Well, last night was my first night in Sydney and I was not disappointed.

After a very, very, very long flight in I was surprised I had any energy left, but once I met some of the kids living at the same house as me it became apparent it was going to be a fun semester.  So far the house I’m staying at is relatively empty with only 4 other students besides me here so far (all from the US as of now) and we all went exploring in the heart of Sydney.

This adventure lead us to Kings Cross, or as Sam described it, “Vegas without gambling”.  Kings Cross was active all night long and just walking around the block it was interesting to see how the nightlife has a mix of American and British culture for various pubs, clubs, and other hangouts.  The British culture is distinctly apparent in most places though, and I honestly feel I might be studying in London (partially because it has rained the past two days straight) if I didn’t hear any accents.

There are fish and chip shops every few blocks, pubs are basically the same, and the queen is on various forms of money.  Speaking of the money, only one term can be used to describe the Australian currency system, and that is “pirate money”.  The coins don’t make any sense to me still and a small silver coin is $1, while a massive silver coin is $0.50, and finally the tiniest coin (it’s honestly smaller than a penny) is worth $2.

Given that it’s only my second day here, there’s still a lot I need to get accustomed to.  Hopefully by the next time I write I will understand the monetary system and have seen more of Sydney!

Location: Potts Point NSW 2011