It is officially June and I’m sad to say the last month of my semester here at Macquarie University. The last two weeks in May were nothing short of amazing as I saw friends and family, celebrated my birthday and the Sydney Vivid Festival began!
Two weeks ago my very good friend from home, Georgie, was visiting her family here in Sydney for a few days. It was so nice to see a familiar face and spend some time with her and her family. Her mom is originally from the Sydney area and kindly gave me a tour of the eastern suburbs (to the right of the city) and around North Sydney (towns near Marsfield where I’m living). Even though I had been to some of these areas since being in Australia, it was cool to get a private local tour and I ended up seeing completely new things. I have to say that I truly love the area near Double Bay (in the eastern suburbs). It is one of the bays located on Sydney harbor and it is absolutely stunning. A lot of the buildings are very old Victorian style and still look the way Sydney did many, many years ago.
Last weekend was my twenty-first birthday. I have to admit I was a little bit bummed about not spending it with my family, but my friends did an amazing job and made it one of the most memorable birthdays I’ve ever had. I ended up getting a hotel apartment in the middle of the city for the night and ended up going out in the Rocks. It was nice to wake up in the city and be able to have brunch at a café without making the trek into the city. Later that day, a few of my closest friends and I enjoyed a delicious Italian meal in Macquarie Park, which is the town next to Marsfield.
In addition to last weekend being my birthday, it was also the beginning of the Sydney Vivid Festival. The festival lasts for about three weeks and occurs every year. Various light installations are set up across many locations throughout the city. We ended up at the one in Circular Quay and the Botanical Gardens. I have to say it was absolutely amazing. Buildings around the harbor had graphic designs projected onto them, including the Sydney Opera House. Some of the designs were really clever and at times you couldn’t even tell that you were looking at a building. The Botanical Gardens were really cool and they had set up many light fixtures through out the park, lighting up giant trees and pathways. My friends MK, Madison, Emily, Clancy and I all agreed that we would want to go and check out the other designs throughout the city, especially because they are on display every night unit June 18th!
This week was really both exciting and relieving because it was the end of all of my major school projects until finals begin in a few short weeks. I also was able to meet my great Aunt Margaret (my Granddad’s youngest sister) and Uncle John in the city! They are here visiting my Uncle John’s brother for a few weeks and then traveling up to Bali for a few more before heading back to England. It was really nice to see them both again as I had not seen them since 2005. We enjoyed spending the day walking through Hyde Park and through the streets near Town Hall. I’m looking forward to the next couple of days, as a group of my friends and I are taking a trip up the coast to Byron Bay!