"Shelly and Mckayla"

First of all, I wanted to introduce myself since I forgot to do that in my last post. My name is Liza and I joined this program to step out of my comfort zone. I know that seems cliché, but it has already been so rewarding. In fact, Sydney has far exceeded my expectations. I am so thankful for the many friends and memories I have made thus far, and we have only been here a little over two weeks. One of my most recent memories was the celebration of Australia Day, which is sort of equivalent to the 4th of July in America. I had one of the best days ever. We started out by going to this cute little country club scene called "The Greens" where we listened to live music, bought a "watermelon kegger" drink (pictured below), held reptiles, and even tested our luck with slot machines. When I held a python (pictured below), it started to actually choke me and the man had to rip it off of me which I am sure was entertaining to observe.
After The Greens, we decided to venture down right outside of Sydney Harbour and station ourselves  at a bar before the fireworks started. We got to know a lot more about each other, and shared a bunch of belly laughs which was really special. We actually stayed at the bar for three hours and didn't even realize it because we were so invested in our conversations, so when we saw the first fireworks shoot into the sky, we got up and sprinted to the harbour. Unfortunately, we found out that the harbour was at max capacity, and security guards were not going to allow anyone else to enter by the time we got there. We started to panic. We absolutely NEEDED to get the full Australia Day experience, so we had to think on our feet. A scheme was forming. Don't judge us, but we sort of bent the truth by saying that we were staying in one of the hotels in the harbour and that we "just wanted to get to our room." It almost actually worked when we started to say, "We are so sorry but we are new here and don't know what else to do." I actually didn't do the talking, because I sweat and panic when I lie, so I stayed in the back of my group of friends and just nodded my head quietly. One of the guards asked us to show our key card to prove that we actually lived in the hotel, so we all pulled out our generic Urbanest key card, and somehow he was convinced. He told us that once he got the area cleared, we would be allowed through. Unfortunately, the guard who gave us that assurance disappeared and a new guard came up to us and kicked us out.
With sad expressions on our faces, we went around the corner to see if we could try our luck with a new set of guards at a different gate. Out of nowhere, two of my friends made up a story that we were trying to meet our Australian friends and that our phones were all dead so we were lost. The guards asked what the names of our friends were, so we looked at each other and panicked. One of us said "Shelly", and another one of us said "Mckayla," so naturally our whole group said "Shelly and Mckayla" in unison as if it was rehearsed. They weren't gonna let us in. It was tragic, but they asked us where we were from. We said Tennessee, and one of the guards blurted out, "Australia is better." We weren't sure how to respond, so we just sort of giggled. He then said, "Well, our government is better." We did not want to have to respond to his comment, so we said, "If you see our friends, let them know we tried" and walked away. For whatever reason, God spoke to us in the most majestic way. A glowing revolving door a few yards away was unlocked. We peeped in and saw a hidden staircase that led right down to the harbour. After everything we had gone through with both the hotel and the Shelly/Mckayla schemes, we somehow were able to just waltz right into the harbour for the firework show. I felt kind of bad since several families with children were begging the previous guards to let them in, yet we were able to just slide right through. It was spectacular. The atmosphere was stunning, and it is something that I will never forget. There was live music, a view of the water, and one of the most fabulous firework shows I have ever experienced. The national pride that the people of Australia had gave me goose bumps. That moment was when I realized that Sydney was exactly where I needed to be. I have met the most incredible people that I fully intend to remain friends with for a long time, and I already know that I will be sad to leave Australia in April. To my fellow CCI Global Scholars, I love you and I am so thankful I get to experience this wonderful place with all of you!

Until next time,
Liza


P.s. follow me on Instagram
@liza_cunningham to see my adventures!