I CONQUERED THE SYDNEY HARBOR BRIDGE

Today I conquered the Sydney Harbor Bridge. It is a 3 hour climb to the top but you can see all of Sydney from up there. We had to wear these jumpsuits with harnesses and we were like attached to a cord on the bridge. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to bring a camera. They give you a picture of your group on top of the bridge tho(which I then took a picture of with my own camera hence the bad quality). I just got back to my room and I am pooped. Our guide told us that the climb burns like 800 calories woo hoo! Tonight, I am going to shabbat dinner ( just to make you happy mommy). 

On top of the Bridge!
Before the Bridge Climb in our sweet jumpsuits

New and Improved Schedule!

I officially finished my first week of classes at 10:30 am on a thursday! I also decided that I didn't feel like taking math so I decided to take ceramics instead. Check out the way better schedule now! 

First Day of Classes...well sort of

Today was my first day of classes...or should I say class. I go to my math class at 10 am. The professor seems very nice and the class doesn't seem too bad. I am hoping Duke will approve it though. Then, I went to my signals and systems class only to find out that the professor cancelled class for the week! My 2 pm class is a lab for Math and those don't start meeting until next week. I am officially done with my first day of class! woo hoo. Above you can see my class schedule. Please notice how I have NO class on Fridays!!!!

Random Post

So this post is random but I really wanted to post this video. I found it really funny when it happened. Basically, Jake decided he wanted to try to hit someone with the champagne cork. Chris volunteered and Jake hit him right in the chin. Enjoy!

Also, this is more for my parents, but I thought I post like two pictures of my room. It is not super big but it is a great size for me. Sorry it is not super clean but I did make my bed! 

Picture Update

So I realized I never posted pictures of my friends that I have made in Sydney. My two best friends here are Susie and Hannah. They both go to University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Some other good friends I have made are Jake, Zach, Cameron, and Chris (sorry no pictures of him). Jake is from Minnesota and he goes to some small school there. Zach is from Denver but he goes to University of Arizona. I tried playing the "who do we know in common" game with him and the only success was Paris Bus (if you know me well enough then you would know this is hardly a victory). Cameron is from Seattle and he goes to a small arts school up there. Chris is from LA and he goes to UCSB. He lives in the studio apartment next to me! There are plenty of other friends but I just wanted to highlight a few. Here are some pictures with friends both new and old.

Duke in Sydney!! Celeste and I at Scruffy Murphys
Zach and Susie
Me and the Opera HouseMe, Jake, and Susie
Me, Susie, and Hannah
Duke People in Sydney! Jeff, James, and Me
Australearn People Snorkeling a the Great Barrier Reef
Susie, Me, Hannah, and Cameron in the Rainforest

Beach in the Middle of the Winter

view of the harbor from inside the Cargo Bar
Bondi Beach!

So today we went to Bondi Beach! It was a little chilly considering it is the middle of winter but it was still enjoyable. Getting there was quite a task though. First, we walked a few blocks down the street to the train station. Then, we took a train to the central train station. Then, we took a train to Bondi Junction. Finally, we took a bus to the beach. There has got to be an easier way to get there! On the way back, me and a few lazy people decided to pay the few extra dollars for a taxi. Best 10 dollars spent. Instead of taking like over an hour, it only took us like 15 minutes. James met us at the beach with Forte, Bash, Wilhem, Ben Arnstein, James Royce, and some kid that lives with them. We all played some American Football with the kids from my program. A few people attempted to go in the water. It actually didn't feel too cold but I would have probably been a popsicle if I went all the way so I only put my feet in. We walked around Bondi a little bit and found out there was a music festival. Unfortunately, you had to buy a ticket for 25 dollars and we decided to be cheap and return to the beach. Overall, it was a fun beach day! Sorry to backtrack...Last night, Celeste, Angela, Katherine (Gina), and Blake Richards came to the village from Coogee. We all went to the bar called the Ivy which was super classy. Everyone was dressed very nice but it was kind of an older scene. We decided the relocate to Cargo Bar which is in Darling Harbour. It was literally right on the water so it was pretty cool (see picture taken from inside the bar). I am really enjoying living in such a fun and exciting city. 

I never thought I would miss ACES

SO today I was supposed to figure out my schedule. Unfortunately, the classes I need mostly conflict with eachother. As of now I am taking Signals and Systems, Biomedical Design and Technology, Optimization and Financial Math, and Sport and Learning in Australian Culture. As of now, this schedule might actually not work because the lab for the signals class interferes with the design lecture by an hour. The one positive is that I won't have class on FRIDAYS!!!! I guess this wasn't a very exciting post but that's all I have for right now.

Finally in Sydney

The Opera House
Sydney University Village (where I live)
Campus

I love Sydney. I live in a studio apartment in the Sydney University Village. I kinda wish I had roommates but my whole hall is people from my program. It is a great location right next to campus and everything is within walking distance. I literally walk out to the street and there is food everywhere and shops. I love living in a big city. Everything is really expensive though. The last few days we had orientation for the University but today I took a bus to the harbor and saw the opera house. We walked around downtown and then it took us a while to figure out what bus to take back. Later, we went to Victoria Park and had a picnic/played soccer. 

On the Airplane to Sydney (July19th)

Koala
Feeding a Kangaroo
Great Barrier Reef!

I am flying from Cairns to Sydney where the real adventure will begin! We spent the last three days in a quasi summer camp. We arrived in Cairns on July 16^th at around 12 pm after leaving LAX at 12 am on July 14^th! In Cairns, we stayed at a Backpackers hostel called the Bohemia resort. It was no hotel but it really wasn’t that bad. We were so busy that it didn’t really matter. The program introduction began with an info session where we learned the basic facts about Australia and what to expect. At the end of the session, we got our cell phones! It is one of those cheap nokia phones and I can’t text on it to save my life. We then went to dinner with the whole group and it was four peoples birthdays! Later, a bunch of us decide to go out and we go to two bars. One is called Gilligans and the other is called Heritage. The next day we wake up at 7 am and get on a bus to the rainforest. We watched an aboriginal throw spears, learned how to play a digerydoo, and learned how to throw a boomerang (unfortunately I wasn’t very good at either of those). Then, the aboriginals perform their traditional dances and we take a ride in an army duck through the rainforest. In the afternoon, we saw wombats, koalas, crocodiles, dingos, kangaroos, lizards, dragons, and fish. I got to hold a giant snake and a koala! The koala actually pooped on my friend Susie. When we get back to Bohemia, a group of us go to the park to learn how to play Cricket. It is kind of like baseball but not. The next day we wake up at 6 am and get on a boat to the Great Barrier Reef! We have the option to scuba or snorkel but I wasn’t allowed to scuba because of my recent removal of my wisdom teeth L. The snorkeling is still really awesome and I even took a few underwater pictures. One of the scuba groups saw a shark! I also spent some time lounging around the boat in the sun. When we get back, we have to go to another info session but at this point no one really has the patience to listen so they cut it short. A big group of us go to Gilligans again and have a great time dancing. The next morning we head to the airport and here I am, finally on my way to Sydney!

Welcome to My Blog!

I am starting a blog...well at least attempting to. I will be spending the next five months or so living in Sydney and attending the University of Sydney. I am very excited for my Aussie Adventures!