I am staying in a hotel in Sydney called the Breakfree on George. The hotel is in the Haymarket area of Sydney, which is also Sydney’s Chinatown. The hotel is a ten-minute walk from the CAPA center, which is where I take classes. The hotel is also a five-minute walk from Central Station, which is the biggest train station in Sydney. Sydney has a great train system, so being located near Central is a blessing. It makes the city very accessible.

My hotel room has two twin beds, one for me and one for my roommate. We also have a kitchenette which includes an electric stove, a microwave, and a minifridge. We also have a bathroom which contains a shower/bathtub combination. The room also came with some dishes and some cookware. In addition, our room has a television and two upholstered chairs. There is also a very small dining table with two additional chairs. There is a balcony, but it is locked. Overall, the room is very European. There is only just the right amount of everything.

My room was a change of pace for me. It was much smaller than the apartment I lived in this year, and it took some time to readjust to having a roommate in the same room as me. The room also came with its issue. At one point, the shower started leaking and our carpet became soaked. My roommate and I did not realize that our shower had leaked, and we both came back from work to find an industrial fan drying our carpet. Another big negative of the hotel is the laundry set up. For the entire building, there are only two washers and dryers, which are both located in the basement of the hotel. Using the laundry facilities is also very expensive. My room also did not come with a dresser, so I lived out of my suitcase until the fourth week of my program. However, CAPA was nice enough to buy us dressers and put them in the room during the fourth week of the program.

Overall, my living accommodations have been fine, but they were not what I expected. I was expecting to stay in another location, called the Urbanest, which is a block from the Breakfree on George. This is where many Pitt student have stayed in the past, however, at the last minute, CAPA told us that it was full, and that they had to make emergency accommodations. The Breakfree on George was everything I needed it to be and I am glad that I got to stay there. It gave me a unique perspective of Sydney and I am thankful for that.