Mardi Gras

Sydney has one of the largest LGBTQI celebrations in the world! Centered around the Mardi Gras Parade. This parade was huge, colorful and so much fun to experience. 

We showed up hours before the parade was to start, to get a good spot and enjoy the festivities. The parade runs down oxford street, a street with the reputation as being the primary nightclub strip and through an area known as Sydney’s main gay district.

Each business was showing their colors, the banks fully bedazzled the ATMs into beautiful works of art

The fun began as soon as we got there, Yael got her face painted by our new friends from the Netherlands

and I got a lipstick heart from one of the volunteers

Then we found this gem of a liquor store! What a fun play on words; and the best part is, this part of the street is so eccentric that it’s here all the time, not just for the parade.

Before the parade even began we saw showgirls (and guys)

Nuns, well guys dressed as nuns

Guys in leather on leashes

 And more assless chaps than I thought existed in the world

The parade kicks of with a special showing of Dykes on Bikes!

One of the first floats had some technical difficulties and required the muscles of those involved to get the car up the street

Lots of crazy things happened once the parade started

 Some political statements were made such as this jewel, Uncle Sam enslaved by money and ruling over other people.

And a number of floats focusing on Putin and Russia’s policies brought to light during the winter Olympics

I was surprised to see so many government run groups as a part of the parade. In the US you would never see such a thing. All branches of the military were there.

There were a lot of themed floats and groups including Star Trek!

and one of my personal favorites, Dr. Who

Google was there and lots of catholic and other religious groups

My favorite of all the floats were the ones by the farmers and environmental groups.

The permaculture group used a wonderful double entendre; diversity in people and diversity in plants both lead to abundance. If everyone picked up on the plant side of this float the world could be a better place. Sadly we live in a world of commercialized monocultures. That’ll have to change.

This was such a fun event and great to see so much acceptance in the world.

Coogee to Bondi

I will never leave this place. Oceans and beaches are definitely where my loyalties lay. I love the mountains, and I do love New York but my heart belongs to the ocean. I went on trek from Coogee Beach which is the closest beach to campus to Bondi Beach, one known for it's surfing here in New South Wales.

On this map, My campus is circled in red, Coogee in green and Bondi in gold. The walk along the coast took about 3 hours, with stopping for picture taking all along the way.

My local beach is only a twenty minute walk from campus. It's close enough to head to after class, spend the afternoon soaking up the sun and reading. It's also a good distance to keep up my beach body on the way!

There are a number of small beaches between Coogee and Bondi, making the walk one with nice views.

There is even a sea side cemetery. The real estate in the place is so great people are dying to get in, ba boom tish.

Then we see the beautiful Bondi beach around the corner. From the height of the walkway, the people look small and the surfing looks fun! On such a beautiful day it is hard to believe there was any free space on the beach. There is even a pool right on the side of the ocean, not sure why though... I will never understand people.

With all of these beautiful days I'm getting more tan each day. I am however (Mom I hope you're happy about this) making sure to wear sunscreen all of the time; as Australia has one of the highest rates of skin cancer.

We finished our day with delicious frozen yogurt!

Adventures and Friends

I've made my first real friends here. Friends in a sense that we hang out, have fun, laugh and then make plans to hang out again the next day! We've been out to dinner a few times and have together explored the confusing and unorganized bus system here in Sydney. It is surprising that a city with so much to offer and so spread out, has only a system of buses. Getting to and from places can take multiple buses and unclear directions. It's been a fun adventure and we've been learning more and more with each excursion. Most recently we explored the harbor down by the Sydney Opera House. It made it seem real to actually be in Sydney. We walked around the corner and BAM! the Opera House was right there waiting for us. It was unreal how real it was. I almost felt like I was standing in a post card. It was the picture perfect day one always sees on advertisements.

It's quite amazing actually, how quickly we got used to the sight of such an impressive sight. As we walked in and out of the city and along the harbor it just appeared, showing its Swedish bricks everywhere we went. And the bridge! Oh my the bridge is also just like a picture!

We found there are these painted Rhinoceroses all over Sydney. They are part of some art piece though I've not really sure of their significance. The makers clearly knew I would be around as they all say not to ride on them, which is obviously my first instinct. Kissing will have to suffice until they quit being hard asses.

I love the lifestyle of much of Sydney. There is a laid back vibe that only coastal cities can give off. The cafes/bars/shops are each unique and interesting. Offering many different experiences right next to each other.

Lastly, we took a stroll through the Royal Botanical Gardens. These are the oldest gardens and scientific institution in Australia. They have an outstanding collection of plants (focusing on native Australian plants and those from the South Pacific). Outside of the garden there are parklands with tons of grassy areas, fields and trees. It is a wonderful place to spend the day, read a book, hang out with friends, have a picnic or all of the above. We enjoyed the gardens and spent a couple hours hanging out by the water in the shade of some of the largest trees I have ever seen.

Campus!

First off, I'd like to point out that I am officially a student here. I even have an ID and everything.

The campus amazes me with how large it is. All of the buildings are close together and intertwined but there is still plenty of open areas and so many trees and green plants! 

Every time I am on campus I find new things. There are so many small passages that go between and around buildings that I often find myself in places I've never been and by buildings I didn't know existed. That being said, it's always an adventure. Likewise, I have found places and things that I couldn't find when I was looking. Mostly I've felt like I've been stumbling my way around campus, happening upon the things I need when the time arises. I've have however been asked for direction, upon which I requested that they should not listen to me as I am in a constant state of lost. 

Settling In

So many things to do while moving to a new country. I moved all my luggage (a whopping total of one suitcase) into my room yesterday. Thankfully my roommate has been super nice, he brought me to the supermarket and showed me which bank is good for international students. 

I even got to experience the city of Sydney on foot! I was brought to the meeting of the Sydney Harbor Runners group. We started by crossing the Sydney Harbor Bridge where I looked out at the city I will call home for the next 5 months. What stood out the most was the Sydney Opera House from the top of the bridge. The iconic picture of Sydney Harbor. No pictures of my own for now, too busy running but I will take some time to slow down and smell the roses (or see the sights, same idea). 

Hightailing it Out of There/Touchdown!

Packing has been the most difficult part of getting ready. What is necessary and what can be left behind for 6 months is tougher than it seems. I am definitely one of those people who can't make decisions and often don't know what I'm doing tomorrow or even 10minutes from now, so to think about what I might possibly want to wear in 6 months is preposterous. I finally settled for the fact that in 6 months the decisions will have already been made and I will be wearing some combination of whatever I put in my suitcase before leaving, wether I want to or not.

The large waves of snow earlier in the week seemed a formidable opponent to my plans or traveling. Thankfully the cancelled flights had all been days before mine was scheduled and the weather only caused some delays. The airline was so nice. Pillows, blankets and headphones! As well as an interactive screen in each seat where you can choose from a variety of movies, TV shows, News, even board games! The meals were also delicious, that may have been a combination of my joy at having something else to occupy my time. 

Stepping off the plane (out of the airport really) was a great relief! For one, 24 hours is a long time to be traveling without much sleep or fresh air. Secondly, I left the cold and snowy tundra that is New York and stepped out into the warm, sunny Sydney air! Took a bus and met my new roommate! Now I'm all moved in and even more excited to experience these next couple months. Two things I've noticed that will take me some time to get used to.

A. Australian currency is so pretty! I don't even want to spend it. It doesn't feel real to me.

B. The driving on the left side of the road thing will take some getting used to.

3 Weeks Until Departure!

Posts will be coming with a much higher frequency once the long awaited flight takes off, or rather lands. This winter break has been the longest of any break I've yet endured since the start of my college career. Being away from classes for 6+ weeks is more draining than one would imagine. The holidays are nice but once it all settles and friends from home return to their classes in lands far away, unwanted boredom ensues. My best friends for the last few weeks have been my books, Harry Potter has helped me through many days. To make matters worse, temperatures of -25 degrees Fahrenheit have made even running seem a difficult task. Though they were beautiful mornings

With the extended winter break starting to wrap up. I've been spending a last couple days to say goodbye to friends at school. Especially those that are going to graduate while I'm away. It will seem so strange to return to RPI without them in the Fall. I also have to say goodbye to my furry friend who's staying with friends here at school. It will be hard not waking up next to this face

More posts to come as the packing begins! It's going to be an interesting struggle deciding what is necessary and what isn't when packing 6 months of items into a suitcase and a carryon. Stay tuned and enjoy this song while you wait!