We are officially halfway through the program! One challenge I faced since being here is how readily available and commonly used public transportation is. Back in Oakland, I would usually take public transportation via Port Authority when needed. But here, most Sydneysiders use a form of public transportation or multiple on a daily basis. I wanted to make sure that I was up-to-date on all the common courtesy and practices on public transportation. Luckily during our CEA CAPA partner orientation, they explained how to use the different public transportation. Sydneysiders can access trains, light rails, buses, and fairies with the Opal card. We went over key information like where the courtesy seeds are for ambulant individuals or senior citizens. In addition, bus drivers may become irritated if you press the bus stop button too soon. I’m glad we had this information prior to taking public transportation to really help myself blend in. A few refreshing aspects of the public transportation here is not only is it on time, and reliable, the bus drivers are super friendly incase there is a problem or I have any confusion. So far I’ve taken three out of the four modes of public transportation and have become comfortable using them by myself. I usually don’t use public transportation to get to work because I walk which really helps me start my day. To explore the city though, my friends and I usually take public transportation. In addition to walking to work, I’ve noticed that everyone here walks everywhere. Other than walking, my daily routine is not much different. The office where I spend a majority of my time during the workday is similarly set up to a workday in the US. Sometimes we will go out for lunch but I’m always prepared to pack my lunch and enjoy it at my desk.
There are still countless fun things to do here even in the winter. My favorite experience so far is all the Vivid festivities. Vivid is a citywide light show that occurs from the end of May through mid June. They take the best and biggest cultural attractions and cover them with different light shows. In addition to the lights that happen after 6 p.m., there are still countless festivals and markets surrounding Vivid during the day time to try some great food and local made products. This week, I watched the drone show where they had hundreds of drones make a light show over the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It was beautiful!