This first week in Sydney, I have had many amazing experiences. First off, I found both of my classes to be very interesting. I am very interested in the history of Australia, so I found the Australian Life and Culture class very engaging. I was surprised to learn that the Australian natives experienced many of the atrocities that American natives experience. I was able to make many connections to what I had grown up learning about American natives. Additionally, learning about some of the famous natives such as Bennelong surprised me. I did not know that the English made an attempt to befriend the natives, and even went as far as to take them back to England to meet the King.
Aside from going to class, I had many opportunities to explore Sydney. I greatly enjoyed the walking tour on Saturday and learned many interesting facts and stories. My favorite story was about convicts who broke into the bank by digging tunnels to steal gold. Also, this tour allowed me to get a great view of the Opera House!
I also greatly enjoyed the wildlife sanctuary. There are many animals that I was excited to see, such as koalas and kangaroos. However, I thought we were just going to be looking at them from afar. I did not expect to be right next to them, which was a great surprise! I even got to take a selfie with a kangaroo!
Overall, my first week in Australia was great, and I’m very excited for the rest of the trip!
