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Kristin Matula Study Abroad: Week Two and Three
7/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Week 3 and 4
By: Kristin Matula
I've been really busy with all the different activities going along with our program and as a result, I haven't actually had time to sit down and write a blog for myself or to share with the rest of you! So here is a list of the top seven activities I've enjoyed in the past two weeks (yikes, sorry it's been so long!)
SIDE NOTE: these are not in any specific order
1. Crab Races: These are held at a local place called the Scubar on Monday nights. They start promptly at 8 and anyone can buy a crab and name it themselves to participate in the race. A friend and I bought one and named him Krusty Kevin, but it seems as though our preparation before the race wasn't enough to get on the podium. It was quite the disappointment, but the rest of the night was a blast!
2. Sydney Olympic Park: I seriously can't get enough of this place. I had some more training sessions at the Hockey Centre these past weeks and getting to play on the actual pitch that other Olympians once played on is amazing! The stadium is huge and definitely something I can mark off of my bucket list. This week I also went with some other girls to the Sports Centre to participate in a strength & conditioning session (when I didn't have a field hockey one scheduled). We got to train with an Olympic gymnastics coach named Dimitri. He was this super fit, Russian who is a very intense guy. It was a good session though, and I very soon realized (when I tried to do handstands) that its a good thing I don't do gymnastics.
3. Ku-Ring-Gai Chase: We traveled here for one of our field trip Fridays and visited two Aboriginal Rock Drawings and also a lookout spot. First we went to the lookout spot and it was BEAUTIFUL. The water in the background with some of the coastline was wonderful. We sat down to learn more about the Aboriginal history along with the meaning behind the rock drawings we were about to see. Getting back onto the bus we headed to the two sites where they were, and it is quite impressive to think that they are still able to be seen today even with the weather and other events nature may have produced. Overall, it was a pretty interesting trip and definitely a different way to learn about the culture.
4. Rugby Game: We got to attend a Rugby game at the ANZ Stadium at Sydney Olympic Park. When we got there we found out we were getting a couple surprises and they were awesome! First we got a scarf of the main team that plays in the stadium and then got to walk onto the field, take pictures, and get on the BIG SCREEN while being announced! In such a huge stadium - it was the best! Then we stayed and watched the beginning of the game before it started to downpour - we decided to watch the rest of the game indoors.
5. Parliament: We got to attend a tour of the Parliament house in Sydney and went to look at both the house of reps and senate chambers. Both of these chambers have different traditions and individual meanings in regards to where certain people sit, what certain jobs entail, and even the meaning behind the decorations! We had two lovely tour guides take us through and it is pretty cool to see the similarities and differences between our government and theirs.
6. Sydney Opera House: Glad I could check off another item on my list of things to do in Sydney! The night got started with getting dressed up, heading out to have dinner at a place called Buckley's, and then eventually making our way to the Opera House. We all grabbed our tickets and took our seats. Even though it was in a completely different language, they had a screen to show sub-titles - and man do these people have amazing voices! The main girl could really belt it out. Major props to them because if I was up there it wouldn't be pretty. I will also say that it kind of reminded me of Les Miserables, because of the mostly sung conversations and solos. Overall, I will say that it was a pretty cool experience.
7. Beaches: There were two beaches that I got to go to while in Sydney. The first one was Bondi Beach which is where most of the people in my group did their sport of surfing! There is a walk along the cliffs known as the Coogee to Bondi walk, and I decided to take a little run along that path because I didn't have training and wanted to meet up with some of the surfers. Well, what was supposed to be a run turned more into a run for one minute then stop for like five minutes to take in the views and take some pictures. It was stunning and also a gorgeous day outside! Along the beach there are pictures along the wall painted by locals and they were so cool! Another beach I went to was Manly Beach. To get there we had to take a ferry and then walk a little bit to then reach the sand. Again, we were treated to a beautiful day where people were everywhere, walking, running, laying on the beach, and so on. We walked around to shop, stopped to become instant fan girls towards this boy who had an amazing singing voice and then walked for a bit on the beach. These are definitely two places that I highly recommend spending some time at if beaches and small beach communities are your thing!
Hopefully I didn't miss anything awesome that I did, but it's hard to include everything when it is all so FABULOUS!! We have left Sydney now and are in Cairns (pronounced "cans") for the next couple days as our last stop in Australia. Wifi and my phone are a bit limited, so that is why you probably haven't heard from me in awhile. I hope you enjoy this little synopsis. Until next time!
