It’s absolutely cruel that I had to just pack up my entire life from the past two months into four little bags (okay maybe not little but still under the weight limit 😇). My time in Sydney was probably the best eight weeks of my entire life. I fell completely in love with the city. I’m already itching to return and I’ve only been gone two days.

I’m gonna miss everything, from my ritual walks to Bondi, to all of the life changing food I had, to my amazing friends that I made during my time here. Even the classes and coursework were enjoyable because of where we were- being able to go to one of the best beaches in the world to work on a paper is a luxury that I’ll never forget.

Food

I was definitely not expecting the food in Australia to be such a highlight. The country isn’t particularly known for any specific cuisine (my prior research showed fish & chips and chicken parmi, two things I didn’t want to be eating nonstop while living at the beach) and I was prepared for it to be mid at best. So wrong! I have tried some of the best food of my entire life here. Being a melting pot of so many different cultures, the options were basically limitless.

Most days I would have something small for breakfast and make coffee in the room but sometimes I would treat myself to Cohort, my favorite coffee shop just a 3 minute walk from our hotel. The first few times I came here I had awkward encounters with the employees so that was a hurdle I had to navigate but it was worth it because their coffee was incredible! If I had a strenuous mental day ahead, I would order their malted almond butter latte with lion’s mane, my new favorite supplement. It’s an adaptogen that reduces brain fog and enhances focus and concentration, and it might be a placebo but I think it really works. Otherwise, my go-to coffee order from really anywhere is always an iced oat milk latte, and it was pretty much consistently amazing because Australian coffee is just so good.

If you can’t tell by now, my favorite place to go in Sydney is Bondi, and it surely isn’t lacking in amazing breakfast places and cafes. I fell head over heels for Lox in a Box. I would always get their Classic Lox, an everything bagel with dill cream cheese, tomatoes, red onion, capers, and their fresh lox. I never really liked smoked salmon before this but this sandwich became something I dream about regularly. I also went on my matcha journey on this trip because I’ve been so determined to like it but never had a good one before. The iced raspberry matcha at Lox in a Box is to die for. My favorite matcha I’ve ever had was from Harry’s Bondi. When you get it takeaway from there, they seal it in a can like a soda for you to pop open- super fun! I also started to really get into Eggs Benedict, inspired by the show-stopping one I had at Harry’s.

The star of the Bondi breakfast show is 1000% Blackwood. Stella and I will probably fly back just to eat the Morning Glory again. It’s a massive plate of miso scrambled eggs, sourdough toast, lemony kale with feta, avocado, leek potato balls, bacon, pickled onions, and lime ranch. Everything tastes incredible together and we enjoyed getting to put together different bites. Their strawberry matcha was a close second to Harry’s, and they had a super refreshing mango tangerine iced tea. I was also able to try their iced milo with espresso, which reminded me of a super rich chocolate milk.

Roomies (& best friends)

I opted to go to Auckland, New Zealand for the internship component despite knowing that almost everybody else was going to Singapore. I’m not a huge fan of big cities, and if the weather there is anything like the humidity in Cairns, I don’t think I would have survived. I was seeking a more laid back atmosphere and more natural beauty in the sightseeing. I wanted to be able to step outside without being immediately covered in sweat. But, going to Auckland means leaving all of my roommates and starting my own journey for the second half of my time abroad, and I’m crying right now just thinking about it.

I already knew Ariana as we had met freshman year when we had a class together and quickly became friends. Rooming together has brought us so much closer than I could have imagined. I’m going to miss our nightly TikTok time when we know that one of us laughing means that the other is about to receive a hilariously stupid video. She’s always our go-to person for planning weekend trip events and dinners (usually recommendations she saw in a TikTok), which has been a refreshing change for me as I usually take on that role but was happy to follow her lead. Thanks to her, we got to Camp Cove, the best elote I’ve ever had in Melbourne, Butterboy cookies & soft serve in Manly, and our favorite hidden gem: $19 pasta and wine at Arms Length every Tuesday night. I didn’t know Alexa before coming here but I can honestly say I see her being in my wedding. She’s one of those people where we just get each other and I was very frequently creeped out by her saying out loud exactly what I was thinking at that moment. I’m gonna miss our long chats about family, life, memories, and analyzing everything about who we are as people. We were fortunate to have both of our classes together during the second block so we got to spend so much time together before parting ways for a bit. I knew Lauren from MGMT 101 but this experience definitely grew our friendship!!! I love how she would always be down for whatever and she has such an adventurous side- I always love hearing about her side quests and I know she’ll say yes if I want to stay out a little bit longer! I also didn’t know Stella and Maddie before coming abroad with them but I have had the best time getting to know them. If they’re reading this now I’m still waiting for them to get started on their cookbook because it seemed like every night they were making something amazing and delicious in the kitchen. We bonded over books and shared recommendations, leading me to read five books in my time here and finally getting me out of my reading slump.

My best memories of nights from this trip are the six of us sitting together talking over wine and sharing so many laughs. I’m very sad that I’m gonna miss out on those moments in the second half being the only one going to a different place. I know I made the best decision for myself but it’s gonna be so hard to say goodbye to everyone.

Golden moments

I will never forget the feeling of getting off the 333 bus and seeing Bondi for the first time. I was completely speechless. The beaches only went up from there, and I think my favorite of the eastern ones was Coogee. As I reflect on my time in Sydney, a moment that stands out is the first time I was ever brought to tears by sheer awe of the beauty of my surroundings. My roommates (plus Jackson) and I spent the afternoon into early evening at Tamarama and decided to take the coastal walk to our dinner reservation in Bondi. The sun was beginning to set and everything was cast in its golden glow, the cliffs illuminated and the waves sparkling as they crashed down beneath us. I was completely overcome with a flood of emotions of how thankful I was to be in this place and how lucky I am for this opportunity. I spent my last day without class in Sydney at Coogee by myself just taking it all in and feeling the weight of having to leave crushing me. I wish my pictures did it justice but you really have to experience it to feel what I felt so often being here. I know I’m gonna be back, I just hope it’s soon.