Livin' Like A Local

I’ve been living in Sydney for just over a month, and it’s definitely safe to say the city is starting to feel more comfortable. While there’s definitely some things that will take time to really feel familiar—the public transit system, $1 and $2 coins, and everything seeming ridiculously overpriced—I’ve definitely come a long way from my days of staring at maps for hours on end and trying to make sense of the conversion rates.

It’s easy to assume that the big events would be the highlights: climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, and feeding kangaroos at the wildlife park have without a doubt been some of the most unique experiences I’ve had so far. Yet despite all these amazing experiences, I’ve found that it’s the smaller, everyday occurrences that have made my experience feel like I belong in the city. My main goal for the semester was to actually connect with the culture and local people, and make Sydney feel like a home, not just a vacation destination.

Can't beat the view from the Bondi Cliff Walk

Some of the highlights so far:

-       living above my favorite coffee shop and Thai food in the city

-       pretending to enjoy boxed wine (although I actually don’t mind it after 3-4 glasses…)

-       watching Australia’s version of the Bachelor every week

-       random dance parties/rap battles in the middle of the afternoon

-       my apartment being the hub of all social life that exists within my group of friends here

-       family dinners 

-       getting completely lost going anywhere and everywhere

-       playing Egyptian Ratscrew for hours on end (and losing every round)

-       recounting the events of the night before over breakfast with my roommates

-       meeting locals and telling them stories about home/Charleston

-       laughing until our masks flood and we can’t see while scuba diving

-       working on my rugby pass & taking naps in Sydney’s parks and gardens

-       Tim-Tam slams

-       being the only American in my US Studies class and feeling like a genius

-       perfecting my T9 word game on my Samsung phone straight from 2002

My Aussie mates and I

I know that these experiences may seem trivial to everyone at home, but it really is these moments that have made me so much more appreciative of the experience here so far. While I’m sure that the big experiences will have lasting memories, it’s these smaller moments that I want to be sure to remember when I return to America.

Sunset in Sydney Harbour (because it's okay to act like a tourist sometimes!)

WORKING HARD.... OR HARDLY WORKING?

As I’m officially done with my first two weeks at the University of Sydney, I figured it would be a good time to delve into the details about my actual school experience, because that’s 100% what I’m here for right?

Sydney Uni's Great Hall

The Campus

The university is located right on Victoria Park; a quaint, scenic area where you can find both students and locals laying in the shade, reading, and hanging out. My apartment is about 20 minutes away from the beginning of campus, which is not so fun in the chilly Australian winter mornings, but isn’t too bad, and there’s a bus I can take if I am running particularly late or feeling lazy… The uni’s hallmark building is the Great Hall—dubbed Hogwarts by many students—and is one of the most beautiful buildings I have seen in the whole city. As Australia’s oldest college, Sydney Uni is full of historic classroom buildings, as well as newer, more modern restaurants, libraries, and student centers. 

Coming from College of Charleston, which spans about 5 blocks, it has been quite the adjustment getting used to the sprawling campus. To walk from one end to another would take me well over half an hour, and given my stellar luck and apparent lack of coordination, I not-so-convieniently scheduled several of my classes back to back at buildings located absolutely nowhere near each other. Needless to say, I don’t feel as bad about my terrible eating habits and lack of exercise the past few weeks since I basically sprint between classes (and am usually still late). Although I have managed to find all the Uni bars, so if I miss class I can just hang out there (kidding…. kinda)?!

The Classes

Most people who study abroad in Australia quickly tell you how much more difficult the coursework is over here than in America. Knowing I would be attending one of the top universities in the country, I was definitely nervous about the academic side of studying abroad here. I’m taking four classes: The History of Sydney, Americanism and Anti-Americanism, Politics and Social Change, and Learning in Outdoor Education.

The first thing I noticed about uni courses was how large and formal the lectures were. Held in a large, 200-person auditorium, the professors (usually called “lecturers”) do not take questions and basically just ramble on lecture for two hours straight. Now if you know me, you’re probably aware that my attention span is not my greatest strength, so the idea of listening to a professor lecture without pause for two hours is obviously pretty close to my personal hell. Luckily, all my lectures are recorded, so I can just listen to them in 30 minute increments at home—a system that is actually probably totally wrong and backwards but works for me so I’m sticking to it.

Overall, I’m actually enjoying the courses here a lot, and while they’re different from home, it’s a welcome change. There’s a lot more emphasis on larger, more research-intensive assignments, which is quite the academic culture shock from the liberal arts education that I get at home. While there’s definitely perks: no attendance policy for lectures, virtually no busy work, and no textbooks (all of my readings are available in the University’s database), I have yet to receive a grade on any of my work, so it’s totally unclear whether I will actually be able to pass these courses and graduate on time (#victorylap2016)? Regardless, I’m sure the semester will be a huge learning experience academically, and I’m definitely interested to see what’s in store!

REAL WORLD: CAIRNS

 I am officially back in Sydney after a weeklong pre-semester vacation to Cairns—a small coastal city about 3 hours north of Sydney. The trip was without a doubt one of the most fun and adventurous experiences I have had in my 21 years, and has made me even more thrilled and grateful to be living in Australia.

The adventure began quicker than we anticipated with about 10 minutes (that felt like 10 hours) of stomach-turning turbulence on the plane ride up that actually made me question my life and will forever make me terrified of flying. Upon arriving in Cairns we were escorted to Gilligan’s, a popular hostel that is well known to backpackers and locals for both its central location and the popular nightclub on the ground floor. Because we were staying at the hostel, we got free access to the pool and club, as well as getting food and drink discounts at surrounding restaurants and bars… this may have been a perk we all took a bit too much advantage of, but I can safely say we all had the time of our lives and all’s well that ends well!

Flying into Cairns!

While I initially thought that my access to a seemingly unending supply of drink specials would be the most dangerous aspect of my trip, I quickly realized that Cairns is called the “Adventure Capital” of Australia for a reason. Our first day was spent on a scenic boat cruise to the Great Barrier Reef, on which I had my first personal encounter with an Australian gentleman—a very cute tour guide who I not-so-cutely got seasick next to for the entire 2-hour boat trip (...both ways). Despite my illness, I was determined to enjoy the reef, and went on my first scuba dive! The beginning of the dive was terrifying, but once I got over my irrational fear of drowning it was absolutely amazing! The reef was massive and we got to swim between all the coral and sea creatures for about 20 minutes before heading back to the boat and returning to Cairns.

City lookout from the mountains

I also rented—and didn’t crash!—my first car. They drive on the left side of the road here, which sounded like a challenge at first, but was actually pretty easy once I got used to it! It probably helps that I am left-handed and my mind basically works backwards anyways… The most difficult part of the trip was adjusting to the fact that the turn signal is on the opposite side of the wheel, which in fact was something I never actually adjusted to so the windshield wipers were on for most of the trip but we survived! Three of the girls and I spent the day adventuring through the Queensland rainforests and exploring the waterfalls and countryside. The drive made me realized the incredible diversity of the country’s landscape, as we drove through rolling hills, tropical forests, and scenic beach towns all in a matter of hours.

Curtain Fig Tree

Millaa Millaa Waterfalls- Australia's most photographed falls!

Other activities of the trip included white water rafting, exploring the beaches and laying my the pool, my first bar crawl, and probably the most highly anticipated event of the trip: the bungy jump. I will post the video below—don’t watch mom!—and let me tell you it was actually as scary as it looked, but also totally exhilarating and awesome and I’d definitely do it again! (although, I may need another tequila shot or two to get the courage to do a higher one...)

Me and my mates hangin' by the pool

Our raft!

YOLO...

Overall, Cairns was a total blast and I’m so glad that I was able to go on such a cool trip with such a wild and fun crew! It was sad to say goodbye to all my friends at the airport, but we’re already planning reunion trips to meet up and I can’t wait to explore more of Australia with everyone! I’m still settling into my apartment in Sydney, but expect updates on my life as a local soon!

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Sorry y’all- I’m never coming home.

The flight from LAX to Sydney was not as emotionally taxing as I anticipated, although keep in mind I really thought I would lose my mind on the plane (yes, I’ve accepted my dramatic attitude as a character flaw). I had a great window seat back in row 70, which was a great move considering a lot of other kids had to sit in the middle seat (thanks again to my parents for splurging on early seat selection). We flew through the night and it was literally dark for 14.5 hours of the trip, which was totally bizarre, but made it very easy to pass out for the first 7 hours of the flight, and led to an incredible sunrise over the ocean as we landed. After a long, confusing few hours in the customs terminal—which included being selected for a bomb search and a very regrettable pass on duty free alcohol— I was officially in Australia!

Sydney is absolutely one of the most unique, beautiful cities I have ever seen. The pictures can hardly do this place justice, as everything is so much more vibrant and awing in person. There’s an almost overwhelming blend different styles, cultures, and lifestyles, and while these are hallmarks of basically every city, the transitions between areas seems almost seamless. We’ve been staying in a YHA (a youth hostel, which is basically a cross between a hotel and a dormitory that’s designed for young travelers) in the Ultimo area, which is home of places like Koreatown, Thai Town and Chinatown, but there’s quaint historic districts, sprawling gardens, tourist-ridden harbors, laid-back beaches, and bustling city streets, proving one place really can have it all—well, everything but decent WiFi (#firstworldproblems). While I knew I was a city person, the ability to escape to the beach or mountains at a moment’s notice is the really the best of both worlds!

 The seasons are opposite of the US because we are south of the equator, so Australians are in the middle of the winter right now. It’s definitely colder than I thought it would be (although in the dead of winter Sydney is only 50-60 degrees), and my “Southern roots” are definitely coming out as I’m shivering in my sweater and boots while others can manage to be in t-shirts…. Oh well.

The past few days have been my affiliate program’s orientation, and have been filled with exploring Sydney, getting acclimated to Australia (aka recovering from jet-lag) and meeting about 50 of the other students is hosting, who are studying abroad all over Australia. We’ve all become fast friends, and the people—both TEAN staff and the other students—have been so welcoming and friendly, which has made the transition a million times easier. Our program clearly knows what they’re doing down here, because we’ve probably had the best 4-day orientation ever. Highlights are definitely feeding kangaroos (which honestly exceeded all expectations), climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge and seeing the breathtaking views of the city from the top, getting soaked (fully clothed) by the waves at Bondi Beach, and trying out all the local foods (including the very adorable kangaroos- sorry little guys!). I’ve only gone out at night once so far because jet-lag has been a killer—if you know me, you know that I love my sleep and am not afraid to fall asleep anytime or anywhere, but I figured my new friends may not like me falling asleep on them at the bar quite yet—but the nightlife is so fun and there’s endless options, although my bank account may believe otherwise…. $9 cocktails get the best of everyone sometimes, ya know?

So overall, it really isn’t too bad to be me right about now. It definitely hasn’t hit me that I get to call Australia home for the next four months, but I promise you I won’t be mad when it does. It’s completely surreal to actually be here and beginning this adventure, and as cheesy as it is, I feel so lucky to be able to live in such a unique and beautiful place.

As I write this, I’m sitting on a plane to Cairns for a pre-semester trip (essentially a vacation… from my vacation), which we’re all very excited about. I’ll try to update as much as I can, although WiFi is a rarity and I’m pretty busy with snorkeling, rafting, drinking, swimming, drinking, scuba diving, kayaking, and obviously drinking some more (I’ve never felt more like a mom then when I watched all the under 21 crowd jump for joy as they got their first legal drinks #seniorproblems). Wish me luck!