Lost and Under the Weather Down Under…

My friends and family: “Hi! How’s Australia?! Aren’t you simply having the time of your life?!” 

Me: “Uh, sure… but I’m really sick…”

Catching a cold less than a week into my abroad experience felt terrible. When they handed me my Medibank card at orientation just days earlier I had no intention of using it so soon. And amidst my cold, I was starting class (which is awesome), organizing my daily life, and trying to explore my new city. 

I used the days I was especially sick and didn’t feel like going out to put my daily routine together and make future plans. I listed out activities I plan to do, I bought kitchenware and groceries, and I looked for a bike to ride around the city. After reaching out to several online ads, I found the perfect used bike and got it tuned up. Since feeling better, I have ridden it to class, to the grocery store, and to the beach. 

But anywhere I don’t want to ride my bike, I take the bus. Sydney has fantastic public transport that will take you almost anywhere anytime, but to make that possible there are a lot of bus lines… Literally hundreds… 

Most people use a few apps to figure out which buses to take and when, but I had no cellular data to do that because my Australian SIM card could not yet work in my phone due to ~technical difficulties~. I could load navigation on WiFi before I left for the day, but could not use data to navigate home. Although I took to researching the bus lines beforehand, during this time I may have unknowingly missed an hourly bus by just minutes, got on a few buses which took me the wrong direction, and asked many bus drivers and bystanders for help. I managed to still explore awesome places around Sydney (see photos below) and get home each day, although not always in a reasonable amount of time. 

While frustrating, feeling lost and confused has actually helped me feel more at home in Sydney. I found that Australians are genuinely kind and helpful, so going forward I’ll feel comfortable talking to people I meet out and about. I have already memorized a few bus lines, namely which ones go to the beach. And in my wanderings, I stumbled upon cool places I can’t wait to get back to! It was annoying to be lost and under the weather, but I’m thankful that I was pushed so far out of my comfort zone so early on. I may have failed a few times, but with persistence and positivity, I now know Sydney so much better than if I’d been glued to my phone navigation my first week here.