Exploring Sydney II

Over the past couple of days, I was able to see even more of Sydney. Saturday Becky and I ventured to Chinatown and Sydney's famous Paddy's Market. It was a bustling place with lots to see, buy, and eat.

Sunday, I took a bus downtown to church. Australia is much more secular than the States, so it is a little more difficult to find churches. The church I attended was actually the oldest Presbyterian church in Australia. It was a small congregation, which made me feel very at home. Also, they were very friendly. At least half of the congregation said hi to me!

Later that day there was a Bar-B-Q at the Village, which was the start of many orientation events. Monday I made a mask for a Masquerade Ball that's being held later this week. I also went to trivia night. Our team didn't win trivia, but it is held every Monday, so you can bet I'll be going back. Today I participated in a walking tour of downtown. It highlighted many of the places I've already visited, but it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed the walk. Just a little bit ago, I took a cooking class where I learned how to make a duck salad, stuffed chicken wrapped in bacon, and lamb burgers. We also learned some knife skills and techniques. I probably won't be using much of what I learned, but it was a lot of fun!

Other exciting news is that Becky and I booked our trips for this semester. Here are the major trips and events we are doing over the next couple of months:

February 25th (tomorrow!): Harbour bridge climb

March 14th: Opera House tour and performance

March 20th-22nd: Melbourne and the Great Ocean Road tour

April 12th-17th: Spring break in the Outback which includes visiting Uluru, the Olgas, Kings Canyon, and Alice Springs

May 2nd-10th: A tour of the South Island of New Zealand including Fox Glacier, Fiordland, Milford Sound, and Lake Ohau

May 16th: Aussie Rules football game at the Olympic Stadium

June 8th-11th: Cairns, the rainforest, and the Great Barrier Reef

June 13th: Farewell cruise on Sydney Harbour

Needless to say, I am extremely excited about all the traveling I'm doing over the next couple of months. I figure that while I'm here, I might as well do as much as I can! It should be heaps of fun.

Last but not least, here is a link to some of the new pictures I posted:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2060074&id=15508380&l=0b747


Cheers!