April Showers Bring May Flowers

When I was packing for my study abroad experience in Australia, I did not know I would need to pack my rain boots! April was filled with some of the craziest rainstorms I have ever experienced! I bought an umbrella and the wind was blowing so hard that it blew it completely inside out.

However, as May has arrived (the time has gone by so quickly!) the weather has become sunnier and more enjoyable again. It is useful to note that Australia refers to temperatures using Celsius instead of Fahrenheit. When people say, “It is about 15 degrees outside” it means that it is actually 59 degrees Fahrenheit. I was having a hard time figuring out the Celsius to Fahrenheit conversion, so I found a website to help me convert the degrees so I have a better idea of the temperature. I have included it here for your conversion needs! Now you can watch the Sydney weather on the news and know what they are talking about! :) I hope you find it as helpful as I do.

Where in the World is EAP?

About a month ago, I got an email about an idea to make a video with all of the EAP students around the world. The video would entail EAP students dancing in their study abroad country in front of a monument or landmark. This idea was inspired by the “Where the Hell is Matt?” video on YouTube.
After I watched the YouTube video I was immediately thrilled and motivated to participate! What a wonderful way to promote studying abroad in a fun way! I volunteered to spearhead the video production in Sydney. I decided to do the video at Circular Quay in front of the Opera House. After an interesting (and a tad bit embarrassing) filming experience…people walking by stopped to watch and take pictures…I sent my portion of the video to the project and it is currently being edited together with all of the other EAP students around the world. I am really looking forward to the result!

I personally think the “Where the Hell is Matt?” video is brilliant, and it motivates me to continue traveling the world after my study abroad experience in Australia. I may even try to make my own version of the video...who knows? I have the travel bug now, I don’t want to stop!

Keep a look out for an EAP promotional dancing video coming to a UC campus near you! (I am wearing a UCEAP shirt in front of the Opera House!) I am so excited to see the finished result and look forward to the response from students at their home University campuses. I hope it will inspire other students to study abroad and embark on their own adventure in a whole new country and culture. After all, the world is your oyster!

Aussie Slang

There is a lot of slang that I have become used to since I have been in Australia. Also, there is some pronunciation that you may want to be aware of before you come so you don’t get blank or awkward looks. I have made a list of some of the most common and regularly used terms and phrases in Australia. Although some are interchangeable in the US, such as “toilet” for “bathroom/restroom,” I have only heard Americans use the term bathroom since I have been here...Australians say toilet. I have made a list of popular slang and terms and tried to provide a sentence for their meaning in context.

1. Toilet – bathroom/restroom (Excuse me, do you know where the nearest toilet is?) Signs often say “Toilets” in public places instead of “Restrooms.”
2. Heaps – lots of (I have heaps of assignments to finish before Friday.)
3. Holiday – vacation (Where did you travel to on holiday?)
4. Mark – a grade, such as on an assignment/test (A majority of the class received fairly high marks.)
5. Tutorial or “tute” – a class designated for discussion (You must attend your tutorial to get participation credit. OR You are late, this tute started an hour ago.)
6. Faculty – a school at the University (I am in the Faculty of Social Sciences.)
7. Queue – line (Where does the queue start? OR The queue to buy coffee was so long today!)
8. Voucher – coupon (I have a voucher for a free cup of coffee at Gloria Jean’s!)
9. Cheers – thank you (Cheers, mate)
10. Manchester – sheets/bedding (I have to go to the Manchester shop.)
11. Bangers – as in “bangers and mash.” A dish with sausages and mashed potatoes. (I ordered bangers and mash for dinner.)
12. Rubbish – trash (Make sure to collect all of your rubbish and put it in the bins.)
13. Mate – friend (Hi mate! OR Thanks, mate!)
14. OZ – Australia (A lot of tourists come to OZ on holiday.)
15. Flat/flatmate – A place where you live such as an apartment. A flatmate is a roommate. (My flatmates are very diverse and interesting people.)
16. Bottle shop – liquor store (The bottle shop is closed.)
17. Goon – boxes of cheap wine (Don’t drink too much goon!)
18. Brekkie – breakfast (I need to make some brekkie before I start my long day of classes and studying.)
19. Thongs – flip-flops (Make sure you don’t wear thongs in the rain!)
20. No worries – no problem/you’re welcome (“Thank you so much for your help!” “No worries.”) I have not heard an Australian say “you’re welcome” since I have been in Sydney, instead they say “no worries” in a very laid back way.
21. A bit – a short amount of time (I will meet you out front in a bit.)
22. Dodgy – sketchy/not the safest (Don’t walk down that dodgy street at night alone!)
23. Aussie, pronounced “Ozzie” – an Australian (Have you met many Aussies since you have been in Sydney?)
24. Give it a go – Give it a try (Give surfing a go!)
25. Quay, pronounced “key” – (Can you take me to Circular Quay?)
26. Melbourne, pronounced “Melbin” – (You should try to visit Melbourne while you are in Australia!)

Those are all of the terms I can think of at the moment! I hope this will serve as a useful guide when you are in Australia!

Starbucks is for tourists!

For those of you that enjoy your Venti upside down caramel macchiato with 2 pumps of vanilla syrup and extra whip cream at the on campus Starbucks at your home university…you will be in for a shocking alternative when you go in search of fulfilling your caffeine addiction at the on campus coffee shops at the University of Sydney. The coffee shops at the University only have a limited selection of choices and only two sizes: small and large. The large size is about the size of a Tall Starbucks beverage! When I first went to get a coffee on campus, I was shocked how small the large size was because I usually opt for the Grande or Venti at Starbucks. I am also accustomed to getting a white chocolate mocha and when I asked the barista if they made white chocolate mochas she looked at me with a blank expression and said “Honey, you can have a flat white or a mocha.” Then she asked me to repeat what I was asking for and she said she had never heard of a white chocolate mocha! Disappointed, but willing to try something new, I decided to get the mocha, which cost $3.80 for the large (Including the Access Card discount)!

Australia has a huge coffee culture and they take great pride in making their coffee “the right way.” Every cup of coffee is made with an espresso machine and freshly ground coffee as well as steamed milk and chocolate powder on top (if you are getting a mocha). At first, I was not satisfied, but I have now grown quite fond of the Australian coffee choices.

When I was at Circular Quay I saw a Starbucks on Pitt Street and I was super excited! Behold –Starbucks!…the place where I can get my beloved white chocolate mocha! I ordered a Grande and was actually quite dissatisfied. The coffee did not even seem like coffee to me anymore, it tasted like hot milk with no coffee. Since then, I have noticed that Starbucks in Australia is only located in the “touristy” areas of Sydney, such as Circular Quay, Darling Harbour, near Hyde Park, and on George Street.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Gloria Jean’s in Australia has a white chocolate mocha that is simply glorious. I only went to Gloria Jean’s because Cole’s was giving away vouchers for “Buy one regular coffee and get the 2nd for $1.00.” I went with a friend for a coffee date and we split the cost. At Gloria Jean’s you have access to your own caramel sauce, chocolate powder, and sprinkles (Beware – you may go overboard). I have noticed that in Australia a majority of people eat the foam of their coffees with a little spoon before putting on the lid to drink it. I still want to try a Tim Tam flavored drink, which is an Australian signature. (Tim Tams are chocolate biscuits that are exclusive to Australia- you should definitely try them!) I suggest buying Tim Tams at Cole’s when they are on sale…usually two packages for $4.00 or if it is a really good sale then three packages for $5.00!

If you are a frequent coffee connoisseur, don’t forget to ask for a coffee card that will get you a free coffee after so many purchases! I have a coffee card for on campus and Gloria Jean’s! All in all, I hate to say that Starbucks may never be the same to me again after experiencing Australia’s coffee culture.

I did enjoy this quote at Starbucks:

Officeworks - For all of your school supply needs!

When you are school supply shopping, Officeworks is the place to go! They are the equivalent of Staples or OfficeMax. I have seen them throughout the city, but if you are at the University of Sydney, there is an Officeworks on Parramatta Road right across from the Uni. You can take the footbridge across from the Pharmacy Building and walk about 5 minutes up the street and you will see the big blue building. They are very reasonably priced and have everything you will need for school! Just so you know…they are cheaper than the University school supplies on campus. I hope this is helpful for when you need extra pens, highlighters, notebooks, or poster board to work on a project. They are open until 9 pm Monday –Friday for all of your late night school supply shopping needs! (They close earlier on Saturday and Sunday) However, make sure to bring your own reusable bag to carry your items home because they charge 20 cents per plastic bag!

Behold...The REAL Black Swan

One evening when I was walking past the pond in Victoria Park (which is in front of the entrance of the University of Sydney) I noticed two black swans! It was truly a rare and magical sight! (Of course, I could not help but think of the Natalie Portman film, Black Swan as well) They were so elegant and mystical looking with their long necks. Whenever one moved around the pond, the other one closely followed suit. I was so disappointed that I did not have my camera on me!

That evening I made a seemingly obvious note to self:

Always, always, always have a camera! There might be things that you see that you may not have the chance to see again.

However, I was fortunate to find the black swans in the pond again one afternoon so I snapped a few shots. At one point, they came very close to me. It was wonderful to see the luscious black feathers and the bright red beak up close.

Black swans can be found throughout Australia and once they pair, they are paired for life. I really enjoyed reading about the black swans on the Australian Museum website. You can read more about them here.
When you come to Australia, I hope you have the opportunity to cast an eye upon these beautiful creatures!

Become a Whiz at Public Transport!

As a study abroad student, you are most likely going to have two options for getting around: walking and public transport. Luckily, in Sydney, many people use public transport on a daily basis. I feel like everybody in Southern California has become so accustomed to having their own car that anything about public transport or walking more than ten minutes is foreign to them (I was included in this generalization). However, after being in Sydney I have been walking as long as 20 minutes to get to one place, such as the grocery store, and I walk all the way back carrying my groceries! At first, this was a difficult adjustment for me, but now I have become adapted to walking to where I need to go. However, if you need to get to a place that is further away, public transport is a nice option.

The Sydney bus and train system is very easy to figure out and utilize. The first time I used the bus was when I went to Coogee Beach, however, I just bought a one-time use return ticket for $4.20.

I have now learned that with concession you can buy a Travel10 bus pass for ten rides for only $8.00! This bus pass has been such a wonderful investment and I always have one in my wallet, just in case I need to catch a bus in a hurry or for a spur of the moment adventure. I really like the bus system and prefer riding the bus over the train, but if you are on a really long trek…the train can be useful. For example, for my photography class I had to pick up my camera from Campbelltown, and Campbelltown is about an hour and a half train ride away from Sydney. In this case, the train was a more practical choice for my transportation.

How do you navigate the bus and train system? How do you know what times the bus comes or which bus to get on? These are all the questions I was asking when I first started using public transportation in Sydney. First of all, you can view the bus schedule at any bus stop. It will have the bus number and the arrival times. I have found a useful resource called “131500 Trip Planner” online. Check it out here. You simply type in where you want to go and it tells you the fastest way to get there by bus or train or a combination of both. Also, at home I consistently use Mapquest. The Australia equivalent of Mapquest is Whereis. I have also found this website helpful to get a map view of where things are.

I hope this post is helpful in easing your fears about using public transport in Sydney. Also, once you get used to it, it is a wonderful resource! You will open up so many possibilities and be able to go pretty much anywhere!