For any student studying abroad in the Southern Hemisphere, a trip to Australia is a must-do! Two friends and I went to Australia this last week, since the University of Canterbury does not hold classes a week before final exams begin.
Our first stop in Australia was of course Sydney. Staying a 40 min train ride out of Darling Harbor, we settled into a habit of taking the train to CBD and back each day. Our first day was surprisingly sunny, with beautiful sunset views behind the iconic Opera House and harbor bridge sky line. We learned a lot about the Opera House from a tour we took inside, which gave us a unique perspective on the history of the world wide famous landmark. We also dedicated a day in Sydney to visit the Blue Mountains, see the Three Sisters formation, and do a short hike.
For the second half of the week we travelled to Cairns. First up on our list here was visiting the Great Barrier Reef, which was everything I thought it would be. The diversity and colors of fish and coral were amazing, and I had so much fun staying in the water as long as I possibly could with my eyes wide open. Visibility in the water that day was great and everyone had an amazing time. Our last day in Cairns we spent exploring Kuranda and the markets, while also enjoying a couple walks through the rain forests.
Madalyn Trombley
<p class="MsoBodyText" style="margin-top:2.35pt; margin-right:12.3pt; margin-bottom:.0001pt; margin-left:5.0pt"><span style="line-height:115%">One fun fact about myself is that I am not sure the exact date of my birthday! Before I was adopted, I was a baby in China and my parents could not keep me because of the one child policy. Therefore, as was the way of many families in China in the 90s, I was left on the steps of the police station. When the police found me, they estimated my age. This estimate is the age on my birth certificate and on every official document. It is interesting to think about my birthday being one day before it is written, or maybe a few days after!</span></p>
