University of Sydney is like Hogwarts... but obsessed with America...

Wednesday, I went to my Global Media class for the first time and it seems like it is going to be pretty awesome, but a lot of reading. Right now, I am starting to read a bit of Walden for my Journalism and the Environment class, but I am slow. Anyways, after class, we were invited to the University of Sydney's United States Study Center for a reception honoring NYU's arrival in Sydney, as well as to meet Australian students who love America. And god, they really love America. All of the students who showed up to eat free food and drink free wine and beer also are obsessed with the upcoming elections and all wanted to move to America once they were done with school. Most of them had done more traveling in the USA than I had- LA, Las Vegas, Washington state, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Boston, NYC, New Orleans, Miami, and they kept listing places (and actually, I have been to all of the places I just listed except for LA and Dallas, but who's counting?). The University of Sydney campus is gorgeous and legit looks like Hogwarts- it has the huge gothic buildings, sprawling campus, and people with vaguely-British-sounding (but actually just Australian and lots of international student) accents. Also, the campus is next to one of the most epic playgrounds ever that has swings, a slide, and a wire gliding thingy. Yeah. It's pretty awesome. Anyways, now we are kind of friends with the kids who invited us to hang out next week and to a few future parties. I am mostly excited by the prospect of celebrating Halloween at the moment, but I don't know what I will try to be- we will see. Today, I went  to the gym, went to class, made veggie-rice soup, and signed up for a student id card (which was an adventuresome process to say the least). I also have started worrying about my Fall Break planning, which I realized is in about a month, but that is something I don't want to be stressful.

A domani ragazzi!

My first day of class was a media event!

Monday was my first day of class. I couldn't sleep much because I was a bit anxious, as I think is the only way to feel before a first anything. I was supposed to have a 3-hour Journalism class and a 3-hour Aboriginal Art class, but the second class was cancelled. My Journalism class seems really cool and is focused on the environment. I am excited to start because I love to write and have never taken a college Journalism class before, plus our professor seems amazing. Anyways, the Aboriginal Art class will be taught by Cathryn, our program director, who is crazy smart and has lived everywhere/ done everything. It would be a mistake not to take the class that she teaches, but she was sick Monday, so that will be rescheduled soon. Anyways, half way through our Journalism class, the media and a politician named Andrew Stoner who helped NYU gets our academic building in The Rocks intervened. We took photos, got 'I <3 Sydney Australia' t-shirts, ate some sweets, and sipped some tea. It was very staged, but who am I to deny free food? After class, I stayed in the student lounge to finish up some work and then ran some chores. At night, a whole bunch of us went out to Scubar, our new Monday night spot. It was fun, but I didn't stay too late because today (Tuesday) was the first day of my internship. I have been working on a few small projects and drafted a social media campaign proposal for one of the major fashion label clients of the company. Hopefully, I will have more fun and similar projects to work on in the future. Also, I am going to hit up Sydney's Fashion's Night Out on September 6th, which will be great. Will continue to keep everyone posted on how everything is going!

Wollongong

I went to Wollongong on Saturday to see the Bangarra Dance Theatre live (a mix of aboriginal and contemporary dance), but I was so tired, I fell asleep. I didn't want to waste the gorgeous day, so after I went with some friends to the beach at Wollongong where we ran around in the sand and water (and explored a bit). We also walked through a more shallow area of water surrounded by rocks, where we saw an octopus that changed colors and Ben recorded it with his camera (epic). We met a girl named Tamara who studies nursing at the University of Wollongong (but lives in Sydney and commutes), who we grilled all about living in Sydney and Australia- everything from tv shows she watched (not the Shire, but Home Improvement and Friends) to food she liked to eat (Thai). She was so sweet. Everyone here is so nice, it is almost unreal.

Sunday, I went to the open produce market (Paddy's) and got some food. Then, I went on a picnic in Darlinghurst at Rush Cutter's Park with Patrick where we ate chips and dips with his Australian friends. It was such a gorgeous day and the park was right at the edge of the water (but it seems everything is on water here). Patrick's friends are super fun and nice, so it was a good time all around. Now, I am looking forward to starting classes on Monday and starting my internship on Tuesday.

To catch up on these posts...

Coogee Beach

Wednesday, I went on a lovely walk through Hyde Park with Alex, Ben, Jon, and Marissa. Later, we all went to Coogee Beach by bus and then walked a scenic path to Bondi Beach (about 1 hour 15 minute hike through other beaches and parks). It was gorgeous and I barely have words to describe it. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to be in Sydney and I hope to go to the beach on all of my off days- maybe read a book by the beach. Anyways, after finishing the hike, we ate fish and chips. Then, we sat on the beach, but it was a bit cold since it is Australia’s winter right now. I stripped down to my bikini and laid out on my towel with a book for a little bit anyways. Then, Jimmy invited me to run on the sand with him and I only committed to one half of Bondi since I was pretty tired and running on the sand is hard. It is crazy how many people were working out on the beach in the middle of the day! So many runners in the sand and beach volley ball players with perfect bodies were there being beautiful and stuff. After the beach, we enjoyed live jazz music in the New South Wales Gallery ArtBar. 

Probably one of the coolest sculptures at Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art

Thursday, we visited the Museum of Contemporary Art, which is right at Sydney Harbor. The view is spectacular and the art is... a little weird even for my taste, but I definitely liked it. Thursday was also Danielle's birthday, so we had cookies and a cake for her. She is such a sweet heart. Later, we saw a play in Parramatta (a suburb just outside Sydney) called Australia Day at the Riverside Theatre. The play was well done and all that, but as a non-70-year-old Australian, it was hard to understand the political references (aka the entire play) and I was falling asleep because I was so tired.

Botanic Gardens flowers are in bloom (even though it is 'Winter')

Today (Friday in Sydney), we walked through the Sydney Botanic Gardens and then got lunch at Harry's Cafe de Wheels. I was impressed by the garden, but the lunch I was skeptical of. Who would think cheap meat pies would be so delicious? I got a beef curry tiger, which was a beef curry meat pie with peas, mashed potatoes, and gravy (the works) for 5.80 AUD (about $5.80 USD- this is very cheap for Australia!). After, we walked around the gardens a bit more, basked in the sun in one of the open parks, and went up close to the Opera House for photos. Ben is an amazing photographer and he has been sharing his photos with everyone, which is super nice. Later, we met out professors over coffee and cookies, which was nice. My professors seem smart and sane, which are always important things. I will talk more about my classes when I officialize my schedule. I also went to a barbecue tonight to meet people, but there were only sausages, which I don't eat, but there was a Brazilian Jujitsu demonstration there for entertainment. We are going out tonight for Danielle's birthday, which will be fun :)

View of the sea from the walk from Coogee to Bondi Beach

Also, I thought I would list some reasons why Australia is lovely and amazing:
- People are super nice and friendly (awesome accents a plus!)
- The weather is amazing! It has been windy, but Sydney's winter is nothing compared to what this New England girl is used to. The sun is out and it has been 75/80 F lately. Some of the others have said they felt cold, but I have felt perfectly fine.
- The animals are so cool and cute! Eels in ponds, ring-tailed possums in trees, and long beaked birds a plenty. I can't wait to go to Kangaroo Valley for wombats, wallaroos, and roo roos! Also, there is something called a Koala Breakfast where koalas surround you as you eat breakfast that I am looking forward to doing :)
- Water sports- surfing, sky diving, snorkeling, scuba diving, paddle boarding, sailing, swimming!
- Everyone is eco-conscious and the flora/fauna is breathtaking
- Art, media, exercise/ fitness, and food as all central points in Sydney-sider culture
- The beach!
- Multi-culturalism is important
- The men are beautiful. Like the most beautiful men I have ever seen in my life walk the streets as if they are not some mutant strain of gorgeous. On the other hand, the women are average in my eyes in comparison to other countries. (Of course, this is just all my opinion)

A domani!

Sydney Harbor Cruise and some other things

Sydney is absolutely amazing so far! The people are super friendly, but also very cheeky, which I definitely appreciate.

Yesterday, I went on harbour tea cruise and got to see all of the coast of Sydney. Plus, there were great views of the Sydney Opera house and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We drank coffee and ate sweets, like a lamming ton, which is a square piece of yellow cake covered in chocolate and coconut (so good!). After, I went out with some friends to a few bars, which was fun. 

Olympic Welcome Home Parade

Yesterday, I went to the Welcome Home Olympic Parade and went on harbour tea cruise and got to see all of the coast of Sydney. Plus, there were great views of the Sydney Opera house and the Sydney Harbor Bridge. We drank coffee and ate sweets, like a lamming ton, which is a square piece of yellow cake covered in chocolate and coconut (so good!). After, I went out with some friends to a few bars, which was fun.

View walking along Sydney Harbor

Today, I went on a run around gorgeous Darling Harbor with my friends Jimmy and Jon. I think we are starting a bit of a running club. I want morning runs in Sydney to be something I stick with, which will be easy with friends motivating me to run with them. After, I traveled to Paddington (a cute suburb neighborhood with cute boutiques and cafes) to stop by my internship at a public relations firm. I am excited to start because most of my work with have a social media and fashion focus. After, I went with my school to visit our academic building for the first time. It is called Science House and is in The Rocks area of Sydney. It was built in the 1930s(?) and is gorgeous art deco style on the inside (a historic landmark with carved stone floor and high Victorian style white ceilings). It seems like a fancy place balls would be held, but was actually the home to chemical storage and science experiments back in the day. I also found out I am going on two trips for a few days with my school during my time in Sydney: one in Armidale and one in Canberra. After, we went on a tour of The Rocks from a historical perspective and learned about the prosperous, but deadly lives of early convicts in Australia and about past hopes for building a utopian society. Again, once I sit down to type, I feel tired (though I have yet to feel jet lagged!).

An 'Aboriginee' playing a digeridoo for tourists 

Also, if you want to read a hilarious (and slightly non-pc...) rendition of NYU Sydney, read my friend Jimmy's blog: kangaroosbebitchin.tumblr.com.

I have arrived in the the Land Down Under

I am so excited! I have landed in Sydney and gotten all settled in to my apartment after a 22 hour + traveling (then add getting to and from airports!).

The view from my window

My first day in Australia was a marathon of feeling ok after not really sleeping for a day, but also skipping a day (Saturday) through time zones and direction of plane flight. Basically, I slept a bit on the plane, but I probably only slept 4/5 hours. I landed in Sydney local time at 8 AM-ish and then went through customs and got settled into my apartment, which I was surprised by how nice it is. I walked through my neighborhood- Haymarket- and also through the bordering neighborhood of Chinatown. The weather is nice and the air is really clean. It is interesting how similar and different the other side of the world is- driving on the other side of the road to still having almost all of the same things as America.

My cute little room!

I picked up some produce for cheap from an open fruit and veggie market called Paddy's that is in a mall called Market City. It is dirt cheap. Australian dollars are almost equivalent to US dollars, so that is a bonus considering everything is Sydney is way more expensive than in NYC. I think part of the reason is because their minimum wage is about 25 AUD(!), whereas we get more like $7/8 USD as minimum wage. I got a dozen eggs for $2, 2 pints of strawberries for $3, $1/kg Granny smith apples, and a whole bunch of other stuff. I also got rice from an Asian grocery store. I don't want to go to crazy buying food this week because I am doing a lot of activities out and about with my school for my orientation. Anyways, I love the area that I am living in because it is so centrally located and really young. Plus, I have a few friends who came to Sydney as well with my school program, so it is nice to have that security blanket, but I also want to meets lots of Aussies as well.

Something I found funny is that all of the supermarkets are inside of malls, which I read on the internet, but didn't exactly trust 100%, but the little markets are their own things (like Nen Yen Yen Market down the street from me). Also, there are so many cheap asian places to eat- I am so excited to try everything! The chain places I have been seeing are pie face (they make mini pies and quiches with emoticon-like faces- such a cute idea!), Easy Way (bubble tea), and Chatime (bubble tea). I also love the names of all of the places- they are hilarious. I think one place we passed by was called Chubby Suzy's Hot Buns and then another place was Happy Lemon with oreo cappuccinos and cute-ified lemon-themed cartoon things inside. I also spotted a bejeweled hello kitty- shaped calculator (thought it was worth mentioning in line with the cute-things conversation).

After walking around, we had an outdoor barbecue and I had a beef burger. However, I did try kangaroo in the form of sharing a bite of my friend's burger. It was actually pretty good. It had a spicy (?) flavor to it more than beef. I also tried a Tim Tam for the first time, which is a cookie lightly covered in chocolate- so good! After eating, 2 musicians sang and played guitar for us, which was really nice, but everyone just wanted to go to sleep after so much traveling. I went to sleep around 7:30/8 PM Sydney time (5:30/ 6 AM NYC time) and woke up at 2 AM my time unable to sleep and wanting to write. Hence this post.

A domani!

Spring 2012: NYU's campus in Florence, Italy

It is so weird to think that as an NYU student, I actually got to have a campus experience, but only because I left the country. The villas are gorgeous and going to class never seemed too bad (except for walking up and down the long hill every day to get to the academic building, nicknamed the Valley of Death because it literally takes your breath away from steepness). This is where I learned and studied last semester and I know I am spoiled. It was beautiful. In a few hours, I will be departing for the first leg of my journey to Sydney. I am leaving from JFK and will leave my colonial New England hometown tomorrow afternoon. I am excited and already packed The Lovely Bones and The Happiness Project as reads for the plane ride (22 hour journey including layover in LA, but not including driving to airport and getting there early!). Wish me luck on my new not-campus in the land down under!

The Valley of Death leading into Villa Natalia

Ordinary day for me in NYC in photos

Morning- brunch with Cristina, my Freshman year roommate, in the East Village

Walk down Cristina's street, which is full of beautiful things like this art

Afternoon- Make myself a blueberry smoothie for a snack

Go for a stroll downtown by the Hudson and admire NJ

Evening- Love up some art at the Whitney from the wonderful Haring

NYC will be missed, but I am preparing for many more adventures on the other side of the world in Sydney :)

Governor's Island photos: Summer 2012I

I admit it! This one is in USP!

Missing my 4 back teeth: My first post

Perhaps to set an odd but accurate tone to this blog, my first post will attempt to be short and explain why I started this new blog now:

It is about 5 AM and I cannot sleep because the pain in my jaw. My 4 wisdom teeth were pulled nearly 48 hours ago and my mouth is still killing me despite the pain medication that I have been prescribed, which is causing me to sleep all day. Like a cat.

Anyways, my odd sleeping schedule will not effect my sleeping patterns too badly as I will be involved in a 22 hour plane journey from JFK -> LAX -> SYD (Sydney, Australia). I will be in Australia for the next 3.5 months studying abroad with NYU. Sydney is 14 hours ahead of NYC time, so it is really like 8 PM there. Hopefully, my teeth will not hurt any more come Friday when I have to leave for the airport.

View of NYC from Met rooftop- memories!

Of course I am excited for Sydney, but I am also filled with many other emotions regarding my leave of absence from the beautiful US of A. I spent my last semester abroad in Florence with NYU and it was a great experience. The two things I wish I did were keep up with photo postings and writing more (ice skating would be a third thing, but that is another post). I have been trying to remedy the situation by starting to keep a journal again this summer, and deciding that if I could keep up with it (I have and it is currently about 42 pages single-spaced), I would commit to starting a blog. Hence, this blog. [Also, I had major computer issues including the death of 3 laptops and one email hacking in the last 5 months-nbd]. Yet dear reader, I would like to inform you that I have had blogs before, but not one where I felt I could use as a general platform (aka not a 'I'm a Freshman in College!' or 'Food' specific blog, just whatever I feel like writing and sharing). This will be the current resting place of my thoughts/moments/ memories to share, like this amazing summer filled with berries and brunch, which the flowers below remind me of at Roses Berry Farm in Glastonbury, CT.

Anyways, I might share oldie-but-goodie photos, articles, and other things every once in a while; things that interest me or make me laugh; and of course, the latest in the life and times of SarahEvaK. Follow me @SarahEvaK on Twitter.