Friday, December 30, 2011
Day 3: Photo of the Day
Day 3: Class begins < Olympics, Ferries, and Beaches
What a day! Today was the third day we have been in this wonderful city, and we are finally getting into a rhythm for each day. I am waking up around 7am and getting a shower before heading off to get some cereal, coffee, and juice for breakfast. We are generally beginning our days anywhere from 8:00am-8:30am.
We began this day by walking across the street in front of Wesley College into a small grove area on the University of Sydney's campus that is covered in wonderful shade trees. We sat on the ground, rocks, and a couple of benches and had a thorough discussion of the two movies - "Autralia" and "Whale Rider" - that we watched in preparation for our trip abroad. Everyone seemed to have mixed feelings regarding their liking of each movie, but I thought each one was worth the watch. "Australia" was by far my favorite, especially how the movie portrays the role that music played in connecting a mixed race aboriginal to his native culture and English culture. "Whale Rider" was ok, not my favorite movie of all time, but it was interesting to learn about the Maori culture, a people group that receives little to no attention to anyone on the other side of the globe. The young girl did a wonderful acting job portraying a young girl destined to be a leader in a male dominated society. I felt like the movie portrayed the belief that leaders are made, not born - contrary to what the Maori teach from their ancestors.
Before we adjourned from the grove, we discussed the book by Bill Bryson "A Sunburned Country" that we also read in preparation for Australia. Bryson, a world renowned traveler, painted a detailed story of his excursions and adventures all throughout the Australian Continent. After the discussion, we left to find internet and take a 50 question test over the book.
After the test, we met in the breakfast area to have our first temporary structures class. Professor Hein who will be leading the course, provided a neat overview of the course and showed us a lengthy slideshow of pictures and explanation of temporary structures found in his study abroad in Europe a few semesters ago.
We had about an hour of free time around the college before we set out to take over the city. Our exploits led us first to the 2000 Olympic Complex. We traveled a good 30-45 minutes by train to get to the complex. We walked around on an unofficial tour taking in the site and taking many photographs. Below are several I took of the stadiums and concourses.
Above, you will see, respectively, the train station that handled the daily influx and return of hundreds of thousands of people. The next is a photo of the Opening Ceremonies Stadium. Next is an interesting row of trees that was planted to create a homey, country feel in the middle of an urbanized area. The last photo is of the inside of the Aqua Center. The Aqua Center picture shows the "members only" side, but the center has been changed into a public and private swimming club and park. Complete with cafes, smoothy shops, massages, health club, fitness center, slides, swimming pools and lanes for young and old alike! I enjoyed the sight, though being indoors the chlorine used to treat the water built up heavily in the air and began to irritate my eyes. Walking outside was nice and refreshing!
We left the Olympic Complex by train in the direction of Sydney Harbour to ride a ferry across to a lovely area known as "Manly Wharf." The ferry ride to the wharf took about 20 minutes and I was able to take some breathtaking pictures of Sydney in the late afternoon sun. Here is a taste of the spectacular vista:
All I did was take these pictures. The breathtaking scenery and cloud/sun formations are God's majestic design!
We spent our evening relaxing at Manly Wharf. We walked around the concourses looking for some good food, though everything was terribly expensive (especially from an American perspective). We whiled away several hours at a neat place (perhaps called "The Shore Hotel" or something along those lines). We chilled on the third level as the sun went down. The place had a retractable roof that opened to the heavens above and the sound of the crashing wind and waves below. Sitting there we practically forgot we were in Australia for a time. It was so pleasant. Hard to imagine that this day started with two papers due, a test, and class.
We would have been satisfied to spend the night camping somewhere on the wharf, but alas the last ferry leaves at midnight back to Sydney. We departed, as we would be expected in the morning at the College.
I had a pleasant nap on the ferry ride back to Sydney Harbour, and thank goodness I saved my energy. We wandered through the Harbour and out of Circular Quay before deciding to catch a bus to go back to the University. We had absolutely no idea if the buses were still running, where to catch the right bus, and had some dispute as to which bus was the "right" bus. Steele led the way into the depths of the city with astonishing confidence. However, his valiant effort only found us in the middle of the hospital grounds. Refusing to pay for a taxi we trucked onward in a new direction (the only one that didn't lead towards water.) We actually did ask several people for directions to the University of Sydney, though sadly nobody had even heard of it nor knew how to get there. (Actually it was probably more due to the language barrier. The only English word the several Oriental folks we saw knew was "No," which may or may not have been directed at our question.) Anyway we did meet a fellow tourist from Canada (who of course had no idea where the University was though at least he was able to tell us so in English) who had never met someone from Texas or Alabama. Other than these few conversations, we spent time exploring a new part of the city and walking through several well lit parks. We did eventually find the correct bus though, as the buses run all night in the city and made it back to Wesley College safely, somewhere around 1am.
What a wonderful day!!
We began this day by walking across the street in front of Wesley College into a small grove area on the University of Sydney's campus that is covered in wonderful shade trees. We sat on the ground, rocks, and a couple of benches and had a thorough discussion of the two movies - "Autralia" and "Whale Rider" - that we watched in preparation for our trip abroad. Everyone seemed to have mixed feelings regarding their liking of each movie, but I thought each one was worth the watch. "Australia" was by far my favorite, especially how the movie portrays the role that music played in connecting a mixed race aboriginal to his native culture and English culture. "Whale Rider" was ok, not my favorite movie of all time, but it was interesting to learn about the Maori culture, a people group that receives little to no attention to anyone on the other side of the globe. The young girl did a wonderful acting job portraying a young girl destined to be a leader in a male dominated society. I felt like the movie portrayed the belief that leaders are made, not born - contrary to what the Maori teach from their ancestors.
Before we adjourned from the grove, we discussed the book by Bill Bryson "A Sunburned Country" that we also read in preparation for Australia. Bryson, a world renowned traveler, painted a detailed story of his excursions and adventures all throughout the Australian Continent. After the discussion, we left to find internet and take a 50 question test over the book.
After the test, we met in the breakfast area to have our first temporary structures class. Professor Hein who will be leading the course, provided a neat overview of the course and showed us a lengthy slideshow of pictures and explanation of temporary structures found in his study abroad in Europe a few semesters ago.
We had about an hour of free time around the college before we set out to take over the city. Our exploits led us first to the 2000 Olympic Complex. We traveled a good 30-45 minutes by train to get to the complex. We walked around on an unofficial tour taking in the site and taking many photographs. Below are several I took of the stadiums and concourses.
Above, you will see, respectively, the train station that handled the daily influx and return of hundreds of thousands of people. The next is a photo of the Opening Ceremonies Stadium. Next is an interesting row of trees that was planted to create a homey, country feel in the middle of an urbanized area. The last photo is of the inside of the Aqua Center. The Aqua Center picture shows the "members only" side, but the center has been changed into a public and private swimming club and park. Complete with cafes, smoothy shops, massages, health club, fitness center, slides, swimming pools and lanes for young and old alike! I enjoyed the sight, though being indoors the chlorine used to treat the water built up heavily in the air and began to irritate my eyes. Walking outside was nice and refreshing!
We left the Olympic Complex by train in the direction of Sydney Harbour to ride a ferry across to a lovely area known as "Manly Wharf." The ferry ride to the wharf took about 20 minutes and I was able to take some breathtaking pictures of Sydney in the late afternoon sun. Here is a taste of the spectacular vista:
All I did was take these pictures. The breathtaking scenery and cloud/sun formations are God's majestic design!
We spent our evening relaxing at Manly Wharf. We walked around the concourses looking for some good food, though everything was terribly expensive (especially from an American perspective). We whiled away several hours at a neat place (perhaps called "The Shore Hotel" or something along those lines). We chilled on the third level as the sun went down. The place had a retractable roof that opened to the heavens above and the sound of the crashing wind and waves below. Sitting there we practically forgot we were in Australia for a time. It was so pleasant. Hard to imagine that this day started with two papers due, a test, and class.
We would have been satisfied to spend the night camping somewhere on the wharf, but alas the last ferry leaves at midnight back to Sydney. We departed, as we would be expected in the morning at the College.
I had a pleasant nap on the ferry ride back to Sydney Harbour, and thank goodness I saved my energy. We wandered through the Harbour and out of Circular Quay before deciding to catch a bus to go back to the University. We had absolutely no idea if the buses were still running, where to catch the right bus, and had some dispute as to which bus was the "right" bus. Steele led the way into the depths of the city with astonishing confidence. However, his valiant effort only found us in the middle of the hospital grounds. Refusing to pay for a taxi we trucked onward in a new direction (the only one that didn't lead towards water.) We actually did ask several people for directions to the University of Sydney, though sadly nobody had even heard of it nor knew how to get there. (Actually it was probably more due to the language barrier. The only English word the several Oriental folks we saw knew was "No," which may or may not have been directed at our question.) Anyway we did meet a fellow tourist from Canada (who of course had no idea where the University was though at least he was able to tell us so in English) who had never met someone from Texas or Alabama. Other than these few conversations, we spent time exploring a new part of the city and walking through several well lit parks. We did eventually find the correct bus though, as the buses run all night in the city and made it back to Wesley College safely, somewhere around 1am.
What a wonderful day!!
Day 2: Photo of the Day
Day 2: Refills Exist Only in America
After a restless night's sleep, I woke up in time to grab a quick bite of breakfast down in the breakfast room before we ventured out on the town for the day. Belly full, we embarked on our next great adventure. Today though, I had a much better feel for the city.
Initially, we rode a bus from the outskirts of the University campus to the opposite side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, then another bus back to just the other side so that we could walk across it. There are two ways you can cross the bridge by walking. The free way and the non-free way. The non-free way costs A$230, though you get to go across the uppermost arch of the bridge while tied down to the steel beams in a sweet safety suit. On a college budget, we naturally chose the free way.
Before we began the trek across the bridge, we first went inside one of the granite piers that guard each side of the bridge. We paid for a walk through of the museum, which provided interesting artifacts and stories about how the bridge was completed. Once we had satisfied our interests in the museum, we continued to climb up and up and up inside the pier to the top of it. From there, we were able to get an absolutely spectacular panoramic view of all of Sydney, as far as the eye could see. It was fairly windy and a touch on the chilly side with a few clouds blocking the sun, but it was fantastic weather on the whole. Here are some of those views.
After enjoying the view for some time, we climbed down to the base of the pier and then walked the full span of the bridge across the Harbour, then all the way back to get to the downtown side of the Harbour.
After trekking the bridge, we went to the Museum of Sydney to check out some of the history behind the founding of the city and whatever else the museum might hold. The museum was not too awful far from the bridge, but we did have to walk several city blocks to get there.
Upon arrival, Anoop paid our entry and we spent the next hour or more pouring over the two-level museum. Plenty of ships and cultural information was present, although generally speaking I found the museum to be a bit dull. There were some neat artifacts dating back centuries that were neat to behold, but overall there did not seem to be a gratuitous amount of information that I expecting to encounter.
After finishing the touring of the museum, we parted ways with Profs Hein and Anoop and went to go find some lunch. It was about 2 o'clock Sydney time in the afternoon and we were quite hungry. We asked a lady behind the desk at the museum for a restaurant recommendation. She recommended a place back over near the Harbour Bridge called Pancakes on the Rocks. She drew us a short map and we set off to find it. Without too many problems, we found the restaurant, though it was quite crowded and we had to wait a good 20-30 minutes before our party could be seated. I originally intended to order a meal that included pancakes, but instead I got a meal of scrambled eggs, grilled pineapple, canadien bacon, and a coke.
WARNING: AUSTRALIA DOES NOT DO REFILLS FOR ANYTHING.
Also, portions are much smaller and unfortunately that includes the size of glasses. A$2.50 for an 8oz glass filled completely with ice and about 2oz of coke. Even McDonald's cooperates! The largest drink cup they have is what is considered a medium in America. Here in Australia, it is considered a large. They do not have an extra large size.
The food was delicious, though the service was worse than horrible. Our first waiter who took our drink and food orders never returned. Somehow another server showed up with our drinks and yet another server came with our food. Still another server brought water to the table and finally, after many joyous hours, our original server brought us the check (slight exaggeration here).
After lunch, I headed back with a group of folks to the University to get some things done for the next day. Our papers over the movie were due the next morning as well as the test over the book. I spent the afternoon putting the finishing touches on the papers and getting some pictures uploaded and updating the blog. I went out with a few folks for a late dinner at a fast food place near the University. It was a decent chicken sandwich, though next time I will make sure and ask for it without mayo.
After eating I came back to Wesley College to my room and pretty much fell asleep, waking up periodically, only to fall asleep once more.
End Day 2
Initially, we rode a bus from the outskirts of the University campus to the opposite side of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, then another bus back to just the other side so that we could walk across it. There are two ways you can cross the bridge by walking. The free way and the non-free way. The non-free way costs A$230, though you get to go across the uppermost arch of the bridge while tied down to the steel beams in a sweet safety suit. On a college budget, we naturally chose the free way.
Before we began the trek across the bridge, we first went inside one of the granite piers that guard each side of the bridge. We paid for a walk through of the museum, which provided interesting artifacts and stories about how the bridge was completed. Once we had satisfied our interests in the museum, we continued to climb up and up and up inside the pier to the top of it. From there, we were able to get an absolutely spectacular panoramic view of all of Sydney, as far as the eye could see. It was fairly windy and a touch on the chilly side with a few clouds blocking the sun, but it was fantastic weather on the whole. Here are some of those views.
After enjoying the view for some time, we climbed down to the base of the pier and then walked the full span of the bridge across the Harbour, then all the way back to get to the downtown side of the Harbour.
After trekking the bridge, we went to the Museum of Sydney to check out some of the history behind the founding of the city and whatever else the museum might hold. The museum was not too awful far from the bridge, but we did have to walk several city blocks to get there.
Upon arrival, Anoop paid our entry and we spent the next hour or more pouring over the two-level museum. Plenty of ships and cultural information was present, although generally speaking I found the museum to be a bit dull. There were some neat artifacts dating back centuries that were neat to behold, but overall there did not seem to be a gratuitous amount of information that I expecting to encounter.
After finishing the touring of the museum, we parted ways with Profs Hein and Anoop and went to go find some lunch. It was about 2 o'clock Sydney time in the afternoon and we were quite hungry. We asked a lady behind the desk at the museum for a restaurant recommendation. She recommended a place back over near the Harbour Bridge called Pancakes on the Rocks. She drew us a short map and we set off to find it. Without too many problems, we found the restaurant, though it was quite crowded and we had to wait a good 20-30 minutes before our party could be seated. I originally intended to order a meal that included pancakes, but instead I got a meal of scrambled eggs, grilled pineapple, canadien bacon, and a coke.
WARNING: AUSTRALIA DOES NOT DO REFILLS FOR ANYTHING.
Also, portions are much smaller and unfortunately that includes the size of glasses. A$2.50 for an 8oz glass filled completely with ice and about 2oz of coke. Even McDonald's cooperates! The largest drink cup they have is what is considered a medium in America. Here in Australia, it is considered a large. They do not have an extra large size.
The food was delicious, though the service was worse than horrible. Our first waiter who took our drink and food orders never returned. Somehow another server showed up with our drinks and yet another server came with our food. Still another server brought water to the table and finally, after many joyous hours, our original server brought us the check (slight exaggeration here).
After lunch, I headed back with a group of folks to the University to get some things done for the next day. Our papers over the movie were due the next morning as well as the test over the book. I spent the afternoon putting the finishing touches on the papers and getting some pictures uploaded and updating the blog. I went out with a few folks for a late dinner at a fast food place near the University. It was a decent chicken sandwich, though next time I will make sure and ask for it without mayo.
After eating I came back to Wesley College to my room and pretty much fell asleep, waking up periodically, only to fall asleep once more.
End Day 2
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Day 1 : Photo of the Day
Day 1: The Saga Begins in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Wow what a trip! After an absolutely mind and hand numbing flight, we finally arrived in the wonderful city of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia!! Getting through customs was quite simple and easy. I filled out a card while on the plane and showed that and my passport to the agent. After a quick ok-ing glance at my OTC meds and a beagle sniff through my bags, I was free! The Sydney airport did not seem too different from an airport in America and it was easily navigable. We hopped on a bus outside the airport, but only rode it a short ways. The remainder of the route to Wesley College at The University of Sydney was done on foot. Probably close to 5 miles, all uphill, with a massive backpack and grievously large duffle bag thrown over my shoulders. Pure adrenaline kept me going.
For me, the most immediately noticeable differences between Sydney and any large metropolitan city in the United States was the flow of traffic (they drive on the opposite side of the road), the number of Oriental folks walking around, and to cross the street meant looking right first, as the traffic comes from the opposite direction.
Wesley College at the University of Sydney looks pretty sweet on the outside and has nice dorms on the inside. I am in a room with one other guy, Jay, and we each have our own bed and desk area. The plugs here are different. Basically the same as in America except the top two prongs that conduct electricity are turned inward at a 45 degree angle. Odd, but it works just the same. I have a converter that lets me plug any kind of outlet into the wall, so I was easily able to connect my electronics. (Only trouble encountered here is that the outlet in the wall is not tight, and I have to keep the converter upright and plugged in with my tennis shoe underneath it.)
The entire group was pretty tired when we got to our accommodations, though Anoop, one of two professors on the trip, wanted us to beat the jet lag by staying up until it was the proper time to sleep in Sydney - nighttime. The problem was that it was 9:00 in the morning the next day. Not only had we been up all day on December 26th flying, we crossed the international date line somewhere over the Pacific and completely lost December 27, 2011. Let me know if you find it and what happened on that day, I never experienced it. All I knew was that the current time was 9:00am and it was not advisable to sleep yet.
Anyway, most of the group was more famished than tired and, running on adrenaline, we walked across the beautiful university campus (see photos) across the street to a shopping mall where we bought the most American lunch we could find - Ham and cheese sandwiches, complete with raspberry lemonade. We walked back to the city park on the outskirts of the university and ate lunch sitting in the grass. The trees here are all sorts of spectacular and awesome varieties. The bark is different on almost every tree and, being Summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, a lush green. The day was picturesque. Around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (they do the math here to get to Celsius - either multiply or divide by 9/5). We finished lunch and walked back to the college to shower and get ready to out to Circular Quay - they location of the world renown Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Before we left though, I was able to get in contact with Brittany! (God willing she happened to be on Facebook during the 15 minutes I had to spare in the dorm room before the group left to explore Sydney!! We got to do devo without missing a day in the Central Time Zone!).
Circular Quay ("Quay" is pronounced like the word "key") is a bustling area around Sydney Harbour in downtown Sydney. We enjoyed walking around and taking in the sights, which included a street performer fitting herself into a 16"x16" glass box about 6 feet off the ground. Slightly weird, yet totally entertaining after being up some ridiculous number of hours in a row and losing a whole day in the process.
We proceeded next to the Botanical Gardens and what a sight this was! Numerous species of trees and plants and other flora along with some of the most wonderful animals. Among the animals included wild parrots, cockatoos, massive bats, and even eels. There were tons of people enjoying the gardens by sunbathing or just walking around and sitting on a bench to enjoy the Harbour. The sun was shining warmly and the breeze kept us nice and cool. However, the wind did not act as sunscreen and many people in the group took away a souvenir sunburn! (Thankfully I had on a hat and shades on that kept the sun off me!)
From there we went to a mall area to the Vodafone shop (an international cell phone company) to retrieve SIM cards for our unlocked GSM phones. It took a little time, but everyone walked away with an Australian cell phone number!! (Not sure why, but I found this pretty sweet!)
We left the phone shop in search of some dinner and ended up choosing a place called "Star Bar." Interesting name for a place, but it that looked exactly like Planet Hollywood. Food was pretty good and inexpensive (I got a 300 gram steak and chips (fries) with a Pepsi for only A$11.95). The inexpensive part is rare in this town. Thankfully though I haven't had a bad meal yet!
We returned back to campus after dinner, at which time I began working on school related work due the next day. Woo!
My adventurous and pretty awesome day finally came to a close and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep on the oh-so-comfortable dorm beds. I was so tired, I could have slept like a baby on solid concrete.
For me, the most immediately noticeable differences between Sydney and any large metropolitan city in the United States was the flow of traffic (they drive on the opposite side of the road), the number of Oriental folks walking around, and to cross the street meant looking right first, as the traffic comes from the opposite direction.
Wesley College at the University of Sydney looks pretty sweet on the outside and has nice dorms on the inside. I am in a room with one other guy, Jay, and we each have our own bed and desk area. The plugs here are different. Basically the same as in America except the top two prongs that conduct electricity are turned inward at a 45 degree angle. Odd, but it works just the same. I have a converter that lets me plug any kind of outlet into the wall, so I was easily able to connect my electronics. (Only trouble encountered here is that the outlet in the wall is not tight, and I have to keep the converter upright and plugged in with my tennis shoe underneath it.)
The entire group was pretty tired when we got to our accommodations, though Anoop, one of two professors on the trip, wanted us to beat the jet lag by staying up until it was the proper time to sleep in Sydney - nighttime. The problem was that it was 9:00 in the morning the next day. Not only had we been up all day on December 26th flying, we crossed the international date line somewhere over the Pacific and completely lost December 27, 2011. Let me know if you find it and what happened on that day, I never experienced it. All I knew was that the current time was 9:00am and it was not advisable to sleep yet.
Anyway, most of the group was more famished than tired and, running on adrenaline, we walked across the beautiful university campus (see photos) across the street to a shopping mall where we bought the most American lunch we could find - Ham and cheese sandwiches, complete with raspberry lemonade. We walked back to the city park on the outskirts of the university and ate lunch sitting in the grass. The trees here are all sorts of spectacular and awesome varieties. The bark is different on almost every tree and, being Summer here in the Southern Hemisphere, a lush green. The day was picturesque. Around 70 degrees Fahrenheit (they do the math here to get to Celsius - either multiply or divide by 9/5). We finished lunch and walked back to the college to shower and get ready to out to Circular Quay - they location of the world renown Sydney Opera House and Harbour Bridge. Before we left though, I was able to get in contact with Brittany! (God willing she happened to be on Facebook during the 15 minutes I had to spare in the dorm room before the group left to explore Sydney!! We got to do devo without missing a day in the Central Time Zone!).
Circular Quay ("Quay" is pronounced like the word "key") is a bustling area around Sydney Harbour in downtown Sydney. We enjoyed walking around and taking in the sights, which included a street performer fitting herself into a 16"x16" glass box about 6 feet off the ground. Slightly weird, yet totally entertaining after being up some ridiculous number of hours in a row and losing a whole day in the process.
We proceeded next to the Botanical Gardens and what a sight this was! Numerous species of trees and plants and other flora along with some of the most wonderful animals. Among the animals included wild parrots, cockatoos, massive bats, and even eels. There were tons of people enjoying the gardens by sunbathing or just walking around and sitting on a bench to enjoy the Harbour. The sun was shining warmly and the breeze kept us nice and cool. However, the wind did not act as sunscreen and many people in the group took away a souvenir sunburn! (Thankfully I had on a hat and shades on that kept the sun off me!)
From there we went to a mall area to the Vodafone shop (an international cell phone company) to retrieve SIM cards for our unlocked GSM phones. It took a little time, but everyone walked away with an Australian cell phone number!! (Not sure why, but I found this pretty sweet!)
We left the phone shop in search of some dinner and ended up choosing a place called "Star Bar." Interesting name for a place, but it that looked exactly like Planet Hollywood. Food was pretty good and inexpensive (I got a 300 gram steak and chips (fries) with a Pepsi for only A$11.95). The inexpensive part is rare in this town. Thankfully though I haven't had a bad meal yet!
We returned back to campus after dinner, at which time I began working on school related work due the next day. Woo!
My adventurous and pretty awesome day finally came to a close and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep on the oh-so-comfortable dorm beds. I was so tired, I could have slept like a baby on solid concrete.
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