So right now I should be writing an outline for my essay due next week but rather than focusing on my school work, I feel its more important to update everyone about my adventures in Sydney before I forget!

On Thursday night me, Alyssa, Nicole, Aeren, Terence, Grace, Cat, Emily, Maria, and Joey all piled into a taxi and headed off to the Melbourne airport. This time around, it was the fastest check in I've ever experienced….the whole process from getting our seats to going through security literally took about 10 mins. And we were off……

The flight was super quick…about 45 mins of actual air time…which seemed like nothing compared to the last few times I've been at the airport.

Once we arrived in Sydney, right away I noticed it was about 10 degrees warmer! We got into a couple of taxis' and headed to the hostel in King's Cross…this is where the first "incident" took place. Originally when we booked our room, we were told they would try to put all 10 of us into a room and if not, we'd be splint into two. Fine. Lets just say this didn't happen and we all got split up into four different rooms. Three girls and I walked into our room on the third floor to find a complete MESS and room full of bunk beds (complete with random people inside). At first I thought I could handle it…that was until the random German guy beside tried talking to me….right there I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping 5 feet away from a stranger. Now don't get me wrong, some hostels are great and people I know have loved it…but its definitely not something I am used to nor do I want to "try" and get used to it. Lets fast forward about an hour later (keep in mind its getting into the wee hours of the morning and I had been up since 7:30am that day) and I find myself busting out my credit card at the Holiday Inn down the street. Minus the dent in my bank account, this was the best decision I've made since leaving home. Not only did I share the cost of the room with two friends, I knew staying here that I wouldn't have a heart attack every few minutes worrying about my belongings, especially my passport and wallet. What made the hotel even better was being able to take a BATH! Yes, a bath! I know to the average person this may not seem like a big deal…but to me, it was heaven! Keep in mind that this is coming from a girl who hasn't been able to take a bath since January!!! Even worse, I haven't been able to take a shower without flip-flops since February! With this being said, that hotel bathroom was my saving grace and you best believe I took a bath at every opportunity!

So that was the first night…and I crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow! The next day we meet at 10:30am at Circular Quay for our field trip and tour of the city. I must say I was a bit disappointed…there are so many cool things to see in Sydney and our Professor couldn't have made it any more boring! (complete with a notebook full of artwork). We explored the downtown and other than the amazing photo ops, I could have done without it. We all met back up that afternoon to go on our boat cruise of the harbor, which truly was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The bridge, the infamous Opera House…it was everything I thought it was going to be!

That night we hung out and explored King's Cross (aka the Red Light District)…and yes, for those of you wondering, there was a ridiculous amount of hookers lining the streets….my plan: no matter what, do not make eye contact! Haha.

That night we got into a big of an altercation with the women at the front desk of the Hostel about refunding our money. She explained that under no circumstances are people given a refund….we had no problem paying for the first night, but the remainder of the nights we didn't stay there, I felt we should be given our money back…well, she felt differently and wasn't shy expressing it…."You fussy Americans! I knew this big group was going to be a problem!"….oh man, we lost it at this point! (I'm not even American!!)…so after asking to speak with the manager we were told he wasn't in and would call us back…obviously that never happened….so when we tried again to speak to him the next day, we we're brushed off….by this point, we were so fed up with the situation that we just gave up….it was defiantly a lesson learned! (and for those of who have stayed in a hotel/are planning to stay in one….good luck!!!)

The next morning was The Bridge Climb!!! It was about a 3.5 hour event and it was worth every penny!! The views were spectacular! Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take our camera up for safety reasons, but I did buy four pictures….I'm going to see if I can find a scanner on campus so you guys can see…if not, you'll have to wait until I get back! I think there is something like 1,400 steps….and I climbed every one!!!! I highly recommend this experience to everyone….there was no way I was going to Sydney and not climbing the bridge…I even got a sweater to prove it!

The rest of the day was spent doing tourist stuff…we went to the Opera House to take some classic pictures…..again, the weather was amazing!!! We also went to the aquarium and got to see the spectacular wildlife in Australia (including the sharks!!!). We spent the better part of the afternoon in Darling Harbor searching for the Real World House…haha (yes, I'm referring to the MTV show), but no luck!!! This mission is "to be continued"…when I go back to Sydney next week, I promised myself that I would find it and take a picture (that one's for you Mel!)

That night was my B-day celebration!!! We got all fancy-ed up and headed back to Darling Harbor for dinner at the Black Bird Café. Our table had an awesome view of the harbor and my friends bought me a few rounds of drinks!! (awww, thanks guys!)…We eventually made our way down to the patio outside for some pre-gaming…this is where I encountered a random Aussie who was ridiculously drunk and handed me a 20$ bill for my b-day! (Please refer to the picture documenting this random event) haha…

After leaving this bar…that's when things took a turn for the worst. For the respect of the people that were involved in the event, I've decided not to post it in my blog. For those of who would like more information, you can email me/call me personally. The important thing to know is that I wasn't hurt and everything worked out in the end.

Sunday we all got up really early and headed to Bondi Beach!!! Again, the sun was shining and I spent all day working on my tan!!! I also observed all the surfer's out on the coast….it was awesome….even little kids were catching some decent waves….I only wish I could be as good as them!!! A few of my friends wanted to rent a board, but the waves were getting pretty big so we opted to play around in the water rather than drown haha

Sunday night we kept it low key and went out for another bday dinner (10$ steak!!)….and ended the night off with some ice cream cake! Mmmmm! Thanks to everyone who went on the trip and made my 22nd birthday an amazing experience!!!

Monday morning our flight was delayed so I missed my afternoon class…luckily it's a recorded lecture and thanks to itunes, I was able to catch up what I missed! I crashed at 7:30pm that night…but not before talking to friends/family from home of course! Thanks to everyone back in Canada for all their birthday wishes! It really meant a lot to me!! And props to those of you who calculated the time difference correctly!!!

So that was my weekend in Sydney in a gist….there are many more random stories/jokes…but I really should try to get some work done tonight!

Keep ya posted!