Hello from the Other Side

Sydney from the airplane!

G'day, Mate!

It's 12:04 a.m. Sydney time (GMT +10) and it has been 2 months and 9 days since I arrived in the land down under, Australia. I realize that I haven't posted anything since we set foot here on June 8, 2016. Needless to say that so many things (good and bad to terrible) things have happened, and to think that it's only the beginning of our Australia Awards Journey. I am surprised at how resilient we are despite everything, and I am thankful that we have each other (but let's not get too mushy just yet.)

Perhaps I can still catch up with my blog- in between tantamount readings and assessments. Besides, blogging has always been my best form of my, er, procrastination (hihihi.) This is somewhat putting oil on the gears, to somehow prepare myself in writing lengthy, "academic-sounding" essays and texts. Although, I also found a new fondness of cleaning- which is also a "productive" means of being "unproductive" (if you know what I mean.)

This post shall attempt to summarise all the events that transpired for the past months (notice the use of "s" instead of "z" in spellings, that's being Aussie right there, mayt! =P) Hopefully, I could write according to the timeline in the coming weeks.

But first, let's start from the beginning....

Me, Mommie and Daddie at the lobby of Cherry Blossoms Hotel, Malate, Manila
(June 7, 2016- their 35th wedding anniv)

This is it! This is really happening!

Checked-in (NAIA Terminal 2)! My luggage was more than 30 kg! waaa.. and oh, that's Harold and Paris.

 

One last selfie with Mommie (she's behind the glass window) while lining up for immigration check

5 of 13 Filipino scholars bound for Sydney, AU

8 hours later....

Touchdown: Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport, 9 am

Obligatory airport photo. Philippines represent! Wuhoo!

Our temporary accommodation for 7 days: Australian Sunrise Lodge, Newtown, NSW

Seeing Hogwarts (The Quad) for the first time... *giddy*

The Four Houses represent (Left to right: Griffyndor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff) lol

First night at Sydney and we literally ran around the city to catch 'Vivid Sydney' before it ended...
(amoy pinas pa! haha)

Interesting fact: The roof of the Sydney Opera House was made of plain old white tiles!
Like seriously?!? I felt like my entire architecture education was a fraud! lol

Inside the Tunnel at Botanical Gardens

(will add more photos soon! time check: 1:08 am)