G’day everyone. This second week has been nothing short of amazing and action-packed, to say the least. I have been able to explore a lot more of Sydney and try more foods. One of the neat things I tried was one of the public bicycles around the city. I was able to use my phone to “unlock” one of the lime bicycles via the Uber app and bike through the parks and streets in Sydney. Granted, I did not bike too long as the 57 Australian cents a minute adds up quickly, but it was a nice change of pace from walking and using the public transportation system. What I like about the public bicycles in Sydney compared to the ones in most American cities is that you can park in pretty much any reasonable place you want. Unless the app said I was in a no-parking zone, I could park it on any sidewalk as long as it was to the side of the sidewalk and not in a no-parking zone. When not out and about, I have enjoyed the process of making different foods from my kitchen in my accommodation. I already cooked pasta and chicken before, but Friday evening, I decided to make enchiladas from the kit I bought from the supermarket. Although it was my first time cooking anything as complicated as that, I am proud of the result and excited to cook more foods.

Although the week seemed to pace rather slowly, with two afternoon classes on Monday, I got to experience what a game of cricket was like on Monday evening after my business law class. I remember a joke my Dad brought up about the event: instead of Monday Night Football, it’s Monday Night Cricket! Never before had I expected there to be a dress code for a sporting event, but as it turned out, there was. Upon leaving the class, my eyes widened to see that we had to dress in something better than casual clothes. This was communicated to me by my roommate who was also finding the news out last minute. After swiftly looking on the internet, I found no contractual evidence and raced home with my friends to get ready to go. Once we got there via Uber, we made our way to the Cricket stadium in Sydney, a huge and stunning venue.

The women’s cricket game was a head-to-head showdown between the Australians (or Aussies as a shortened way of saying it) against England. The field was almost a perfect circle, with the middle being where each play occurred. I will admit, I had trouble understanding the rules of the game. It reminds me a lot of baseball, but cricket just is not quite the same. In this game, there is a batter (or two) that strikes the ball with a bat and a set of three upward sticks behind them. The three sticks blink red when they get hit, which signals a point or penalty to a team; again, I am still not sure of the rules and point systems at the moment! I found it noteworthy that when a player hits the ball, and the fielders cannot catch or grab it when it gets past the white boundary line, a point or a play is scored. The stadium had a wave of these incredible vertical flame thrower displays that would ignite after a ball would fly or roll over the boundary lines. My friends and I could feel the heat of these vertical flame throwers many rows back. Although we did not stay till the end of the game, I had a great time attending the match and am interested in attending another sporting match here in Australia, whether that be cricket or another great sport such as soccer (called football).

On Tuesday, we had the opportunity to meet an alumni who gave us all valuable advice on looking forward in our careers. Many Bucknell students asked some intriguing questions, including how he got to Sydney, his career path, and his go-to spots in and around the city. I enjoyed this opportunity and never thought I would get to meet someone from Bucknell who lives as far away as Australia. After this meeting, we had a chance to go to an open-air bar venue that sat right on the Darling Harbor. Although it was a struggle to find seating, the venue was reasonably immense, with plenty of opportunities to find a place to sit, including right beside the water. The venue was connected to the Opera House and had a great view of the Sydney Harbor Bridge, making it a perfect place for a social evening. Upon returning to the accommodation, I did a deeper dive into different good restaurants and venues, finding some cool places I could go to during my stay in Sydney.

Sydney from Above

On Saturday, I ventured to a place few have gone partly because of my passion for aerial footage but also because of photos my grandpa had shared with me that sparked my inspiration. The night before, I made sure to drink lots of water and sleep well as I would soon be boarding a helicopter that would take me around Sydney. Although it was a steep ticket price, I knew it would make for a fantastic birthday present for myself. When I arrived at the heliport that Saturday, it was around 2 o’clock in the afternoon. I had around 30 minutes until takeoff. As I was waiting in the Blue Skys Helicopter lounge’s lobby area, an employee directed me to a briefing room where I received critical safety instructions and precautions we had to take before the flight. These measures included wearing a life vest hip pack and being aware of the helicopter’s key functions. In addition to the pilot (shoutout to Brandon), I was going to be flying with two others, who were assigned to sit in the second row. This also meant I was assigned to sit right next to our pilot!
The takeoff was loud and blaring even when we were inside the aircraft. We had to wear headsets onboard in order to communicate, but it was a fantastic ride. We departed from the heliport (situated on the edge of the Sydney International Airport) and headed towards downtown Sydney. All the way through, I took countless photos and videos. Some notable footage from the flight was of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) campus where we take classes, the Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, Bondi Beach, and much more. The weather could not have been more perfect for the flight. I remember looking at the controls before me, thinking, “Wow, it must take a lot of practice and hard work to become a helicopter pilot”. After circling back from the ocean area and passing over Maroubra Beach (a calm and miraculous beach pictured below), we made our way back toward the heliport. Brandon, our pilot, showed off his skills, slowly lowering the helicopter down where we could exit and take a few concluding photos. From a first hand experience, I highly recommend anyone try out a tour such as this one, especially if you want to get a quick feel for the different areas of Sydney or your nearby city.

The Olympic Park

We have all heard of it at some point: The Sydney 2000 Olympics. It is unbelievable to believe that it was a quarter century ago that Sydney hosted the Olympics, where thousands of athletes competed to bring home victories for their countries. Most notably for the United States, Micheal Phelps, just 15 years old at the time, competed in his first Olympics in Sydney, placing 5th in the 200-meter butterfly, where he then went on to win a record-breaking number of medals in the next four Olympics after Sydney. I was able to hop on a train and then take a bus to visit the Olympic Park and explore it all for free or relatively cheap. What I was most interested in, though, was the aquatics center. Swimming was always my favorite sport to watch at the Olympics, and I have no words for how staggering the facility was. The Sydney Olympic Aquatic Center is still an actively used venue with a water park that is great for kids and contains countless active swim lanes one can swim in. One can utilize the facilities for a ten-dollar fee and experience what it was like being in the same pool that the Olympians swam in many years ago. Off in the distance, I also saw the tall diving boards used for the competitions as well. The stands were very vibrant, and as I walked around the center, I could picture in my head the hustle and bustle of the crowds during the 2000 Sydney Olympics. I definitely want to come back with my swimsuit and goggles to get a good workout at the fantastic Olympic pool at a later date.

Exploring more of the Olympic Park, I walked around more, hoping to find another venue people could enter. I saw a large stadium, besides a massive car park, but had no luck. What I love about the Olympic Park is how they have continued to utilize and embrace the space. Multiple hotels and restaurants are situated in the Olympic Park, along with a public transportation system that runs through the area. I saw lots of people headed to a large dome building, so there must have been a huge concert taking place during my visit to the park. Heading west, I checked out this hugely shaped circle encompassing a large body of water far below. Although I was not sure the purpose of this colossal structure, I later discovered it was built after the Olympics and was used to help recognize the bricks that workers hurled to build homes in Sydney.

A Peaceful Ending to a Busy Week

My Sunday was a pivotal day to rest and relax after a busy and exciting Saturday. After catching up on laundry and getting in a good workout at the gym, I took advantage of the time to read my book “Great Australian Scams, Cons, & Rorts by Jim Haynes. In all honesty, I do not know how I picked this book; all my requirements were to get a book specific to Australia, and so far, I have enjoyed reading it. I used my Sunday afternoon into the early evening reading some of this book while enjoying the warm sun. Thanks so much for taking the time to read my blog for this week. I hope you enjoyed reading it. Stay tuned for my next blog, where I hope to learn more facts and mysteries about Sydney and the surrounding area. Cheers!

-Colin