Different Agendas

It was 4th of July weekend in the U.S. but here it was just another weekend and we all intended to spend it in different ways. Some traveled, others stayed home and relax, and I shopped!

Sonia went on a 4 day getaway to Cairns with several other CAPA students. The trip was arranged by a travel group that CAPA hires to set up a number of organized travel options for interns to choose from.

They saw the Great Barrier Reef, went skydiving, hiked through a rainforest, took a boat through a crocodile pond, and the list goes on. The Great Barrier Reef was voted one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and from what I heard it is truly amazing.

Anna and Kelly took a weekend trip to the Blue Mountains along with Kelly’s family, who were visiting for the week.

View from a lookout

When we visited the Australian Embassy in D.C., one of the speakers suggested we go to Canberra and celebrate the 4th of July at the U.S. Embassy. Unfortunately, the celebration was only for diplomats and no one could pull any strings to get us in. Although there was nothing going on at the U.S. Embassy, the boys still decided to take a bus to Canberra. Canberra is home to the Parliament House, several other government agencies, and a number of museums. Despite Canberra being the capital of Australia, there isn’t much draw to the city and I wouldn’t say it’s a typical tourist site for college students. I think the guys would strongly agree! They spent two days in Canberra visiting museums and touring different government buildings. Did I mention that they had to walk everywhere too, that may be why they didn’t have such a great experience.

I, on the other hand, had a great experience shopping! Sydney is a shopper’s paradise. They have everything from large elegant malls to small chic boutiques.

The Queen Victoria Building is one of the nicest malls I have ever seen. Naturally, I couldn’t afford anything in the mall but it was nice to see how beautiful the design of the mall is. With its rounded arch ways, high ceilings, ceramic moldings, and bold paint, the QVB is truly a site to see… even if you don’t buy anything!

The Forever 21 of Australia

The last item on my shopping list was UGGs. I figured since I was in Australia I had to get a pair of boots from the place where they originated! It’s interesting that UGGs, a boot made from cold weather, originated from such a hot country; but then again Australia is interesting.

Hooroo!!