Finally..

So before I left for Sydney, I decided I would keep a blog. And it's taken me over two weeks here to commit to that decision. Regardless, I am writing now, true to my self-promise. At least now, I have more to update on! I'll try to remember as much as I can to report.

Needless to say the flight here was the longest flight I've ever taken, by far. With a day-long layover in L.A., Nicole and I spent the day with Katelyn visiting the city's finest tourism spots including Chik-fil-A and Huntington Beach (okay well that one is legitimate). At around midnight, we boarded the Qantas flight to Brisbane, and then to Sydney.

When we walked out of the airport, it felt as though we'd been dropped off in Puerto Rico by accident. Surrounded by palm trees, humid climate and blue sky, it was shocking even though I had known what to expect. After having our luggage collectively postponed for most of the day, we settled in as much as we could without the necessities--shampoo, fresh change of clothes, etc. Our first day in Sydney started off with a BBQ (rain and all, awesome) on the roof, a visit to the Australian Youth Hostel (for some of us, at least) and a great night's sleep.

The jet lag was horrible. I think it hit some people worse than others. It took me about five days to adjust, regain my appetite and reduce the sudden inclinations toward nausea. I survived though, obviously and eventually adjusted to the time change.

These past few weeks in Syndey has included: a free program cruise from Darling Harbour passing the Opera House, etc etc (BEAUTIFUL weather), two trips to Bondi Beach (pictures to come up soon..it was practially indescribable, including a cliff walk overlooking a vast stretch of turquoise water, white sand, and--as Shannon put it--"tricky" sun that seems to burn you in the most random places), a field trip for our Australian Culture class through Sydney stopping at most of the historical spots, a visit to a wildlife park an hour and a half away that included walking around and basically chilling with koalas, wallabees, and emus (again, pictures to come), an energetic and extremely hot Australia Day with fireworks, live music and great food, and some overall very interesting encounters with REAL. AUSTRALIANS. And no, they don't say "g'day mate" after everything and definitely don't say "throw some shrimp on the barbie"..at all but I have heard g'day mate uttered twice and both times, I probably got way more excited than was merited.

As for classes. Painful. We are only taking two but one (Australian Culture and Society) is three times a week for three hours and a time, and the other (Brand Advertising and Promotion) is four hours, twice a week. Needless to say it is often difficult to stay awake past the first hour or two. Still, I have difficulty remembering that I am, in fact, in school right now and here for an ed-jee-cayshun. Truth be told the real reason for me FINALLY updating is to put off a 3,000 word paper for Brand Advertising. Ohh procrastination.

As prices start to jack up for vacations, some of us booked our spring and easter break trips this past week. For spring break I'm going to Fiji and for easter break, Cairns. Fiji doesn't have much planned beyond the expected complete paradise-like lounging around, but in Cairns we have planned white water rafting, a trip through the rainforest, and snorkeling. Needless to say I CANNOT wait for both!

While I'm having a great time here, it's hard not to feel homesick from time to time. I'm always missing BU, from the runs through the esplanade, to Dunkin Donuts (the iced coffee here is extremely strong coffee with vanilla ice cream..most of the time you have to ask for hot coffee on ice and most places don't even do it) to, yes, even the cold weather. And obviously friends and Chris. But I am absolutely happy that I am taking this semester to discover one more chunk of the world and this will only expand within the next few months as I become increasingly accustomed to my surroundings, explore new places, and start my internship.

I suppose the rest is just details, and as I post more I will probably be able to talk more in depth about things as they happen, since this one was just an attempted recap of the past few weeks.

Hope whoever is reading this is having a great semester, new year, etc and I will try my hardest to keep this blog up to date!


-Jackie