Time is of the Essence

One challenge I did not expect to encounter while in Sydney were the hours of
operation for restaurants and businesses. In the United States, many grocery
and convenience stores, restaurants, etc. open early and close late - many
staying up until after midnight. But in Sydney, most businesses did not open until
10 am, and often closed at 5 pm. The latest restaurants stayed open until 10 pm
- so the only midnight snack available to me was at McDonald's! Because of this,
I had to shift my entire schedule to eat a late breakfast and an early dinner, and I
also had to adjust excursions to museums and libraries so that it did not conflict
with Sydney’s hours of operation.
Also a challenge to my scheduling was my classes, so I really had to plan out
how to have time for museum and market trips, while also making it to my
classes on time. I found I became a much better planner and organizer while in
Sydney, and I also utilized Sydney’s public transportation - the trains, buses, and
lightrails - to get where I needed to go quicker and more efficiently. I also
explored places that did not have hours of operations - such as parks and hiking
trails. Our study abroad program, CAPA, provided us with a trip to the Blue
Mountains, where we went on a hike in the stunning Australian bushland, as you
can see in the photograph below. I also went to many parks and gardens, such
as the Royal Botanical gardens, Hyde Park, and the Chinese Garden of
Friendship located in the Darling Harbour. My favorite park was the Centennial
Parklands, which had several beautiful lakes and ponds to explore. In this park I
did a lot of bird watching, as there were flocks of ducks and geese, and other
birds unique to Australia, such as the goofy kookaburra, the screeching
cockatoos, and the dinosaur-esque purple swamphen. The park even had a
colony of flying foxes, and at one (terrifying) moment I found myself surrounded
by hundreds of gigantic bats! Therefore this challenge of timing and scheduling
was overcome by finding new and interesting places to explore. For students
thinking of traveling abroad, my advice would be to make your plans open and
flexible, as you never know what you might discover next! Try to step out of the
American mindset, and use your time like the locals do - eat when they eat, sleep
when they sleep, work when they work, etc. That way you truly feel as if you are
making the most of your study abroad experience.