I have been in Sydney for almost three weeks! Time has flown by, I feel like I only just got here. I have had a whirlwind of a trip so far. We are staying in apartments in Zetland, a neighborhood in Sydney. A cultural divide that I’ve discovered is that Australians refer to neighborhoods in Sydney as “suburbs” which are different from what we think of suburbs in the United States. Zetland is around a 30 minute bus or train ride from where I take my classes. Getting used to the commute had definitely been a bit of a learning curve, but I have got the hang of it. The public transportation here has been really reliable, which is nice. The neighborhood that we are staying in is close to many grocery stores and restaurants, which is something that I have been enjoying. I live with three other people, which has been super fun! My roommates and I just got back from a weekend away together. We went to Byron Bay on an overnight bus. It was a public holiday this weekend, so we had a long weekend to travel around. Byron Bay is a cute beach town north of Sydney. 

My classes are on the University of Technology Sydney’s campus. Their campus is near Sydney’s central business district and is enjoyable to explore. Chinatown is nearby, so there are a lot of great lunch spots around. I am not doing an internship, and instead taking classes. So far, my classes have been very interesting. The content that we have been learning has been relevant to Sydney and Australia in general, most of which I didn’t know much about prior to these classes. 

Since I am only here for six weeks, my classes are very fast paced. This means that I have had to make sure that I am staying on top of my school work and staying organized. This can be hard to manage while also trying to get the most out of my study abroad experience through traveling and exploring. It has been manageable so far, but my classes are going to pick up in the next few weeks, with group presentations and papers. My professors are very nice and extremely accessible. They have made it clear that they have high expectations, but are there for us if we need it. I’ve also noticed that we have a lot of guest speakers and field classes, which I have really enjoyed. We got the chance to go to the Australian Museum and both of my classes have had guest speakers. This variety of teaching has been interesting and I feel like I am getting a well rounded perspective of the information I have been learning. 

In general, I finally feel like I have found a rhythm here in Sydney. I’m definitely not jet-lagged anymore, but I certainly have been keeping busy. Sydney is an interesting and friendly place and I constantly feel like there is more to explore!