Yanks Down Under

This is a featured post from the Global Experiences Alum, Ashley Powers

Australia is unbelievable and one of the most beautiful countries in the world! I can’t believe that I am here in this place, and I already have so much to reflect on from my trip. The first week was kind of hectic and a little bit miserable, but I found my way and ended up meeting some of the coolest people and having the best times.

ICUR Internship - Everyday I take a train to work that takes 10 minutes to wait for and actually get to my destination. I work in the “Artsy” district of the city where all the advertising, creative, marketing, PR, and fashion people tend to work. The different kinds of people I encounter in one day blows my mind. I am working for ICUR for 8 weeks and so far it has been an experience with some of the best people I can ever imagine working with. My boss has told me things that make me think that maybe one day I can make it in the working world and maybe one day I can make a difference. I work in an office of 7 people who are all extremely helpful and understanding. Hands-on experience has made me understand the field so much better than any book, professor, or classroom ever will. The contacts that I will gain from this internship will help me for years to come and I am grateful for the opportunity.

Sydney - There is so much to see and do that it’s hard to even put it all into 8 weeks of time. I have accomplished many of the goals that I have listed above in the 4 weeks that I have been here already, but I still have so much more to do with the 4 weeks that I have left. “The Rocks” is one of the coolest areas of town with upscale bars, pubs, shopping and to top it off you are right under the Sydney Harbour Bridge and have a fantastic view of the Opera House. At sunset it is a photographers dream. During the month of June they have a light show going on down at The Rocks and the Opera House which has provided some of the coolest pictures. Walking along the ocean boardwalk at night in the light of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge is indescribable. I have nothing to compare such beauty to. Each city has something of a landmark, but the 20 minute walk down Sydney’s boardwalk will stun anyone.

That’s only one end of Sydney at the other end there is Darling Harbour where more bars and shopping awaits, but it also is home to the I-max theater, aquarium, and wildlife zoo.

Something I really enjoy about Sydney is the endless options of small cafes and shops. I have found my favorite cafe by where I live and tend to go there three times a week for one the best mocha’s in town (I think). Roy’s Famous Cafe is the spot where I can spend hours on end with a book or just a couple minutes talking to the owner Roy about the days activities. Unfortunately, in Sydney it is impossible to order just a regular coffee with cream, rather I have to go the fancy route and I always end up spending $3.50 on a warm drink. It is the one downside of this city and I cannot wait for my first cup of $1.25 Dunkin Donuts coffee on arrival in the states!

The weather here is what they call ‘winter’ but I would call it a mild spring. Sydney tends to get all 4 seasons within one day. It will be hot, cold, raining, and perfect all in one day. Bring your umbrella everywhere!

The People - Through my internship company I have met some really great people who have turned out to be awesome friends. We are always with each other, because who wants to go home after work when you live in Sydney? Somehow we all get along and were from all different walks of life. We cover each coast of the U.S. from Chicago, LA, Indiana, to Pennsylvania! It’s crazy, but we love it, and there are always random funny things happening. We were deemed ‘Frozen Yanks’ by the Australian Navy, but technically that’s what you call Canadians. We love Jackson’s on George for a good happy hour. We managed to get ourselves kicked out of my home stay because we were resting. We love the passion pop because it’s cheap unlike everything else here. Buyer beware be prepared to spend some monneyyyy in this country because minimum wage is $17/hr compared to our slim $8/hr. We have found ourselves in the middle of a homeless camp when we got lost one time. Basically it’s a fun group of people that will be tough to leave in the end.

Traveling Australia

The Blue Mountains – My first trip out of Sydney and my first time in a hostel. Hostel #1 proved to be awesome and not quite unlike an experience in a dormitory. It’s a cheap way to travel and I think that the U.S. should have something similar to it. The Blue Mountains are incredible and worth seeing once in your life. We hiked up into the mountains for about 5 hours and went down the famous 1000 case stairway to see the ‘Three Sisters’ rock formation which was a crazy sight! It’s cold up in the mountains, but after hiking it’s not such a big deal anymore.

Jenolan caves – We took a coach bus for an hour ride up the mountains which was an experience. Drop offs of hundreds of feet were right below us on a rode made for barely 2 cars that wound its way up into the mountains where the caves are. I give props to the driver for maneuvering a giant bus with up to 45 people on board up a mountain each day. The caves were first discovered back in the 1800′s and they are still discovering new ones to this day. They were the coolest formations and pictures don’t really do them justice. It’s just something you have to see. Rocks are rocks in pictures, but listening to the history and what processes people took to discover the caves is enthralling. There are many caves at Jenolan and usually you can only see 2 in a day. We did 2 tours which both lasted an hour and a half called the Lucas Cave and the Orient Cave.

Melbourne – The artist’s city was an hour plane ride and once we landed we decided to take the chance and rent a car. They let 3 under 25 years of age people drive a rented vehicle on American drivers licenses. It was a ton of fun and so interesting getting used to the other side of the road. The first day there we went on about a 4.5 hour road trip down ‘Great Ocean Road’ and saw waterfalls, amazing views, wild koalas, the 12 Apostles, and windy roads along the ocean. There was so much to see in only 2 days. The second day we went to downtown Melbourne and shopped the Victoria Markets and had a blast spending money on original artwork and jewelry.

My favorite things about Sydney: