G’day
Mates!
This is my first post from my study abroad in Australia! To start with how the weather feels thus far in the country Down
Under: we usually enjoy a brilliant, blue sky with hot, humid days and
wonderful warm, windy evenings. Sometimes I forget that I am in a different
country (continent, hemisphere) because most things (buildings, cars, stores,
people, etc.) are similar to the US. But it’s those little things—when you
can’t find that brand of peanut butter, or when you must remember to look right
before crossing the street— that make you double take and remind you: we are in
Australia!
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| A friendly safety reminder to folks new to Australia: "Look Right" |
Sydney
is an awesome city. As our faculty leader, Dave, says, “Sydney has the weather
of San Diego, the energy of New York, the architecture of Chicago, and
the layout of San Francisco,” and, in my opinion, the funky pubs of Portland.
Our group is living together in a dorm-like house on Arundel Street, across
from the University of Sydney. We are ideally situated at Arundel, because not
only are we across the street from classes, but we are a 10-minute walk from
Glebe Point Road, a street with great pubs, restaurants, bookstores and more,
and about a 30-minute walk to downtown Sydney.
Our
first day in the city, we took a bus tour and saw the iconic Sydney Opera
House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Circular Quay, other famous sections of the city,
and ended the tour with a swim at the famous Bondi Beach.
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| Our group in front of Sydney Harbour, Sydney Opera House, and the Harbour Bridg |
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| Enjoying the view at the entrance of the harbour |
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| View of the harbour |
Starting
our second and third days, the mornings consisted of classes about the geology,
archeology, and climate of Australia. After class, the afternoons were our own.
Most of us took this opportunity to explore and/or go grocery shopping, as
Arundel kindly provides breakfast, but we are in charge of our other meals. In
the evenings, many others and myself have been spending our time on the roof of
our Arundel home. Not only does it have a fantastic view of the city, but also
as the sun is setting in the east, we have an ideal view of the fruit bats
flying up from the botanical gardens and snatching at bugs in the air. When the
bats swarm up, they resemble something both awesome and creepy… like the flying
monkeys from The Wizard of Oz.
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| The view from Arundel House |
In class, we also learned about the first colonizers, the
convicts and their caretakers, and how they learned to survive in Australia. In
the afternoon, we took a field trip to the Hyde Park Barracks and the ANZAC
Memorial and Pool of Reflection, also located in Hyde Park. The ANZAC Memorial
was originally created as a WWI memorial for those who had died, but now honors
all of those who have died serving their country in the many conflicts in which
Australia has deployed its military. “Lest We Forget” was written on the
memorial and is now a regular Australian phrase used to show remembrance of
those who have served in the Australian forces. Upon entering the memorial,
people are asked to be silent, in order to show respect for the fallen. I found
this experience to be deeply melancholy and moving.
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| Hyde Park Barracks |
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| ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Memorial |
Sorry to end on that somber note, but I hope y’all will keep reading my further adventures in Australia!
Cheers!
Seraphie