Reflection #1

After spending a week in Sydney, I can confidently say that it is unlike any place I have ever been. I was nervous to take this journey, as I hadn’t been acquainted with any of my fellow travelers and I was so far from anything that I could consider my norm. But because of the kindness of my roommates and the residents of this city, I’ve never been happier with a decision.

After a long day of classes, me and my roommate took a walk through the Botanical Garden. I’m from New York, so we have a Botanical Garden of our own, but I must say that ours pales in comparison to the beauty of this one. I was blown away by the diversity of plants and sheer size of the landscape. There were times I felt as though I was walking through the jungle.

Reflection #2

Now that I have finally started to settle in to this new world, I have found out so much about both myself and the environment around me. This Saturday, a few of my classmates and I took a trip to the Walkabout Wildlife Park about an hour. I was especially excited for this trip as it was going to be the first time I would be face to face with both a koala and a kangaroo and it felt great to be able to check that off my bucket list. This experience was extremely fulfilling and it made me realize how lucky I am to be able to experience a place like this.

On top of going to the wildlife park, I recently went to a golf course just around a mile from my apartment. I only recently started playing and I’m not very good, but it is something that allows me to relax and unwind. I was able to capture a picture of my driver lined up with my ball and the beautiful sunset in the background. To me, this picture shows how aesthetically pleasing and breathtaking the city of Sydney really is.

Reflection #3

This past week was amazing, as I now feel as though I am fully enveloped into the Australian lifestyle. It makes me happy to say that coming here has changed me for the better. Me and my roommates took a beautiful walk along the coast to Coogee Beach. Along the walk, we had no choice but to stop multiple times and take in the breathtaking scenery. I have to say that the view was something I have never experienced in my life, as the scenery left me speechless.

After taking in the scenery, we stumbled upon what we had originally thought was Coogee, but as we got closer we realized the beach was way too small to be the tourist hotspot. After discussing, we decided that instead of continuing our walk, we would settle at this newfound beach for a little and see what it was like. And I’m so glad that we did, as it was by far the most beautiful beach I had ever seen in my life. It was very small, but there was plenty of room compared to Bondi, and me and my friends could just relax and bask in the Sydney sun.

Reflection #4

This past week was very eventful, as our first section of classes came to a close. It was a bitter sweet moment, and I was glad to be finished with class, but I was upset knowing it would be the last time seeing one of my professors. He was a great teacher, always making jokes and telling stories to make our 3 and a half hour class entertaining and engaging. He is someone that I will remember for the rest of my life, and I made sure to get a picture with him on our last day.

Something that happened that I found particularly interesting was when we took the ferry to Manly Beach one day. We were just getting out of the harbor when I noticed something I had never seen before. For a second I didn’t believe what I was seeing but then as it became clearer, I knew I wasn’t imagining things. There was a ship that had to be from the 1800s at minimum, and it was just sailing through the harbor like any other normal ship.

Reflection #5

This past weekend, me and some of my friends took a trip up to the Blue Mountains. The commute wasn’t the easiest, as it took almost 3 hours to get from our apartment to the mountain, and I was already exhausted by the time we got there. It took us another half an hour to walk to the site, and I was left wondering if this trip was really worth all the trouble. But when we got there and took in our first view, I realized I would do it 100 times over.

After our first lookout point, we decided to journey into the heart of the mountains. In basically all of the hiking I’ve done in my life, the trail normally goes up towards the top, but this was different as we started at the top and moved towards the bottom. Once we were shaded by the canopy of the forest, it became much cooler and made the hike that much easier. It allowed me to take in my surroundings, and I realized how beautiful the terrain truly was.

Reflection #6

After a long week of class, me and a few of my roommates took a trip to the Powerhouse Museum. I normally don’t love going to museums, as I am not that big into art, but this was something different. We got to see technology dating back to the 1700s, and it was fascinating. I was blown away by how far humanity has come in terms of technological advancements just in the last few hundred years.

A few days ago, me and my roommates took a trip down to Bondi Beach to do the coastal walk again. The last time we attempted it, we only made it around halfway before finding a beach we enjoyed and set up shop there. This time, we were determined to make it the full length, a trip that took around an hour and a half, and it was definitely worth the wait. The views we were able to take in and the beauty of the beach was something I will always remember.

Reflection #7

This past week was a little sad knowing it is our last one in Sydney. However, I realized I needed to make the most out of it and that is exactly what I did. I had wanted to play a round of golf here ever since we arrived, but I always seemed to push it off. Well, this Tuesday, me and my roommate finally got out to a course and it was amazing. Neither us played particularly well, but we weren’t keeping score and were just there to enjoy ourselves and take a break from work and classes.

In our entire time here, my roommates and I always seemed to eat at the same restaurants. We found what we liked early on and decided to stick with it. However, my birthday was yesterday and I thought we should change it up. We agreed to try an Italian place, since we hadn’t had Italian since we arrived. When we arrived, I immediately loved the place. I’m not sure if you have seen the movie Friday, but I’m a huge fan of it. They had an art piece on the wall resembling a scene from the movie and I had to get a picture.

Reflection #8

After a long month of classes and exploring, we had a chance to relax and unwind as we were on spring break. GAV was able to plan multiple enjoyable excursions for us so that we could make the most out of our experience in Cairns, but the most memorable part of the trip wasn’t one that was planned for us but a trip we decided on ourselves. We took the hour long bus ride to embark on our craziest journey yet, going skydiving.

After we enjoyed ourselves over break, it was time to get serious again as we were getting ready to take part in our next journey, going to Singapore. This process was one that was especially daunting for me, as I realized that if I was missing even one of my documents needed to enter the country, it could jeopardize my entire trip, and causing unnecessary stress and anxiety for those around me. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, and the view we got to experience after submitting all our documents was one to remember.

Reflection #9

Now that I’m finally getting settled into life in Singapore, I can confidently say it is unlike any place I have been in my life. I say that in a good way as I have never been in an environment where I have felt so safe. Being from New York, there is a lot of aspects of the society to make you feel uneasy, but I have never felt that way. Even when you are in an environment where there are hundreds if not thousands of people crowding, you never feel at risk. You can just relax and take in the city for its beauty and individuality.

After taking part in a lot of activities to get us acclimated to the city, there were a lot of very interesting and unique places we visited. However, the highlight thus far had to have been going to the observation deck on the Marina Bay Sands. One of the most iconic hotels and buildings of the 21st century, it was truly breathtaking when we reached the top. On the right side, you can see the harbor full of ships as far as the eye can see, and on the left side, you can take in the stunning landscape that is the city state of Singapore. I can’t wait for these next 6 weeks, as I now I will grow as both a person and a professional.

Reflection #10

This week in Singapore, things moved kind of slow. Everyone has their own stuff going on with internships and new responsibilities, but we still make time to see each other. After everyone has finished their day of work, we all meet up at the hotel and head out to one of the many hawker centers we have become accustomed to so that we can have dinner together. These have become important parts of the day because everyone is able to be together and relax.

After a long week of work, we get to settle down and relax. We have had fun on the weekends, finding different places to go out, but we normally spend most of the night hanging out in the apartment. My roommates and I are lucky enough to have a balcony that faces outward towards the city and the view is beautiful. I hadn’t noticed it before as I hadn’t really gone out there too much, but one of my roommates and I were out there listening to music and I finally took in the city in its entirety.

Reflection #11

Another slow week here, I haven’t been called into the office in the last two weeks which has been a little frustrating, but I’m enjoying the time to relax and explore. Being here has shown me that even on opposite sides of the world, there can still be similarities drawn. For example, I met a man when I was getting food one day, and once we started talking we both realized we had plenty in common. We both liked basketball, soccer, action movies and we’re both particularly fond of the soccer player Lionel Messi. It was very refreshing to see just how alike two people from completely different places can be.

The highlight of my week I’d have to say was going golfing. I had only gone once in Sydney, and was definitely looking to get more use out of my clubs while I was here. One of my friends and I had found a course around 20 minutes away, and although it wasn’t in the best shape, being able to go out there for a few hours to just relax and enjoy ourselves was definitely worth it.

Reflection #12

This week in Singapore was pretty enjoyable. I headed to the office with my roommate, and it was a pretty relaxing day as both of our bosses hadn’t given us too much work to do. It would’ve been a very boring day, but the office has plenty of fun activities for us to participate in, such as a television, common area, and our favorite, a pool table. My roommate and I spent a good amount of time there, and it made the day that much more enjoyable.

On the weekend, me and a few friends decided to unwind and go to a local spot that we have become very fond off. We had to take the train there, and it took us about 20 minutes and the walk took only 10. The place is perfect for the extremely hot and humid weather in Singapore this time of year as there is air conditioning and dehumidifiers throughout the landscape. When we got there, we just relaxed, played some darts, and something amazing happened.

Reflection #13

This week might’ve been the best one of the trip thus far, as we took a journey to Thailand. I was nervous at first going to a new place that had a reputation for being a little dangerous, but I quickly realized I had nothing to worry about. The people were extremely friendly and the landscape was amazing. One day, we went on a boat tour that allowed us to explore all the islands around Phuket, and the views were breathtaking.

My favorite activity that we took part in Thailand was attending a Muay Thai event. There was 9 different fights over the span of two hours, and it was worth every penny. We all were seated on the side of the ring so we had a perfect view of the entire event, and it was some of the coolest and authentic sporting events I had ever been to. I’m a fan of combat sports, but this was unlike anything I had seen in my entire life.

Reflection #14

Good things always come to an end, sometimes sooner rather than later. It is a confusing feeling to know that I will be leaving Singapore next week. On one hand, I’m upset because I know that it is likely I will never return to this place again, and definitely not for 2 months. But on the other hand, I’m extremely grateful for this opportunity and I’m also very excited to get home and see my friends and family who I have been separated from for 5 months.

I have taken up a new hobby in these last two weeks. I’ve always been an advocator for working out and going to the gym, but I hadn’t gone running in a very long time. This past week, I finally got my running shoes on and headed to the Botanical Gardens with two friends to get back into it. We started off with just 3.5 miles, but gradually increased our distance. Yesterday, I did the most I’ve ever done, 6.5 miles.