Dear Grandma,

Well, the semester is over. I’m officially on summer break. Sounds weird starting at the end of November, right? But there it is. Classes have ended, I’ve turned in my final assignments, and now I have two months off.

Of course, the amount of work I’m doing won’t really diminish during this break. It’s actually increasing, but just shifting focus. During the semester I was working on my new book, for which I’ll turn in 30,000 words as my thesis in May, in addition to a creative writing seminar and a course on Young Adult Fiction. During the break I’ll continue working on the new book, but I’m also completing a rewrite of Franklin and the Magic Malfunction for the editor I’ve been working with. I’ve got tons of work to do on both, but it’s work I’m happy to be doing. This is why I came to Sydney, and I’m so blessed to be able to be doing it.

I’m also working as a hostess at a restaurant up the street from me. That’s worked out really well; it’s a great restaurant, I love the people who work there and have made friends with a lot of coworkers, it’s only a ten-minute walk from my apartment, and I’m actually making a good bit of money. Pay is generally much higher in Australia; minimum wage is $17 per hour! Tipping isn’t customary here, so pay for people who work in hospitality is dependent on wages rather than on tips, as it is in America.

I’ve done some fun summer things as well. The weather is pretty fickle—some days it’s sunny and gorgeous, then in a flash it’s gray and rainy—but it’s worth it for the times we get that sun. You have to be careful here because it’s so strong—there’s a hole in the ozone. I use 30+ sunscreen on my face every day and on my body whenever it’s going to be exposed, but I’ve still gotten a lot of sun.

Last week I had a beach barbecue with friends. We cooked chicken sausages, veggie burgers, and kangaroo meat, which is delicious. It’s funny though—we had actually gone to a small wildlife park and fed and played with kangaroos on Saturday! I think this may be the only country that eats their national animal. The kangaroos were sweet and gentle, although they did get pretty excited about the grass I was feeding them (you buy it there for a dollar a bag) and one young one stood up and put his arms on my shoulders at one point! When they’re crouched down you forget how tall they are! There was also a mother kangaroo with a baby in her pouch, but its head wasn’t poking out; it was in there upside-down, with its feet sticking out at weird angles. I couldn’t get over that—how can he breathe like that? There were also koalas, emus, kookaburras, peacocks, dingos, and tons of other animals in the park--all so close you could touch them.

That was a gorgeous day. We also went to some beaches south of the city near a suburb called Cronulla and had a picnic in a park.

Hope you’re well. I miss you and think of you often.

Love,

Meagan

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Dad

Dear Dad,

Unfortunately, my trip to Byron Bay was not nearly as sunny and relaxing as you predicted. Still, as it often happens, it turned out to be a whole different kind of adventure.

On Wednesday morning, Chrissy and I paused in packing (which entailed tossing all our bikinis, tank tops, flip flops and shorts into our bags—what more do you need for the beach?) to check the weather report. The 5-day forecast predicted clouds, low temperatures, and some showers. However, for some reason we remained optimistic—I guess we were in denial. We threw in a couple jackets and sweaters, I grudgingly brought my boots, but we figured we’d have these things just in case, believing the sun wouldn’t be so cruel as to abandon us on our beach holiday.

When we arrived Wednesday night, Byron Bay was moderately warm and drizzly. This isn’t so bad! we said. Then as the weather deteriorated over the next four days, we wished for it back!

So the weather wasn’t ideal, but it was a lovely trip anyway. Byron is a bubble of bliss, an insulated hippie town that attracts backpackers and diehard travelers from around the world. It’s full of healers and surfers, organic food and weird mystical stuff. Chrissy lived there for six months before coming to Sydney, so she wanted to go back to say goodbye before returning to Germany. We stayed on couches in the house she used to live in, where five kids (all of whom have been traveling the world for years) now live.

The town itself is basically one main road; you can walk from one end to the other. But the best part of Byron is its beaches and the rainforest around them. During short increments of good weather, we walked along the beaches and all the way to the lighthouse at the easternmost tip of Australia. From there we could see families of whales swimming south. They were so close and visible, it was incredible.

We were set to leave on Sunday at 7:30 PM out of the Gold Coast airport, which is about an hour bus ride from Byron. But on Sunday the weather was at its worst; the sky was pouring sheets of rain. When we arrived at the airport at 4:30, all the flights had been delayed. We sat at the gate for hours as flight after flight was cancelled (although some did depart at delayed times, so we hoped for the best). Finally at about 11:30 PM, when everyone in the small airport was gone except the people on our flight, they cancelled it. They bussed us an hour and twenty minutes to Brisbane (playing old Mr. Bean on the bus!), put us in a hotel there, and gave us a $100 flight voucher. The upside was, I ended up spending the night in a huge bed in my own hotel room and got a flight back in the morning. So it all worked out in the end.

Still, for me the most amazing part of the whole trip happened on Sunday, even before the whole ordeal with the flight happened. I’d had a great few days, but I was ready to go home. And home, I realized, was Sydney. My apartment, my neighborhood, my life here. It was really strange to realize that after three months here, that’s what this is. I don’t know what the future holds, but for right now, this is home.

I miss you guys and love you so much.

Love,

Peepers

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Paige

Dear Paige,

Sorry it’s been so long. I still haven’t gotten a new battery for my camera, and not having photos kind of takes the fun out of blogging. However, I was able to use my flatmate’s camera for a few things the past month or so and just got the photos, so I’ll catch you up.

A few weeks ago I went to the Taronga Zoo with the Williamsons. I love zoos anyway, so I was insanely excited. It doesn’t hurt to go with kids too—their excitement makes everything extra thrilling. The zoo is located on its own island in the harbor, so we met at Circular Quay and took a fifteen-minute ferry trip over. I love that ferries are part of the transportation system here. The views are idyllic and it’s just a great feeling to board a boat to get where you need to go.

Apart from the animals, the zoo is known for having spectacular views of the city because of its elevation, and they didn’t disappoint. It was smaller than I expected, but that made it easier to navigate. We started at the top of the island and worked our way down. First was the Australian section: koalas, wallabies, emus, wombats, and kangaroos. Here’s a koala:

The wallabies, emus and kangaroos were all roaming free in a section with no barriers. It was pretty cool—they just hop right across your path. There was even a wallaby snoozing that we got to pet. All the animals were pretty chilled out—I wonder what they feed them.

The Williamsons told me the giraffes supposedly have the ultimate view of Sydney, and after seeing it, I think that’s pretty accurate. Lucky guys.

We also saw this tiger stalking back and forth in front of a glass wall, making eye contact with all the onlookers. With such a thin, transparent barrier, it was really intense.

Last weekend I went to my first Australian Football League game. The rules are pretty simple (even for me), and it was such a gorgeous, sunny day. We had a great time.

Chrissy and I have also gone to a couple museums. We saw the Contemporary Art Museum, where we watched a hilarious live installation where people did sort of a standing yoga kind of thing with an instructor and then went “cruising” (walking around like they were in a trance) and looking at the art. I have no idea how that made it in the museum.

We also went to the Powerhouse Museum, which is a really cool design and technology museum here. They had exhibits on Australian fashion, the 80’s, recent Australian inventions, and this Australian fashion photographer. In the photo below, I’m imitating one of his famous photos—then we both hopped in and goofed around.

Your photos from France are beautiful! How is school so far? I heard you have a couple of Den’s former teachers.

Love you!

Meagan

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Dennis

Dear Den,

Today was the most beautiful day imaginable. It’s spring—really and truly spring. Today for the first time I wore a T-shirt with no jacket. I sweated. I’m seriously considering retiring the black scarf I bought when I first got here and have had with me nearly every day since. It’s a wonderful feeling. This city opens its arms when the sun comes out, and I couldn’t be more thrilled by the embrace.

There are eight branches of the Sydney City Library in various neighborhoods across the city. They are clean and well-stocked, and, most importantly, as is the nature of libraries, they are free. Thus, I have been making use of them. Today I went to the branch in Ultimo for the first time to check out a book for class at that location. Across the street are the Powerhouse Museum, which is this enormous museum of design and technology that I’m going to have to check out, and the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Center, which is named after a famous Australian swimmer and has the crispest, whitest, most modern pool facilities I’ve ever seen. I wanted to jump in so badly I almost made a break for it…if only I had my swimsuit. Next week, Ian Thorpe Aquatic Center. I’ll be back.

I spent the rest of the day reading in the sun. First on a bench by Darling Harbor where I read half of a YA book called Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson for my Young Adult Fiction class, then in Hyde Park in the middle of the city, where the lawn was littered with readers, lunch-eaters, and groups of people talking, all sitting or laying in the grass. I staked my little patch of grass, lay down, and finished Camus’s The Stranger—or, in the version I have, The Outsider—a gift from my flatmate Nathan, who was appalled I hadn’t read it. I stayed until the shadows crept over me. Now I’m back at home for writing time—I’m submitting the beginning of my new novel for workshopping in my seminar next week. A bit scary, but exciting.

The truth is that every day I’m here, I feel luckier.

My camera is dead right now and I’m having trouble cajoling it back to life, but I promise I’ll have more pictures soon.

Hope you are well and having a good time with Mom, Dad, and our little Frenchified sis at home.

Love you,

Me

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Alex

Dear Alex,

Although I have always known you are amazing, I have a brand new admiration for you. Last Thursday, my flatmate and I went to a beginners’ ballet class at the Sydney Dance Company.

There is an absolute beginners’ class there as well, but she and I both took ballet when we were kids, and she’s trained as a yoga instructor, so she convinced me we’d be fine in this one. There were about 40 people in the class. A couple, like us, were totally inexperienced. But the majority knew exactly what they were doing. Beginners? I think not.

The first portion of the class—the exercises at the bar—would have been fine, except that the instructor decided to take her place directly between me and Chrissy, so when she demonstrated the exercises, Chrissy was behind her and I was in front of her. So not only was I in prime position for her to watch my attempts to imitate and at least seem like I knew what I was doing, I was also learning everything backwards. Since I didn’t have anyone in front of me to copy until we turned to the other side, I was constantly mixed up about which limb I was supposed to be using.

I had an I Love Lucy moment (or the one from Centre Stage when they’re performing and she’s the bad student who comes in late) once when I thought my portion of the room was still facing against the other side of the room, then turned around and realized everyone was facing the opposite way except me!

Then it all went to pieces when we got out on the floor and she started teaching (if you can call it that) the sequences. We were so lost. It got so ridiculous that by the end of the class we were laughing so hard, we couldn’t even stand up. The teacher of the next class had to ask us to leave.

So like I said, I am newly amazed by you, Miss Prima Ballerina! I think we may go again sometime…but probably to the absolute beginners class this time.

The Sydney Dance Company is in a stunning location, though—right by the harbor at Circular Quay. There’s a café and bar in the entrance where a friend of some girls I know had her engagement party this weekend. The view is unbelievable. Here are a few photos from last Sunday, when I took a ferry across the bay to this tucked-away little beachy suburb called Manly.

Manly is quieter than some of the other beach communities like Bondi—smaller and more family-oriented. The only way you can get there is by ferry or by driving all the way up this narrow strip of land, so it has kind of a hidden-away feel, like a little secret, even though a lot of tourists find their way there. I fell head over heels in love with it.

Still, Bondi Beach, where I was all day yesterday, is not bad either.

Yesterday there was a massive walk for charity called City 2 Surf, in which 80,000 people walked from downtown to Bondi. Which means they all end up there, resulting in a huge beach party. It’s finally starting to warm up and yesterday was clear and sunny, so it felt like a glimpse of what summer what be like. I can’t wait.

Hope you are well, I miss you! How’s your internship? Catch me up on everything!

Love,

Tara

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Mom

Dear Mom,

I’ve been saving this letter for you! On Sunday my flatmate and I woke up to a beautiful, sunny day, so we went to the botanical gardens.

Our apartment is close to downtown, so there are lots of cool places we can walk to. To get to the gardens, we walked north, past Hyde Park, the Australian Museum, and the Parliament building, then followed the road as it curved into the gardens. The main road there is called Mrs. Macquarie’s Road. I’m not sure who these Macquaries were, but their name is all over this city (i.e. the name of my school). I like the idea of Mrs. Macquarie being a gardener, like you, and while Mr. Macquarie had institutions and buildings in his name, Mrs. Macquarie got the gardens in hers.

The gardens are sprawling and maze-like. We got lost a couple of times, and the confusing signs made me feels like Alice in Wonderland. There are sections for different kinds of plants—succulents, herbs, and a fernery, which was in a cool wooden structure.

The blazing sun we had woken up to quickly dimmed, but that left us with a strange light that was amazing in photos. The clouds look like smoke to me in some of these photos. The contrast with the buildings is unreal—it kind of looks like Sydney is burning down.

This is my flatmate, Chrissy.

She grew up in Dresden, went to university in Munich, and has traveled all over the world. She has amazing stories from her travels. She told me about a time when she and her friend had traveled to Madagascar and were staying on a remote island off the mainland with only locals around. Their tent was robbed, leaving them with no money, no food, no passports, and no means of transportation. Over the next two days, they had to find their way to the capital, then go to the embassy and call their parents for help. Can you imagine getting that call?

Then again, if that happened to you and you made it, I guess you’d feel like you could do just about anything.

From the gardens, we walked up to the harbor, then around that area, which is called Circular Quay. That’s where the opera house is. I was surprised when I saw it up close—it looks so sleek and modern in photos, but up close, it’s kind of dingy and retro-looking.

We came across the Aroma Festival on the opposite side of the bay, in an area called the Rocks. There were booths selling coffee, chocolate, tea, and food. This is the great thing about wandering: I had seen signs advertising this festival when I first got to Sydney and had wanted to go, but I didn’t know when or where it was. By exploring, we just stumbled across it.

I miss you and love you so much!!

Love,

Meagan

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Dear Paige,

You’re leaving for France in a week!! I’m so excited for you. You’re going to see how incredible it is to explore a place that’s entirely new. It's an amazing, exhilarating experience.

This week I’ve gotten settled into my new apartment and have taken a few days to read, write, and rest—things I haven’t really done since I’ve been here. My apartment hunt was so frantic and frenzied that it’s been nice to relax. Especially since the weather seems to be getting even colder.

Here are a few shots from my apartment: the living room, my bedroom, the kitchen, and the view from my living room.

It’s cool to be a part of the city—I didn’t realize this until I moved here, but I’ve never really lived in the middle of a city. LA is so spread out and there’s not really a central area that’s most densely populated, so it has an entirely different feel.

Although it’s been freezing the past few days, on Sunday we had a gorgeous day. Luckily, that was the day I went sailing.

A friend of mine invited me to join a group of guys he had sailed with the week before who have been on a crew together for years. They're all in their 40s/50s, have been sailing in Sydney their entire lives, and have amazing stories. They all love this city so much.

I didn't know this going into it, but it turned out it was a race! They’re part of a league that races from Rushcutters Bay, around the harbor to Manly, and back every Sunday, and this was the next-to-last one in the winter series. They were a little short on crew, so although I’ve never sailed before, I got thrown into it and ran around doing whatever jobs they gave me. Like this one.

...ha, well maybe next time.

We took off at about 10:30 AM and got back at 5 PM. It was incredible—sailing around the entire harbor, I got the most insane views of the city. And the sun was out, the sky was clear—it was pretty close to perfect.

Afterward, everyone who had been on a boat in the race (hundreds of people—there were so many boats on the water) got together at the boat club and had food and drinks, and they announced the day’s winners and the overall rankings.

Something I’ve noticed is that although many people who live here were born and raised here, most of them traveled all over the world before returning. Travel is really a priority in their lives. One guy was telling me that he had the most wonderful childhood imaginable, roaming wherever he wanted with other kids on the coast and in the water as long as he was home when the sun went down. But he took it for granted, and when he set out to see the rest of the world, though he lived in several other countries for years at a time, he eventually realized that there was nowhere he wanted to be more than here. Meanwhile, I think Americans tend to assume the place they’re from is better than anywhere else in the world and are content to stay without checking out other places. That’s definitely the perception of Americans here—that we’re insulated and comfortable in our little corner of the globe. It’s not necessarily negative—I think we’re seen in a far more negative light in many other countries—but it is a distinct opinion here. Definitely something to think about.

All of which comes back to the point that I’m so excited for your trip. I want to hear all about it. But first, when is your test for your license?? Should San Diego be afraid?

Love you so so much!!

Megs

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