Taronga Zoo

Today was the best day so far- after a long night's sleep, I'm finally feeling like the jet lag is wearing off, and I have a much better grasp of my surroundings. The last few days have just been a daze! But now I feel like there is hope I can take the bus on my own and not get lost! I woke up at 5:30 am (too excited to sleep!) and finished organizing my room. At breakfast, I actually met a guy from Baltimore! That was pretty cool.

Later this morning I met up with some people from the US and Norway to go to the zoo!!! We took a ferry going past the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge...

Now I really feel like I'm in Australia. The last couple of days I've been around so many Americans (since we're really the only ones here so far), that it felt a lot like home, but now it's sinking in that I'm really down under.

The zoo was so much fun. There were so many trees, and it was so peaceful and quiet. You never would have known how many families were there (it is still winter holidays so the kids are out of school). The animals were amazing- you could get so close to the kangaroos, emus, koalas, giraffes, etc. Some people actually took photos almost next to the kangaroos. It was great. I also decided that even bratty Australian kids are adorable when they whine with their accents :) And it's cute hearing Australian parents yell at their kids. They just sound so polite! The Australian people here in the International House said they don't really feel the same way about American kids, hahaha. And also, in Australia, they are not allowed to keep "natural flaura and fauna" at home- aka, they are not allowed to keep kangaroos and koalas as pets. Oh yes, to get this answer I had to look like an idiot and ask. Let me know if you have any other silly questions about Australia you'd like to know! I'd be more than happy to look like a moron to find out... :)

One thing that I have noticed about the whole city, and especially the zoo, is that it is so clean! And there are not that many trash cans around. I feel like most cities are pretty dirty just because of all the people- you seriously would never know how many people live in Sydney because it is generally so clean and quiet here.

We are going to try to go to another club tonight- it's Sunday so I doubt many people will be out but it is fun to explore. It's so nice not really having any responsibilities or anything to do for a couple of days... it's pretty awesome :)