Settling In

I finally got my underwater photographs from Lady Elliot Island developed! Here's the best one:

I can't believe this post has taken me so long. It's so easy to get distracted here.

Sydney is a very cool city- it reminds me a lot of Chicago, which is probably why I like it so much. There are always a million things going on at once... I'm actually a bit overwhelmed because I feel like I'm missing out on some of them. I would certainly not be opposed to living here at some point in my life.

I usually go into the city (a 25 minute bus ride) 3-4 times a week... usually for bars in the evening but also for sightseeing during the day. I went to the aquarium about a week ago, which was great, but not quite the same as seeing everything while snorkeling on the GBR.

Coogee has turned out to be a wonderful place to live. I can see the ocean from my room and I can walk there in about 30 seconds. Rough life. I go running almost every afternoon on the Coogee to Bondi Ocean trail... the whole thing is 7 kilometers. My friends and I walked the entire path last weekend... It's quite a stunning walk.

View of Coogee Bay on the Coogee to Bondi Ocean trail

Randwick is about a 25 minute walk from Coogee and is the site of my University. More importantly, it's home to the Royal Randwick Racecourse. Not exactly Churchill Downs, but we still had a blast.

Girls' day at the Royal Randwick Racecourse

On Saturday I went on a wine tour to the Hunter Valley, which is north of Sydney. We went to three wineries and tried all sorts of wines, liquors, ports, and cheeses. The most memorable was the Dragon's Breath Chili Liquor which we all took as a shot. My mouth was on fire for the rest of the day.

Hunter Valley wine tour, Dragon's Breath Chili Liquor

Classes finally started this week. I'm... relatively excited about them. Here's what my schedule will look like:

Monday: Australian Cinema and TV

Tuesday: Sport, Law, and International Diplomacy

Wednesday: Terror and Religion

Thursday: In Sickness and In Health: A History of Medicine

Off to the beach!