The Excitement Builds...

Despite the bit of boredom and loneliness... I can't say that I'm homesick. The past few days have been challenging. I've had to figure things out for myself like which bus to take, where to get off, which road gets me back 'home'. I've had to shop for groceries and necessities and I cooked my first dinner last night (damn... I need practice). I'm starting to think that I can do this on my own successfully and have fun and learn lots about myself. I talk to my parents and David often and they are doing well. It's comforting to hear their voices but I get anxious to start my day and get out there. Despite the cold, I don't want to be cooped up inside.

Town Hall (I think... )

Today, I went out an explored the a bit of downtown Sydney. I took a 20 min bus ride and soon I found myself in the centre of it all. The main purpose of the trip was to get to an American Express Office to cash my traveller’s cheques and then deposit them in the bank account I had opened.

So after I took care of that, I walked around. The city is very busy and the buildings are tall, just like downtown. You see all kinds of people, from ones in suits, to those begging on the street and to those who lead alternative lifestyles. The city is also quite multicultural. I popped into some clothing stores to do some shopping. I also went into the Queen Victoria Building which is a mall and absolutely beautiful. It had a number of very posh stores in the upper levels and then funky (cheaper) ones at the bottom. I had some lunch there at a fast healthy food place called WellBeing. It was reasonably priced and it was good on the go. I’ve noticed that Australians are quite health conscious. I saw my firs McDonald’s today, other than that, I’ve rarely seen any fast food places.

Inside QVB

I walked around even more and stumbled upon Haymarket St and Paddington’s Market. It’s just like a bazaar with stands and people selling all sorts of random stuff including clothing rip-offs. For example: I saw a “Billabong” shirt but when I looked closely, it really said “Billahong.” I did see some really nice beach towels, so I’ll have to go back there and spend some more time. It was drizzling periodically and I was quite chilly so rather than go to the Opera House today, I just headed back on the bus.

Paddy's Market

Monorail

Tonight, I’m meeting up with Jemma, who is also a ChemE at USyd. I had been corresponding with her for a few months; the Prof put us in touch. Now, I finally get to meet her in person. We both live in Newtown and we’re going out to Thai dinner with some people that she worked with (she too was working the past year) and then drinks. I’m excited because otherwise, I’d be pretty bored tonight.

Lastly, I got my schedule - 13 hours of class per week, not bad considering I’m not doing a thesis. I’m sure it’ll be tough and I know there is a lot of self assisted group work, but it’ll be nice not to wake up everyday at 8am! I just have 1 or 2 classes to switch, so it will change (hopefully for the better!)

Walking around today got me excited for all the things there are to do and see. I hope the weather gets better, because I hope to visit the Opera House and walk around the Harbour this weekend. I should try to get as much done before uni starts.

A funny looking bird I saw as I walked through Victoria Park. It was digging for food! Even everyday wild life is so different!