As we come to the halfway point during our stay in Sydney, Australia, I wanted to reflect on these past few weeks and share some of the experiences from this week. Over the past four weeks, we finished two courses, and it feels like the time is flying by.
Weekend Trip to Melbourne, Australia
This past weekend, we took a group trip to Melbourne, Australia, where we did a walking tour to learn about the history of the city and walked around the city to explore for ourselves. Melbourne was different from Sydney in my eyes. Melbourne struck me as more of an urban city with more buildings and city-like streets, compared to Sydney’s beaches. I found the tram system in Melbourne to be quite intriguing and a good way to get around the city. What I found most interesting from the walking tour was the street art on the buildings. We learned that in Melbourne, street art is actually tolerated, where many building owners actually give permission to artists to paint murals. The street art demonstrates Melbourne’s rich artistic expression and the variety of cultures that all come together in the city. Some of these materials paint pictures of environmental, social, and political issues, showing that the murals that these artists paint are more than just graffiti.
Overall, the city of Melbourne had beautiful architecture and a nice urban atmosphere. I enjoyed walking through the Chinatown area and being able to see how that culture was brought over into Australia. There were so many good food choices in the area from various Asian cultures as well.
Queen Victoria Building and Water View Wharf
Throughout the week, I was able to visit the Queen Victoria building near Town Hall and the water view wharf.
Rose Bay Beach
Finally, I ended the week off by watching the sunset at Rose Bay Beach. I’m looking forward to the next four weeks of classes and experiencing more new opportunities during my remaining time in Sydney!
