Week 1 – Sydney, Australia
Australia Week 1:
So far my experience this semester has been nothing less than extraordinary! From the 26 hour travel from Newark to Sydney, to seeing a Kangaroo I have begun the experience of a lifetime. Last week we began taking our two classes (Australia Life and Culture & Financial Decision Modeling) although the 21 class hours a week is intimidating, it did not stop us from exploring the city and getting a taste for the Australian culture.
Beach Excursions:
Bondi Beach was my first Australian beach experience since arriving on the 14th. Although the beach was stunning, the crowd was quite absurd. Something that I found unique was the size of the swim zone compared to the total size of the beach. While hanging out on the beach I was able to spot a few people surfing – something I’ve always wanted to do but never had the opportunity.
Manly Beach, the second beach of the semester was unfortunately extremely windy. However, the wind did not stop me from attempting to surf for the first time. As I paddled out, fighting the breaking waves, I began to become extremely tired. Once I got past the break – I was able to try to catch a wave… As I began to aggressively paddle to catch the wave, I noticed the front of my board was slightly underwater. The next thing I noticed I was going head first into the water with the wave breaking over my head. I was defeated.
Nightlife:
Since arriving in Sydney, I have gone out a questionable amount of times in order to get the lay of the land as well as experience the ‘Aussie’ culture to the max. Some of the venue’s I have experienced include:
- Cheers
- The Golden Sheef Hotel
- Club Ivy
- Argyle
- Homemade
- Star Casino
I have had an amazing time hanging out with not only the people I came on this trip with but also complete strangers! I look forward to slowing down the amount I go out but also experiencing different types of places and more inland locations.