We arrived in Sydney at 7:30 yesterday morning, and now I'm able to sit back and enjoy this amazing country! After we went through customs and collected our bags (I think I brought the fewest things of everyone - mom says I'm a "good traveler"), we boarded a coach bus with Paul, our driver, and headed to our apartments in Waterloo. We dropped off our things and then toured the neighborhood. We passed two supermarkets, two clinics, the train station, multiple bars (otherwise known as hotels), an ATM, and our closest bus stop. Along the way, we passed countless dogs, all of which were super friendly and well-behaved. Aussies sure do love their dogs! The homes we passed were all townhome-styled. They were connected, but each had it's own style and decor. After waiting for 30 minutes for the right bus (we're clearly spoiled in Boston), we rode back to a small cafe a block from the apartments. We sipped on drinks courtesy of CAPA and used the wifi to reach home.
Our room was finally ready around 1:45pm, so Lianne, Kara, Sarah and I quickly settled in before heading back to the courtyard for a Meriton orientation with other students from the United States. Afterwards, we showered and went across the street for groceries. We chatted back at the apartment, made dinner, and flipped through the TV channels - Aussies watch a lot of the same shows as us!
That's the summary of yesterday, but now for the details! The flights weren't bad at all! I got window seats and sat with Amy, Shannon, and Kelsey. I slept most of the time, but I also ate a LOT on the second leg. I also watched Big Miracle (sorry, mom), which I've been dying to see. As we landed in Sydney, I got my first glimpse of the opera house and the bridge - what beautiful sights! The road rules haven't been too confusing, but that may be because of my previous travel experience. Our dynamic in the apartment also seems pretty good, which I was really hoping for. The dynamic of the entire trip so far has been great - so different from when we were taking class in Boston! Grocery shopping went well, and we actually had a great time looking at the really odd items. I bought tim-tams for tim-tam slammers and also some Australian kiwis. Just about everything at the store was Australian, probably because it's just one huge island. Also, the view from our apartment is stunning - it overlooks a huge golf course!
This morning, we met as a group and traveled to the CAPA campus in North Sydney. On the bus there, we drove over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and got to see the Opera House up-close. We drove through downtown and got a feel for the city from within the bus. We met for an ACU orientation, and when I got the internet set up, I skyped home and talked to both of my parents and my brother, who was in town. I grabbed lunch at the ACU cafeteria because it's super cheap, and now I'm sitting at a lunch table with some other girls on the trip - note to self, fries are called "hot chips" and ketchup is called "tomato sauce" Cheeseburgers are simply "burger with cheese". Across the room, there's a student who looks exactly like Adam, and it's rather frightening. I think he even has the same glasses.
Some of us are hoping to go downtown later today, so I'm looking forward to reporting back on that. I'll be uploading photos later today and hope to share them with you all soon!
MORE GOOD NEWS: currency conversion is now in favor of the US dollar! Need to get some cash today...
Our room was finally ready around 1:45pm, so Lianne, Kara, Sarah and I quickly settled in before heading back to the courtyard for a Meriton orientation with other students from the United States. Afterwards, we showered and went across the street for groceries. We chatted back at the apartment, made dinner, and flipped through the TV channels - Aussies watch a lot of the same shows as us!
That's the summary of yesterday, but now for the details! The flights weren't bad at all! I got window seats and sat with Amy, Shannon, and Kelsey. I slept most of the time, but I also ate a LOT on the second leg. I also watched Big Miracle (sorry, mom), which I've been dying to see. As we landed in Sydney, I got my first glimpse of the opera house and the bridge - what beautiful sights! The road rules haven't been too confusing, but that may be because of my previous travel experience. Our dynamic in the apartment also seems pretty good, which I was really hoping for. The dynamic of the entire trip so far has been great - so different from when we were taking class in Boston! Grocery shopping went well, and we actually had a great time looking at the really odd items. I bought tim-tams for tim-tam slammers and also some Australian kiwis. Just about everything at the store was Australian, probably because it's just one huge island. Also, the view from our apartment is stunning - it overlooks a huge golf course!
This morning, we met as a group and traveled to the CAPA campus in North Sydney. On the bus there, we drove over the Sydney Harbor Bridge and got to see the Opera House up-close. We drove through downtown and got a feel for the city from within the bus. We met for an ACU orientation, and when I got the internet set up, I skyped home and talked to both of my parents and my brother, who was in town. I grabbed lunch at the ACU cafeteria because it's super cheap, and now I'm sitting at a lunch table with some other girls on the trip - note to self, fries are called "hot chips" and ketchup is called "tomato sauce" Cheeseburgers are simply "burger with cheese". Across the room, there's a student who looks exactly like Adam, and it's rather frightening. I think he even has the same glasses.
Some of us are hoping to go downtown later today, so I'm looking forward to reporting back on that. I'll be uploading photos later today and hope to share them with you all soon!
MORE GOOD NEWS: currency conversion is now in favor of the US dollar! Need to get some cash today...
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