After five great days in Cairns, I flew down to Sydney to get settled into my new home until December. I am staying at Macquarie University Village, which is a clsuter of townhomes connected to the University. My place is fine, nothing overly fancy, but is adequate. It consists of a common living, dining, and kitchen area, while there are 5 private bedrooms with small ensuite bathrooms. The University itself is in the suburbs of Sydney, yet still techinically considered part of Sydney city limits. To put it is perspective, it takes about 20-30 minutes by train to get to Darling Harbor and the downtown area. The campus is very open with lots of eucalyptus trees and large parkland areas; so it is a repreive form the hustle and bustle of the city. To be quite honest, I sometimes wonder why I didnt apply to a school with more of a central location, but there are still no complaints as I think Macquarie will be a good fit for me. The past week has consisted mostly of unpacking, shopping, and setting up my new place; but still in all, I have been able to meet a lot of people, and have had some great excursions into the city.
On Thursday evening, the Study Abroad office sponsored a welcome cruise in Sydney Harbor, for all the new semester abroad students. It was an amazing time! The boat departed from the Sydney Opera house which was a sight to behold in itself. The boat consited of a bar and dance floor, as well as 2 open air decks, which offered great views. The city skyline and harbor were aweosme at night. It is quite possibly the nicest skyline of any of the cities I have been to. The dancing was also a lot of fun, and offered a great chance to socialize with the other international students.
Saturday offered the first chance of exploring thie city during the day. Me and about eight of my other study abroad friends took the train to downtown to explore an area known as Darling Harbor. It's basically a really nicely built up harbor with: shops, restaurants, museums, parks and even some nightclubs. You name it, it has it. Anyway, right next to darling harbor is China Town, where we had an awesome (and for Australian standards- pretty inexpensie) lunch. From there we walked throught the harbor where they had all these international luxury boats docked for a show (I could see the dollar sign floating in front of my eyes). At the other end of Darling Harbor was the Sydney Aquarium which we spent a few hours walking through. Although it was a decent aquarium (with a cool skark exhibit), I personally don't think it deserves the hype that it gets. Nonetheless, it was a great day spending time with friends in what is sure to become one of my all time favorite cities!
One final note: for those wondering about the weather this time of year, it techincally is winter in Sydney right now. Although the weather still isn't bad considering the season, I am definaitely excited for it to warm up. It'll be weird having summer in November!
On Thursday evening, the Study Abroad office sponsored a welcome cruise in Sydney Harbor, for all the new semester abroad students. It was an amazing time! The boat departed from the Sydney Opera house which was a sight to behold in itself. The boat consited of a bar and dance floor, as well as 2 open air decks, which offered great views. The city skyline and harbor were aweosme at night. It is quite possibly the nicest skyline of any of the cities I have been to. The dancing was also a lot of fun, and offered a great chance to socialize with the other international students.
Saturday offered the first chance of exploring thie city during the day. Me and about eight of my other study abroad friends took the train to downtown to explore an area known as Darling Harbor. It's basically a really nicely built up harbor with: shops, restaurants, museums, parks and even some nightclubs. You name it, it has it. Anyway, right next to darling harbor is China Town, where we had an awesome (and for Australian standards- pretty inexpensie) lunch. From there we walked throught the harbor where they had all these international luxury boats docked for a show (I could see the dollar sign floating in front of my eyes). At the other end of Darling Harbor was the Sydney Aquarium which we spent a few hours walking through. Although it was a decent aquarium (with a cool skark exhibit), I personally don't think it deserves the hype that it gets. Nonetheless, it was a great day spending time with friends in what is sure to become one of my all time favorite cities!
One final note: for those wondering about the weather this time of year, it techincally is winter in Sydney right now. Although the weather still isn't bad considering the season, I am definaitely excited for it to warm up. It'll be weird having summer in November!
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing time you are having! Seeing the Sydney Opera House 'up close and personal' must have been awesome! Your living arrangement sounds perfect, with a shared common area, and yet the privacy everyone wants with your own bedroom and bathroom. I look forward to reading your updates!
Veronica