Saturday, January 17

Saturday, January 16, 2010

Yesterday, we selected our classes. I’m taking Australian Culture and Society (required), Economics and Politics of the Pacific Rim Region, and Australian Literature. Here’s why: 1- I need a social science course, and econ fits the bill while giving me Mondays and Tuesdays off; 2- Australian Literature requires a long-weekend trip to the Blue Mountains, which was high on my list of to-dos. My internship is still undetermined, but my advisor said it is quite possible I’ll end up with the Sydney Dance Company or something similar.

At night, we ventured out together on a harbor cruise, which was awesome. We had a great dinner of prawns, chicken, potatoes, and tomatoes and mozzarella, and saw some fantastic views of the Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, and the Botanical Gardens among other things. We then stayed on King Street (right in Darling Harbor) and hopped along the wharf to three different bars (Cargo Bar, James Squire, and Bungalow 8). We met lots of locals who were extremely entertaining, all of who enjoyed “taking the piss out of us” (messing with us- it means they like you). It was a great night that ended fairly early in preparation for our day in the sun!

Today was my first official BEACH DAY! We were offered three different “R.A. led tours,” and I chose to do a cliff walk along Bondi, Tamarama, and Bronte beaches. The “leader” of our tour was our friend Dan, an R.A., who admitted that he didn’t really know where we were going and that the “tour” was essentially an excuse for us students to follow a slightly less-confused R.A. around. We made a running joke of it and now ask Dan for directions every chance we get.

Anyways, the cliff walk itself was amazing. The layers of rock on the cliff-face are so distinctive and intricate. It was astounding to realize that water erosion caused all the different formations, which was especially evident by today’s rough surf. We didn’t get in the water until the end of our hike at Bronte, and when we did, we were completely destroyed by the pounding waves! It was a ton of fun, but made us realize how important it is to be smart in the ocean. The surf rescue guys take their jobs very seriously down here.

After we hung out on the beach (where I applied sunscreen probably 12 times and still managed to get some color), we walked up the road to a string of restaurants, found the cheapest one, and shared some eggs at an all-day breakfast joint. Everything I’ve eaten here has been SO delicious, but still very healthy! Full and smiling, we returned to the beach for about another hour and then took a bus back home. Tonight we’re having a BBQ on the roof with a few friends. Can’t wait! Then…who knows! Tomorrow’s plan: a museum of some sort and a film festival.