Sydney Life

I had a stop over in Hong Kong on my way to Europe.

The time came around for me to leave, so I hailed a cab to take me to the station.

Well I thought I'd write my first blog entry before I left - just to let everyone know that planning for an exchange is quite a challenge. I don't know what the actual exchange will be like, but I can tell you all what happens in the months leading up to exchange. I'm leaving next Friday - and I'm going through periods of excitement in anticipation of what might happen on exchange, and periods of desperation as I go through all the possible things that could go wrong (and there are many things you'll hear about if you go on exchange - refused immigration entry, mangled enrolments, horror accomodation, ruined clothes "because I never did the washing at home" are just some of the prospects facing exchange students).

Hey! I'm going on exchange TOMORROW and I'm going to be video blogging from Canada!

Check out my youtube account for regular blogs!

Could USyd be more sadistic? It’s the last week of the break and, for people in Arts at least, we’ve been waiting with bated breath for a few too many weeks for those magical numbers. If the exams were the pins being driven in underneath our nails, then this is the torturously slow removal.

I have not used the internet for an entire week, and let me tell you it’s been liberating. I have instead been spending my time in the freezing artic terrain of Richmond, rehearsing with the Australian Youth Orchestra. Being stuck in a place with fairly terrible food makes you think quite a lot about what you eat, and you realise that almost everyone has some kind of “weird food” addiction. One double bass player is addicted to Tang , my deskie has a fetish for 95% cocoa Lindt chocolate squares. Apparently I am more weird than most because of my love for Vegimite and Honey together on toast. But the weird food that really, really gets me revved is plastic cheese.

Wallerawang: Population 2 060. Nicknamed Wang for short. It’s a small little unheard of town, unless of course you are from there or surrounding towns of Lithgow or Portland. It has a butcher, hairdresser, power station and a lovely lake called Wallace. Each house seems to own at least 2 dogs that have a good strong yap, and mobile reception is slightly tenuous. Wang also happens to be the place I reside at currently.

Go ahead, laugh. A Sydney Eastern suburbs girls transposed to this small rustic town. How funny!! Well actually……it’s great.

Like a melodic mantra these words echo through Aussie Stadium, in the first of a series of concerts across the globe driven by the need to address “a climate in crisis”. Newcomers Missy Higgins & John Butler join the iconic Paul Kelly on stage, and the audience sing along, willing this lovely dream to come true.

Little hands and toes twinkled under the ballet studio white lights...from the side of the room, I watched my cousin perform her best demi-plies with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

It didn’t seem long ago that I was fluttering around in my pink tights and pinned hair with dreams of being a ballerina too.

But like most children, my interests transformed with the most unpredictable speed…and that was ok.

It wasn’t a sign of weakness or misdirection. I was only a young girl with no shame in changing her mind or following a whim.

I was told last year by an exchange veteran that the amount of time and work going into planning a trip like of this scale is equivalent to taking on an extra 6 credit point subject.

After viewing my diary for week 11 of last semester, you may agree.