It feels good to be in a new country for a while. Australia has been very welcoming to me so far. After that long trip here, I have finally stepped foot on Australian soil, and it feels great. The weather is perfect, and I get to skip the cold conditions of New York, which is a plus. My housing situation is better than expected; I live in Bondi Junction, near a massive mall, so shopping is very convenient. The sun is powerful here, and I have gotten sunburned without even realizing it, so now I must be cautious about wearing sunscreen. The food has been great here; I have been mainly eating Asian food, which is a nice change of pace. Sushi has been my #1 food in Sydney, and I look forward to trying new places.
Arrival at Sydney Airport
The class started right away this week, and the classes have been long at 3 hours each. I have off on Tuesdays, so that’s my day to explore. This Tuesday, I went to see the sunset at Coogee Beach, and it was my first time seeing an Australian beach. On Wednesday, I and some friends went to Bondi Beach, Sydney’s most popular beach. I got a chance to tan in the Australian sun, and I got a little bit of color. The water was very refreshing and very clear. It feels great being able to go to the beach in January.
Coogee Sunset
Bondi Beach
This weekend was an entire of enjoyable excursions. On Saturday, our program took us on a walking tour around the historic part of Sydney near the Opera House. It was great to learn more about how this city was built. It was built by the criminals of Britain, which I found pretty interesting. After that, we got lunch at a nice place on the bay, and I got a beer flight from a brewer who was a convict in the 19th century and became a master brewer here in Sydney.
View of the Opera House
Sunday was my favorite here because we got to go to a free-range wildlife park. I have always wanted to see a kangaroo in person, and my expectations were blown out of the water. Kangaroos, Emus, and Wallabies were walking around us, and we could interact with them. We also got to see a koala named Arnold. I was able to get some cool pictures of the animals. It was a lot of fun, and I would go again.
Me and the Kangaroos
Arnold
Happy Feet and I