Basically a local

G’Day everyone!

It is Monday, August 30^th, and I have been in Sydney just under a week now.  I can’t believe it’s been only a week- and I cannot wait to come home.

JUST KIDDING!

Sydney is amazing. To begin with- everyone is friendly. Nearly every Australian I have talked to has with either lived or visited the United States- or they have friends or family in the States. People are so eager to hear about what we are doing in Sydney, how long we’ll be staying, what we’re studying, etc. The city is sprawling- when you see it from the harbor the size of it blows your mind. I have only explored one side of it- the other half of it is across the bridge. There are hundreds and hundreds of little shops, restaurants, bars, and pubs. The food and shopping are great- and everyone really gets in to the nightlife. The pubs fill up early with people going out for drinks after work. Sydney also feels very safe. We’ve been warned about petty theft and things of that nature- but there don’t seem to be many shady characters wandering around, and people don’t approach you on the streets for anything- which is nice. The city is absolutely beautiful, and the harbor is even better. The weather is hovering in the high 60’s, low 70’s at the moment, but I’ve been told that it warms up very quickly. Australians love the springtime, and everyone has said that we picked the perfect time of year to visit.

The past week has been just amazing. And exhausting. In addition to routine orientation to the Boston University program (which sounds like it is going to be an amazing academic experience), we have gotten to know each other while participating in different activities. There are about 60 or so of us here- most are from Boston University, but some are from California, Maine, and North Carolina. And Michigan. J We’ve had barbeques on the rooftop of our apartment building, a catered boat cruise around the harbor, and a scavenger hunt through the city. (The scavenger hunt was more like the Amazing Race. I could not believe how tired I was afterward).  The students on the trip are incredibly friendly- and I can tell that we’re already starting to become a little family.

I’ll throw in some pictures throughout this post- but if there’s anything you’d like to know- send me a question and I’ll answer it. I miss you all lots and I cannot wait to tell you all about my adventures when I get back!

Cheers!

~Apples 

Hurry Up and Wait

Ahoy!

This isn't going to be a very exciting blog post- but it might include some handy tips for people who are still getting ready for their overseas adventures. 

Yesterday was my last day at work (Shout out to everyone at the MSUE office!!). The next couple of days are pretty much going to consist of reading and re-reading maps, sorting out vitamins, and going commando in ugly clothes because everything is packed. But as I've been sitting around waiting for the next 72 hours to pass, I've come up with a couple of handy tips for people who are still prepping to leave for their destination. 

1) onebag.com

 I don't want to toot my own horn... but if I'm good at anything, it's fitting a lot of crap in a small space. (Anyone who has been to my house knows it runs in the family) But the guy who started this website is the Big-Crap-Small-Space MASTER.  It was super duper handy for me- it'll be super duper handy for you too. (For the record... I wasn't actually able to fit everything into one bag- but the second bag is pretty small. I'm still chalking it up to a victory.) 

 Me: 1   Law of Conservation of Mass: 0 

2) Who's Got Your Money?

One of the most confusing things about this whole trip has been money. I know. Big surprise. Obviously spending any amount of time in any foreign country costs a pretty penny- so spending several months there on TOP of tuition is basically going to set me back for the first decade of my career. That being said, I'm trying to mop up any additional expenses if I can. The most annoying of which: overseas transaction fees! So here's my tip- find a bank that won't charge you! My personal choice was Bank of America- they have partnered with lots of major banks across the globe, so when I make a transaction overseas, it's like I'm just at another BOA. And since the international banks are pretty big- it's easy to find a bank or ATM. I also signed up for a package that allows me to do everything wirelessly (online or with an ATM). That way, I've managed to avoid monthly checking fees as well. Woo! Also- you leave with a fully functioning debit card- so there's none of that wait-ten-days-for-your-snail-mail-debit-card crap. (If you read this and start an account- say I referred you. I'll buy you sumthin' cool with the $25 they give me for the referral :) 

Also: Check out that Tina Parole song. She looks a little scary in the video- but she's got great boots. 

3) Hard Copies!

It's so so so easy to carry everything around digitally. I have so many zip drives I could start making them into jewelry. BUT! It's also a good idea to either leave an extra zip drive at home, or leave someone with some black-and-white, ink-and-paper information. That way if my plane goes down with me, my laptop and all my zip drive bracelets- my parents back home still have all of my banking information. And my flight information- so they can sue themselves into a comfortable retirement. 

Me: 0    Knock On Wood: 1 

I realize I just wrote those last three tips like I'm some sort of cool travel expert. Which I'm not. So also use caution/common sense when planning and packing.  Also- I hope I don't get in trouble for naming names (onebag.com, BOA). Is there some sort of copyright something I should be following? Not sure. Cross my fingers on that one.

LAST THING- I have a really long layover in LA, and a really long plane ride after that. So if anyone wants to recommend a good book- that'd be great. I don't really like fantasy stuff or anything too difficult- so if your recommendation includes vampires, dragons, or  words with more than three syllables, just leave it out. 

:) Thanks for reading! 

Ciao for now

~Apples 

New to She'll Be Apples

Well Hellooooooooo everyone. 

This is my first post of my first blog EVER! I've been fighting the idea of creating a blog all summer... because quite honestly I have no idea if I'll even be committed enough to following through. BUT! After thinking long and hard about it ( I flipped a coin ) and reading through other blogs, ( Welcome to Noise Island ) I've decided to give it a go. So here's the deal- give me feedback to let me know you're reading it, and I'll keep posting. If I feel like nobody is reading it then I likely won't continue. Make sense? Yes. 

So! Here's my little preface. I decided to go to Australia for several reasons. 1) I didn't have to learn a different language. 2) It's warm. 3) Finding Nemo. 

I chose BU because they have a really great internship program in Advertising and Public Relations. 

Fast forward several months, essays, and thousands of dollars and here I am! 9 days to departure, finally giving in to pressure and starting a blog. Hope you all read and enjoy! 

108 Days - 3.5 Months - 1 Adventure 

~Apples