90 Carillon Avenue, #3202
Newtown, NSW
2042
Australia
Monday, February 25, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Hi there! This is my first post from Sydney and it’s great here! I left from Midland on Monday, the 11th of February and had several hours layover in San Francisco, so I took a cab to Pier 39 and went to the Bay aquarium and walked around and had supper. Then it was back to the airport and on to Australia!
I and the other participants in my program went directly to Cairns (pronounced like “cans”) for a few days for an orientation. We SCUBA dove on the Great Barrier Reef and it was amazing! I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see any sharks or turtles, but the reef itself was phenomenal. It had the most beautiful corals and it was just teeming with life. I’ve never seen anything like it, and can’t wait to go back when my family comes to visit me in July.
We also went to the RainforeStation, which was sort of a r
eserve/park. We got to feed kangaroos and hold a koala and tour the rainforest and throw a boomerang! I wasn’t too bad at it either, if I do say so myself!
I’m in a five-bedroom apartment on the Sydney University campus. I only have one roommate so far, but I'll get three new ones in the next week. The apartment is very nice and has plenty of room.
On Sunday, I went to St. Stephen’s, which is an Anglican church that is close by. The people were very friendly and the sermon was based completely on scripture, so I think I’ll continue to go there while I’m here. The building is one of the oldest in Sydney and is beautiful, complete with a picturesque/creepy graveyard with headstones dating back to the 1850’s and a giant fig tree out front.
The Conservatorium is great! It’s located right next to the Botanical Gardens and a short walk from the Sydney Opera House!
So far, I haven’t had much of a problem with culture shock. The main problem has been sticker shock! The minimum wage here is $17 or $18 dollars an hour and the exchange rate is abut 1 USD = 1.20 ASD. Consequently, everything is a bit more expensive. For instance, a Subway sandwich and drink might cost $5 or $6 in the US, and it’s $8 or $9 here. The time difference was definitely an adjustment, but I haven’t had a huge problem with jetlag. I haven’t really had time to get homesick yet, but I’m sure it’ll kick in once I’m not quite so busy.
The latest political news down here is that the Prime Minister apology to the “stolen generation,” which is an entire generation of aboriginal children (now adults) that were taken from their families and entrusted to white foster families, a policy that was meant to dilute the aboriginal culture. Although there are some that oppose the apology, everyone that I have spoken with has approved of this long-overdue act of diplomacy. This may be the first step in what will be a bridging of the cultural gap between Australian aboriginals and the Australian government.
I am booked for a weekend at surfing school on the weekend of March 7th and I’ve also volunteered for a weekend to plant trees on the weekend of the 14th of March. I start classes on March 3rd and have an entire week off later in March, so I’m looking into booking a trip. I’m hoping I can find somebody who would like to go to New Zealand with me, or maybe Bali or Tasmania. I’ll post again soon. Cheers!
I and the other participants in my program went directly to Cairns (pronounced like “cans”) for a few days for an orientation. We SCUBA dove on the Great Barrier Reef and it was amazing! I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see any sharks or turtles, but the reef itself was phenomenal. It had the most beautiful corals and it was just teeming with life. I’ve never seen anything like it, and can’t wait to go back when my family comes to visit me in July.
We also went to the RainforeStation, which was sort of a r
eserve/park. We got to feed kangaroos and hold a koala and tour the rainforest and throw a boomerang! I wasn’t too bad at it either, if I do say so myself!I’m in a five-bedroom apartment on the Sydney University campus. I only have one roommate so far, but I'll get three new ones in the next week. The apartment is very nice and has plenty of room.
On Sunday, I went to St. Stephen’s, which is an Anglican church that is close by. The people were very friendly and the sermon was based completely on scripture, so I think I’ll continue to go there while I’m here. The building is one of the oldest in Sydney and is beautiful, complete with a picturesque/creepy graveyard with headstones dating back to the 1850’s and a giant fig tree out front.
The Conservatorium is great! It’s located right next to the Botanical Gardens and a short walk from the Sydney Opera House!
So far, I haven’t had much of a problem with culture shock. The main problem has been sticker shock! The minimum wage here is $17 or $18 dollars an hour and the exchange rate is abut 1 USD = 1.20 ASD. Consequently, everything is a bit more expensive. For instance, a Subway sandwich and drink might cost $5 or $6 in the US, and it’s $8 or $9 here. The time difference was definitely an adjustment, but I haven’t had a huge problem with jetlag. I haven’t really had time to get homesick yet, but I’m sure it’ll kick in once I’m not quite so busy.
The latest political news down here is that the Prime Minister apology to the “stolen generation,” which is an entire generation of aboriginal children (now adults) that were taken from their families and entrusted to white foster families, a policy that was meant to dilute the aboriginal culture. Although there are some that oppose the apology, everyone that I have spoken with has approved of this long-overdue act of diplomacy. This may be the first step in what will be a bridging of the cultural gap between Australian aboriginals and the Australian government.
I am booked for a weekend at surfing school on the weekend of March 7th and I’ve also volunteered for a weekend to plant trees on the weekend of the 14th of March. I start classes on March 3rd and have an entire week off later in March, so I’m looking into booking a trip. I’m hoping I can find somebody who would like to go to New Zealand with me, or maybe Bali or Tasmania. I’ll post again soon. Cheers!
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Communication
Because of the time difference and the cost, I won’t be making a lot of phone calls home. I may get on AIM (AOL instant messenger) every once in a while, but for those of you who are more technically savvy there is a better option. I’ve downloaded a free computer program called “skype.” It allows you to make a phone call between two computers. It doesn’t cost anything from computer to computer (it only charges for telephone to computer calls). You can go to www.skype.com and download the program in about 15 minutes. Once you have it downloaded and set up an account for yourself (still free) then you can add me as a contact. My username is Valerie.Estes. It’s a fairly simple process (after all, I figured it out) so give it a try. Of course, you can always just check this blog or e-mail me (Valerie.estes@ttu.edu) to stay in touch.
On a side note, here is how the time difference works. Sydney is 7 hours behind and a calendar day ahead (or you can think of it as being 17 hours ahead). In other words, if it is 8:00 a.m. on Monday in Texas then it is 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Good luck figuring this one out, because I haven’t gotten the hang of it yet!
On a side note, here is how the time difference works. Sydney is 7 hours behind and a calendar day ahead (or you can think of it as being 17 hours ahead). In other words, if it is 8:00 a.m. on Monday in Texas then it is 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Good luck figuring this one out, because I haven’t gotten the hang of it yet!
Positive list!
In hindsight, I realize that my last post was terribly selfish. Here I am with an absolutely amazing opportunity, and I made a list of all the things I’m going to miss. I’m sure I’ll get a little homesick, but it’s ridiculous to concentrate on the negative when I’m so blessed. Rather than delete my last post, I decided I’d just make a list of some things I’m looking forward to. Be warned, this list is going to be a tad more detailed than my last one.
1. I hope that being alone in a strange country will make me lean more on God. Most of the time I unconsciously try to be self-reliant. I don’t always pray before I make decisions, nor do I always give credit where it’s due. If all I achieve this semester is a closer relationship with my creator, then it will be time well spent.
2. I’m looking forward to growing and changing as a person. One thing that I don’t really like about myself is that I’m on the shy side and take a little time to get to know people. This is a selfish tendency that I would really like to rid myself of. I want to love people immediately and without inhibitions and let them know it.
3. I’m excited about the opportunity to study with Dr. Alexa Still at the Sydney Conservatorium. I have been listening to recordings of her playing since I began playing the flute and love her musical sensitivity and aggressive command of the instrument.
4. I’m looking forward to meeting new people. I’ll have 4 new roommates, lots of new classmates, and a new church home…plenty of new faces!
5. I can’t wait for the SCUBA diving! Diving on the Great Barrier Reef has always been on my “top ten things to do before I die” list. And yes, for all who are wondering, I’ll try to avoid the Great Whites, the blue-ringed octopus, the box jellyfish, the sea snakes…well, I’ll just try not get eaten by anything. I’ll be in Sydney, which is not on the Great Barrier Reef, but I intend to make several trips up north to get in some dives!
6. I’m so excited about the animals! Most of you probably know about my love of animals…I’ve been known to save the occasionally puppy or kitty. Since I’ll be in the city I won’t be seeing koalas every day, but I am going to do some volunteering at a wildlife preserve near Canberra (the “volunteering” entails planting a few trees, but mostly playing with the cute animals!)
I could keep going forever, but then nobody would read this post, so I’ll leave it at this for now!
1. I hope that being alone in a strange country will make me lean more on God. Most of the time I unconsciously try to be self-reliant. I don’t always pray before I make decisions, nor do I always give credit where it’s due. If all I achieve this semester is a closer relationship with my creator, then it will be time well spent.
2. I’m looking forward to growing and changing as a person. One thing that I don’t really like about myself is that I’m on the shy side and take a little time to get to know people. This is a selfish tendency that I would really like to rid myself of. I want to love people immediately and without inhibitions and let them know it.
3. I’m excited about the opportunity to study with Dr. Alexa Still at the Sydney Conservatorium. I have been listening to recordings of her playing since I began playing the flute and love her musical sensitivity and aggressive command of the instrument.
4. I’m looking forward to meeting new people. I’ll have 4 new roommates, lots of new classmates, and a new church home…plenty of new faces!
5. I can’t wait for the SCUBA diving! Diving on the Great Barrier Reef has always been on my “top ten things to do before I die” list. And yes, for all who are wondering, I’ll try to avoid the Great Whites, the blue-ringed octopus, the box jellyfish, the sea snakes…well, I’ll just try not get eaten by anything. I’ll be in Sydney, which is not on the Great Barrier Reef, but I intend to make several trips up north to get in some dives!
6. I’m so excited about the animals! Most of you probably know about my love of animals…I’ve been known to save the occasionally puppy or kitty. Since I’ll be in the city I won’t be seeing koalas every day, but I am going to do some volunteering at a wildlife preserve near Canberra (the “volunteering” entails planting a few trees, but mostly playing with the cute animals!)
I could keep going forever, but then nobody would read this post, so I’ll leave it at this for now!
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