Sorry for neglecting my blog. Updates!

December 6, 2013

I meant to post this yesterday, but I was exhausted and went to sleep instead.

December 5, 2013

Hello all! Sorry for the month (or so) long hiatus. After Spring Break ended and my internship started, I didn't get around to doing too much. My friends and I still went out a bit on the weekends and such but I was lazy and didn't have too much to update you all on. Including this one, I will have two posts: one about touristy things and one about my internship/wrap up of my experience in Sydney. I meant to write at least one of these two posts while I was at the airport in Sydney but I had some struggles along the way; I'll explain more later. For now, things I've done!

A few weeks ago, Kunchy left us. Since she's not an American citizen, she had a different type of visa to Australia, which did not let her stay until the end of the program. She left on November 20th, but not without first having a potluck dinner! She found enough friends to book the rooftop kitchen (12 people minimum) and we each cooked/make some sort of food to share. Kunchy even made bubble tea--yum! It was a really nice evening, and we took a couple pics with awesome lighting. 

On one weekend, Inez, Denise, and I went to the Chinese Garden of Friendship. It was kind of odd in that it was a Chinese style garden surrounded by walls that kept it separate from the rest of the bustling Darling Harbour. Nonetheless, it was really pretty. We even got to watch one of the employees feed the Koi fish! There were so many and they were so large. Of course, where there is food, there are birds. In this case, ducks were wading around in the water waiting for food to be thrown in their direction.

A few weeks ago, my social policy class took a field trip to a drug injection site in Kings Cross. At this facility, people who use illegal drugs can bring it here to use safely, under the supervision of staff who can treat overdoses. They are given needles, filters, etc. to avoid viruses/diseases and limit the amount of particles entering the blood stream. If they do overdose, the staff are able to provide oxygen and a drug to counteract their injection. They have been in operation for a couple decades (I believe) and have not had any fatalities. Controversial idea but seems to be working.

A week or so ago, I met up with Denise, Laura, and Cara after work. We wanted to see/walk across the Harbour Bridge and eat at Pancakes on the Rocks. Since I worked at Circular Quay, it was easy enough to do. I ended up having to kill an hour and a half so I walked around the Rocks and looked at souvenirs, while walking in the general direction of the Bridge. I ended up walking on it alone and found them when they arrived.

Of the four of us, I was the only one who hadn't been to Pancakes on the Rocks before, but I kept hearing how great it was. My friends were absolutely correct--it was delicious! I shared a sweet pancake order and a savory crepe order with Laura. So much food, but so very good. For any of you who are reading this and going to study in/visit Australia in the future, I recommend you go here. From what I hear, it's also great when you're drunk; you can let me know if that is correct.

Last Thursday, BUSAC had a Thanksgiving dinner for us since we were all so far from home. There was turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted veggies, and, of course, drinks. The food was pretty good and the semester-end slideshow was really nice, but it was still no competition for having a Thanksgiving meal at home.

This past weekend, Denise and I took a ferry out to Watson's Bay. It's a small area that reminds me of Cape Cod. Lots of beach houses and sailboats. We walked around a bit and spent two hours lying in the sun by Hornby Lighthouse waiting for Ken. We spent quite a long time there before deciding to move down to the beach. The sand was nice and the water was so clear. You could stand chest deep and still see your toes!

On the evening of the Watson’s Bay adventure, Denise and I stayed in a Superior Cityside View Room at the InterContinental Sydney. Apparently all their interns get a free night stay. We are in Circular Quay so often that the location was not anything special, but it was a nice room and a very comfy bed. We even received complimentary buffet breakfast the next morning in Café Opera. I still do not understand how some people believe there is not enough of a selection. Anyway, thank you IC Sydney for the stay!

Finally, This past Tuesday, BUSAC had a final farewell event for us. We bowled! However, it is not the type of bowling you’re thinking of with the ten pins and a heavy ball with finger holes. This version was more like boccie. You first roll a small ball across the field. Each team then takes turns rolling one of their balls as close as they can to the small ball. It sounds simple except the larger balls is like a slightly squished sphere that slightly favors one side. Sounds strange, but it was actually pretty fun. After the competition, we had another delicious meal before we went our separate ways for the night.

I did not do very much Wednesday other than very last minute souvenir shopping and spending some time with people. In all honesty, Sydney was great but I was ready to come home.

This morning, I was supposed to be picked up by taxi at 8:30 so I could get to the airport around 9. The taxi never did pick me up and when I called the company, they said it had picked me up. It seems like someone else probably took the taxi I called for. They said they would send another but no when or anything. I decided to just go downstairs and hail a cab, but a whole bunch of other BU people had the same idea which made it a bit of a struggle. Finally, I just called another cab company and luckily they came to pick me up around 9:15. Getting through the airport was another adventure in itself. From stepping in the door to getting through security, it took over an hour. Way too many people were traveling today. Luckily, I left plenty of time for mishaps that the taxi situation and long wait in the airport still didn’t have me rushing. The rest of the journey was nothing spectacular. I didn’t sleep much on either flight, but I am tired now and it’s the perfect time to go to sleep. Oh by the way, I did end up wearing my kangaroo onsie to be picked up from the airport :)

That’s all for now. Final recap on internship and just general closing thoughts to come. As always, thanks for reading!