Upon arrival in Sydney, we were pleasantly greeted by warm weather and had high spirits despite a long trip and arriving at 6 am. The first day involved general housekeeping activities like checking into our hotel, learning where our classes were, and having a brief orientation. We capped off our first day by having a welcome dinner where most of us were able to try kangaroo which was surprisingly delicious.
Classes throughout the week were longer than at Bucknell, lasting 3.5 hours, but were still very interesting. In block 1 I am taking Global Management and Australia Life and Culture. In my global management class, we had the opportunity to go on a field trip to Spice Alley, where we were able to have an early dinner and get to know our professor better. Spice Alley was really interesting as it is a small alleyway lined with different cuisines from varying Asian countries. In my other class, Aussie Life and Culture, we have been diving into the history of Australia and the aboriginal people that inhabited it before the British settlement. This was really interesting as the history and oppression of the indigenous Australian people is very similar to that of the history of the Native Americans in the United States.
This weekend my friends and I journeyed out to Bondi Beach for the first time which was an amazing experience. The weather on Saturday was perfect, and the beach itself was beautiful. We swam in the ocean, explored the surrounding town, and played cards on the beach. On Sunday we had the opportunity to visit the Walkabout Wildlife Sanctuary which was the highlight of the whole week. We got to see kangaroos, emu, turtles, snakes, wombats, koalas, and other indigenous Australian animals. We even got the opportunity to pet the kangaroos and take selfies with a koala. Throughout the day we were guided by 3 different rangers from the park. The first ranger walked us around each animal exhibit and presented each animal to us, answering our questions and providing us with interesting facts about the species. The second ranger taught us how to throw a boomerang as well as crack a bullwhip. The third ranger showed us the different trees, plants, and other foliage explaining to us their benefit and contribution to the ecosystem.
Spice Alley
