DC-Sydney...From Go to Whoa: Getting the Ball Rolling

We have been in Australia for almost three weeks now, and we are all really starting to get in the grove of things. We have memorized our schedules, learned our way around the city, and even mastered our internal clocks.

My schedule was not too hard to master. I work three days a week for a total of 24 hours. So far, my job has been slow to start because they are still getting acclimated to having me around. It’s been an effort on both parts and Caritas employees have been very friendly. In the upcoming weeks, I hope to take on more difficult tasks, but until then I will continue to showcase my Excel skills and my ability to take detailed notes during the finance team meetings. Apart from work, we have a political science class 2 days a week for 3 LONG hours each day. Don’t get me wrong, the class is interesting; however, it’s sometimes hard to follow because to truly understand political science, you need to know the history behind the laws. Nonetheless, our professor does his best to bridge the gaps between Australia’s history and its political system.

Naturally, learning our way around the city was a little harder to do than simply memorizing my work and class schedule. The public transportation system in Sydney is really good in that it encompasses the whole city; you can get almost anywhere in or nearby Sydney by bus, train, or ferry. However, the transportation system has one major flaw… the buses are NEVER on time. I have learned to expect buses anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes later than they were supposed to be there. Despite the unpredictable buses, we have still managed to learn our way around and truly experience Sydney in both the day and night!

We have had the weather on our side these past weekends, so we took that to our complete advantage!

The koalas at Sydney's Wildlife Park

And the kangaroos

Since the weather was so nice we decided to venture out of the city because many Australians have told us that Australia is not a city-dwelling country; instead it is a country that enjoys its outdoors. This fact was not at all surprising. Australia is home to a few of the natural wonders of the world and many breathtaking sites.

We are still working on making our way further out of Sydney and into places like the Blue Mountains, Port Stephens, Great Barrier Reef, and hopefully the Outback!

Until then…

On the ferry leaving Sydney

Surfing is a huge deal in Australia and everyone does it. We saw everyone surfing--from young boys and girls to old men. It is important to remember that it is winter here! Despite what you might think, it does get a chilly in Australia, which means the water is freezing. However, freezing cold water does not stop these Aussies!!

The ferry ride home was beautiful…

Harbour Bridge at sunset

The view of the city

The Opera House was lit up for Vivid Sydney, a festival of music, lights and ideas

Getting out of the city was amazing because in the city you can sometimes forget you are in Australia, so going to Manly Beach was a great reminder.

Memorizing my schedules and learning my way around was no big deal compared to how hard it was to master my internal clock. My first week here, I had to fight of sleep every night, and most nights I lost the battle. But now, my internal clock is synching itself with Australia time and I am having no trouble staying up.