Manly Beach Surfing

IES Abroad has an excursion every month and on March 29th we had our surfing trip at Manly Beach. Surfing is part of Australian culture. Many people like to leave work early at 4 or 5 and catch some waves before going home and making dinner. With numerous beaches close by, Sydney is a beautiful place to live, and a very laid back perspective on life is shared by many.

Manly beach is advertised as one of the most beautiful beaches to visit. The waves are big and it’s a good beach for surfing. There were over 20 IES Abroad kids ready to give it a try and it was both an exciting and exhausting afternoon. I  got into a tight wet suit and spent almost two hours falling off my board in the clear water. On my most successful wave I made it halfway to standing, with one foot and one knee on the board. It was a struggle and I definitely have respect for surfers. Some of the other students made it up on their boards and we had many instructors helping us get to our feet. I may stick with boogy boarding from now on, but it was a check off my bucket list to attempt surfing in Australia.

After Manly, I rushed back to the apartment and got ready to go see the school musical Anything Goes. The University of Sydney has a musical theater club that puts on a show every few weeks. In a big theater with a live orchestra, it was as if I was watching a professional production. Sydney is the center for art and entertainment and there is always something to do or go see.

This was another exciting weekend… but that’s just life in Sydney!