Settling in Down Under

Hey there mates!

The past week has been an amazing roller coaster. Thankfully there has been only a little bit of culture shock, and it still kind of feels like a vacation! This week has included a lot of trips to the beach, orientation, a pub crawl, some awesome food, and also a few trips to the Sydney Harbor!

Now for the fun part...pictures!

One of my first nights in Sydney a few friends and I went to a rooftop bar near the Sydney Harbor. It was my first time seeing the Opera House up close in personal and it was quite a sight all lit up!

View from the Rooftop Bar!

Being that I live right on the beach for the next month, I have been trying to fully take advantage of it. I have been trying to be there as much as possible trying to soak up the last of the Sydney Summer sun, and as you can see there is more to just the warm ocean breeze. 

The view on my walk to Bondi Beach from Bronte! Beautiful, am I right? 

More recently, my roommate, Courtney and I took an adventure to Sydney Harbor to take some toursit-y pictures!

And then today, I met up with another friend, Ashley who is a fellow student at Drexel! We went shopping and ate some awesome food, even an Australian delicacy. When we were walking around the mall we started to get hungry, and what is better than a burger? (Burgers are super popular here in Australia) In orientation one day they told us that we needed to try an Australian favorite, a burger with "the lot" -- pineapple, bacon, a fried egg, cheese, and... beetroot. So, I tried it, and let me tell you, it was so good, but equally as messy. Our little adventure then ended with some dairy free, sugar free, gluten free, organic dessert. Sounds awful, right? But it tasted great, and looked even better!

Our Cheesecake straight out of a magazine!

But, looks like my week of vacation is over, as classes start tomorrow. So here goes studying hard...on a beach.

Till next adventure, 

Christine

Aussie Arrival

'ello mates!

Good news: I have survived both my 24 hours of traveling around the world as well as my first 24 hours here in Sydney.

I'm sure everyone is DYING to hear about my plane rides over here. They were brutal and not so bad all at the same time. My first flight to San Francisco was very lame. I expected there to be some type of mechanism to charge my computer and phone and got on the plane with about 30% each to find out there was nothing. But I made it work and tried to charge my phone with the remaining battery on my laptop until they all died the second I got off the plane. Once I got off the plane I literally had to run to my next gate, which of course was in an entirely different terminal only accessed by a train. But needless to say, I made it. The second flight was long, but there was plenty of food, movies, and charging, but unfortunately...no wifi. But that was probably a good thing because it forced me to sleep through at least 6 hours of the 14 hour flight.

Once I arrived in Sydney, I got a little overwhelmed, realizing that I am going to be here for more than just a week long vacation. But lucky for me, my best friends, Abby and Grace prepared a letter that I was supposed to open the second I was in my room for the first time. And since they have been through all of this before, they knew I would be feeling all the feelings I felt. They also told me to go down to the beach, and although I don't always listen to them, I did this time.

So I took the 5 minute walk down to Bronte Beach and here is what I found....

Looks great, right? Guess I'll be okay living here for the next month.


Sending Sun,

xoxo,

Christine

Day Around the World

Greetings all!

I am delighted to say, the day is finally here. The packing and preparation is done, and in 24 hours I will be down under.

Over the past week I have been saying goodbye to some of my favorite people that I am going to miss dearly. These people are so hard to leave, but lucky for me, they will be so easy to come back to. So here's a shoutout to my support system, even the one's not pictured.. you know who you are.

Speaking of support system...

A few moments ago I said goodbye to my Mom and Stepdad, Mark. Good thing my Mom always knows how to cheer me up, because there were barely any tears, except for when I read the stupid letter she wrote me. Just kidding, love ya Mom!

But right now I am sitting in the Philadelphia airport waiting to board my plane to San Francisco. The plane ride is approximately 6 hours with a 2 and a half hour layover. Then I board my final plane to Sydney Australia (at what is approximately 2 am here at home). So needless to say, for the next 9 hours I will not be seen without a caffenation mechanism in my hand.

On a fun and exciting note, I am meeting up with a fellow exchange student in San Francisco that is on my flight to Australia! Hopefully once I land at SFO we can take the next two hours to grab food and get to know eachother.

So there you have if folks. The journey has just begun... stay tuned as this gal takes on life down under.

Hugs to all,

Christine


Oh and how could I forget the latest edition of... TOPHER TALK

Gonna miss you! Dont forget: SCHMEAR ON! Love you!!

12 Days of Packing

G'day!

Well it's February and the time I have left in the states is starting to dwindle. But I have some great news! I just recieved my class schedule and I FINALLY found housing! Things are finally starting to fall into place, I guess. 

The next two weeks are going to be a mixture of emotions. I am starting to get nervous and excited but also sad that I am leaving all my friends and family behind. But in between all of those emotions I have a lot of packing to do. Right now I am packing my room up to store while I am gone, and then once that is all over I go home and start packing all of my suitcases for Australia. Thankfully, I checked the weather today in Sydney and the high temperature is 100 degrees farenheight, so my clothing will be very light. 

Here's to trying to not forget anything!

Stay tuned folks...

Christine