Week 3 – August 2^nd to August 8^th

As many of you may know, I am an active participant in the great outdoors – whether it be hiking, skiing, etc. I love being out enjoying nature. So when trying to decide on what school to go to for exchange, Australia was an extremely tantalizing choice – the multitudes of nature meant hiking, hiking and more hiking! Or, I guess I should get with the cultural times and say “bushwalking”.

The week started off with our residence organizing a trip to the famous Taronga Zoo, home to some of Australia’s most exotic and interesting specimens of the fauna-kind. We hopped on a bus, drove across Sydney’s famous Harbour Bridge, and got dropped off at the gates of this park of visual amazement. Seriously. So cool. The huge park contained animals of every kind, not only from Sydney, but from around the world (elephants! <3) Heck, we even had some west-coast representation from the Californian Harbour seals. BOO. YAH. We must have spent close to five hours walking around, just trying to take in the hundreds of spectacular species living in the zoo. However, we did “accidentally miss” the spider exhibit. Oh darn. Better luck next time 😉

School ensued for the rest of the week, but no class on Friday meant FINALLY, FINALLY me and a group of like-minded thinkers headed out on what was for most of us our very first Australian bushwalking experience. An hour train ride away, we arrived at Berowra, where we began our 13km adventure along the Great North Walk trail. Australian bushwalking is VERY different than our British Columbian hiking – for those of you who have hiked BC before, you’d know that most of our trails go up. And when I say up, I mean UP. Our Friday adventure provided a leisurely rolling nature walk – a lot of down, a lot of flat, and a lot of up throughout the duration of the hike made for easier walking than the usual BC standards, but it was gorgeous none-the-less. The blue waters, vibrant green forests, the screaming child-like call of the local birds (wait, what?) made for a real Australian-nature experience, one that I had sorely been lacking and desiring since having thus far spent most of my stay in the main city area. Although, we couldn’t COMPLETELY get away for urban life. Half way through, we caught a car ferry across the Berowra River and stopped for a well-deserved coffee at the local café. (What? When in Rome they say…) Five and half hours later, with countless photos, laughs and memories on hand, we arrived in Cowan, got back on the train, and went back to home-sweet-home for some well-earned R&R.

And finally, Saturday provided the most wild-experience of my trip so far. Australia. New Zealand. Bledisloe Cup. With the cheapest tickets possible (#studentlife), a group of 20 or so of us were able to watch the Wallabies take on the All Blacks in a rugby game for the ages. I’ve never seen so much yellow and green in one place, the ANZ Stadium packed with AUS and NZ fans alike. The game was AMAZING. Tries and conversions went back and forth, before finally (and rather unexpectedly) the Wallabies went down in history and went on to take the cup. The stadium EXPLODED. Truly, it was the wildest experience I’ve had in my time down under so far.

Reppin’ our adopted colours

My first taste of Australian nature has got me hungering for more, and I can assure you, bushwalking with most definitely be in the near future (Bushwalking Fridays, anyone?)

Much love,

Steph

Week One – July 15th to August 3rd

Well, family, friends, people-who-may-have-stumbled-upon-my-blog-but-don’t-really-care; I did it! Fourteen and half hours of flying, 12,493km, 19kg of dead weight on my back and nine hours of napping later, I made it to Sydney ready to take on this new city and come to call it my home over the next five months. My first three days here were, to be honest, quite uneventful. I arrived Wednesday, July 15^th at 5:45am and having only gotten a few hours of sleep on the plane, placed my bag on my back, carry-on luggage in hand and went to navigate the infamous trains of Sydney. Immediate failure. Whether it was the tiredness or the complete lack of attention paid, I got on the wrong train and started heading quite the opposite of the direction I needed to be heading. So, up went the giant red hockey bag onto my back again, and onto the opposite train I hopped (or dragged myself…that bag was HEAVY) to get to my destination. Two train transfers, one taxi ride, and two hours later I finally made it to Ben and Laura’s apartment, where I almost immediately crashed for nine hours. Yup. Big first day in Sydney alright.

The next few days were fairly uneventful, with a lot of aimless wandering and trains. Ben, a dear friend from swimming club back home, and his girlfriend Laura kindly let me stay with them for two nights, during which they fed me a delicious meal and took me out for my first Aussie bar experience. All I can say is, I am now thoroughly hooked on meat raffles and trivia.

                    Surf Camp Australia

Friday evening, the first real adventure finally began. As a part of the University of Sydney’s Study Abroad and Exchange program, we were offered the opportunity to experience a weekend of surfing, the ocean, and some “sweet as” Aussie vibes through Surf Camp Australia for a two-day, two-night surfing adventure. So, all ninety of us signed up piled onto a bus Friday night and off we went to the small town of Gerroa, located approximately two hours south of Sydney. Greeted by beach-style huts and some rad instructors, we quickly went to bed, eager to see what surfing would bring the next day.

10 degrees Celsius and cloudy was not the ideal motivation to get out in the water the next day. Nope, no, not at all. But we all braved the cold and put on our wetsuits, walked down to the beach, and started what was for most of us, our first ever surfing lesson. It. Was. Exhilarating.

Two hours have never flown by so fast. And for those of you who know me, me and the ocean are like water and oil. Not a good mix. But that Saturday morning, I couldn’t get enough of it. We went back to camp for some lunch A LOT of lunch, during which it began to POUR. Although there were thoughts of staying at camp and curling up into a tiny ball in bed, we all braved it and headed back out for a rainy (and shorter) surf session.

Being the only Canadian at camp, I was adopted by the British (updates on my transition to becoming British to come).

                   Wombats in Wetsuits

Eating, drinking and dancing ensued that evening, of course – would you expect anything different from ninety young adults the week before semester starts? And the next morning we were greeted with actual sunshine. HALLELUJAH. All I can say is, I have discovered a sport unlike anything I’ve tried before. Don’t believe me? See for yourself.

Sunday evening, exhausted and salty, we headed back to Sydney, where I then hopped onto another train to Liverpool, and spent the night with Samantha, a distant cousin through my dad’s side of the family. Tea, biscuits, telly and family were just what I needed before the week to come. The next morning, Samantha drove me to my new home – the newly renovated Queen Mary Building, located just five minutes from the main USYD campus. Never having lived in dorms (or, “halls”) before, it truly was a whole new experience all unto itself – so many people, so much to do, so much free food. All of us in the same boat, there was some quick bonding (WOMBOMBS <3).

The next two week were INSANE. There never seemed to be a minute of downtime. Between going out with new friends, tea and Tim Tam time in the lounges (which has since become a regular occurrence), and exploring new parts of Sydney, every day was filled with something to do.

          The Opera House from the Rocks

                          Manly Beach

So, if you’ve made it this far into the post; congrats! Sorry for the rambling but I could keep going on and on (I WON’T – don’t you worry. I’m even tired of listening to myself talk in my head). My first two weeks in Sydney were filled to the brim with new things to do, to see, and to be. I’m so excited for the adventures to come, and hope that you’ll come along for the (virtual) ride.

Much love,

Steph