Getting in the swing of things

 So I've been here for a little over a week and it's finally hitting me that I'm in Australia. At first, it felt like a vacation, but now I feel semi-acclimated. Our apartment is finally all moved into. We live in a complex called Urbanest, which is similar to on-campus apartments back at Pitt. We share a room and a bathroom with one other person and a shared living space for all 8 girls. We're in the neighborhood Ultimo which is only a 10-minute walk from most bus stops and the train station which is convenient to get around.

 This week was a busy week for us! It was Australia day on Tuesday which was awesome. We went to Bondi Beach, the most well-known beach in Australia, to celebrate. There were a bunch of us in our program that went, and of course, we all took pictures with the Australian flag. Classes and internships also started this week! I had my intercultural communication and marketing communications classes, they for the Sydney Opera House in their marketing department. I've only worked two days so far but I love it. My supervisor and co-worker are teaching me Australian slang slowly but surely so I'm trying to act like a real Aussie. I've started to say "arvo" for afternoon, "biscuit" for cookie, and "toilet" for bathroom. I'm so happy I'm doing an internship because I really feel like I'm immersing myself in the Australian culture.
oth seem interesting. I hate that we have to pay for printing here because usually I print out the slides and write notes on them but now I just hand-write all the notes. I'll get used to it soon enough. As for my internship, it's incredible!!! I'm working

It's finally the weekend and we're planning on going to the beach and going on the free walking tours and museums. I love how much stuff there is to do here!

Aussie baby

These past few days have been insane - this is actually the first chance I've had to sit down and open my computer (only for about 10 minutes).

Well, I've landed safely and the flights weren't terrible. The first day we landed we had a BBQ (Aussie style) and then a tour around our neighborhood. We had free time later in the day and me and my 7 other roommates hit the beach with 8 of our guy friends on the trip. We went to Bondi Beach and ate at some Brazilian place near the beach. We were all so jetlagged, we all crashed as soon as we got back from the beach.

We also had our student orientation at the Australian Catholic University, it's hard to believe I have to take classes next week :( We got lunch at this cute little eatery market in North Sydney and then went to the beach again.

Today we had a scavenger hunt and I learned more places in Sydney and where I want to travel. Also, CAPA, which is our study abroad program, planned a cruise around Sydney Harbor which was beautiful.

Honestly, I've only been here for three days and I love it. There is such a variety of cultures here and the people are so friendly. I'm noticing differences in our culture compared to theirs and it will definitely take some getting used to. I just can't get the hang of driving on the left side of the road and walking to the left in crowds. Also, everyone dresses up here! No one wears jeans, women always seem to be wearing dresses and men in button ups.
I'm off to the grocery store, I'll post when I have time!

And so it begins

Today's the day - I'm starting my journey to Sydney, Australia. Currently, I'm sitting in Gate 136 in Newark waiting for board my first flight to LAX. My parents walked to me to check my luggage in and to security, it was such a bitter sweet feeling. Both of them teared up as I gave them the rocker hand and stuck my tongue out as a final "see ya soon". Words can't describe how excited I am for this semester, who knows what lies ahead. 

I'll be landing in LA at 7:30 Pacific Time Zone, and leaving for my 15 hour flight to Syndey at around 11pm. Definitely not looking forward to the jet lag, but it'll be worth it! For those of you who'd like to contact me, feel free to reach out via Facebook. Stay tuned for updates on my Semester in Syndey 😁