Arriving

I finally have my Internet connected, so I can update all of you on my first 3 days in Australia. I happened to arrive on the hottest day Sydney has had since 2004. 108 degrees. When I left home it was about 5 degrees and covered in snow- so it was quite a shock when I stepped off the plane in jeans and a sweatshirt! After getting through security I went to get my bags- all 4 of them. It was quite a workout getting all of my suitcases off the luggage carousel. When I walked out of international arrivals, Tawnya was there to greet me- and take a picture of all my bags. After a quick change into cooler clothes, we got a taxi and found our way to check into my apartment. We found the apartment, showered, and then headed off to get some things for my room. Hopefully I can remember what all we did the rest of the weekend- Tawnya kept me very busy!

The rest of Saturday was spent walking (a lot) and seeing the sights of Sydney. The Opera House and Harbor Bridge looked amazing lit up during the night. We found a restaurant and had some wine and pizza- Yes I can finally legally drink! But after about half a glass I was exhausted and nearly fell asleep at the dinner table.

On Sunday we headed back into the city to go para sailing. A train and ferry ride later, we found out we needed a reservation. So we decided to make the best of the day and go to beach near Manly. After soaking up some sun and getting into the refreshing water, we ate lunch and had drinks at the Manly Wharf Hotel. For dinner we met up with some of Tawnya's friends. I had a great time hearing about all of her world travels! Unfortunately my jet lag caught up with me again and I barely made it through dinner.

Monday we headed back to Manly to go para sailing. Tawnya and I have had this plan since we went to Mexico in 2006- para sailing over Sydney was much better than para sailing anywhere in the Midwest! We forgot to tell them that we didn't want to get wet, so we got soaked and nearly fell out of our harnesses when we hit heads. That night Tawnya flew back to Melbourne and I was left to go grocery shopping and find my way back to my apartment (quite a feat with my directional sense) Grocery shopping was quite an adventure as I didn't know where anything was or what type of foods they had. No worries- I found what I needed and took the right bus back to my apartment.

Things I've learned since arriving:

-Public transportation is an essential- I really need to figure out all the different stops!
-Sydney has 4 seasons in one day. The weather changes very quickly here so I now always carry an umbrella
-Ketchup is called tomato sauce- and tomato is not pronounced how we say it
-At crosswalks, I now need to really look in both directions because I always forget which way the cars are going to be coming
-Grape jam or jelly does not exist

Up next- Orientation week and classes!