Here.. Without Internet.

I finally made it to Australia... 3 days ago.  First of all, it's unbelievable.  Not only is it warm here, as in 80 degrees, but it's beautiful.  The problem is that Australia has a unique internet situation where it is never free and happens to be very expensive, so I will not be on the internet very often until about the 23rd of February when I move into my apartment.  The good news is, that the apartments that the program put us in are the coolest apartments I've ever been in.  We are in the World Tower in the heart of Sydney, and our three-bedroom apartment is on the 71st floor; just looking out the window is jaw-dropping. 

 

As for everything that we've been doing so far... We got to Sydney at 6:05 am, on Friday the 11th, and have basically been going non-stop ever since.  The first night I sample Kangaroo for dinner at a restaurant in Darling Harbour; it is one of the healthiest red meats you can eat.  I thought it was amazing and I loved it; the restaurant cooks it medium rare in a Jack Daniels sauce!

Because we were all jet-lagged, we had an early night the first night.  The next morning we had a walking tour around Sydney and got to see the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge!  It was unreal to actually look at it in person.  We also tried a traditional meat pie with mashed peas and mashed potatoes and gravy on top; about 2/3 of the group liked it.  So far, the city is very clean and I can't wait to explore the rest of it.  After the walking tour, we got to go to the Featherdale Wildlife Park where we got to see a bunch of Australian animals.  We played with kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas!!

Today, we just got back from an extremely tiring but fantastic day.  WE CLIMBED THE SYDNEY HARBOUR BRIDGE!!!  It might have been the best experience I've ever had.  It took three hours and we got to climb up to the top which was about 440 feet over the harbour.  There were 360 degree spectacular views; it will be an experience I'll never forget!  After the bridge climb we took a bus to Bronte Beach where we did a coastal walk to Bondi Beach (the beach I will eventually be living 10 minutes away from).  The paths were right on the edge of gorgeous cliffs and beaches on both sides.  The weather was pretty cloudy and rainy during the walk, but it was so nice to be back around the ocean!!