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 4th 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!
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