SYDNEY!!!

On Saturday, 6 August a big group of us from Weerona went to Sydney for a day trip. Of course, coordinating a big group of college kids means that nothing will happen on time. After missing the first train we wanted, we finally made it to Sydney, and since it was the first time in Sydney for most of us, we were pumped! We got off the train and wandered though China town, Hyde Park, and stopped at the Anzac Memorial. The Anzac (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) Memorial is the war memorial dedicated to all Australians who have served their country in war. It is characterized by it’s simple design outside, and inside is a circular “Hall of Memory” where the “Sacrifice” statue is located. The ceiling above it is covered in gold stars, one for each of the men and women who served in WWII from New South Wales. There was also a small museum that we explored for a bit to learn more about the historical context and even hear some personal stories. The Anzac Memorial is a beautiful monument and visiting was a great way to learn more about Australian history.

After leaving the Memorial, we took a detour to go through the Royal Botanical Gardens before ending up at the famous Sydney Opera House. It was so exciting to see such an iconic structure in person. We took plenty of touristy pictures before searching out a place for lunch. We found a great little fish and chips place and enjoyed our food as we sat in a park along the harbor with a view of the Opera House. The seagulls in this park were particularly brave, so we didn’t last long. Soon we made our way to “The Rocks,” a more upscale part of town where there was a great outdoor market set up. We wandered around looking at all the crafts and things for sale, and I even got to meet up with Joseph McAbee, a friend from Wofford. It was so good to see a familiar face and catch up. We wandered into an Irish Pub to catch the beginning of the All Blacks vs. Australia Tri-Nations Rugby game. I insisted on all of us watching the “haka,” a traditional war dance that the All Blacks perform before every game. After watching the haka (yes, it lived up to my expectations), we decided it was time to head back.

Getting home was quite the ordeal though. A trip that should have taken only a little over an hour ended up taking nearly six! We had been on the train for about 20 minutes when it stopped and we heard an announcement that there was going to be a delay because of something that happened several stations away. We found out later that some college-age kids had been messing around, and two had fallen onto the track and actually got hit by the train. As a result, everyone had to get off the train and after waiting an hour or two, buses came and picked us up. And because the express bus to Wollongong filled up quickly, we had to get on the bus that stopped at every single stop between Sydney and Wollongong, probably about 15 stops. We were all car sick, exhausted, and starving by the time we made it back to the North Wollongong train station, and silently walked through the drizzling rain back to Weerona. After a late dinner, we all went to our rooms and crawled into our beds, happier to be at Weerona than ever before. I also decided that I must be very bad luck. Last summer in India, getting from Goa back to Manipal was even worse. I’ll spare you the details, but it included several canceled trains and sitting up in the train station all night long in the monsoon. Sydney was definitely worth the trip, but it definitely took a few weeks before I felt like going back to Sydney.