Vivid

Sydney Vivid Festival of Lights has been going on for the past two weeks and it’s been a pretty amazing show!  Light shows and sculptures have been filling the streets and projected onto all the buildings, showing different scenes and artsy things.  The city is packed with people and the colorful lights light up the city so much it almost seems like the day time.

The other night we wandered around the city exploring the different displays and watching street performers then we had the chance to go on the top of one of the city’s hotel roofs to see a spectacular view!  (One of the host families’ sons manages the place).  The roof also had an outdoor hot tub which we took great advantage of :) Though it was more like a warm tub and quite hard to get the nerve to jump out of since it was pretty chilly up there.  Sarah convinced Ronnie to jump in the pool too (which she told him was about the same temperature).  Needless to say he was out of there pretty quick and we all had a good laugh over that.  Our time here is coming to a close!  But before it ends, some of us are traveling to the Great Barrier Reef in less than 24 hours!!!!!  I’m so excited to go snorkeling with the fishies :) Hopefully we don’t get too lost haha.  I don’t have the best track record with directions and transportation… 

Sydney Entertainment

Mutemath (an American alternative rock band) comes to Sydney for the first time!  An Aussie friend of mine had an extra ticket so we went.  It was a packed house in Hi-Fi- arena in the Fox Entertainment district.  When I say packed house, I mean mosh pit.  Somehow we found our way to the center front row!!! At times the crowd got so intense I literally thought to myself… “this is it, ‘American Student Dies in Sydney Mosh Pit’”…  Haha, but it was a pretty cool experience as a whole.  The band was the most interactive I’ve been seen in concert.  The main singer was in and out of the crowd, and interacting with the front row the whole time and the drummer (who duct-taped headphones onto his head and bright red afro once he got on stage) threw his drums on top of the crowd at one point then started playing on top of them…  there was a bunch of crowd-surfing and confetti flying as well.  I won’t forget that night haha! 

A few days later I experienced the opposite extreme in regards to Sydney entertainment.  Last night Megan and I decided last minute to get all dolled up and go to the Sydney Opera House to see if we could buy student rush tickets for the night performance of the Sydney Symphonic Orchestra.  We were able to buy them and they were great seats!  The coolest show!  It was whole concert of Gershwin’s compositions: Jazz, Rhythm and Blues.  Some of my favorite Jazz songs were done in such amazing arrangements!!  Tracy Dahl (an American Soprano) was flown in to sing with the band and a jazz drummer from Melbourne, David Jones, was INCREDIBLE!!!!!!  Their version of “Fascinating Rhythm” was so much fun!  The Opera House was BEAUTIFUL inside!  The décor was kind of sea-themed, the chandeliers reminded me of jellyfish.  Overall, it was a great night…  I much preferred it over the rock concert. Although I have to say that was pretty fun too  :)

This weekend I spent a bunch of time working at the BakeHouse which was fun.  I’m loving the people there and the Italian family is just to die for!  Some of them keep saying to me, can’t you just stay in Sydney???!!! :)  The regulars all know me now too and like to hear about my ventures in their homeland.  The espresso is addicting, the pastries are amazing and the fresh bread and sandwiches are way too good!  It’s been a really fun addition to my abroad experience! 

Friday some of us took a tour of the Quarantine Station at Manly Beach across the harbor.  This was a place, during the Spanish Influence Epidemic, where the sick were quarantined after they arrived by ship.  The buildings were old and very interesting, our tour guide was creepily hilarious for our “ghostlike tour,” and the location/view on the hilltop area was stunning!  In fact, during our tour there was a wedding taking place on the beach of the property and we got to sneak a peak at the reception area while the ceremony was still going on and it was so ornate and beautiful! 

Saturday five of us girls went with some of our Aussie friends two hours north to NewCastle where we went sailing on MacQuarie Lake, a salt water lake.  Despite the lack of wind… we had a really fun time together and met new Aussies.  The day was gorgeous too!  That night we came back into the city for Church by the Bridge and then to China Town for dinner.  In China Town, it literally felt like I had entered a whole new country!  And the Chinese waiters and hostesses were so aggressive to have you eat at THEIR restaurant they would practically pull you into a chair and tell you what to order! 

Just some more adventures in the Land Down Under for you ;)  who knows what’s next! 

Sunrise on the Beach

Thursday class canceled??? Score!  Sarah and I slept over Megan’s house Wednesday night and we all dared to get up at 4.25am and brave public transportation to Bondi Beach, where we would see the sunrise!!!  It was quite the adventure because the train/bus connections were very close together and Sarah (not a morning person…) was moving at snail’s pace.  We got on the first train and most of the seats were taken up by full-grown men, sprawled out on the seats, asleep…  But after an hour or so we arrived just before the sun started to rise and we saw a beautiful sunrise over the Pacific ocean.  Although the day was supposed to reach about 80 degrees, the morning was very cold. We put on many layers and cuddled close for warmth.  Surprisingly there were quite a few surfers and joggers on the beach at such an early hour!  AND the deadly sand raker that almost ran us over… multiple times.  Did we make a move? Nope, too cold to move. But we’re still alive so all is good :) 

After the sunrise we made our way to Macas (what Aussies call McDonald’s) for coffee and breakfast.  The sun was warming up the beach by this point and we shed a few layers before talking the coastal walk from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach.  The cliffs, rock pools and beach trails weave in and out of many different beaches on this trek, so cool!  OH and before the walk began, I made a fun discovery… There was a large pink and rainbowed horse (with wings!) stuffed animal and a little stuffed, talking gerbil on the side of the trail, with no owner!!!  So I became the new owner.  Strapping them into my backpack, Seamore (the horse-thing) and Cuddles (in honor of Megan’s first pet) joined our pack.  However, Seamore didn’t make it.  He was voted off the island because he was too big and kept falling out of my backpack.  Not to mention the looks we were getting was driving Sarah crazy though I couldn’t care less haha. Cuddles remained though, but I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to make him talk!  It was more of an evil laugh but nevertheless, the thing only talked when the other girls got it to work…

We stopped many times along the way to take pictures and watch some old Italians in an intense lawn bowling tournament.  Finally arriving to Coogee, a more secluded beach, we spent the rest of the day soaking up the sun :) Another really fun adventure in Australia! 

Sunrise on the beach? Check that one off the bucket list too!

AFL

Friday after two museum visits (Sydney Historical and the Art Gallery of NSW), we were successfully able to surprise Rachel (it was her birthday) with a afternoon of Mexican food at The Beach Burrito!  Finally some great Mexican food!!!!  She was so surprised and crying happily at the sight :) that was fun!

Sydney Swans vs. Adelaide Crows = epic challenge… Saturday night I experienced my first Professional AFL game  at the Sydney Cricket Stadium!  As an ASC group of students, we saw one of the most confusing games of sport imaginable… but the players were probably the most fit athletes imaginable too.  The game was back and forth the whole night, ending with a 5 point (one scoring point) defeat by the Crows… we weren’t routing for them but it was still super exciting!