Well as I mentioned a while back ago I am going to be attending Macquarie University in Sydney for the year to get my masters.
I arrived two weeks ago exactly and I wanted to share some of the things I noticed. Those who want to visit here, especially from the USA where I am from, may want to take note and consider these things during their planning.
First of all, the winter here is great. It gets cold at night but during the day its usually fine. I have not had the need to wear a full coat the entire time. With that said, THERE IS NO CENTRAL HEATING in any apartment I have been to.
My first night at my own place was so cold I slept under two blankets and in a sweater, and I was still kind of chilly. I could've sworn it was colder than the outside!
After asking around some people who live around here, apparently no one has central heating or air conditioning. I took those things for granted as they are standard in the USA where most people keep their homes 74 degrees (23 celsius) year 'round. With a space heater my room is now as toasty as I like it, but going out to the kitchen or living room is a pain as those are like refrigerators at night.
My girlfriend's roommates actually walk around in boots and a coat indoors. In the United States, at least in Chicago, it would be a CRIMINAL OFFENSE (Offence, for you Australians
) to rent an apartment or room without heating. No joke. You would literally be either fined up the bum or even tossed in jail for something like this in the USA (and your reputation would be forever stained as a slum lord).
I hope in the summer adequate cooling can be also purchased inexpensively, because if my room reaches 76 (around 24.5 celsius) and I don't have a way to cool it down there will be ISSUES.
The next thing I notice, and I had some warning ahead of time about this, was that everything closes around 5 PM on weekdays, and is open even shorter on weekends. So if you want to do any shopping, other than groceries, you will have to do it early in the day.
The only exception is Thursday when things are open till about 9 PM (I heard this is because Thursdays are pay day in most companies). In the USA I was used to going shopping in the evenings as most things were open till 9 PM all week, and even LONGER on Saturdays (like 10 or 11 PM).
So far the people all seemed very nice and patient. I witnessed someone crossing the street on a red light and the driver approaching the intersection simply stopped and then moved on. No flipping off, no honking. That was very different for sure. I did hear some honking so far, but maybe a handful of times (and I've been doing a lot of walking). So road rage seems more in check here. Also people drive smaller cars.
Brings me up to the next point: HILLS. Its very hilly in Sydney. I was used to Chicago's flatness. It's quite a workout to walk even one mile (1.6km). In Chicago it could be done without breaking a sweat since the roads are flat, not to mention you could also SEE what is ahead one mile away. This is not possible in Sydney due to the terrain. It's quite a challenge getting adjusted to since I wasn't in such great shape. On the bright side by the time I return I will be in great shape for sure!
Lastly, a lot of things are very expensive here. Some things are about the same or not too much more, but others are ridiculously overpriced. For example, Cup Noodles soups are around 80 cents at woolworths (75 cents in US dollars), where as in the USA they were around 50-60 cents depending where you got them. Other things, like Coca Cola are WAY more expensive. A 2 liter bottle in my local supermarket back home cost 99 cents. Here a 1.25 liter can easy run $3+.
Overall I am pretty happy here. It wasn't much of a culture shock yet, but then again I haven't really met any Australians, mostly just other foreigners. I guess once school begins that will change. I do like the city and what I have seen so far and I think it will be a good year!
For those of you in the area, I live in Marsfield by Macquarie University (North Ryde, Epping, Eastwood, etc. are all nearby as well as the Macquarie Centre) so if you are in the area and want to meet up let me know! I could use some real Australian friends since in the two weeks I have been here I haven't met many outside of store clerks and such!
I arrived two weeks ago exactly and I wanted to share some of the things I noticed. Those who want to visit here, especially from the USA where I am from, may want to take note and consider these things during their planning.
First of all, the winter here is great. It gets cold at night but during the day its usually fine. I have not had the need to wear a full coat the entire time. With that said, THERE IS NO CENTRAL HEATING in any apartment I have been to.
My first night at my own place was so cold I slept under two blankets and in a sweater, and I was still kind of chilly. I could've sworn it was colder than the outside!
After asking around some people who live around here, apparently no one has central heating or air conditioning. I took those things for granted as they are standard in the USA where most people keep their homes 74 degrees (23 celsius) year 'round. With a space heater my room is now as toasty as I like it, but going out to the kitchen or living room is a pain as those are like refrigerators at night.
My girlfriend's roommates actually walk around in boots and a coat indoors. In the United States, at least in Chicago, it would be a CRIMINAL OFFENSE (Offence, for you Australians
) to rent an apartment or room without heating. No joke. You would literally be either fined up the bum or even tossed in jail for something like this in the USA (and your reputation would be forever stained as a slum lord).I hope in the summer adequate cooling can be also purchased inexpensively, because if my room reaches 76 (around 24.5 celsius) and I don't have a way to cool it down there will be ISSUES.
The next thing I notice, and I had some warning ahead of time about this, was that everything closes around 5 PM on weekdays, and is open even shorter on weekends. So if you want to do any shopping, other than groceries, you will have to do it early in the day.
The only exception is Thursday when things are open till about 9 PM (I heard this is because Thursdays are pay day in most companies). In the USA I was used to going shopping in the evenings as most things were open till 9 PM all week, and even LONGER on Saturdays (like 10 or 11 PM).
So far the people all seemed very nice and patient. I witnessed someone crossing the street on a red light and the driver approaching the intersection simply stopped and then moved on. No flipping off, no honking. That was very different for sure. I did hear some honking so far, but maybe a handful of times (and I've been doing a lot of walking). So road rage seems more in check here. Also people drive smaller cars.
Brings me up to the next point: HILLS. Its very hilly in Sydney. I was used to Chicago's flatness. It's quite a workout to walk even one mile (1.6km). In Chicago it could be done without breaking a sweat since the roads are flat, not to mention you could also SEE what is ahead one mile away. This is not possible in Sydney due to the terrain. It's quite a challenge getting adjusted to since I wasn't in such great shape. On the bright side by the time I return I will be in great shape for sure!
Lastly, a lot of things are very expensive here. Some things are about the same or not too much more, but others are ridiculously overpriced. For example, Cup Noodles soups are around 80 cents at woolworths (75 cents in US dollars), where as in the USA they were around 50-60 cents depending where you got them. Other things, like Coca Cola are WAY more expensive. A 2 liter bottle in my local supermarket back home cost 99 cents. Here a 1.25 liter can easy run $3+.
Overall I am pretty happy here. It wasn't much of a culture shock yet, but then again I haven't really met any Australians, mostly just other foreigners. I guess once school begins that will change. I do like the city and what I have seen so far and I think it will be a good year!
For those of you in the area, I live in Marsfield by Macquarie University (North Ryde, Epping, Eastwood, etc. are all nearby as well as the Macquarie Centre) so if you are in the area and want to meet up let me know! I could use some real Australian friends since in the two weeks I have been here I haven't met many outside of store clerks and such!
