Sydney!

Arrived in Sydney yesterday (which is today for you in the states :) .... I fell in love immediately! It is unbelievably gorgeous here. We are absolutely being treated like royalty. I would show you pictures of our panoramic view from our 76th floor apartment, but alas I left my power cord for my computer at home and cannot transfer my pictures to the computers at the internet cafe. :( You will have to wait until I return to see the photos, but trust me, they are gorgeous!

I'm still adjusting the the time, but believe me, life could be much worse. I knew I would love Sydney, but had no idea how much. The views of the city are spectacular, the weather is great, and so far, the people I have met have been wonderful too. I would not hesitate one bit to recommend Sydney or Queensland to students or their advisers. I am learning quite a bit about our programs here, but still have so much to learn. I have only one week here in Australia and then one week in New Zealand. I definitely will have to come back in the future, as there is so much more to see!

We had a beautiful long walking tour of the city yesterday, through the downtown area, the financial district, the botanical gardens, where cockatoos climbed on our heads and shoulders, and down to the harbor where we saw the famous opera house. We're actually going to see a performance there on Friday night! The harbor is more beautiful than I had imagined. We boarded a harbor ferry and headed to a funky little bar/restaurant, where they take the students on their first night here.

After hearing Russ, our Resident Director in Sydney, extoll the benefits of eating Kangaroo, I decided to order it. It wasn't half bad! It was not my favourite... but I found it to be tolerable. The wedges served with sour cream and sweet chili sauce were heaven on earth, though, and definitely something I can replicate back home. Kangaroo...... not so much.

Today we visited the campus of University of New South Wales. It was quite nice and comparable to UQ, but I preferred the campus at Queensland. UNSW is just near the beach, and in a great part of Sydney, however, so I can certainly see the draw here. Have I mentioned how great Sydney is? Oh yes, and we dined at a nice little cafe near UNSW (and just steps from the beach), and our hosts at UNSW got a little giddy when four members of the Australian National Rugby team walked in. I personally thought they looked like college soccer or rugby players... but one of the staff told me it was equivalent to seeing Kobe Bryant walk into the restaurant (which wouldn't really excite me very much, but I do suppose I'd take notice - haha).

Once again, the housing facilities for the students were absolutely amazing (photos coming soon, I hope). They also have panormaic views of Sydney from their upscale apartments (one option), or the other include a rooftop deck (again with amazing views) and steps from the beach near campus. It is quite the luxury experience for students here. I simply don't know how they manage to get any of their studying done.

Well, the jet lag is getting to me a bit and we've been walking around quite a bit for the past few days, so I think I will head to the hot tub now... life is rough, I know. :)

I'm having a hard time without my cell phone, wanting to text my friends and family to say hello, and/or I miss you, wish you were here, etc! So, I hope this blog finds each of you well, and know that I am thinking of you :)