Our first official day was spent going around Sydney and looking at all the landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and the Botanical Gardens. What struck me more than the landmarks is the way Sydney has integrated the old with the new. Instead of completely getting rid of certain buildings, they simply build on top of the old or work with what is already there. It does a good job of showing what history that the English convicts and settlers brought to Sydney.
As for our classes, they started the next day. Over this past week we have been learning about Australian flora and fauna, geography, and history. Australia has taken a long time to get to where it is today, and was originally connected to Papa New Guinea. It is thought that the Aboriginals actually came over to Australia through Papa New Guinea. The physical evidence says that they might have been here for 40,000-60,000 years. Though the Aboriginals will say that they have been here since the beginning of time. As for the Australian flora and fauna, both have adjusted to fit the climate that Australia now has, which is dry and arid. Before the land was much further south and had a wetter climate. Now that the climate is dry the flora and fauna has become more efficient when it comes to using water. The plants have become harder and lighter in color in order to reflect light and use less water. The animals, such as the marsupials, have pouches in order to save themselves in case there is no water for both the mother and the baby. In case there is a long drought the mother can flip the baby out of her pouch, allowing her to survive. This just shows that Australia is highly unusual.
In order to see these animals we went to the zoo where we got to see up close an echidna, a possum, a python, a quokka, an emu, and a kangaroo. My favorite was the quokka, which are unfortunately becoming endangered. However, quokkas are some of the friendliest creatures and this quokka even licked my nose!
Over this weekend we went to the Blue Mountains. The Blue Mountains were important for the history of Australia because it lead a way into new areas of Australia. First we went to some caves and explored the wonders of the underground world. The water down in those caves were so clear that it almost seemed as though there was no water at all. It was so cool to learn that the drips from the water outside formed the stalagmites and stalactites. We also went through the Blue Mountains, which was one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever been on.