My apologies for this post being so long overdue! It has truly been a whirlwind of activity since I arrived in Sydney a little over two weeks ago—it’s been difficult to get a few minutes to sit down and get any of my homework done, let alone compose my thoughts about my trip so far and put them all down in writing. Now that I’m settled into my apartment, have met my roommates and made a few other friends, and have gotten into somewhat of a class routine, I’ve been able to actually reflect on what’s happened so far!
After reading about Australia for months before I arrived, I had a pretty good idea of what it would be like when I get here: humid, rainy (this summer has been their wettest yet here), sort of like America in the 50s—a lot more carefree and relaxed—and, of course, right on the beach. It’s the little things that I didn’t anticipate that surprise me everyday: that strange gap between about 4 p.m. and midnight when all of my friends and family at home are asleep, the crazily high cost of just about everything (minimum wage here is $15!), the fact that my apartment doesn’t have a dryer, and just how huge the University of New South Wales is—about four times the size of Georgetown. While it’s taken me a while to adjust to all of these differences (the time difference was definitely the worst), I’ve surprised myself by adapting much quicker than I expected and by forcing myself to be more outgoing than I usually am. And I guess it doesn’t hurt being a five-minute walk from one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.
In addition to exploring campus, meeting as many people as possible, and making multiple trips to Woolworth’s, the local grocery store, I’ve done some pretty exciting things so far, one of which was exploring the city of Sydney itself! Although it’s taken me a little while to get used to the public transportation system—it’s all buses here, whereas I’m used to the subway in New York or the watch-out-doors-closing-on-your-head-NOW metro in DC—it’s pretty simple once you get it down, and it only takes about twenty-five minutes to get to the city by bus from where I live in Coogee. A few friends and I just walked around for an entire day, seeing the Opera House, the Botanical Gardens, and an area called Darling Harbour. It was almost surreal to see all of this in real life, and I can honestly say that Sydney is already right up there with some of my favorite cities I’ve been to.
Looking forward, I actually can’t wait to get started on some of my travel plans. From a spring break trip to the Great Barrier Reef to this weekend’s excursion to Byron Bay, a surfing town that requires a twelve-hour bus ride, I’m definitely going to have a lot of photo ops and a lot more to report. I’m definitely missing Georgetown and home, but keeping myself busy exploring all these places has helped me a lot. Plus Skype. And Gchatting. And iMessaging. And Facebook. Gotta love technology.
