Living Down Under

When I moved to Sydney, Australia to attend Sydney Uni, I justified it to all my friends and family by saying that “if the ticket was so expensive, I might as well be there for awhile.” I left in July, thinking that this was it - one last flirtation with travel and life overseas before I finished up school and headed to the scary world of work and two-week vacations.

While in Sydney, I stayed at UniLodge - accommodations that would have been ok, if they weren’t run by such inept people. Actually, I don’t think it was so much that they were inept as they were uncaring or uninterested. Their prime spot near campus meant they could charge exorbitant rates and still be full. As far as I know, there were no Australians that lived there.

Every weekend, my roommate and I would walk past the central train station and the coolest looking Sydney hostel - Wake Up. We’d get our fresh produce and wander around Paddy’s market, looking for souvenirs and gifts to bring home. My favorite purchase? Macadamia nuts.

My 20^th birthday was spent at the bar at the bottom of one of the hostels Sydney Australia is famous for - Scubar. It was an eclectic crew of people - most of whom were from a country other than the one I was living in, but fun nonetheless.

At the time, I didn’t know that I’d be spending my 21^st birthday in Oz as well - this time as one of my final stops on a round the world journey. So much for the last fling with travel. It was different then, as was I, but I soaked up the fun (and, admittedly, libations) with equal enjoyment and thrill that comes with traveling overseas.

By Court | Permalink

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