Week 7

So some stuff about Aussie culture: Did you know that the life savers here are unpaid? They are a completely volunteer service. They are a source of national pride for the country. They go through rigorous training and exercises. I think that is pretty amazing and I can see why Aussies are very proud of their life savers (life guards).

Green Life: So Australians are very eco-conscious right? Well, they are. Commercials are all over the tv about being green and buying energy saving products and what not. There are pictures over faucets that say "Every drop counts" and even the toilets have two options.. You can figure that one out yourself.. But then tell me this: Why the bloody hell (ha) doesn't Bond University recycle? They don't recycle ANYTHING. There are no separate bins for paper, plastic, cans, bottles, nothing!! I just don't understand it. It is very aggravating to me to have to throw my plastic and glass bottle and aluminum cans in the regular trash. This school needs a total revamp in its green clean policies, and pronto. I haven't really even seen many recycling containers anywhere else as well.

One thing is true about green-friendliness here: Every beach is spic and span clean, and there is no workforce that goes around cleaning it. Everyone just respects the beauty of the coast and throws away their own trash in the receptacles. I think this is a great thing because I know when I was in Israel at the Red Sea in Eilat, there was a surplus of trash all over the place. Even in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil and Hampton Beach, Maine there is always trash, but at least there are workers to pick it up. This isn't even necessary here, which I think is something to be proud of. :)

So last week was awesome. Sunday I got back from Moreton Island and all that jazz.
Monday I did laundry and worked on a paper with the topic "The Talibization of Southeast Asia." At first I dreaded it because 1. I don't know much about it and 2. It's not the terrorism I am interested in. Fortunately, it ended up being a very interesting topic in which I learned A TON. :)
Tuesday I had a mid-term in Love, Sex, and Relationships and got a "High Distinction" which is equivalent to an A. Yay! It is worth 30% of my grade too. That night I went to CBD and then to Varsity Tavern. It was heaps of fun.

Wednesday I went to Broad Beach with Amy and got some killer sun. After that I ended up going to Burleigh Heads beach to a BBQ Cookout with Samarth. It was good fun. Everything they served had pork ugh, but actually they had lamb chops!! Bow chica wow wowww!! So delich. Then that night I hung out in the blocks and then walked home in the rain :(

Thursday I had a bunch of classes and what not. It was fine. Then at 6PM we got a maxi taxi and went to the Gold Coast airport in Coolangatta and boarded a plane (which was delayed) to Sydney!!!!!! We arrived in Sydney and drank at a local bar in the Broadway section of Sydney near the Sydney Lodge, which is a hotel/dorm building for University of Sydney students from abroad. Kayte, Tom, and I stayed there with some fellow Northeastern Uni students.

Friday we woke up at 9AM and jumped on a bus to Circular Quay, the harbor right next to the famous Sydney Opera House. We bought a $90AUD (.69*90=$62.10USD) package that included 5 different points of interest (touristy stuff :) in Sydney. Our plan was to do all 5 in one day, but we managed 4 on day 1 and finished up on day 2. Pretty good! We got coffee and I got a chicken skewer (mm good bfast aye mate!)

Day 1: Opera House Tour: We went on a 1.5 hour tour of the famous Sydney Opera House. It took millions of dollars and many years to construct this building. It was chosen from the discard pile of a design contest. It is a masterpiece. There are 7 rooms designed differently for different kinds of performances. Opera, Theater, Symphonies, Concerts, they even had a plant expo there and turned a stage room into a rain forest. All of the chairs and walls and nuts and bolts in the rooms are made out of wood in order to keep the acoustics proper and what not. It was crazy and beautiful.

After the tour we walked over to the bridge which was constructed to last 500 years. We climbed stairs to a spot called Pylon Lookout. It was real beautiful and it was such a sunny and clear day. We lucked out. We then had lunch at a burger joint in the rocks called Rock Burger. It was good and cheap. Then we walked back down to the pier, people watched a little, and boarded a cruise ship for an hour tour around the harbor. Unfortunately by then it was 4PM and it was very windy on the ship. I sat inside after a few minutes because I was cold, but I was still able to see everything the tour guide spoke about: the island where all the convicts came in (Fort Dennison) and other parts of Sydney. We saw the lighthouses and isles and extremely huge and rich houses. We then got back to the pier and walked to location #4.

We walked down some cool streets like George Street and Pitt Street (tons of shopping, 5 star restaurants etc.) to the observation Tower. It is one of the highest buildings in Sydney. We were able to view the ENTIRE city --Olympic Stadium, Opera House, The Queen Victoria Building, the harbors, etc.-- from the spherical dome building. We stayed there until the sun set. It was magnificent. The sun set over the Blue Mountains. I wish I had had time to drive over to the mountains and hike them, but honestly, Sydney has clearly topped my list of best cities in the world. I could see myself not only coming back here, but living and working here one day. One day maybe. Maybe I will find myself a nice handsome Australian man from Sydney.. cough cough.. I also wish I got to see the "Great Synagogue" but time did not allow for it. I hear it is amazing. I also heard the kosher food in Sydney was killer. Next time.. Next time..

So after this we realized we didn't have time for our final stop of the tour so we went back to the hotel and got kebabs (kebabs are really shwamara or gyros I think I told you this already) We then got ready and went to The Rocks again, but this time for drinking festivities. The Sydney U kids were all blasted by the time we were ready. They did a power hour. Wow. So we took taxis to Lowenbraw, where it's Oktoberfest everyday. The beer was 10 bucks for .5 a pint but gd damn it was good beer. I had 2 of the light beers and then upgraded to the dark ale. They are all home brewed there on site. WOW the dark beer was by far one of the best beers I have ever had in my life. My brother and his friends would certainly agree. After this I went to 3 or 4 other joints and just had a stellar time. I met a guy from Mexico and due to the fact I was rather intoxicated by nights end (come on people bars stay open until 5 AM and I was out in the sun all day) I continued to speak Espanol for most of my evening. He was rather impressed if I must say so myself. Well I will, because I was impressed with the skill too. :) lol okay okay..

So the next morning we woke up at 11am instead of the intended 9am and didn't have time to do the Bridge Climb, which we heard was sick, but I guess I'll look at it in the sense that I saved 200$AUD. We went to a pancake place in Darling Harbor, mmm, and then headed to location #5, the Sydney Aquarium!! YAY!! It was so cool!!!! There were so many crazy and amazing animals!! There was a glassed in dome and we were able to walk through it and see HUGE sharks, HUGE turtles, and even BIGGER manna rays!!!! It was so awesome-- words can't even explain. If you know me, I get excited to see a crazy bird fly by, nevermind big sharks and crazy species!!!!! Tom and I then went and bought some opals (did you know 90% of the world's opals come from Australia?) and had a pizza lunch. It was real good.

Saturday night was by far one of the best nights of Australia: We got tickets to the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra (Sydney Pops) at the Sydney Opera House. It was so great! They are very talented! They had guest singers, a choir, guest instruments and stuff. There were two songs by a lady who played the flugal horn.. It was so sexy and amazing. It made me appreciate fine arts and modern classical music so much more. It was really enlightening. When I get back I definitely want to go to the Symphony Orchestra. I mean I have lived next to the building for 3-4 years and still haven't even seen a show!!!

After the show we went to the Opera Bar. ONE COCKTAIL IS $18!!! DAMN!! I had one drink and we got some munchies and then went home. I went to bed right away. I was exhausted.

Sunday I woke up early. We took a bus to Circular Quay and then a ferry to Manly Beach. It was beautiful. Lots of sun and lots of people. The water was freezing though. There were signs that said "Don't disturb penguins" and "Penguin nesting area" but I didn't see any. :( I got a great tan!! Someone keeps calling me black, but then if you see my bum or my tan lines you realize I am supposed to be pasty white! LOL

I still have a little more to write but wanted to get some of this done so check back later for photos added and the conclusion of my Sydney trip. :)

Photos from Sydney:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2220364&l=7d0ad&id=1812695

Photos from the aquarium: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2220951&l=a9c2d&id=1812695

Photos from Morton Island: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2218023&l=b847f&id=1812695

Photos from Curumbin Wildlife Sanctuary (Zoo) and Bond University Extravaganzas:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2208726&l=11a32&id=1812695

Photos from Pub Crawl and Pot Belliez Concert:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2217530&l=07afa&id=1812695