I've just returned from my final trip within Australia, which was to see the Great Barrier Reef. 3 friends and I visited Cairns and Fitzroy Island for the weekend to go scuba diving, snorkeling, and do other reef activities. I was super pumped to scuba BUT since I've used my inhaler within the past 3 years, I was not allowed to go. Needless to say, I was completely bummed. I got to snorkel in the reef though which was beyond words. It is so beautiful and complex and we got to see a ton of fish. The boat cruise was pretty relaxing as well... there were built in hammocks off the back of the boat and we chilled back there on the ride back to Cairns. I didn't take as many pictures as usual, but I'll borrow from the others and hopefully get you all a good picture of my weekend. That night we walked along the Esplanade in Cairns and found a really cute playground to play on, plus a bunch of shops and stuff.
Sunday we woke up bright and early to go to the casino which has a zoo in the top, and we each held a 2-year-old koala named Pelita. She was absolutely adorable and fuzzy haha. Koalas have some mean claws though and Pelita definitely clawed at my sunburned shoulders, but I pretty much didn't care because, come on, I was holding a koala! After that we took a boat called the Thunderbolt to Fitzroy Island. It's an adventure boat that has like 1000 horsepower strapped to the back, so if you sit up front it's a very bumpy ride. Obviously I sat right in the first row! It was so awesome and roller coaster-like haha. Our day on Fitzroy was really chill and relaxing. 2 of my friends went snorkeling while me and one of the girls rented a 2-person kayak and then hiked to where the other two were snorkeling. We didn't have time for another hike before we caught the Thunderbolt again so we decided to just chill on the beach and swim. The beach was very disheartening though because it was covered in massive amounts of dead coral. I took a couple pieces with me... hopefully they make it back to the States. Once back in Cairns, we were pretty exhausted and had a 6:20 flight to catch the next morning so we just ate and showered and packed.
I had an amazing weekend and it was probably the best way to go out. We only have 4 weekends left, so I'll probably spend them all in Sydney. I still have to go to the Opera House and other Sydney sites. I'm going to a concert and a huge festival this weekend which I'm really excited for. Tomorrow is the Melbourne Cup, which is like the Kentucky Derby, so while I have work, everyone pretty much celebrates all day and no real work gets done. I have to write a paper though, so it should be interesting.
I'm definitely missing home, but I'm also not ready to leave. There are things that make me homesick a bit, but then there's so much here that it's hard to want one more than the other. I got to watch American football on the flight home this morning so that was awesome because I miss that a ton lol. It makes me sad that this is ending so soon though. I'm so afraid of not making the most of it... granted I've done so much already, but I feel like there is so much more here I could do. I'm trying to make a checklist for my last month here, but it'll be really hard to narrow down!
Monday, November 5, 2007
Friday, October 19, 2007
from desert safari to concrete jungle...
Hey everyone! I know it's been a long while, but so much has been going on lately. Last week was spring break for us and my friends and I were in safari in the Outback. We slept outside and camped and basically did everything that none of you would ever expect me to be able to handle lol. It was funny also how I could handle the heat better than everyone else because it was just over 100 with some humidity, just like DC in August, and many of my friends are from the west coast so they're only used to dry heat. Go figure.
I don't really know what to write about the outback... I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but I'm going to steal all my friends' pictures haha so they should be up soon. I guess I could give some highlights -- we went to Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon which are rock formations that have special significance to a number of Aboriginal tribes. We hiked around and through all 3, and in Kings Canyon we swam in a lagoon called the "garden of eden" which was spectacular. Unfortunately, one of my friends fell down a staircase there and now she's on crutches with a torn ligament in her knee. And I had to put my lifeguarding skills to use because another of my friends decided to go in even though he can't really swim. Scary moments, but overall everyone still had fun. We watched sunset and sunrise at the first two places and it wasn't as breathtaking as they hyped it up to be, but lovely nonetheless.
We were awake around 4:45 every morning and started going to bed around 10 or 11 after dinner around the campfire. I didn't usually get to sleep until around 12 or 1 though which made for many naps during our drives throughout the day. Plus, the second night we were sleeping outside and I had just passed out when it suddenly poured down rain. By the time my friend and I made it back to the only covered area in our campsite, though, the rain had stopped! It was the craziest thing ever. A bunch of BU kids and German couples all huddling in the dinner/picnic area haha. We all had a great time though and I'm so glad I did it.
After that, the original group of 5 (see earlier posts) including me took the Ghan, a famous train here, down to Adelaide. It was a 24 hour train ride, and I have no idea how we got through it. Again, this wasn't as great as they had hyped it up to be but we definitely found ways to keep occupied. I don't think I've played so many card games in my life haha. Once we got to Adelaide, we were put up in a really awesome hostel, and I was excited to be back in a city. That was short-lived though -- the next day we left for another camping trip in Kangaroo Island. Unlike the outback, Kangaroo Island was FREEZING. Plus, it wasn't as high impact as far as hiking and being outside all day.
One thing we got to do there that was AMAZING was sandboarding. It's a lot like snowboarding only you stay low to the ground and can't turn as much because you have to use your hands to guide. When you first go down, they make you sit on the board and it's not expected to go too fast, but once you get speed it's crazy. So a couple of the boys went first and then none of the girls wanted to do it, so I volunteered. The boys had gotten no speed but I knew better so I expected to go somewhat fast. So I get on the board and freaking FLEW down the sand dune and I was so proud of myself and then for some reason I think I readjusted and dug the front part of the board into the sand, and I nosedived right into the dune. It was crazy... I had sand in every pocket and all over my face, hair, hands, and I had a nosebleed haha. Everyone at the top told me it looked ridiculously painful and no one wanted to watch, but amazingly I was in pretty much no pain and I was just cracking up. They got scared because I sat there in shock for awhile so I guess it looked like I was hurt. I wish I had a picture or video of it or something because that would've been amazing! I took videos of my friends, but they have them so I don't know if I can post them. I highly suggest sandboarding if you can find somewhere to do it.
We saw a ton of animals on our trip as well -- kangaroos, emus, camels, steer, koalas. We went somewhere to see platypuses but they rarely come out. I ended up sitting too long apparently because I got 3 spider bites while I was out there. They swelled up like crazy and when I got back they had to put me on steroid pills lol. I have a couple other "battle scars" as well. One day when we were cutting down trees for firewood, a branch fell on me and scratched my leg, and then of course I had a couple bruises from sandboarding. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and seriously if you can find a way to make it out here at some point in your life, go to the outback.
Our flight landed at 8:30 last Monday morning and then I had class at 1. It's been hard trying to recover from spring break, start classes, and then start our new internships. Tuesday was my first day at a PR firm in North Sydney. It is part of a larger network of digital, PR, and ad agencies, so there are offices all over the world. So far everyone likes my work and I'm doing a lot of entry level stuff. The managing director already talked to me about setting me up with some contacts back in the States and alluded to the possibility of a career within the international network. Not bad for my third day! I get to help out on an event later this week for a huge tech firm and I'm also working on a few other large accounts. It's not the most glamorous job, but I hope in the coming weeks I can really get my ideas on the map.
Sydney really feels like home now, especially going to work every day and after we got back from spring break. It's going to be so difficult going back to the States. I've talked to my bosses at Housing and I'll probably go back to Boston a week earlier than I had originally planned so that I can ease into it and get set up and everything. I'm still a little sad I couldn't work out travel directly after Sydney. A majority of my friends are traveling around NZ, Fiji, and other places over here right after the program ends, but I'll be going straight back to LA to look at USC. I'm still considering law school, though maybe not for awhile. I may also look into business school while I'm there. I have to see how this internship goes because it's changing my career plans once again. Plus, if I end up staying with this company after graduation, that would change a lot of things as well. Who knows... just playing it by ear for now.
Well, I probably could go on forever, but this gives you a decent idea of what's up here. Everything is going so well and this is definitely the best decision I've made in my life so far, hands down. Too bad now I want to travel everywhere and I do not have that kind of money haha. I only have 6 more weeks, which I don't want to think about because I can't imagine this ending. I'm gonna enjoy it though -- I'm heading to Cairns in a couple of weeks to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef, hold some koalas, and chill out in the rainforest of Cape Tribulation. Plus there's a lot of stuff in Sydney I haven't done yet -- I'm going to a concert, probably an opera, the aquarium, plus all the beaches. It's still good to hear from all of you, even though I'm sometimes horrible at responding, so I hope you all are doing well :)
I don't really know what to write about the outback... I didn't take as many pictures as I should have, but I'm going to steal all my friends' pictures haha so they should be up soon. I guess I could give some highlights -- we went to Uluru, Kata Tjuta and Kings Canyon which are rock formations that have special significance to a number of Aboriginal tribes. We hiked around and through all 3, and in Kings Canyon we swam in a lagoon called the "garden of eden" which was spectacular. Unfortunately, one of my friends fell down a staircase there and now she's on crutches with a torn ligament in her knee. And I had to put my lifeguarding skills to use because another of my friends decided to go in even though he can't really swim. Scary moments, but overall everyone still had fun. We watched sunset and sunrise at the first two places and it wasn't as breathtaking as they hyped it up to be, but lovely nonetheless.
We were awake around 4:45 every morning and started going to bed around 10 or 11 after dinner around the campfire. I didn't usually get to sleep until around 12 or 1 though which made for many naps during our drives throughout the day. Plus, the second night we were sleeping outside and I had just passed out when it suddenly poured down rain. By the time my friend and I made it back to the only covered area in our campsite, though, the rain had stopped! It was the craziest thing ever. A bunch of BU kids and German couples all huddling in the dinner/picnic area haha. We all had a great time though and I'm so glad I did it.
After that, the original group of 5 (see earlier posts) including me took the Ghan, a famous train here, down to Adelaide. It was a 24 hour train ride, and I have no idea how we got through it. Again, this wasn't as great as they had hyped it up to be but we definitely found ways to keep occupied. I don't think I've played so many card games in my life haha. Once we got to Adelaide, we were put up in a really awesome hostel, and I was excited to be back in a city. That was short-lived though -- the next day we left for another camping trip in Kangaroo Island. Unlike the outback, Kangaroo Island was FREEZING. Plus, it wasn't as high impact as far as hiking and being outside all day.
One thing we got to do there that was AMAZING was sandboarding. It's a lot like snowboarding only you stay low to the ground and can't turn as much because you have to use your hands to guide. When you first go down, they make you sit on the board and it's not expected to go too fast, but once you get speed it's crazy. So a couple of the boys went first and then none of the girls wanted to do it, so I volunteered. The boys had gotten no speed but I knew better so I expected to go somewhat fast. So I get on the board and freaking FLEW down the sand dune and I was so proud of myself and then for some reason I think I readjusted and dug the front part of the board into the sand, and I nosedived right into the dune. It was crazy... I had sand in every pocket and all over my face, hair, hands, and I had a nosebleed haha. Everyone at the top told me it looked ridiculously painful and no one wanted to watch, but amazingly I was in pretty much no pain and I was just cracking up. They got scared because I sat there in shock for awhile so I guess it looked like I was hurt. I wish I had a picture or video of it or something because that would've been amazing! I took videos of my friends, but they have them so I don't know if I can post them. I highly suggest sandboarding if you can find somewhere to do it.
We saw a ton of animals on our trip as well -- kangaroos, emus, camels, steer, koalas. We went somewhere to see platypuses but they rarely come out. I ended up sitting too long apparently because I got 3 spider bites while I was out there. They swelled up like crazy and when I got back they had to put me on steroid pills lol. I have a couple other "battle scars" as well. One day when we were cutting down trees for firewood, a branch fell on me and scratched my leg, and then of course I had a couple bruises from sandboarding. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and seriously if you can find a way to make it out here at some point in your life, go to the outback.
Our flight landed at 8:30 last Monday morning and then I had class at 1. It's been hard trying to recover from spring break, start classes, and then start our new internships. Tuesday was my first day at a PR firm in North Sydney. It is part of a larger network of digital, PR, and ad agencies, so there are offices all over the world. So far everyone likes my work and I'm doing a lot of entry level stuff. The managing director already talked to me about setting me up with some contacts back in the States and alluded to the possibility of a career within the international network. Not bad for my third day! I get to help out on an event later this week for a huge tech firm and I'm also working on a few other large accounts. It's not the most glamorous job, but I hope in the coming weeks I can really get my ideas on the map.
Sydney really feels like home now, especially going to work every day and after we got back from spring break. It's going to be so difficult going back to the States. I've talked to my bosses at Housing and I'll probably go back to Boston a week earlier than I had originally planned so that I can ease into it and get set up and everything. I'm still a little sad I couldn't work out travel directly after Sydney. A majority of my friends are traveling around NZ, Fiji, and other places over here right after the program ends, but I'll be going straight back to LA to look at USC. I'm still considering law school, though maybe not for awhile. I may also look into business school while I'm there. I have to see how this internship goes because it's changing my career plans once again. Plus, if I end up staying with this company after graduation, that would change a lot of things as well. Who knows... just playing it by ear for now.
Well, I probably could go on forever, but this gives you a decent idea of what's up here. Everything is going so well and this is definitely the best decision I've made in my life so far, hands down. Too bad now I want to travel everywhere and I do not have that kind of money haha. I only have 6 more weeks, which I don't want to think about because I can't imagine this ending. I'm gonna enjoy it though -- I'm heading to Cairns in a couple of weeks to scuba dive in the Great Barrier Reef, hold some koalas, and chill out in the rainforest of Cape Tribulation. Plus there's a lot of stuff in Sydney I haven't done yet -- I'm going to a concert, probably an opera, the aquarium, plus all the beaches. It's still good to hear from all of you, even though I'm sometimes horrible at responding, so I hope you all are doing well :)
Monday, October 1, 2007
It's pronounced Mel-bin... and welcome to crunch time!
Yep, it's pronounce Mel-bin, not Mel-born. But it was absolutely amazing! If Sydney were New York, Melbourne would be DC only funkier. I think it would be a great place to spend a week or two, but Sydney is definitely the place to be for an entire semester. Apparently, Melbourne is the graffiti capital of the world, and I took a ton of pictures of it. I'm actually going to write a paper on the graffiti scene and how it plays into such a planned city. They modeled Melbourne off of Paris and DC in terms of gridding and everything, which was very obvious in the way the street cafes and actual grids were set up. It felt a bit like home (not enough to make me homesick though! lol) and sometimes reminded me of little laneways in Florence. I also went on a trip along the Great Ocean Road and it was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. The beaches here are sooooo much better than home! Plus, there are rock formations that have been carved out by the waves and wind. One of them is called the 12 Apostles because there are 12 varying formations along the coastline. My friends and I went in a helicopter ride over them! Sometimes I still can't believe I'm here doing all these things... life has been so surreal since I got here. There is some drama among people here and schoolwork and stuff which bring it back down to earth occasionally, but all-in-all I'm living in a dream, I swear!
This weekend I went to Manly Beach for the Jazz Festival and we spent the entire day listening to great bands and walking along the beach. That night was the huge rugby game between Manly and Melbourne, and even though Manly lost, it was still cool to be in Manly to watch it all play out. They had a giant outdoor screen and we were able to bring a six-pack down to the beach and watch from there, then watch the waves roll in during the commercial breaks haha. It's like the super bowl for them, so it was a BIG deal. Later, my friends and I went back down to the beach and we had wondered where the moon was... suddenly we saw this huge red glow in the distance and we thought a boat was on fire or something. No, it was the moon coming up along the horizon in a blazing orange color. It was insane and beautiful and I don't think my pictures do it justice.
Now I'm back in school mode for finals week. We pretty much run on quarters here, so I have 2 exams and 2 papers this week. I wish it still didn't feel like vacation because I'm having difficulty finding the motivation to do my work (yikes!). I'm going to work all day today and tomorrow to get the papers done though because then I have to study for exams, prepare for my interview, and now we have a networking event on Wednesday with some local uni students, so that cuts more of our time. Sunday I leave for spring break (yes SPRING break because it's spring here... sorry to keep confusing people on this lol). Originally there was 6 of us going, but now it looks like there'll be 10 of us in the Outback, then we'll meet up with 5 or 6 other people one night when we return from the safari and then the original 6 of us will be going to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island while the other 4 who joined us go back to Sydney and the 5 or 6 others who'll be joining us from the north will continue on their safari in the outback. Kind of confusing, I know, but basically we'll be seeing a lot of BU people on our break, which is kind of sad but also kind of cool. I guess it's good to have people outside of our group so that we don't get sick of each other too quickly haha. I'm so excited though... maybe too excited? My biggest fear now is that I've hyped it so much that it won't quite meet my expectations and I'll be disappointed. Then again, I highly doubt there can be disappointment on this trip at all!
Sorry I still have not gotten around to writing postcards... apparently postage here is exorbitant and I haven't found any good cards beyond the crappy touristy kind you can find anywhere. Email and facebook are still the best ways to contact me, but again don't worry if I don't get back to you right away! I want to hear how everything is back in the States... I'm a little sad to be missing fall weather. It's suddenly turned to the high 80s, low 90s here, so it's definitely summer for me. Someone said it gets to 113 here... I'm a little nervous!
This weekend I went to Manly Beach for the Jazz Festival and we spent the entire day listening to great bands and walking along the beach. That night was the huge rugby game between Manly and Melbourne, and even though Manly lost, it was still cool to be in Manly to watch it all play out. They had a giant outdoor screen and we were able to bring a six-pack down to the beach and watch from there, then watch the waves roll in during the commercial breaks haha. It's like the super bowl for them, so it was a BIG deal. Later, my friends and I went back down to the beach and we had wondered where the moon was... suddenly we saw this huge red glow in the distance and we thought a boat was on fire or something. No, it was the moon coming up along the horizon in a blazing orange color. It was insane and beautiful and I don't think my pictures do it justice.
Now I'm back in school mode for finals week. We pretty much run on quarters here, so I have 2 exams and 2 papers this week. I wish it still didn't feel like vacation because I'm having difficulty finding the motivation to do my work (yikes!). I'm going to work all day today and tomorrow to get the papers done though because then I have to study for exams, prepare for my interview, and now we have a networking event on Wednesday with some local uni students, so that cuts more of our time. Sunday I leave for spring break (yes SPRING break because it's spring here... sorry to keep confusing people on this lol). Originally there was 6 of us going, but now it looks like there'll be 10 of us in the Outback, then we'll meet up with 5 or 6 other people one night when we return from the safari and then the original 6 of us will be going to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island while the other 4 who joined us go back to Sydney and the 5 or 6 others who'll be joining us from the north will continue on their safari in the outback. Kind of confusing, I know, but basically we'll be seeing a lot of BU people on our break, which is kind of sad but also kind of cool. I guess it's good to have people outside of our group so that we don't get sick of each other too quickly haha. I'm so excited though... maybe too excited? My biggest fear now is that I've hyped it so much that it won't quite meet my expectations and I'll be disappointed. Then again, I highly doubt there can be disappointment on this trip at all!
Sorry I still have not gotten around to writing postcards... apparently postage here is exorbitant and I haven't found any good cards beyond the crappy touristy kind you can find anywhere. Email and facebook are still the best ways to contact me, but again don't worry if I don't get back to you right away! I want to hear how everything is back in the States... I'm a little sad to be missing fall weather. It's suddenly turned to the high 80s, low 90s here, so it's definitely summer for me. Someone said it gets to 113 here... I'm a little nervous!
Thursday, September 20, 2007
We're going to Melbourne!
This was our hell week... I had a group presentation yesterday, finished a paper last night, have a presentation to give in about 4 minutes, and have a 1000 word take home essay due tomorrow. I've gone through so many emotions in the past few days, I have no idea what's going on. Wednesday we went on a field trip to the Holocaust Museum and then Waverly Cemetary (very dismal sounding, I know) but then we were left at Bronte Beach which is absolutely gorgeous. My friend and I lay got the greasiest lunch ever and then lay on the beach for like 45 minutes before going swimming. The water is still really cold here, but it was so worth it. We found a fresh water pool along the edge of the rocky part of the beach, so we went in and the waves were crashing into the pool. It was dug into the side of some very smooth cliffs and the view was breathtaking. It just sucked because I wanted to spend the rest of the day there but we had to get back to write our papers and work on group presentations. Seriously, it was like paradise on earth... it was too amazing for words. Of course, like the idiot I am, I forgot to take pictures. I think he has some though, so if I find them, I'll post them.
Anyway, I have to run to class now. We're headed to Melbourne on Sunday for a few days and then next week I get to go to the State Parliament house with my politics class so I'm pumped. More later... miss you all!
Anyway, I have to run to class now. We're headed to Melbourne on Sunday for a few days and then next week I get to go to the State Parliament house with my politics class so I'm pumped. More later... miss you all!
Sunday, September 9, 2007
I'm back in Sydney after a very interesting weekend in the small town of Ulladulla. We were trying to escape the city since the APEC conference had everything blocked up, and met a few others (including a girl from Baltimore!) who were in the same boat. Though every time we told someone what we were doing, a person would say, "why the hell would you come to Ulladulla?!" It is this very very very small town on the east coast south of Sydney, right near Jervis Bay and there is absolutely nothing to do there. We assumed we would be hanging out on the beach the entire time, but it was pouring rain when we arrived. Our hostel was ridiculous, and the woman who ran it was very militant, to say the least. There were 5 of us in a 6 person room, and the 6th person who joined us was a Kiwi named Kiora. She was a groupie for this band called Evermore, which apparently is one of the hottest bands down here, and she told us about a concert they were having Saturday night. We ended up at the concert and had an amazing time -- the group is indie pop which I love and they sounded amazing live. We also met some crazy Aussies while we were there and they invited us to a party back at their cousin's place. The boys actually live in Sydney so now we have some non-BU people to hang out with while we're here!
Other than these weekend trips, the program is much more taxing than I expected. We already have 2 papers due in 2 weeks which I have not started and there is so much to read for classes. I start my module class this week which is like a specialized section of the one class everyone takes. Mine is about how different cultures migrated to and survived in Australia, such as Greeks, Italians, Germans, etc. Immigration in Australia was very strict, especially since until the 1970s they adopted a "White Australia" policy which meant that non-white immigrants were refused entry, so it'll be interesting to see how the ones who actually made it here got along. The WAP is very frustrating to many of my friends because they find that minorities are not accepted here as much as they are in the States. Plus with all this APEC stuff and President Bush visiting Sydney, Aussies are not taking well to our presence. Many have commented on us being American and then assuming that we voted for Bush, who they equate with their current prime minister, John Howard. There's going to be an election here in the next couple months and everyone wants this guy gone.
Anyway, it was nice to finally meet some cool Aussies, and I finally am starting to feel like I live here. I get a little homesick once in awhile, but that's to be expected. My friends and I have noticed that ever since we got here, all we want to eat is disgusting, greasy American food. I always have a craving for french fries! Luckily there is a grocery store across the street, but I've been trying to steer clear and eat more sophisticated food, if you will. There's also a crepe place right down the street which is amazing.
All for now... I'm still having trouble getting pictures up, so that may even have to wait until I'm back in the States? We'll see how that goes... also I haven't had a chance to buy postcards yet, but they will come at least in the next couple weeks I hope. It takes 6-12 days to ship overseas, so don't expect anything too soon.
Miss you all!
Other than these weekend trips, the program is much more taxing than I expected. We already have 2 papers due in 2 weeks which I have not started and there is so much to read for classes. I start my module class this week which is like a specialized section of the one class everyone takes. Mine is about how different cultures migrated to and survived in Australia, such as Greeks, Italians, Germans, etc. Immigration in Australia was very strict, especially since until the 1970s they adopted a "White Australia" policy which meant that non-white immigrants were refused entry, so it'll be interesting to see how the ones who actually made it here got along. The WAP is very frustrating to many of my friends because they find that minorities are not accepted here as much as they are in the States. Plus with all this APEC stuff and President Bush visiting Sydney, Aussies are not taking well to our presence. Many have commented on us being American and then assuming that we voted for Bush, who they equate with their current prime minister, John Howard. There's going to be an election here in the next couple months and everyone wants this guy gone.
Anyway, it was nice to finally meet some cool Aussies, and I finally am starting to feel like I live here. I get a little homesick once in awhile, but that's to be expected. My friends and I have noticed that ever since we got here, all we want to eat is disgusting, greasy American food. I always have a craving for french fries! Luckily there is a grocery store across the street, but I've been trying to steer clear and eat more sophisticated food, if you will. There's also a crepe place right down the street which is amazing.
All for now... I'm still having trouble getting pictures up, so that may even have to wait until I'm back in the States? We'll see how that goes... also I haven't had a chance to buy postcards yet, but they will come at least in the next couple weeks I hope. It takes 6-12 days to ship overseas, so don't expect anything too soon.
Miss you all!
Saturday, September 1, 2007
the week in review
Sydney is the most amazing place on earth, and I will probably never leave. Well, I guess I have to come back to the States to finish my degree at BU, but after that I must come back! Absolutely everything about this place is gorgeous and amazing. We have done so much, it's hard for me to tell you all about it. Between day trips, classes, activities with the other students, planning our vacations and of course hitting the bars at night, there's no time for sleep! I've gone to Darling Harbor to see the Opera House and Harbor Bridge (and, yes, the place where the Real World: Sydney cast stayed), picnicked in Victoria Park, walked around Sydney University, took a field trip through Hyde Park, the Hyde Park Barracks, the state government house, the Sydney Public Library, and the Central Business District (CBD), shopped and partied in Newtown, which is a very bohemian and chill suburb of Sydney City, gone to Bondi Beach, and so many other amazing things. I just love walking around the city and trying to figure everything out. We tried to go to the beach today, but it actually rained and is going to be cold for awhile. It's early spring here, so the temperature is only in the 70s, but in the sun it gets pretty hot. I can't really do this whole trip justice, so please look at my webshots (http://community.webshots.com/users/roxygirlie1062). I'll try to post some pictures on here as well.
Right now, I've found the most difficulty in balancing being a tourist versus being a resident of the city. For the first couple weeks at least, I feel it's okay for me to wander around with a camera and do the lame tourist thing. But once we start getting into classes and working at internships, we'll pretty much be full-fledged Australians (okay, maybe we can't go that far, but it will feel like it). It still hasn't hit me that I'm actually here. It doesn't help that we spend so much time with BU students because it just makes it seem like we've transplanted a small part of Boston into Sydney, which is not what I want. We met some Chilean students in our building last night, so my group of friends and I are trying to meet as many non-BU people as possible so we can really experience what we came here to find.
Anyway, if there's anything else you want to hear about, let me know. There's so much I could tell you all about my experience here, but it would be information overload. I'm hoping to figure out the mail system here, so if you want a letter or postcard, feel free to email me your address (aussielindsay@gmail.com). I've been frequently using facebook and email to talk to everyone because those are things I have easiest access to.
Oh, before I go, let me tell you a little about my vacation plans. I got really lucky with spring break because a couple of my friends were like, we'd be down for a trip to the outback, and suddenly we had a group of 6 people saying, yep, let's do it. I can't describe on here just how perfect this turned out haha but my group here is ridiculously chill and we all get along pretty well. So for our spring break (fall break since it's in October), me and 5 others (3 guys and 2 girls) are flying out to Alice Springs, doing a 3 day/2 night outback tour in a 4 wheel drive vehicle to Ayers Rock, the Olgas, and a third place (I don't remember haha). We'll be camping and get to sleep under the stars... this trip sounds amazing. You can check out the group... they're called WayOutBack Tours, I think. Then we return to Alice Springs to take a 22 hour train ride to Adelaide, where we'll hang out for a night before taking a tour to Kangaroo Island. Here I think we get to see dolphins and koalas and such. We're flying back at 6am on a Monday morning, getting in at 8:25, and then I will have class at 9:30 lol. Should be interesting! I am beyond excited for this trip -- my group is amazing and this is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience. How many people can say they went on safari in the outback? Most of the others in the program are spending a week in Cairns to party at the beach, but we figured we could do that any time since we live so close to Coogee and Bondi beaches.
Also, I plan on going to Surf Camp in two weeks and next weekend, when Sydney is shut down for the APEC Conference, my group is going to Ulladulla, which is a bay off the east coast, about 2 1/2 hours north of here. I think we're going to get to pet koalas and see dolphins, so that's excitement enough right there!
I hope you all are doing well back home. Feel free to email me at anytime! Calling is difficult since we are 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (and then 16 hours ahead when Daylight Savings ends!). I miss you all and will write again soon! (I will add pictures on here when I'm back in the school's lab since it eats up my internet in my room... for now check out my webshots or facebook.)
Right now, I've found the most difficulty in balancing being a tourist versus being a resident of the city. For the first couple weeks at least, I feel it's okay for me to wander around with a camera and do the lame tourist thing. But once we start getting into classes and working at internships, we'll pretty much be full-fledged Australians (okay, maybe we can't go that far, but it will feel like it). It still hasn't hit me that I'm actually here. It doesn't help that we spend so much time with BU students because it just makes it seem like we've transplanted a small part of Boston into Sydney, which is not what I want. We met some Chilean students in our building last night, so my group of friends and I are trying to meet as many non-BU people as possible so we can really experience what we came here to find.
Anyway, if there's anything else you want to hear about, let me know. There's so much I could tell you all about my experience here, but it would be information overload. I'm hoping to figure out the mail system here, so if you want a letter or postcard, feel free to email me your address (aussielindsay@gmail.com). I've been frequently using facebook and email to talk to everyone because those are things I have easiest access to.
Oh, before I go, let me tell you a little about my vacation plans. I got really lucky with spring break because a couple of my friends were like, we'd be down for a trip to the outback, and suddenly we had a group of 6 people saying, yep, let's do it. I can't describe on here just how perfect this turned out haha but my group here is ridiculously chill and we all get along pretty well. So for our spring break (fall break since it's in October), me and 5 others (3 guys and 2 girls) are flying out to Alice Springs, doing a 3 day/2 night outback tour in a 4 wheel drive vehicle to Ayers Rock, the Olgas, and a third place (I don't remember haha). We'll be camping and get to sleep under the stars... this trip sounds amazing. You can check out the group... they're called WayOutBack Tours, I think. Then we return to Alice Springs to take a 22 hour train ride to Adelaide, where we'll hang out for a night before taking a tour to Kangaroo Island. Here I think we get to see dolphins and koalas and such. We're flying back at 6am on a Monday morning, getting in at 8:25, and then I will have class at 9:30 lol. Should be interesting! I am beyond excited for this trip -- my group is amazing and this is pretty much a once-in-a-lifetime experience. How many people can say they went on safari in the outback? Most of the others in the program are spending a week in Cairns to party at the beach, but we figured we could do that any time since we live so close to Coogee and Bondi beaches.
Also, I plan on going to Surf Camp in two weeks and next weekend, when Sydney is shut down for the APEC Conference, my group is going to Ulladulla, which is a bay off the east coast, about 2 1/2 hours north of here. I think we're going to get to pet koalas and see dolphins, so that's excitement enough right there!
I hope you all are doing well back home. Feel free to email me at anytime! Calling is difficult since we are 14 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time (and then 16 hours ahead when Daylight Savings ends!). I miss you all and will write again soon! (I will add pictures on here when I'm back in the school's lab since it eats up my internet in my room... for now check out my webshots or facebook.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
