Courtney Lucier, Pitt in Sydney Summer 2023
Every morning was new and exciting during my time in Sydney. Especially during the weekend, I never knew what I would do and where I was going next! However, there were a few routine places I would go to, for food and classes. First every morning I would wake up, get ready for classes, and talk to my family. In Australia the time zone is very different from back home – Sydney is 14 hours ahead of where my family lives in New England! I would often be having breakfast while they were having dinner; or be going to class when they were sound asleep. Therefore, it was important I talk to them in the mornings, when we both have room in our schedules to sit down and chat.
After talking with my family and friends back home, I would often go to my favorite cafe – Chambers Fine Coffee in Haymarket, where I would eat their delicious croissants, banana bread, wraps, muffins, and other pastries. I’m not a big fan of caffeine, so I would often order their smoothies, which came in a variety of flavors and included almond milk so they were dairy-free! After chilling in the cafe for an hour or so, I would either go to a morning class or explore Sydney. My adventures in exploring Sydney were unique every time – sometimes I would go to a museum, other times a garden or park, or explore a new neighborhood unfamiliar to me. Sydney was a very safe city, and most of the time, even as a young woman not from the area, I felt completely comfortable going off on my own. After exploring, if I did not have an afternoon class, I would have an early dinner. Sometimes I cooked in the dormitory, but I also went out a lot to try the many diverse cuisines that are a part of Sydney. Places I went to often included Mixue, a bubble tea place that served some incredibly cheap lemonade, and the Golden Tower in Market City, which sold cheap and delicious Chinese food.
After dinner my friends and I would often go out – sometimes to the beach, other times to explore the city, to shop, or to sing some karaoke! The days were long but exhilarating, and I truly savored every minute living in Sydney. Of course, one of the biggest stresses was expenses, especially for food and shopping. One factor that did help was the currency exchange rate – for every $30 in American money, $20 would be spent in AUD. Therefore, it was often cheaper to buy food and other items in Australia than it would be in the United States. However, even with the cheaper exchange rate I often found myself spending too much money on food, excursions, souvenirs, and other items. I had to budget myself so that I did not overspend and had to find cheaper places to eat near my apartment. Grocery shopping also helped because cooking food from local markets was sometimes less expensive than eating out.
Finally, people on your program might go on excursions that are out of your budget – and while this can be disappointing, as you might feel left out, try not to stress because there are many other excursions and activities that you can do while studying abroad for cheaper and sometimes even for free. Opportunities that you can afford will present themselves if you look for them, so do your research and plan for a great time!
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