Last Day of Freedom

Not much has been going on this week.  Mostly relaxing and getting used to living in Sydney.  

I wandered around campus today with my friend Laura and we found the buildings that all of our classes are in.  I also finally took my camera around.  This campus is gorgeous and a lot of the buildings look like castles.  There is also a really cool graffiti tunnel that we went to see where everyone spray paints on the inside.  While we were there, we actually got to see some guys adding to the walls.

For the last day of freedom before classes start, a few of my friends and I went down to one of the beaches near us called Coogee Beach.  Its still really cold here but the sun came out while we were there and it turned into a really nice day.  Its been raining a lot recently but it finally cleared up today!  

There is a walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach which is supposed to be gorgeous.  We didn't do the entire walk, which takes about 2 hours, but we went about 30 minutes down and then walked back.  The entire walk was really pretty and there were some nice rocks and cliffs that we were able to climb on that had amazing views.  It was a really fun trip and only about half an hour from campus!

The Graffiti Tunnel on campus

The Quad

The Sydney skyline as seen from the Quad

Sydney skyline from campus

Coogee Beach

Pride Rock?

Gordon's Bay (next to Coogee Beach)

What have I been learning?

I've been learning a lot since I got here so I thought I would share some of it:

1. Goon = boxed wine (which is very popular because all other alcohol is super expensive here)

2. Skunk = to chug (i.e. to skunk a beer is to chug a beer)

3. Uni = University

4. Variation = add / drop week (which I am working on now)

5. BYO = bring your own alcohol (most restaurants in Sydney actually advertise that they are BYO)

6. The streets will tell you which way to look (i.e. Look Right -->)

7. Spiders are huge here! I saw my first one the other day... They are really scary!  Luckily it was outside so I just ran away.

8. Birds are not scared of humans.  Multiple times I have been walking on the sidewalk and they will fly towards me instead of away from me.

9. Everything happens earlier here.  People go out earlier, people come home earlier.

10. Gelato > Ice Cream.  There are gelato stores everywhere here and a lot less ice cream shops.  And some of the flavours have really funny names.

Internet Access!

Today we had another day of orientation and they finally gave us our log in information for the internet!  Its really nice being able to go online again.  I haven't had internet since I left the U.S.

Not much else happened today.  Still getting settled in and getting used to everything.

We got our classes but I have to change my schedule a bit.  Actual classes don't start until Monday July 30.

Going Off to Uni

Saturday we had the day to wander on our own.  A few girls from the program and I went down to a market place and explored Darling Harbour.  The market was huge and really cool and the harbor was pretty.  That night, we went on a dinner cruise around the Harbours.  The views were gorgeous but the boat rocked a lot and by the end I was getting a bit nauseous.

We finally moved into our dorms yesterday (Sunday).  I am in a 5 bedroom apartment with my friend Bekah from Emory and 3 guys.  One of the guys is a study abroad student from Penn State, and the other 2 are Australian.  Don't know much else about them right now but they seem pretty nice.  The rooms are nice and big but very cold.  The housing does not have heating so the rooms are always really cold.  University here is just called Uni.  There is also a lot of other slang that I'm trying to get used to.

I've made a lot of friends (mostly from my study abroad trip).  Everyone I've met so far is really nice and we've all been getting along. 

We had our first day of orientation today.  It was kinda boring.  We still haven't received our log in information so I'm stuck with no internet.  I haven't had internet since I got to Australia (which is why all my posts are going up at once).  I'm supposed to be getting my log in information tomorrow though!

Darling Harbour

Views from the roof of the hostel

Views from the roof of the hostel

Views from the roof of the hostel

Orientation Day 2

Today we spent the day out at the Blue Mountains (mountains about 2 hours outside of Sydney) and Featherdale Wildlife Park.

The wildlife park was awesome!  We got to pet koalas and kangaroos.  They also had tasmanian devils, wombats, wallabies, etc.  They even had an albino kangaroo and an albino peacock (pictures below).

After that, we went to the Blue Mountains.  We started at the top of the mountain range and hiked all the way down to the bottom.  We got to see the Three Sisters (picture below) as well as other Australian plants and animals including white cockatoos.  We had a tour guide who was ok, but very quiet so I missed a lot of what he was saying.  At the bottom of the mountain, we got onto a cableway and road to the top.  The sign said it was at a 52º angle, but it felt more like 90º.  The car looked like a roller coaster with a caged in roof and sides and seats that slanted down.  It was really cool to ride on but also a bit scary.

To end the day, we went to an Aboriginal Museum.  We got to paint our own boomerang!  Unfortunately my art skills are lacking so mine didn't turn out very well.  We also got to watch some Aboriginals dance and sing and play the didgeridoo.

It was a really fun day but I'm tired.  It's been hard to adjust to the time change because, since its winter, the sun sets really early (about 6 pm) and they are making us get up at about 7 every day.

Because Beef Jerky didn't sound gross enough...

The Three Sisters

Pretty scenery

The Three Sisters from the view at the top of the mountain

It was really steep!

Koala!

Making Kangaroo friends

An albino kangaroo

An albino peacock

Orientation Day 1

It is officially the end of a very long day.

After a 2 hour plane delay in Chicago and a 4 hour layover in LA, I boarded my flight to Sydney.  I was sitting in the middle of a row between my friend, Bekah, and another girl who would be going to the University of Sydney with me.  I also met some girls in Chicago who were going on the same program as me but a different school in Sydney.  The flight from LA to Sydney was not as bad as I expected.  The first few hours were long but I watched a few movies.  I then slept for about 6 hours, waking up in time to watch the plane cross the international date line (the monitors had maps with the date line marked).  I passed the last few hours watching movies and How I Met Your Mother.  Overall it was a pretty good flight and the flight attendants and service was really good.

Arriving at the airport, I was met by people from the program and as a huge group we drove over to the youth hostel that we are staying at.  It is in a part of Sydney called The Rocks and is about a 2 minute walk from the harbor.  I've never stayed in a youth hostel before but I think this one is pretty nice.  It has a roof top balcony with an amazing view of the Sydney Opera House, Bridge, and Harbor.  I got some really nice pictures up there!

After some info sessions and a lunch, our group of about 45 students split into 2 groups to go on walking tours of Sydney.  This was a 3 hour tour and we saw a lot!  The tour guide really liked telling us about all of the hangings that occurred and how Australia started and was funded through prisoners and criminals.  We got to see some really cool sites including the Sydney Opera House, Harbor Bridge, Botanical Gardens, and the Sydney Tower.  The tour guide also showed us underground Sydney (the city has a maze of underground roads that are mostly shops and restaurants).  In the botanical gardens, we saw kookaburra birds sitting on a gum tree (like the song: "Kookaburra sits on an old gum tree")

For dinner, we went to a restaurant and had pizza.  They served us kangaroo pizza and I actually tried some.  It wasn't too bad.  It tasted a lot like beef but a bit stronger.

I am really liking it here.  I've met quite a few people who I really like and will be going to school with this semester.  From what I can tell, it sounds like a lot of us will be living in the Sydney University Village apartments together.  Thats all for now.  Its early but I haven't slept in a while and we have to be up at 7 am to go to the Blue Mountains.

The Sydney Opera House

Kookaburras in a Gumtree

The city skyline

I'm leaving on a jet plane

After many hours of packing, unpacking, and repacking (and a few last minute crises), I am finally ready to go.

But what does leaving entail?  The answer is: approximately 32 hours of traveling.  From the time I leave my house on the morning of July 17 to the time I land in Sydney on the morning of July 19 (yes there is a day missing there that will never exist!), I will spend a total of 21 hours on planes and 10 1/2 hours sitting around in airports.  The flight from LA to Sydney itself will take about 15 hours.  It will be a very long couple of days.

However, I am traveling on a group flight so I will be flying with my friend that is going to school with me as well as other students on the program.  It will be cool to meet other people before we actually get to Australia.

It still has not really hit me that I am leaving in less than 24 hours.  I've been waiting for it to sink in all day and it still has not.  It will probably hit me tomorrow at the Pittsburgh airport.

Once I get to Australia, I don't know what the internet will be like.  I'll try to update once I'm there but I'm not sure when I'll get a chance.

Where am I going?

Ever since I was little, I've wanted to visit Australia.  Each year when my dad would ask where we wanted to go for vacation I would immediately suggest Australia, but we never went there.  So now, as a Junior in college, I have decided to explore the country that I have always wanted to see.

This blog will be my way of letting everyone know what I am up to.  I've never kept a blog before, so I'm not sure how this will go.  I'll try to keep it up to date, but I'm not making any promises.

Now if you're wondering where I'm going: I will be living in Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, and taking classes at the University of Sydney.  I will be living in an apartment in a university owned apartment complex.  I am lucky enough to be living with one of my friends who will be traveling with me, Bekah.  We will be living in a 5 person apartment, but do not know who the other 3 residents are at the moment.

That's all for now.  More to come as my departure nears.