Recent Activities

Time flies, especially when there are literally an unlimited number of activities to do! At the one month mark of being in Australia, I thought about all I had done in a mere four weeks. So very much. Then I started to think about all I want to do while I am here and realized time is a-slippin away before my eyes. Feels like there isn't a minute to spare. I have met so many fantastic people, from literally everywhere. I love being based in such a gateway city as Sydney because I really get a taste of so many different cultures all in one. The world is a fascinating place, no doubt, but the people inhabiting it are what it's all about. No matter where you are, may it be the best or worst place on the face of this planet, you need people. We are here to interact with one another and there is something to be learned or at least appreciated from absolutely everyone. Talk to people. Particularly those different from yourself.

The Sydney harbor is such an inspiring place. Absolutely beautiful. Colored houses stretching for miles around the points, softly bobbing anchored sailboats, a great realm of tourists among local businesspeople, an Aboriginal playing a didgeridoo, and of course the Opera House which is seemingly unreal upon first sight when you realize you're here - it does exist!

I have hit up the major tourist beaches in Sydney: Bondi, Manly, and Coogee. All good in their own way. And although they are the majors, far less crowded than any LA beach and significantly smaller. Parking is still a bit rough, of course. But between these major tourist draws are the sweetest little beaches you ever laid your eyes on. Super clear and blue water, very small shore lines between rocky points, and fantastically delicious little cafes. I have developed a liking for hiking up and around the rocks at the points. Discovered a few caves, heaps of sideways-crawling crabs, and microscopic communities inhabiting itty bitty tide pools. Splashing and slipping around barefoot, I get giddy like an adventurous Girl Scout, every time.

One overcast day, Savannah and I headed to Bondi for a surf competition that was a little under the weather. Cool set up, just not many people due to the rain earlier in the day. But the sun came out, like it always does, and we had a good few hours exploring. Ran into a couple American guys I had met at Manly a few days before and joined them for the view from their buddy's rooftop-beachside-awesome balcony. So pleasant. 

A bout of all-too-nice weather couldn't be wasted by not enjoying the seaside. For about a week I was at one beach or another nearly daily. A highlight was a Saturday at Manly. We went real childish - tackling one another between waves, team building a giant sandcastle with a killer moat that was never utilized due to the low tide, tossing a football goofily around in a circle, and of course ice cream. A top day.

Random activity: volunteering at the Jurassic Lounge at the Australian Museum. The Australian Museum is a cool little place right by Hyde Park in the center of the city. On Tuesday evenings, the museum puts on an event called Jurassic Lounge which has an assortment of artistic activities. The week I was there, queuing visitors through lines to buy tickets (they draw in upwards of a thousand visitors each week), there was a silent disco, band, comedian, lecture, naked woman painting, poetry reading, and open after-hours exhibits. Really neat.

This past weekend, hopped in a car on a whim to head to Canberra for a friend's 21st. 21st birthdays aren't just big in the US. Apparently they are a tradition many places, in which a family and friends gathering is put on as a sort of 'coming of age' festivity. This one was themed 'A Day at the Races,' put on by the parents, complete with the entire family and hometown friends, catered dinner, open bar, dance tunes, and speeches. Great time and great to see the countryside. Gorgeous fields that stretch for miles, abundant African style trees, and rolling green hills in the background. It was a rainy day as our two-car, eight-person crew cruised down South, which broke as we were nearing the capital and produced the most perfect rainbow I have ever seen. Brilliantly massive and stretched completely from end to end. Complemented the emerging blue skies so nicely. Canberra was very significantly smaller than Sydney, and is the capital mostly for the reason that Melbourne and Sydney couldn't decide between themselves. So they picked a point in the middle of nothing, between the two. Didn't see too much of the government buildings, but got a feel for the quaint town. Good to see the countryside.

Uni today, an interview for a potential internship tomorrow (fingers crossed!), most likely the Gold Coast for a four-day weekend starting Thursday, and a trip to New Zealand over Easter break in the works. So much to see and so many people to meet! Get out there and discover something unexpected today. Time's a tickin'.

Some Basic Observations

Sometimes I forget I'm in a foreign country because this place is SO Americanized. Many of the same businesses exist: Shell, 7-11, Domino's, Target, K-Mart, etc. There are no Wal-Marts, thank goodness. Main grocery store is probably Cole's, followed closely by Woolworths. But these don't go all out like Wally World; they focus mainly on food and basic household necessities. I do remember I am in a foreign country when I go to cross the road, looking innocently left, when WHOOOOOOSH here comes a semi from the right. Whoo, that was a close call. Hah, but I am still here and plan to be for another minute.

The toilets, unfortunately, do not swirl the opposite direction. Or any direction for that matter. They go straight down, every time. They are quite environmentally friendly, however. On almost every toilet are two buttons, one for a half-flush and one for a full-flush. You choose what is appropriate for that toilet usage...you get the idea. What's a little weird is that all the bathroom trash cans either say 'No Sharps' or 'Dispose of Sharps Here' on the lids. Meaning needles used for I don't want to know what. Apparently Heroin is fairly prevalent around here, so there are programs that provide free, clean needles to addicts to prevent the spread of HIV and such. Gross.

The big word around here is 'heaps.' Oy mate, I've got heaps of kebab left, want some? It's heaps nice out, let's go to the beach! Banks don't advertise 'Hassle-Free Banking,' but 'Heaps-Free.'

A 'mate' can apply to anyone, providing you like them of course. I've made heaps of mates. They can be old, young, male, female, international, cat, dog, whatever. If they suit your fancy, they're your mate.

A funny one: Budgy Smugglers! Take a wild guess at this one. A Budgy is a bird. A Budgy Smuggler, however, is a Speedo, on a man. For further explanation: http://budgysmuggler.com.au/

The money is bright, colorful, and waterproof. Waterproof...now there's an idea we should adopt, duh. The tricky part is the smallest denomination of paper money is $5. $1 and $2 are coins, so you have to watch yourself that you don't throw them around like change. It adds up!

Gelato is a huge hit. Instead of ice cream parlors all around, there are heaps of the most delicious assortment of whatever-flavor-you-can-imagine gelato shops. Tiramisu, raspberry sorbet, coffee mocha, Swedish chocolate, tangy lemon, and on and on and on. I've had one just about daily.

There is no Burger King; the equivalent is Hungry Jack's. And it is the only place in Australia where you can get a full meal and a drink for $5. McDonalds is dubbed 'Mackers' and is packed between the hours of 1 and 4 AM. A Dollar Menu is unfortunately obsolete. No Taco Bell.

The music is killer! Anywhere you go: club, bar, restaurant, mall, convenience store, bank lobby, bathroom, literally anywhere, there will be some house beats bumpin'. It's great. But then every once in a while the Aussies will throw out an old old school song, like 'Wonderwall' by Oasis and the room goes absolutely nutso. It's so bizarre. American music is huge here. As is American TV, film, news and politics. We really are a driving force, it's fascinating.

I just had some brekky (the cuter way to say breakfast) and have to jet over to uni (not college). So a little for now, more for later. Cheers!

La Playa Manly

Wednesdays have turned into a bit of a tourist day for myself, Daina from North Carolina, and Matt from Liverpool, since the three of us are off uni and always itching to get into the city. Last week the weather was a bit shit, so we checked out Opera House, the Botanical Gardens, and surrounds. This week we snuck in a beach day while the weather was still sweet as. Went to Manly, the one touristy Sydney beach we hadn't seen yet. Less crowded than Bondi and just as beautiful. On the ferry ride from Circular Quay over to Manly, met a couple American guys who are on holiday. Not only are they on holiday, they are having super luxurious holiday, staying with a buddy of theirs who happens to live right on Bondi Beach. Right on it. Like a hop, skip, and a jump. Got to talking, and they mention how this guy's place is a killer pent house with a rooftop balcony right above the Rip Curl shop. So sweet. They invite us to a BBQ they are having Saturday after the big surf competition at Bondi. Wanna come? YEAH. Sweeeeeet, super excited. Should be a lovely time. They go to a surf lesson and we hang with another American newbie on holiday who hikes around the point with us, through ultra massive spider webs, but so worth the view from the top. The houses around Manly are colorful, large, and so adorably Australian. The shops in the area go right up to the beach like Hermosa, and the vibe is very So Cal. Capped the day with a meal at BenBry Burgers to satisfy our starving selves. I devoured the 'BarrArmanda' - a fresh Barramundi sandwich (that's a fish) - and it was so unbelievably dank. Highly recommend you try a Barramundi anything if you can get your hands on it. Good mid-week break in the city, one more day at uni, then time for what will sure to be a fun filled three-day weekend. Mmm mmm mmm life is heaps sweet. Pictchas:

A Heaping Weekend

Oh what fun we have! Just woke up Monday morning from 12 hours of solid sleep, something I had definitely not seen for a while. This past weekend was an absolute blast. Let me share:

Thursday was neighbor Renee’s birthday, so had a bumpin’ village party for that one! Village parties consist of several open apartments around the courtyard, a few boxes of goon (the Australian equivalent of Franzia boxed wine), and someone eventually going swimming in the locked-at-10 PM pool. Everyone came out for this one, I met loads of newbies, an overall success.

Friday started as a girls’ night with about 15 of us at where else, but Hooters. Yes, my first Hooters experience was actually in Australia. Good laughs, good times. But Australian servers really don’t work for tips, since they make upwards of $15 an hour, so what you get is what you get, despite what you may ask for. At least this has been my restaurant experience so far, but no harm done. After Hoots, we round the rest of the troops (meaning the hungry boys) and head to Ivy, a glitz and glam club in the city. This is the first and last time I will ever wear heels on a night out and ‘bout. OUCH. Other than that, a fantastic time! Loads of good vibin’ and dancin’ and interesting people to meet.

So then trekking home is a whole ‘nother story. Parramatta, where I live, is about as far as a foreign country from the heart of the city. It is a straight up JOURNEY to get to and fro via public transport. But you do what you do. So we leave Ivy at 3:30 AM or so, trudge a few blocks to the bus station, board an already overfilled bus, hang on to the overhead handrails while standing in the aisle and holding my heels in the other hand, get jostled around hitting the Lebanese guy sitting beside me at every turn while playing a silly Girl Scout-type chanting game with some Kiwis also looking to pass the time of the bus ride, get dropped at the Parramatta train station because the bus just can't stop at the stop directly across from our apartments, try to catch a cab but get turned down by the driver because there are five of us and he can only hold four, my feet are killllllling me, try to invisibly dive into the back seat of the next cab while Daina distracts the driver and everyone else piles in nonchalantly, turned down again, repeat with new tactic of us all entering the cab from both sides with me crouching and giggling on the floor board, turned down again, and again, and again, break at Hungry Jack's (Aussie version of Burger King), resort to taking two separate cabs, finally collapse into bed at 5 AM. Good night.

So then there's MARDI GRAS! An entirely new day and night of adventures. Stay with me here, this is a good one.

Savannah and I rush around all day, on no sleep but an abundance of adrenaline, sorting our quick fix outfits and such to leave at 4 PM, but the group of 25 isn't ready until about 6, so all for nothing. After the hour long bus ride to Oxford Street, four of us girls bee line to the bathroom to find ourselves missing from the rest, so then there were four, and that was okay! Let's go see this parade!

The theme was Say Something: Mardi Gras 2011, and was all about gay pride. It was FANTASTIC. 300,000 people out to watch an abundance of flamboyantly fun floats. Sweet costumes. Great dancers. And heaps of gay people.

So the 3-hour parade concludes and the four of us girls head to a couple NO COVER clubs (this is unheard of in Sydney). The first was Three Wise Monkeys, a cool little gig but jammed with gay guys, which meant no free drinks for us. Moving on to the Scary Canary, a backpacker bar. Much more our style, meaning straight guys, also foreign, and on backpacking trips: so just looking for the most exciting night yet! We danced and danced and daaaaaaaanced some more to the best house music set ever. Slowly people we knew were feeding out until just Savannah, my new Aussie friend, Andrew, and I were the only ones not quite ready to hit the hay. So Coogee Beach? Yeah! Cab it over to Coogee, with the cab driver asking if we're sure we want to go to the beach at 4 AM and Andrew only pitching in a couple dollars for the fare after bragging about how rich he was. Hhmph. But an adorable little beach! And only a couple hours til sunrise! We ran around the sand, went swimming, hiked the rocks on the point, and laughed and talked the time away until the sun shone her pretty little face over the horizon.

Mmmm mmm mmm it was sweet, and I was dog tired. Andrew had given up like a pansy little girl about an hour before the sun. Savannah and I embraced the warm light and trekked it back to Parra, by way of bus, then train, then bus, then 45 minute walk, to bed by 9 AM and again wide awake at noon. My sleep routine is so skewed, but I am so having way too much fun.

Uni Life

Life at uni in Aus is much like college in the States. Extreme procrastination (already), texters-in-class (but more accepted), and professors who try so hard and then awkwardly await class participation that just doesn't surface. First day was Monday...interesting. Had an Asian professor for International Marketing who was pretty funny when you could decipher what he was saying. It was storming outside for just a minute, really when it storms here it's very brief - if you blink, you miss it, and that minute happened to occur during our class. The power goes out. No emergency lights in this classroom though, so when the power goes out, it goes OUT. Cave darkness. Half the class took this opportunity to get up and less-than-stealthily leave. Power comes on a minute later and the professor laughs that half the class is gone. Power out again. More kids sneak out. Power on and even fewer left. Power out. Cycle repeats. Happened about five times until teach realizes it's hopeless and dismisses us few remaining diehards.

Uni is also typical in the way we live and eat. Like bums. I currently have absolutely zero food to my name. The other day a few of us rounded up our remaining goods and had a little poolside picnic to hold us over until the AM. A nice little assortment. Here's what we conjured up:

Wednesday went into the city to search for Mardi Gras outfits. No luck, but such a fun day running amuck around Circular Quay and Oxford Street. Mardi Gras in Sydney is comparable to that in New Orleans. The big, gigantic, humungo gay & lesbian parade is this Saturday, followed by what will sure to be a night of unruly mayhem. Oxford Street is where it will be held, which is just about as interestingly flamboyant as West Hollywood.

Fantastic castle at Hyde Park.

On our meandering window tour of Oxford, we couldn't help but be drawn to a bizarre looking shop with random objects sticking out of the windows - such as a mannequin's legs, big random street signs with not-street sign words on them, chunks of trees, and so on. We walk in to find an eclectic woman with spiked bleach blonde hair, a screen print tee, and oh so curious as to who we are and where we are from. After she guesses where each of us are from, after about 13 tries, we are invited to search the shop. So bizarre. Bits of fabric, any size mason jar you could imagine, an assortment of craaaaazy costumes, brightly colored wigs, a giant hanging shark, squares of styrofoam, fake plant pieces, and the works.

Oh yes, and Plastic Stems. Now that's a dollar's worth.

So we are beyond bewildered after wandering through the three stories of various rooms and head back down, empty handed of course, to the shop owner asking us about Mardi Gras. I ask for some tips for the day of. She exclaims it's "crazy awesome fun," we should wear "next to nothing," and "bring a milk crate to stand on." A milk crate? Oh yes, to stand on to see the fantastic parade. A hot commodity they are. Sell for about $10 a pop if you decide you're done carrying it around. She even gave us her very own milk crate to take home and a private invitation to watch from the windows of her circus shop if we arrive before 5. So generous!

Milk crate.

I ask the woman if it's okay to drink on the streets. She laughs a bit before responding, "Of course darling, where do you think we are? We're Aussies!"

Should be a fun weekend.