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!