The Ancient Indigenous Spirit Oldmandong was watching over us. Translation: Mission BFF Successful!

There is soooo much that I haven’t updated on that I am a bit overwhelmed on where to start. I think recalling the last 2 months might be too hard to do in a short amount of time (which, these days, is all I have), so I’ll just update on my best friends’ visit to Sydney. I’ll recap on the end of April and all of May in my next post.


So, from the beginning…

• The girls finally made it to Sydney on Monday, May 18th, 3 days after departing the US of A. At 7:45am, during the Monday morning rush hour, we successfully rendezvoused in Central Station where I led them onto another train and then back to my Stanmore home. It’s a fairly simple journey with a slight uphill climb, but they each brought the same amount of luggage for their 2-week stay as I did for my 5 months here, so making it home took a little bit of effort. We finally made it to my house and had some time for a condensed update on each of our lives while I finished an assignment and got ready to go to class. They traveled with me to Uni, I gave them a quick tour, and they got to meet a handful of my new exchange friends. At 2pm I sent them off for their first solo navigation through Sydney as I went to class. It was an easy journey, just up Paramatta road and back to my apartment so that they could get a quick nap to try and shake their jet lag. When I got home they were not even close to budging, so I made them some spaghetti then woke them up for dinner and their first night out in Sydney. They were great sports trying to get enthusiastic about going out, but their exhaustion ultimately overtook them. Despite their heavy eyes, we all managed to have an amazing first night back together.

The girls' stuff after 1 afternoon of being in Sydney...

Happily reunited roomies.

First night out in Sydney-
Amber, Lindsay, Me, & Kailey

• On Tuesday morning I took the girls through the heart of the city and then onto a ferry for a cute afternoon at Watsons Bay with my friend Massimo. Watsons Bay is a suburb of Sydney that sits between the Sydney harbor and the vast Atlantic Ocean. While strolling through the streets we each found the homes of our dreams, but we’ll have to win the lottery or something to get one of these houses. The average property value is $2,150,000! We continued on a lovely walk along the headlands that goes past secluded beaches and historical landmarks that date back as early as 1871, all with the Sydney cityscape as a backdrop. The weather cooperated and gave us 70 degree weather with bright blue skies until we got on the ferry to return to the city center. We really couldn’t have asked for better. That evening we went to the famous restaurant Pancakes on the Rocks and then to Oxford Street for some more International friends introductions.

Lindsay on the ferry.

I brought my friend Massimo along to meet the girls. And also for comic relief.

Kailey on the ferry.

Arriving in beautiful Watsons Bay.

A few of the "cheaper" homes in Watsons Bay.
Hardly cheap, but very cute.

Lindsay embracing the inner Mermaid.

Adorable Ambz!

I just had to capture this moment.

Linds at the lighthouse keeper's house.
Don't we all wish this was the view from our front yard?

Lighthouse and the Signal Hill Battery (built 1892 to defend Sydney).

Still jet lagged on Tuesday night.

• Wednesday was another touristy day and I got to tick off another box on my Sydney “Must-See” list. We climbed the Harbor Bridge Pylon, which seems a bit lame compared to the bridge-climb but $8 is wayyy better than $150. Honestly, the four of us could go anywhere and have a great time. As we got to the Pylon a huuuuge storm was coming towards us, so we got to see the clouds gradually engulf Sydney from a nice perch. After the Pylon climb the four of us met up with Massimo for a Guinness at an Irish Pub in the Rocks. This was my motivational beer, because the rest of my night (until 5am) was going to be spent working on an assignment that was due the next day. The girls were so great about not being in my way while working- they went grocery shopping, made dinner, and then went out into the city alone just so I could have a quiet apartment to get everything done. It was so sweet of them!

The wind up there was really intense, especially because a storm was rolling in.

Goofball.

This was taken from inside the top of the Pylon, looking through one of its tiny windows.

Oh you know, just contemplating history.

On our walk home I spotted this rather cool reflection....

...And Linds decided to play in it!

• Thursday is my insane day of classes, so I said goodbye to the ladies at 9:45am and went to Uni until 9pm. I was absolutely exhausted, so we stayed in and had a really relaxed night on the couch in our pajamas.

• Friday morning we got up early so we could have a full day in the city. Our first stop was at the Sydney Public Library where the 2009 World Press Photo exhibition was showing. We spent a solid 2 hours surrounded by some of the most profound photos that I have ever seen. Photo journalists deserve an immense amount of respect for the work that they do to expose the common person to the deep and intense stories of this world. After that I introduced them to one of my favorite spots: Paddy’s Market. Another few hours was wasted as we weaved through every single aisle looking through things that range from the cheesiest tourist souvenir to the cutest/cheapest dresses in Sydney. The girls found some really great steals and then we made our way to the vegetable and fruit market on the other side of the building. There we bought ingredients for the night’s dinner and a week’s worth of fruits. All of this cost less than 15 dollars. Did I mention that I love Paddys?

Also at the Sydney Public Library was an exhibition about Charles Darwin.
Here is the first edition Origin of Species.

At Paddys Market buying veggies for dinner.
A few avacados for my homemade guacamole? Yes, Please.

I made a ton of stir fry with all of our fresh vegetables, so we had a mini-dinner party! After dinner we found our tackiest clothes and dressed for Roos’ Bad Taste birthday party. Literally everybody that I am close with was at this party, so the girls got to mingle with them and they hit it off so well! I was really happy to see them laughing and making friends with these great people. The day ended perfectly and I was so excited to know that they were having a good time.

Stir Fry Dinner Party!
Massimo, Lindsay, Amber, Lauren, Me (and Kailey)

Getting dressed up for Roos' Bad Taste Party.

The internationals and the girls became instant friends. Success!

• Saturday I took the girls to another one of my favorite places in Sydney: Glebe Market. I lived in Glebe my first week here, so going back always makes me happy. The Glebe Market assembles on the front lawns of an elementary school and on every 5 feet of grass sits a different tent full of local artist/designers work. It is here that one can find something truly unique to Australia and Sydney. My friends took well to the atmosphere…maybe a little too well, actually. They came out with heaps of new things, but I each purchase was well worth it. Halfway through the day clouds came over head and opened up, so we took this as a sign from God that leaving the markets was definitely our the best interest (and also our wallets). We escaped to the coffee shop on Glebe Point Road that Lauren and I spent our first week in, madly searching the internet for places to live. Those were not the best days of my life, but being back in that coffee shop reminded me of how I came to Sydney with close to nothing and I’ve been able to build a life that I thoroughly enjoy living. My personal growth has been massive and it all began in this tiny Glebe coffee shop.

Later that night we met up with my friends at Rita’s apartment for another Internationals evening. Her place is in an amazing location and the best part was her rooftop view of the city lights. It’s too bad it’s not summer, because her roof even came equipped with a pool. After Rita’s I took the girls into the city for a real night out in Sydney. It ended up being a late night, but some really fun memories were made.

Kailey, Amber, Lindsay, Me, and Paola.
We love the World and International people.

On Rita's rooftop with the cityscape (faintly) behind us.

• Sunday morning I let the girls sleep in while I working on some Uni assignments, but once they got up we made plans with Massimo and Nic to go to Luna Park in North Sydney. Once again, this was another touristy thing that I wanted to do before leaving, so I was sure to come equipped with my D40. We spent a couple hours just wandering through the amusement park seeing the sights and enjoying the sincere happiness that seeps from every person in the park. The sky was clear and became the perfect scenery for some classic Sydney photos. After Luna Park, we had some time to kill before meeting up with a group of friends in Kings Cross for dinner, so I took the girls to the German pub in The Rocks to experience “Real Germany” (haha yea right…but I guess it’s the closest I’ve been. That is soon to change, though!) After dinner we flew our rather loud settings in search for a place to sit and continue our usual deep conversations. We stumbled across the most amazing coffee shop where we found some really authentic Australians who talked to us like they were sincerely interested in what we had to say. One of my usual complaints about Sydney is that it is hard to find a stranger who is willing to break down their wall and have a conversation, but we found the select few who actually would. It was wonderful!

Harbor Bridge, Sydney Olympic Pool, and Luna Park.

At the sight of Luna Park the kid in all of us was stirred.
Kailey and Lindsay running hand-in-hand to Luna Park.

Welcome to Luna Park!

Amber and I getting gobbled up by the Luna man.

The view from one of Luna Park's docks.

The penguin recieved the name "Massimo" in honor of the losing team.

Ferry back to Circular Quay from Luna Park.

Amazingly strange sink the the Kings Cross hotel bathroom.

• Monday morning the 4 of us went on a mission to find Thai food for lunch, so I took them to Newtown where the Thai is rumored to be the best in Sydney. After lunch and a quick look around Newtown, I gave the girls a more extensive tour of UniSyd before I had class at 2 and we parted ways. They spent the afternoon in the city while I went to my last Media Writing lecture and tutorial. When the ladies finally made it home we all just decided to take it easy and play cards for the night. Our card games were hilarious- lots of hand slapping, yelling, and laughing. We had a great time.

At 1 week: The pile is growing!

• Tuesday was my last day off that I could be with the girls, so we decided to spend this precious time at the beach. Luckily the weather cooperated and gave us 70+ degree weather when we had nothing but rain and 60 degrees every day before. Our day began early, we laid on Bondi for 2 hours and then began on the Coastal Walkway that runs south from Bondi Beach to Coogee Beach. The views were stunning and it was so nice to get exercise in the gorgeous weather.

The start of the walk.

"Give Love"- My mantra.

Here are 2 Reasons why I love Sydney: Flowers and 70 degree weather in "winter."

We stumbled across the best property in Sydney.

Bondi Beach.

The Waverly Cemetary was one of the most striking things that I have ever seen. The tombstones went on for what looked like miles.
This lovely lady watches the sea for the souls that were lost on the deep blue water.

While stopping for a rest on the headland between Bronte and Tamarama Beaches,
the sun behind the girls set me up for some good candid portraits.

Kailey.

Lindsay.

The core four actually in Australia.
I still have to tell myself it wasn't a dream.

The Coogee Baths were dedicated to the Coogee residents who were killed in the Bali resort bombings.

Sunset behind Coogee.

After we watched the sun set behind us at Coogee we went home to make dinner, relax, and change before heading back out. This was the opening night of the Vivid light and sound festival in Sydney CBD. The most stunning part of the exhibition was the artwork that was projected onto the Opera House. There was a number of light shows around Circular Quay and the Rocks, so we spent our evening looking around. In the end, it quickly became one of my favorite days in Australia.

Museum of Contemporary Art

The Opera House

We had to attempt the jumping photos. The photographer didn't exactly get it...

• Wednesday I had to go to class and get some uni work done before my long Thursday, so the girls had another day in the city alone. I hated that they came so far and I couldn’t spend time with them, but with the close of the semester it is imperative that I am in class and doing my work so that my time in Australia will not be in vain. The next day the girls planned to go to the Blue Mountains early and I had a full day of class, so we had another easy night with card games and girl talk.





• So Thursday they got to see the Blue Mountains and then I had to say goodbye early Friday morning. Having my best friends come visit me was not only amazing but extremely flattering. Australia is literally the other side of the world from North Carolina, so I am honored to have 3 friends who would travel 30 hours just to see me. I love these girls more than anything, and I'm happy to report that this trip is the second of an annual summer vacation tradition that we hope to continue on forever.