This summer, I did the Oxford program ,where one of my roommates was lactose intolerant, with a strange infatuation of cheesy kabobs and ice cream.  He also had a lovely duck alarm that would go off at 6 a.m. every day, despite him not getting-up until 7:58 a.m. when we had to leave by 8.  Needless to say, his thoughtfulness was hard to find on more than one occasion. Not just that, but even after politely asking him to change his alarm, he would flip the script and become hostile, as if I had accused him of some treacherous horror.

This year has been much better, thankfully.  I am sure you all are thrilled to read that my new roommates are actually considerate.  One of my current roommates even came from the previous room I mentioned with the—for lack of a better word—slob.

The other two are both members of my RAT class and in the same fraternity too, giving us all the same common ground and a base understanding of how each other tick.

I certainly appreciate living in an environment where everything is clean and put away eventually.

I’m not trying to say you need to be obsessive about cleaning-up your belongings; rather, all I’m looking for is just the common courtesy we all deserve.

Dillon Roseen, fourth-year Public Policy and International Affairs major, serves as the student body president and leads the Student Government Association (SGA).

Having served previously as the SGA Vice President of Internal Affairs, Roseen plans on making changes to the internal structure of SGA in the hopes of better serving the student body.

Roseen has several ideas for the 2014-2015 school year and has worked with his team over the summer to make progress on several of these goals.

Technique: What do you think are the most important initiatives that you and Brandi will tackle this year?

Dillion Roseen: We plan to improve the student experience. One of the big goals we have this year is to use SGA as a vehicle to improve the student leaders within the organization as opposed to directly hiring leaders.

We have also restructured the executive branch to add a Leadership Endowment Chair.

We also focused on incorporating more of a service component for GT 1000 classes by creating philanthropy projects to promote more class unity and Tech traditions.

I also met with Drew Jacoby, the UGA Student Body President, and we discussed the relationship between Tech and UGA. We hope to promote more unity between the two schools, especially since we are the major research institutions in Georgia.

The goal is to focus on an “up with the white and gold” mentality instead of a “down with the red and black” mentality. Hopefully, we can maintain our rivalry on the football field and still be friendly.

Technique: What about your new job working with external affairs and students most excites you?

Roseen: I’m most excited to serve as the representation of what SGA is doing to improve the student experience.

At the end of the day, if we are doing something that is positive for the student body I think that is the most important thing. Whether or not SGA is recognized for that is secondary.

We also created a new communications team so people know that if they have concerns or comments they can come to us.

Currently, I’m excited to work with media groups and speak to the freshmen class, as I love sharing what SGA is doing for Tech and the student body.

Technique: One of the most interesting parts I thought about your campaign last year was that you promised to have a direct contact with the student body.

What kind of things do you plan on doing to follow through on this promise?

Roseen: We are developing a new website called “We the Students,” which is modeled after “We the People”, a White House petition forum where people can write about an issue. If that issue receives a certain amount of support from others, then it will be addressed by the White House.

The “We the Students” portal would be a way for students to showcase issues that are affecting them on different areas of campus; SGA would then respond to these issues on the portal. We plan on releasing the website at the end of this year for use next semester.

We are still trying to determine what level of student involvement will merit a response by SGA.

We also have a social media chair who plans on reaching out to students about the new website, while we can partner with other organizations to publicize the website as well.

Technique: Another initiative that stood out about your campaign was your plans for addressing sexual violence on campus.

What have you done this summer with regards to the sexual violence task force and what do you plan to do in the future?

Roseen: We worked a lot this summer on the sexual violence task force, and we created a list of recommendations to address this issue on campus. An ad hoc committee was also formed to make sure these recommendations are making progress throughout the year.

We have also planned for a video campaign to help use male voices as a way to combat sexual violence. As a campus with over 60 percent men, we have a unique opportunity to be a leading institution where the men can be a part of the solution.

Technique: Earlier, you had mentioned SGA’s online initiatives. What efforts have you done to improve SGA’s social presence?

Roseen: We’ve used Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter more to communicate with students while receiving feedback.

I’m not a big Reddit user myself, but it was really interesting to look at that thread, just because most of the comments there were so candid.

Technique: With regards to the academic calendar, what changes have you guys made, and when do you think they will be implemented?

Roseen: The progress for the academic white paper and the administration and staff are on board to going through the steps to implement these changes.

However, we do not have a specific date just yet. SGA continues to provide the student perspective that can be lost in administrative meetings. We work as partners with the administration who very receptive to concerns. The earliest changes will be made in the next couple of semesters.

The drop deadline and tweaking the dead week and finals week layout were very well received. Having a wrap around finals would give students a few days and another weekend to study for finals or just to relieve stress before taking exams.

Tech has a large variety of food options for students, with several different restaurants in walking distance of campus. Here are just a few places where you can get a quick, delicious meal.

WingNuts: With a vast array of boneless wings, burgers and gourmet wraps, WingNuts is the prime place to be on Wednesday nights, where one can receive a half pound of extra wings after ordering one pound. As Abhi Malhorta, a second-year IE major, says, “All of the wings are delicious. I personally recommend the cajun teriyaki wings and the chipotle ranch. They are all so good it’s hard to choose.”

The eatery, located on Marietta Street near the Engineer’s Bookstore, also delivers while staying open until 11:30 every night.

Satto Thai and Sushi: On West Campus near the Engineer’s Bookstore, Satto Thai and Sushi offers Thai and Japanese food at an affordable price. The perfect place for a date night or a night out with friends, the restaurant’s décor helps create the pleasant atmosphere. Known for the Pad See Ew and the Thai Iced Tea, the establishment has lunch specials until 3 p.m.

Raku: Raku Tonkotsu Ramen, a fairly new restaurant gracing Marietta Street, serves ramen noodles in a steamy, tasteful broth while completely upgrading the stereotypical college ramen experience.

Although the parking generally tends to remain crowded, the restaurant is in within walking distance of Tech so students can easily access the fresh Japanese food. Since ramen restaurants tend to be a rarity in Atlanta, Raku undoubtedly fills this void.

Thumbs Up Diner: Also located on Marietta Street, Thumbs Up Diner is “where breakfast is always served.” With regular customers frequenting the establishment weekly, Thumbs Up Diner’s build your own breakfast plate or omelet specials seem to be a consistent favorite. New customers must be aware that the diner is cash only, but there is an ATM located on the restaurant’s premises. Open at 7 a.m. on the weekdays and 8 a.m. on the weekends, Thumbs Up Diner definitely embodies a friendly ambience.

Silver Skillet: Established in 1956, the Silver Skillet serves up traditional Southern breakfast in an old-timey fashion. They serve diverse breakfast platters, sandwiches, and sides. The restaurant is located on 14th Street, but the slightly long walk from Tech is well worth the journey.

Since the eatery epitomizes Southern charm, individuals should not be surprised if there is a line out the door. With delicious corned beef hash and skillet country ham, the Silver Skillet also has been featured in multiple movies and the famous “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives” on the Food Channel.

Mary Mac’s: Another restaurant characterized by Southern charm, Mary Mac’s is officially declared Atlanta’s Dining Room. With traditional Southern dishes, such as fried okra and Georgia peach cobbler, the restaurant offers a complimentary Pot Likker cup to first-time visitors.

Throughout the restaurant, individuals will see various pictures of celebrities and public figures lining the walls further affirming the restaurant’s popularity. It is the perfect place to take parents, specifically out-of-towners, for a taste of Southern cuisine.

On October 1, 2014, the Tobacco and Smoke-Free Campus Policy will go in effect at Tech. The Board of Regents  approved the policy in March and is effective for all 31 public institutions in the University System.

This policy applies to all who step foot on campus—students, faculty, visitors, vendors, visiting athletes—and includes all products that contain tobacco including cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco and e-cigarettes.

All land owned by Tech is included in this ban, so people cannot smoke in cars if they are parked on campus. In addition, according to Rachael Pocklington of Institution Communications, the institute is also asking for the Greek community—whose properties are not owned by the Institute—to participate in the policy.

The Institute plans to use “Enforcement Light” to enact the policy.

“That’s just a model that relies on community support, not like direct action necessarily,” said Justin Eisenberg, Vice President of Campus Organizations in SGA. “So infractions will be handled for faculty through their direct managers and for students through the Office of Student Integrity (OSI) as needed the same way as any other kind of policy violation.”

The campus community as a whole will be responsible for upholding the policy through several channels, such as faculty, building managers and Housing, according to Pocklington.

While OSI will adjudicate infractions of the tobacco policy by students on most areas of campus, violations on campus housing will be handled through Housing’s separate disciplinary system.

“We’ll just treat it like another judicial case so you’ll keep getting documented [and have to attend] a conduct meeting,” said Mandy Garcia, housing director of the Harrison, Howell, and Cloudman housing complex.

According to Georgia Tech Police Captain Randy Barrone, GTPD will not be responsible for enforcement of the tobacco policy.

“Like any other campus policy, GTPD will not be involved unless behavior disrupts the peace or violates law,” Barrone said.

Another measure that administrators are taking is to better communicate the policy.

“One thing we’re doing is… to make sure to follow all the international symbols and so there shouldn’t be [questions about the policy],” said JulieAnne Williamson, Assistant Vice President for Administration and Finance.

Signs reminding students of the policy will be placed on buildings, yard signs and posters. Many campus Housing buildings have also begun to display posters.

The Institute is also covering the many ashtrays on campus to avoid sending mixed messages about the tobacco policy.

Stamps Health Services will offer services to support smokers who want to quit and those who do not.

Beginning in September, a certified American Lung Association professional will teach a smoking cessation class and students will be able to meet with health services to quite smoking.

“We understand that tobacco use is an addiction and we recognize that not everyone is ready or willing to quit,” said Vladimir Oge, Director of Health Promotion.

Tech students have mixed opinions regarding this new policy.  According to a survey conducted in February, there was a 47.43 percent to 48.27 percent split between respondents who support and oppose the ban, respectively.

Most respondents felt strongly about the policy with 32.45 percent of students strongly supporting the ban and 32.51 percent strongly opposing it.

“I think it’s kind  of harsh to put a ban on everyone… it might be better to have maybe some designated smoking spots,” said Ho-Kyung Kim, a third year CHBE. “A lot of people…. use smoking as a way to relax and socialize.  Yes, smoking is bad for you but I think since it’s their choice, why not give some spots [or] areas where they can smoke in peace without harming others?”

From May 14 to July 15, the Starbucks located in Barnes and Noble at Tech Square was under a $300,000-400,000 renovation and it is now open for business.

“It’s actually part of our contract with Starbucks; every ten years you need to renovate the space,” said Rebecca Burke, Café manager of this Starbucks location.  This improvement marks the first ten years this location has been open; Starbucks as well as Barnes and Noble were one of the first stores that served the campus when Technology Square was completed in 2003.

“We put in new features such as…. The Wall of Chill, an open-face cooler.  It’s actually a new appliance for Starbucks; not many stores have those period,” Burke said.

The purpose of this in-wall refrigerator is to give customers access to this store’s rapidly expanding food options such as sandwiches, bistro boxes, and salads.  Other improvements include removing a half wall to put in more seating and removing a dropped ceiling.

In planning the renovation, this Starbucks considered the opening of a new location on Spring Street that replaces the Arby’s, tentatively scheduled for October 2014.  While this location has a license with Barnes and Noble and Georgia Tech, the new location is owned directly by the Starbucks Corporation.

“When we get a competitor so close, we want to make sure we’re as beautiful as possible,” Burke said.

While the two Starbucks will offer similar menu items, the location on Spring Streett will have a drive-thru and primarily attract morning commuters.  This renovation establishes the Georgia Tech location specifically as a space for studying and meetings.  “We’re focused on serving the campus and the direct community surrounding us,” Burke said.

More seating options are offered to better serve the campus customers, which consist mostly of faculty, staff, and graduate students, along with students of the nearby College of Business.  Groups can choose to sit at one of the stationary community tables or combine the small, two-person tables.

“Before it was set up more lounge-driven with the couches and chairs and now it’s a bit more intentional with productive studying,” Burke said.

Regular patrons appreciate how new floor plan is more welcoming and conducive to productivity.

“It seems more open and what I mean by open I mean I like the feel to it and then environment. whereas before it felt like more gloomy”, said Jarrett Smith, a frequent consumer.  “The tables were smaller and flimsy.”

“I think it’s nice… It’s much more beautiful,” said Dr. Johnson Kakeau, a former Economics professor at Georgia Tech and current Assistant Professor at Morehouse College.This new renovation also addresses safety concerns.

“I used to find a lot of homeless people here,” said Jarrett Smith, a frequent consumer. “It’s not as easy to find a sofa to fall asleep on because it’s not set up that way.”

According to Burke, most people are just happy that the Starbucks is up and running again.

Fresh Squared is a new menu option that will be launched at Woodruff Dining Hall starting this fall semester.   An official tasting was held Wednesday, July 22.

“We’re not renovating the current Woodruff,” said Ericlee Reed, the Residence Dining Executive Chef, referring to Georgia Tech’s plan to build a new West Campus dining hall in 2017.  While the actual construction has not been planned yet, money from the existing budget has been allocated to improving food quality.  “It’s going to have a different feel in flavor from its look and the menu and presentation.

This new program will feature distinct lunch and dinner menus. “We’re still going to have your favorites but we’re trying to expand the offerings at these stations.” said Brian Losonsky, the Resident Dining Director.  For example, the deli option at the Wednesday preview consisted of a choice between two specialty sandwiches that already served on a plate along with the pre-existing salad bar.

In addition, Woodruff will be using more local ingredients in its food.  “Right now we buy about 45% local, ”Reed said.  They now plan is to source 65% of produce and meats from local providers.  For example, a salad served on the day of the tasting consisted of hydroponic and pesticide-free lettuce from the R & G Farm in Dublin, Georgia.

“We took a different approach to traditional residence dining,” Reed said.  “Instead of seeing a lot of pans and a lot of salads just on ice (referring to the current, buffet-style layout) we’re actually doing more individual style plates.”  Students can expect to see one fully complete portion at each menu station in the dining hall, such as a ready-made hamburger or sandwich.

In addition, the menu will offer a wider variety of items offered on frequent rotation. “Not every day you’ll get a hamburger, grilled cheese sandwich, or a quesadilla,” Reed said, referring to the current hot food options offered in dining halls for lunch, dinner, and past midnight on a daily basis. “You might only see the fresh hamburgers twice a week… but you will see is that Purdue chicken breast that was raised down in Peach County, Georgia.  You will see a couscous-chickpea patty instead of a frozen product.”

At the tasting, the lunch option from the grill consisted of a chipotle grilled chicken breast sandwich, while at dinner students could choose from an angus burger or a grilled three cheese and apples entrée.  Vegan options were also offered.  Students seemed ambivalent about the quality of food served.   “The burgers were better… I think the buns were not as stale,” said Henry Leung, a second year computer science major.  “[but] I think my taste buds have been addled with poor quality food for the entire semester.”

The primary goal for this new initiative is to improve the overall quality of the West Campus dining experience.   “Woodruff has all its residents living around it so the goal is to make it more like a neighborhood feel and a place where people want to go spend time here, not just eat,” Losonsky said.

A team of Georgia Tech graduate students represented the Southeast region in the National Clean Energy Business Plan competition from June 11 to 12 in Washington, DC after winning the ACC Clean Energy Challenge on March 26.  Their idea, called “Energy Internet,” will try to transform the existing power grid to adjust to the increasing amounts of civilian-produced renewable energy.

Due to their success in the regional competition, they won a $100,000 cash prize and  participate in this summer’s NSF Innovation Corps program, where they will further develop their concept for commercialization.

This idea was a cross-disciplinary effort: The student team consisted of graduate students Jennifer Howard, Marcelo Sandoval, and Mitch Costley, from the ECE department and Eric Crane from the BA department.  In addition, a team of four faculty members assisted the students: led by Dr. Santiago Grijalva from the ECE department, they include ECE professors Magnus Egerstedt and Marilyn Wolf and ISYE professor Shabbir Ahmad.

“Energy Internet is developing a software platform as a service to solve several key problems that electric utilities face today,” said Costely.  Existing infrastructure is unable to handle renewable energy devices such as electric vehicle chargers and solar panels.  These individuals who are able to produce and store this energy are called “prosumers.“ Power companies are currently concerned about losing revenue due to the increase of resident-generated power.

“It may actually help them transition to a different paradigm not built upon electricity as a commodity which is just on megawatts but a paradigm where the industry works as a service,” said Dr. Grijalva.  This group envisions a future where this energy can be exchanged between consumers and utility companies.  By doing away with centralized energy distribution increased grid reliability and sustainability can be reached.

This project is funded by a $2,000,000 an ARPA-E research grant from the Department of Energy. “It is a special agency…that funds high-risk, high-reward projects like ours,” said Howard.

What distinguishes the Energy Internet project from other ARPA-E-funded projects is that all involved members are associated with the Institute.  “Because the availability of resources and experts within Georgia Tech, we were able to have a Georgia Tech only project and that facilitated coordination allows us tremendous speed in moving forward.  [We have] access to world-class researchers and students that can work on these challenging problems,” said Grijalva.

“So that grant ends in December and after that we’ll be starting a company to continue that work,” said Howard.  After this year, they will form a start-up called ProsumerGrid and work closely with ATDC in Tech Square to develop their business.

“We look to make small changes in the ways systems [are] controlled at first,” said Costley.  “But once we keep going in that direction 10 to 15 years from now [the industry will]  look different.”

After the hell-dead-finals marathon, I had only a measly week to recover before jumping back into the fire.  I didn’t have an exotic location like Europe to look forward to nor a big-kid co-op or internship.  Instead, my relaxing getaway was up 285 and through 400 in the suburbs of Alpharetta.  Little did I know, after one year of visiting home for laundry and real food I forgot how to function like a member of society. Maybe, I was actually a tourist and not the local.

The first thing I noticed was that I didn’t know how to dress and blend in.  My sister reminded me that I could not step out in public wearing the same Sting Break t-shirt I wore throughout finals week that smelled like a mixture between tears and Chik-fi-la. High schoolers apparently took upwards to an hour in the morning to straighten hair and put on carefully coordinated outfits to impress people they see for approximately 175 days each year.  It’s like they spent their entire day in an air-conditioned building, sheltered from a hot Georgia sun or formidable hill.

I also felt this weird sense of freedom.  Finally, I could try that new gluten-free bakery that opened up or see old friends and visit my school.  I could spend money at the mall on pretty things instead of my next caffeine fix.  But of course those days of sleeping at 2 and waking up for an 8:00 AM class took a toll on me; I slept until 10 and spent the rest of the day on Netflix. Still, it’s so liberating to watch episode after episode of Parks and Recreation without feeling like I’m taking away time from memorizing organic reactions.

Forget any scientific innovation that takes place within Tech, I discovered that other people exist!  When I went to my town’s huge food festival, I saw more than slightly drunk and clueless young adults and the occasional tenured faculty.  I saw moms with babies on leashes, teens playing on stage with musical dreams, and people that I could still recognize after a year of white and gold.  They wanted to know what the big city was like, but I was more interested in what replaced the Italian ice place that shut down or which math teacher got fired.

After living by numbers like test grades and formulas, it was eye-opening to see how life goes on.  How April 30, 2014 was not I dreaded because of two finals, but it was just a forgettable work day for adults in this town or a fun time for kindergarteners at my old elementary school.  That yes, some day I’ll graduate this school with a degree and join the rat race without a care about that one grade in that one class that one year.

But then, Sunday came and I was more than ready to hit the books rather than “next episode.”  Once I knew every pothole in that town, but it’s time to acquaint myself with every squirrel in Midtown.  The 9-to-5 and PTA meetings can wait because I’m only starting to call this place my home.

In the past decade, the people of the United States have shown an increasing interest in foreign television shows. The British shows Doctor Who and Sherlock, among others, have seen great success in the U.S. as well as in their home country.

Shows such as Rookie Blue and Degrassi from Canada are aired on regular television in the United States. With the growing availability of on-demand video streaming sites such as Hulu, this international awareness is to be expected.

A curious point about this viewing trend is that interest seems to go country by country. Awareness of shows grew from just what is produced for American viewers to Canadian shows then even to encompass the United Kingdom’s entertainment industry.

Only recently did this nationwide interest in international television shows start to include the last large English-speaking country, Australia.

The Fox network aired an adaptation of the Australian show Rake last January. Though not actually an Australian show, this could spark interest in the original or inspire viewers to look up what a real Australian television show is like instead of watching an American spin-off.

Once interested in Australian shows, they are not particularly hard to find. Locating the shows that are still pertinent does, however, provide more of a challenge.

Like in the United States, there are plenty of shows that failed in their first season, such as The Strip, or are in an indefinite hiatus that could easily be accepted as cancellation, such as Lush House.

These doomed shows are easier to find online than the shows that are currently being aired in Australia. After finding a suitably prevalent series, a curious viewer can sit back and enjoy the novelty of foreign accents and cultures.

One such series, A Moody Christmas, premiered in Australia during October 2012. ABC Television (Australian Broadcasting Company) started to air season two earlier this year. The network announced that season two will be available to American viewers via Hulu before the end of spring but have yet to set a specific date.

Each episode of A Moody Christmas shows consecutive Christmases at the Moody house. The show focuses on Dan Moody (Ian Meadows), a photographer who spends the rest of the year in Europe. This means that the audience gets to see about as much of the Moody family as Dan does.

Each episode makes it rather obvious that Dan does not keep in touch with his family. This does tend to stretch the plausibility of the plot points, such as a love story that spans six years and is still not resolved because they only ever seem to talk to each other at Christmas time. The viewer is left to wonder why Dan does not simply give up and stay in the UK.

Even with oddities introduced by skipping a year each episode, A Moody Christmas is still worth seeing. It introduces cultural differences such as having an outdoor barbeque for Christmas because it is summertime, wearing paper crowns and other, subtler differences. It is worth noting that airports apparently look the same in any country.

Unlike in the United States, Australia does not have a particular schedule for when seasons are to begin, though a new season is rarely started during their summer months (December, January and February). While British seasons (called series) last around ten episodes (notably Sherlock has only three each series) and American seasons have somewhere between 20 and 25 episodes, Australian seasons typically show 13 episodes before waiting for the next year.