Second to Last Week

I can't believe that we only have one week left in Australia. It snuck up so quickly on me and its really a bittersweet feeling. I miss Boston and my family and bagels a lot but I know that the second I get home I'm going to wish that I was back here. Here's how I made the most of my second to last full week in Sydney:

On Monday we went on a field trip for my social policy class. We started off in Kings Cross at the Medically Supervised Injection Centre. MSICs are places where people who are addicted to heroin can come to to safely inject drugs. This reduced overdoses and diseases transmitted through unsanitary needles such as HIV and Hep B & C. It was the first facility of its kind in the southern hemisphere and now there is another one opening in Melbourne. This was great to see because I am writing my essay on drug policy in Australia, so it was really relevant to my paper, and the visit was really interesting as well. After the visit, we went out to breakfast (on BU may I add) and it was really yummy (and free) so I enjoyed that as well. Finally, we made our way across the city to the Parliament House to do presentations on our essay topics. It was kinda cool being inside Parliament House and giving a presentation even though it was really casual.

Tuesday was spent at work and then writing an essay that was due the next day. It was pretty uneventful and I think I might have gone to the gym after I finished my essay but truthfully I don't remember at all.

Wednesday after work, Emily and I went and met friends at a bar and got post-work drinks. We ended up going to the Beresford and we ate some dinner there and then headed home after a couple of hours. It was a super fun night and I'm really glad we went.

The next morning I wasn't feeling well so I took a day off of work and just hung out in my room until that night when the program had our Thanksgiving dinner, which also meant that we didn't have class (a total win). It was a lot of fun to be with everyone, and all of the BU alumni in the area were also invited so it was pretty cool to see all of them as well. A lot of people ended up going and I got my mashed potatoes so I was happy. Although I do miss pumpkin pie a lot, but I have been promised some when I get home so theres another thing to look forward to.

Friday was back to work, but in the morning I FaceTimed my family at their Thanksgiving dinner. It made me miss them all so much and I felt a little homesick that day but we only had a couple of weeks left and I kept reminding myself that when I get home I will just want to be back in Sydney and that helped a lot. After work Emily and I went to the gym and did a quick workout before coming home and then going out for the night.

Saturday morning I woke up super early for no reason. We had plans to go to these Etsy markets around the corner and then we went to Manly for the day. It was my first official Australian beach day and the weather was beautiful and the water was really refreshing. I got a little burned even though I put sunscreen on multiple times. The sun here is super strong (@ the hole in the ozone) so sunscreen is really important. I'm excited for the burn to fade into a tan though and then I will be nice and tan for when I get back home which will be super nice. I also tried Nando's for the first time and it was really yummy. The ferry ride to and from Manly was also beautiful and honestly I would be okay with just riding it back and forth all day. There were so many boats out in the water, it made me want to go boating so badly. We ended up getting home around dinner time and then Emily and I went out for the night just us two.

Sunday was another full day of activities. James and Sara and I went to Watson's Bay for the day just to explore the lighthouse and the town and see some of the beaches. I think I want to go back for the beaches there though, they were so beautiful and the water was so clear and calm, it seems like an ideal place to be. The walk to the lighthouse was really hot but once we got to the edge of the cliffs it was really windy. Watson's bay is right on the edge of the coast at the opening to Sydney Harbour opposite Manly so it can get really windy out there. It was so relaxing to just look out to the ocean and sit on the edge of the cliffs. I'm really glad that we went since we almost didn't. There were also markets there right when we got off the ferry so we stopped to check them out first and James got some really good cake from one of the tents there.