Week 2:
Monday 6/2
Today was our first day of class boo! We have class every
Monday from 10am-4pm. My professor is really cool and is challenging people in
class to a buck hunter tournament, you know the arcade game? When I told him I
was from New York, he started doing his Brooklyn cop accent, and it was very
good haha! In class we learn about Australian culture and history. I enjoy
learning about a new culture and especially enjoy listening to my professors
awesome accent. One of my favorite parts of class was when we learned all the
Aussie slang words! Here was one of the videos we watched on Australian lingo:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcAIr2-tCeg
Tuesday 6/3
Most everyone started their internships today, but my
internship doesn’t start until next week. My friend also didn’t have to work so
we spent the day exploring the city. We walked just about the entire city and
went and looked in just about every store! The city is so huge that I find
myself exploring new things everyday! Later that night I found some new people
to play 1 on 1 with at the basketball court! It was a lot of fun to play
against random people!
Wednesday 6/4:
Another day off in paradise!! I spent most of the day at the
pool trying to get some color after being in snowy Vermont all year! I then
walked downtown by myself and went to the Contemporary Art Museum. Many of you
probably don’t know this, but I really love arts and crafts so the museum was
really interesting to me! They had paintings, sculptures, and other crazy
things in the museum. My favorite was the paintings done by Aboriginal
Australians! Later that night, my friends and I took a walk to the opera house
and spent the night there watching the awesome light show that has been taking
place! It is absolutely beautiful to just sit at the opera house late at night!
Very surreal
Thursday 6/5:
Today was a really rainy day! I took the day to get some
rest and finally get rid of my jet lag! I watched a movie and cleaned up the
apartment. We had class in the pub tonight! (Australians do things a bit
different haha) The class event was called “Politics in the Pub.” We got to be
apart of locals debating about the new controversial budget in Australia. I
learned that the minimum wage is $18! During the end of the debate, many people
rose and starting yelling about overthrowing the prime minister! When things
started to get really heated, our professor had us leave the event; I thought
for sure there was going to be a riot!!
Friday 6/6:
Today my friends and I went to the famous Sydney market
called Paddy’s Market! This is the craziest market with many souvenirs,
clothes, fruit, fish, costumes, etc.! Everything at the market is really cheap,
so we all bought a lot of stuff since Sydney is one of the most expensive
cities in the world! After this, we went to the Hyde Park Barracks Museum,
which is where the first convicts in Australia lived. It was really interesting
because we learned that Australia was primarily convicts at one point! The
craziest stat I heard was that 1 in 10 Australians have a convict ancestor!!! We
got to lay in the hammocks that the convicts slept in! At night, we met some
more friends at the Argyle, which is one of Sydney’s most famous restaurants
and dance clubs. The Argyle is both indoor and outdoor and has three levels; it
was really cool! As a tradition, you have to Pancakes on the Rocks after you go
to the Argyle. So we headed to the best pancake place in Sydney for more food!
(I don’t mindJ)
This place makes every pancake imaginable from dessert pancakes to chocolate
brownie pancakes! Needless to say I was in heaven
Saturday 6/7
Today we had to attend a play at the local theatre for
class. The play was called Young Tycoons, and it depicted some of the billionaires
in Australia. It was absolutely hysterical! I didn’t want to go to the play,
but I actually loved the play and had the best time. That night, we went to the
cutest little Italian Restaurant! Everything was freshly made! I would have to
say the food in Australia is good, but the desserts are unbelievable! We had
the best homemade cakes and shakes after dinner!
Sunday 6/8
Today my boss paid for me to go watch a Judo Competition in
a town called Wollongong. My internship changed and I am now working for a
millionaire who is planning the Australian International Judo Festival in
August! He wanted me to get a feel for Judo, which is a lot like martial arts,
but they spend a lot of time wrestling on the ground; it was pretty intense!
The train ride to Wollongong was so beautiful, as you go through the jungle to
get there! Once we got to Wollongong, it was equally incredible! After we went
to the Judo competition, we walked along the beach and did some random rock
climbing. There were all these rock formations that you could climb and
explore, and it was really fun to climb overtop of the ocean!
Week 3:
Monday 6/9
Today was a pretty boring day as we had class from 10am-9pm!
It was really brutal, but we got a lot of breaks and they gave us tim tams! Tim
tams are the best chocolate cookies you will ever have, I am addicted. Actually
though, I eat like 5 a day (hello Australia 15lbs!) One of the actors from the
play on Saturday came to our class and did a short skit for us. Later that
night we met with our advisors about our huge research paper and presentation
that we have to do at the end of the 7 weeks!
Tuesday 6/10
Today I started work!!! I have to take the train to work, so
I am getting pretty good with the train system! I am very proud of myself that
I have turned into quite the city slicker, since I have always been a farm
girl! When I got off the train, it was pouring and I had no hood, no umbrella,
nothing, and I was supposed to meet my boss! I was so upset because I was lost
and soaked, when the nicest older man came up to me and put his umbrella over
me and walked with me until I found my boss. It was such an amazing moment,
just when I really needed someone. Makes you realize there are still some good
people out there in the world. Work was extremely challenging! My boss is
having me come up with sponsorship packages to present to potential sponsors
for our event. We are trying to get ANZ, the national bank here in Australia,
to sponsor us with $10,000! We are also looking to get other sponsorships from
many other large companies! My boss is having me put together a power point and
a presentation to give to ANZ and other companies. The thought of this
absolutely terrifies me, but it is such an incredible experience. I am being
challenged and learning a lot about how to plan the perfect event. I learned
that planning an event takes A LOT of time and research!
Wednesday 6/11
Today was another day of work, in which I continued to work
on the sponsorship packages. I got to sit on a phone call with an event planner
and marketing manager who gave me tips on how to run events and get
sponsorships from large companies. It was so cool to be apart of the action! I
definitely make my share of mistakes, as it is my first time doing something
like this, but thankfully my boss is really understanding! After work, I went
to the store with my boss’ wife and we got candies and toys to make goodie bags
for their son’s birthday party! So I made goodie bags and my boss made a cake
and we headed to the park for the birthday party! Lots of little six year olds
running around, but it was a blast! All of the kids have to wear sun hats when
they go outside since Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer! The party
was a success, the cake was delicious, and the kids had fun! My boss and his
family are such nice people so it’s a great environment! Later at night, I
tried gelato for the first time and it was so good!
Thursday 6/12
Today I worked only half a day! I work from my boss’ house
and he is very laid back so he let me work on the porch. I am still preparing
my presentation and doing research on how I can really try to persuade the bank
to sponsor our event! I have met many local people in my boss’ neighborhood and
they are all so nice! It is so funny, because Australians love Americans! They
love American accents, and they also love Johnny Cash! When I tell them I am
from New York, they freak out. I try to explain that I am not quite from the
city, but they can’t imagine any other New York than the city. So many locals
tell me how much they love NYC. I guess I never really realized how much
America has impacted other nations all over the world! Later, my friends and I
went walking around the city, we walked for about 6 miles! Well, its getting
late here in Australia, and tomorrow after work my friends and I are flying to
Melbourne to visit the Great Ocean Road and search for wild koalas! I am also trying to upload all of my pictures so you guys can see them, but I am still working on that! Until next
time America!
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