Fulbright mid-year programme and award ceremony

It's hard to believe that I am halfway through my Fulbright grant! Today the other Fulbrighters and I gathered together at the Fulbright office to report on our projects and life in New Zealand thus far. It was  great to hear what everyone else had been up to these last fives months, their struggles, and their triumphs.

In addition to the mid-year programme, each year Fulbright hosts an award ceremony for its grantees at the Beehive, the Executive Wing of the New Zealand Parliament Buildings. It is commonly referred to as the Beehive, because it does, in fact, look exactly like a beehive. Photos of the event can be viewed here.

Sydney in a Day

On my way back from visiting the States, my flight from Sydney to Wellington was cancelled because of the Chilean ash cloud. The ash cloud was on its second time around the world and still causing airline disruptions, after erupting on June 4th. So the airline put me up in a hotel near the Sydney airport, and I got to explore the city for a day!

Of course my first priority was to see the esteemed Sydney Opera House. It doesn't look quite like it did in "Finding Nemo," but it's still pretty impressive. 

Sydney Opera House

Sydney Opera House

 After seeing the Opera House, I walked across perhaps the second most famous tourist attraction in Sydney: the Sydney Harbour Bridge. You can pay to climb up and walk along the top of the bridge, but as a student, I figured my money would be better spent by buying food for the next month. Needless to say, it's quite expensive to walk across the top.

Sydney Harbour Bridge

Sydney Harbour Bridge

I then met up with a friend from Wellington who had been in Australia for the last month. We walked over to the Royal Botanic Gardens and shortly thereafter (around 7pm) I headed back to my hotel room to collapse in a comfy, warm bed. I have to take advantage of the warmth before heading back to windy, wet Welly!

Royal Botanic Gardens

too long of a hiatus

First off, I apologize for the hiatus in posting. May was a very productive month for me in terms of my research,  and then I was in the States for most of June visiting family and friends. Going back to the States was definitely a bit weird, and I experienced far more culture shock than I had anticipated. It will be interesting to see how I feel when I head back to the States permanently in 6-7 months.

For now, I will try to post more regularly! I would promise, but I don't like breaking promises...