Starting New Classes
During this week, we started our new classes for the second half of our time in Sydney, Australia. One of the classes, Aussie Life and Culture, I found particularly interesting after learning about the origins of Australia and the people that first settled here. We learned that the Aboriginal people were taken away by the British settlers that came to Australia, thus why there is a “Stolen Generation.” Reflecting back on my time here, I remember going to celebrate Australia Day, which is a national holiday to celebrate the First Fleet of 1788 that came to Australia with British settlers. However, with what we learned in class, I was confused as to why citizens celebrate a day where settlers came to Australia and mistreated the original people there. It is very interesting hearing about all of these stories because it shows that there are always two sides to a story, and it brings a new perspective on how people view Australia and how it was crated. On the streets, I actually saw some Aboriginal people playing music on the streets, which was interesting to see.
Milk Beach Sunset
During the week, we went to go see the sunset at Milk Beach.
Manly Beach Visit
Over the weekend, we went to Manly Beach to visit and hang out for the day. I really enjoy Manly, not only because of the beautiful beach, but also because it has a really nice street of shops and restaurants.
Opera House Tour
Also, over the weekend, we toured the Sydney Opera House and got to learn more about the history of its creation. During the tour we learned that there was a worldwide competition to design the Sydney Opera House, and the winner was a small Danish artist named Otzen. It took 16 years and 10,000 workers to complete, and the project ran over the budget by a lot. The people living nearby didn’t want the opera house to be built because they didn’t want it to block their view. Towards the end of the project, a change in government kicked the designer, Otzen, of the opera house out of the project and country and he never got to see his final work of art, which is a tragic ending.
