Program Orientation

When we arrived in Sydney, leaders from the IFSA: Butler Program picked us up to take us to orientation in an isolated town in the suburbs at a sports complex. On the first day we just relaxed and got to know each other and I already began to feel the cultural differences between America and Australia. Thinking back to my Boston College orientation, I knew what I was suppose to do down to the minute mark. Here, we had no idea what we were suppose to do and only on the second day did they decide to post a schedule on a board that we were expected to discover on our own and show up to our events on time. In Australia everything is much less structured and independent and everything is strikingly more laid back. It's certainly going to take some getting use to, but I think I'm going to love it! Their motto is "No worries, mate!" - how can you go wrong with that? On the second day we went to the zoo and to Sydney harbor and I absolutely loved it.
The sights were breathtaking, and I absolutely loved all of the animals I saw (but the giraffes especially, of course!) In Sydney harbor a crazy Canadian man made a few of my friends participate in a street show that involved a unicycle, a chainsaw and a machete. So crazy! We also went to the opera house and walked around the rocks, which is a beautiful area along Sydney harbor. Compared to Boston and NYC, Sydney is much cleaner and very different because it's centered around the harbor. At night we learned native Australian dances and watched an aboriginal performance which were both incredibly interesting and fun. Here's a picture of BC students with the native performers:

On the last day of orientation we went boogie boarding, surfing and paddle boarding which was a blast! We continued to surf even when it began to thunder and lightening, when the Americans immediately began to rush out of the water and the Australians asked us where we were going. Too funny! On the last day of orientation we made the trek to the University of Sydney where I moved in to my apartment suite. I am living with Kelly, a good friend from BC, two boys from PennState and a boy originally born in Sydney who has lived in England for the past 15 years of his life. Quite a cultured group!

After spending the weekend at University of Sydney, I am finally starting to get use to Australian life (except for the cockroaches - ahh!) and am looking forward to a semester of no worries.