Time has passed and the question appears – did I find the great sitting spot that I was looking for? No. But let me tell you what happened instead.

Last time I mentioned the whole story about culture of movement in Sydney. So as a good international student I decided to surrender myself to this tradition and become more local by engaging with physical activities the way locals do it in Australia – meaning, everyday, everywhere, in any form possible. Well, how did it go, you might ask? First, I jumped on the great offer made by the University of Sydney and their unlimited pilates program and started going there at least four times per week with my Wellesley sib Saya (shoutout to her for keeping me accountable). After our classes we would usually go for a walk around Newtown, an artsy alternative neighborhood next to our campus, to get some coffee or matcha and enjoy sushi handrolls (another cheap and popular snack in Sydney next to frozen yogurt). I also decided to start trying new sports! With an attempt to surf already behind me, I joined our university’s diving club and started working on a diving license! It went slightly better than surfing. I got certified and got to enjoy the freezing mid-winter waters of the Australian coast (yes – I still haven’t learned to treat the weather in this country seriously).

Diverging slightly from the physical activities – or actually my attempt at them – I must say I started noticing more things about Sydney and the life of people here. The first thing is the vibrant immigrant community in Sydney and in general on the east coast of Australia. I haven’t lived before in a place with such diverse Asian communities as they are here, represented by both my school’s population and the abundance of great restaurants in the area. Walking around Newtown can really make you feel like you’re travelling to many parts of the world, all extremely tasty. You can also feel this diversity when walking through the markets, passing the different accents, food stands, and music mixing in the air.

And what did I learn from all that exploring? That Sydney people don’t slow down. Ever. They run before sunrise, dive before breakfast, and eat sushi while crossing the street. Meanwhile, I still get proud of myself for managing to catch the bus on time. I did find some nice benches by the water, but sitting down for more than 10 minutes immediately earns you a visit from an overconfident seagull (or three). Maybe the city just doesn’t want anyone to stay still for too long – including me.

So no, I didn’t find the perfect sitting spot. But I did find a way to keep moving, laugh at myself a bit more, and drink an unreasonable amount of matcha in the process. And honestly, that’s not a bad trade.

Kangaroo count: 0

Spider count: 0

Sunrises watched: 6

Frozen yogurt bowl eaten: 10+