I have been in Sydney for about two weeks now and I can honestly say I am pretty much 100% adjusted to everything: the time zone, the culture, and the city.
I am living in an apartment with seven other girls in a suburb called Ultimo. It is the home of Sydney’s three main “unis” or universities so there are always students walking around everywhere. Only two of my seven roommates are from Pitt which is exciting because I have been able to get to know a bunch of new people from all over the world – and yes I mean world, one roommate is from Colombia and another is from Mexico.
The public transportation here is suuuuper awesome and easy to use. The main station, Central Station, is about a five minute walk from our apartment. Every train and bus route stops there at some point which has made traveling within the city very easy and accessible. I got lucky and my internship is only a 20/25 minute walk from our building, so unlike most of the students in this program, I don’t have to board a train or bus on a daily basis. However, I am trying to find as many ways to use it during my free time to explore new places.
A few of the main differences from America is:
- It is standard to walk and drive on the left side of the road and street
- If you are getting food or coffee to-go, it’s called “take away”
- A large portion of the Australian population are oriental so for every “American” restaurant, there are about three Chinese/Thai/Korean restaurants
- Most of the faucets that are located in restaurants, stadiums, etc. only have one knob labeled “COLD” instead of having your standard hot and cold controls – so whether you are hot or freezing, your hands will be very cold as well after you wash your hands
Ultimately, I am loving all of the new experiences, food, and people I am encountering over here. It is crazy to me that I have been here for almost two weeks, but time flies when you are having fun!
Stay tuned for more Allison Aussie updates 🙂
