The Past Month

I apologize for the long delay since my last post! The semester is beginning to wrap-up even though it seems like it just started. I have projects and papers due soon and my exams are approaching quickly. I have continued to have an amazing time the last month, and here are some of my adventures.
A couple of weekends ago, I went on a day hike through Royal National Park, which is just south of Sydney. It was a perfect day for it and the scenery was beautiful. We even saw hang-gliders buzzing around Otford Lookout where we started the hike. The first leg of the loop was along the Cliff Track, which led us down to the beach past many old vacation shacks built during WWII. The way back was through a thick forest of burning palm trees (thats just what they are called, they weren't actually on fire!).



Two weekends ago, I finally got to see the bird's eye view of Wollongong from the top of Mount Kiera. It was a cloudy day, but the view of the city all the way to the ocean was beautiful.
Later that day, I traveled to the near-by Buddhist Temple to see it because it is the largest in the southern hemisphere. It was really neat to see and to walk around the grounds.


Last weekend I had the opportunity to see a play at the Sydney Opera House with my program. We had a nice walk on the harbour and dinner at the famous Pancakes on the Rocks before heading to the play. It was amazing to walk around the Opera House and to be able to see a show there, even if it was in one of the small side theatres. We saw a play called When the Rain Stops Falling, which is about the family history of fictional Australians. After the show, I met with my good friend Melissa and her mom who is visiting. We had a nice night out to catch up and adore eachother's haircuts. The next morning, I went to Paddy's Market in the city to do a little shopping near Darling Harbour. After a great lunch in China Town, I headed to the aquarium. It was fun to have a preview of the Great Barrier Reef and there was an underwater glass tunnel where you could get very close to the huge sea creatures! That night, I went with friends to an Aussie Rules Football match in Olympic Park. This game is a little different than rugby, and is a mix between soccer and football. I finally made it back to the Gong after a fun and exhausting weekend!


Now, its all about school (ok, almost all...) until the study break, when I will go up to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforrest. I am very excited to go, which will hopefully give me motivation in my studies!