G'Day

I have now completed my first week and a half of school at UNSW and beginning to get back in the school mode. I must admit, it is weird going to school in the middle of July, but I am a nerd and enjoying going to class! The campus compared to DU is HUGE! There are so many buildings, places to eat, and SO MANY PEOPLE! This is exciting though because the first week or so I had only met other American study abroad students. Now I am starting to meet people from Australia, which is really exciting! All my friends back at DU will appreciate this (last year we didn’t have a library as it is under construction), but they have a TEN STORY library which is so cool! It is pretty modern and there are so many places to study. So now when I go back to DU I am expecting nothing less!!

The first class I went to last Monday was Asian Popular Culture, I was trying to branch out and broaden my horizons with a class I would never had taken at DU and I felt like because there are so many Asians here is Sydney and especially on campus that I might be able to connect and learn more about their culture….well I was wrong. It was a class that I had no interest in, however, I sat through the whole two hours with the idea that I might change my mind. That never happened and right after that class I went to change it to a business management course (much more up my alley)! Oh well….at least I tried…right? Now our schedules are locked in and I would say I have a very nice schedule. The earliest I start class is 11am, so I have a chance to wake up and go for a morning run on the beach and catch up on any homework I have not done yet! My four classes are Australia in the Global Economy (an economics class that is really boring and I am hoping it will get a lot better), International Business Finance (an interesting course I will like but I have to pay close attention to our professor as he is Asian and has a thick accent), Global Business Environment (a management course which I really like), and my “goof off” class, The Marine Environment – we go on three field trips around Sydney to explore the marine life! Enough about my classes for now, here are some adventures I have done in the past week!

I went to Monday Night Football (no Lauren, unfortunately it was not the Broncos and Tim Tebow was not playing) – it was their rugby team, the Sydney Roosters! There was a group of twenty of us that went, however only five or so actually new a lot of the rules and how to play the game. Basically it is just these really big men running around and tackling each other, it was pretty intense and I am surprised they don’t get hurt more often! Paul, if you are reading this, you would have loved it! I was thinking about you during the game, wishing you could explain to me what they heck was going on! We picked up the basic knowledge but something we had no idea. It was still exciting to go and see. This is their sport and they get really into it…especially when the home team wins in the last twenty seconds! They did a kickoff and they broke through all the tackles to win with a kick! I have also learned Aussies like to throw beer when they get excited so we had a nice beer shower that evening.

By now, I have found a really nice running path along the coast. It is the path along the shoreline, which is really pretty. I am still not over how beautiful this place is! Running along the path with my friend Jen we just admire how beautiful and lucky we are to be here! I am getting use to running on the opposite side of the path, the first few times it was a little challenge but now it comes natural.

Food shopping here is always interesting! We have to go at least twice a week because when we go we really can’t get a lot. We have to walk up these huge hills and you don’t want the bag to break from having too much stuff in it! Especially when I am coming home from school and I am already wearing my backpack which is heavy with everything in it. It is ok though, we all bond and laugh over our struggles to get up the hill. You got to do what you got to do! I think everyday one of my meals has been a salad, just because it is something I know how to make. Salad and pasta seem to be my go-to dinners. If you have any good recipes that are fairly simple, please send them my way! I have taken for granite my mom’s cooking and now trying to cook on my own…a work in progress!

Some social events that the school put on for the students this past week were a party bus around Sydney and a harbor cruise. I was really excited to go to the cruise because we would be getting a different view of the harbor from the water! The bus was more of something I went to because it was free and a lot of my friends were going. Both were fun, the harbor cruise was a lot more fun! We were out late the night of the party bus and ended up taking a taxi home. It was my first taxi ride here in Australia and boy did he drive fast! It was also like 2am so the only other cars on the road were other taxis but I wish I had my video camera with me! It is still funky to me being in a car on the other side of the road and also having the driver be on the other side of the car! We made it home safe and when we split it, it was only $5 per person!

Friends on the Party Bus 

Sydney Harbour Bridge 

Opera House 

Maja, Janelle, Me - 3/4 roommates 

One more thing before I need to go to class. I did the free seven-day trial at our gym at school and went swimming the other day after class. It was a little after 4pm and I should have thought more about how crowded it would be but I didn’t. So when I got to the pool there were only three lanes open for lap swim. They were labeled “kick and splash”, “slow lane”, and “medium lane”. After looking at some of the swimmers I hopped in the medium lane and began swimming. In my mind earlier in the day I wanted to work on my butterfly for when I get back I will finally beat Daniel and Lauren in our swim races. Unfortunately, there was no room and I would have stuck out like a sore thumb! There must have always been seven people swimming in the lane and lets just say some of them should have been in the slow/kick and splash lane. I was not sure what they were doing but it was not swimming, more like doggy paddle. Maybe I am their Missy Franklin of swimming and we just don’t know it yet! Haha….I am just kidding.

Anyhow, I need to get ready for class today. I have my international business finance and global business environment class. Wish me luck in meeting some cool Aussies today on campus!

Lots of love,

Stephanie 

Getting Settled In

Sorry this blog has taken a while to get up, I do not have internet at my apartment so I am only able to upload when I am on campus. Today I started classes and will now be uploading more frequently!! 

I finally arrived safely in Sydney and got through customs easily. It was Sunday night so there was not a lot of people in the airport which was nice. UNSW had a representative waiting for the students on my flight (there were five of us) and took us to our proper accommodations where I got settled in and met my roommates. I am living in an office campus apartment complex that is 1.5 blocks from the ocean. I can see the water from our balcony (yes we have a BALCONY!)! There are a total of four girls living in the unit. Victoria (from Canada) and I have single rooms while Janelle (goes to school at Penn) and Maja (goes to school at Michigan) are sharing a room. I am pleasantly surprised at how nice and spacious it is! There are two bathrooms, a living room, kitchen, washer and dryer (we are the only study abroad students we have met so far that have a dryer J ) AND A BALCONY with a table and chairs outside. My roommates and I think we are living in a more upscale vacation/second property type place because of location/how nice it is/ and the people that are living above us are all older except the unit next door which is four girls also UNSW study abroad students. Overall it is a great place to be living and so far we have not seen any cockroaches (unlike our friends living on the other side of the beach that have already seen a lot).

The view from my balcony 

The first day Janelle and I walked to campus and got some things set up like ID cards, wireless for when we are on campus, schedules, etc. The walk to campus is up this HUGE hill (30 minutes)…a nice workout for our legs! Between all the walking, the small variety of food I know how to make, and the prices of going out to eat, I am sure that I won’t have to join a gym! It is a beautiful walk home because it is downhill and for most of the way you can see the water! I am living in paradise…it is so beautiful! 

Coogee Beach

We went out last night to the Beer Garden which is an outdoor bar down the street from us, it is directly across the main part of the beach. It was a lot of fun to meet the students from all over the world.  There are a lot of American students living in Coogee Beach but also from London, Germany, Peru and other countries.

Orientation was a breeze, just went over the basics and provided some safety information for living off campus.  Athletics also came and spoke which was fun to learn about the different sports they have here. I think I might try the club rowing team. I want to do things I would not be able to do back in Colorado! Across from our apartment they have swimming pools filled with ocean water which I plan on swimming in once it gets a little warmer! They are really pretty as they have all stone and rock around them! 

So by this time we have calculated the walk to campus and it is 1.5 miles! A nice uphill workout! The bus transportation here is pretty good but it has taken me a little while to get use to using public transportation or walking as the only ways of getting around! This morning (July 12) I successfully made it up to Bronte Beach to meet a contact that Liberty Global had provided me with. Getting there on time and not getting lost was my first challenge and then having a beneficial conversation with him was the second. They both went well and now I have a contact that has a lot of experience in the field I am looking to get into while I am here for my short visit! I am looking at getting some international experience with KPMG, PWC, Credit Sussie, and others. The process is ongoing! 

The weekend was very exciting as we did a lot of different things. Friday we hung out and played Frisbee on the beach, it was my first time in the water (it was pretty cold and very salty) but refreshing! We went out later that night to place called Scruffy Murphys. It was a three level building with the bottom acting as a dance club, the middle level was a bar with a live band playing, and the top was a restaurant. There was a group of around 30 kids who went so it ended up being a lot of fun! I can tell you already that I do miss having my iPhone with the map feature. I am learning how to read and use a map again…that is for sure! Public transportation is very good throughout Sydney so that is wonderful! The next day Maria, Jen, Erin and I went to the Paddington Markets which was similar to a farmers market back home. It was really neat to walk around and see all the local merchants and what they had to offer. I bought some delicious cheese J 

Jen and I then continued into the CBD (central business district, this is where the harbors are located) and for the first time I saw the Opera House and the Bridge! It was so pretty! Walking along the water is something I enjoy a lot! We met up with some other friends from Poland, Holland, and Germany and had dinner with them at a small Italian place right on the waterfront. The food was delicious and it was nice to have a meal that I didn’t cook (it was a lot better!). We had planned on going to a restaurant down around the water because we knew at 8:30 they were going to light off fireworks! I was excited to see fireworks as I didn’t see any in Colorado over the 4^th because of all the fires. 

The next day, Sunday, we walked along the famous “Coogee to Bondi Coastal Walk”. It is around four miles of path that follows the shoreline. It was beautiful! So many breathtaking views! It is a walk that I will definitely do again!  

Overall, I am having a great time! The people are so friendly and there is so much to do! Like I mentioned, classes started today so now I will get in more of a routine which will be nice!  

Lots of love, 

Stephanie 

“Living Like a Queen…Well, Kind Of”

I left Denver International Airport yesterday and had a nice goodbye with both of my parents at the gate. Of course my dad brought the camera and I let them take a couple of pictures and then I told him to put it away J I had an easy flight from DEN to LAX sitting by a daughter and father who were in the midst of a volleyball recruiting trip. It reminded me of a couple years ago with my dad! They were really nice and interested in where I was going and kept saying how much fun I was going to have. I told myself on that leg of the trip I would not sleep because I wanted to save as much sleep for the 15 hour plane ride from LAX to SYD that was coming up. I just read my book and contained my excitement as we landed safely in LA.

Getting off the plane at LAX I had no idea where I needed to go. I figured I had traveled a lot before and would easily be able to navigate to the international terminal. Wrong. At LAX you must exit the terminal, go outside and stand under a sign “Airport Express” and wait for the “B” bus to take you to the international terminal. After five or ten minutes of waiting I asked the lady I was standing by if she was also headed to the international terminal because at this point I was totally outside of the buildings and had to back through security once I got to the proper terminal, I just wanted to make sure I was headed in the right direction. Luckily, she was headed to the same terminal catching a flight to China and was extremely nice. The bus finally came and we had a pleasant ride over to the Tom Bradley Terminal.

This is where things get interesting. I should have mentioned earlier that I am currently wearing a 20 pound backpack and carrying another 20 pound bag. Curtis’ don’t pack light that’s for sure. Oh and the weight capacity for your carry on is 15 pounds… I had 40 (just praying somehow they would not notice and weigh my bag)! Any who… walking into the huge terminal there were airline ticket counters lined up on each side. There were not a lot of people in the terminal except a long line at the Quantas ticket counter. My airline. I still needed to get my boarding pass so I got in line and within minutes I was informed that my flight, Q12, was delayed 14 hours and they were putting us up overnight for a next day departure. My first reaction was laughter, of course. Then realizing “oh great this is going to be fun” and the real fact I would rather be safe than sorry. So now along with some others was headed to La Quinta. I met another nice lady on the bus over to the hotel who was in San Diego for an IT conference. We ended up talking on the bus over and had dinner at the hotel together. I loved listening to her accent and all the great things she was saying about Sydney. I learned over dinner that she lives really close to Coogee Beach and University of New South Wales! She ended up giving me all her contact info and told me to reach out to her if I ever need anything. At this point I haven’t even left LA yet and I am loving the Aussie people. I had a room to myself with a king size bed, a meal voucher, and my cell phone to call home and let them know what was happening (I had everything I needed and was happy)!

We arrived at the airport the next morning around 8am for a 12:15pm departure. Apparently they wanted to have us there four hours early (I have no idea why but it was better than hanging out at La Quinta hotel, even though, I did get to watch some Wimbledon earlier in the morning). I was able to distract myself and hang out outside of security until 10:30 or so when I decided I should head to my gate. I am still carrying those 40 pounds and no one has stopped me yet. The bags were not abnormally large, just the weight in them was extreme. I told myself as long as people don’t notice I am struggling to carry this, I will be just fine! Security was a breeze and I was boarding shortly after.

This was where they were checking the weight on some of the bags so I was a little nervous to get through and wanted to be on that plane as soon as possible. Thankfully multiple Quantas personnel were working with one of the ladies in front of me and I was able to quickly walk around them as I put my head down hoping they would not notice. I was SO HAPPY to finally get through and not worry about those darn bags! I was FINALLY safely on the huge A-380 double decker airplane, what more could I want? Oh, an empty row would be nice, right? Haha yes I don’t have anyone in my row, which made the flight A LOT more comfortable. I am currently writing this on the airplane and watching Happy Feet. I have already watched Iron Lady, ate some nasty airplane food, and slept a little. They have all the windows shut where you would not be able to tell that it is light outside. For all I know right now it’s the middle of the night (even though its really only 9pm Denver time). I am having a hard time sleeping which is why I am currently writing this long post! We have passed the Hawaiian islands and are 7 hours away. Even though there has been some unexpected events, I am just happy right now to be on this airplane headed for the time of my life! Signing off for now!

Lots of love,

Stephanie

    

Beginning of the Beginning

Hello everyone,

For all who don't know...or more accurately, are just finding out, I'm preparing for a trip down under to Australia. This Friday, July 6th, I will begin my four and a half month journey where I'll be attending school at the University of New South Wales, working/interning (hopefully), and experiencing the trip of a lifetime in Sydney Australia. With some internet access here and there and a blog to share my experiences, I'm looking forward to bringing you all with me...

So why Australia? Glad you asked. For quite some time now I've wanted to take a trip abroad...I visited Belize in December 2010 and had a great time. This time I wanted to go somewhere I might not have the opportunity to go again, somewhere by water, someplace that spoke english, and some place where I could get some great international finance experience. I kept hearing wonderful things about Australia like how nice the people are, the Great Barrier Reef, Sydney, good academic programs, the location, etc. I haven't met one person that didn't fall in love with Australia. The more insight I sought out from people I knew had traveled there, the more apparent to me it became that Australia was where I wanted to go.

Stay tuned for updates, this is my first blog so bear with me as I learn the ins and outs of blogging, I will do my best to get some good stuff up here. Questions? Good, ask me! I hope to hear from everyone of you!


Lots of love,
Stephanie