I really don't think any length or quality of blog could do this trip justice. Just saying. But I'll try. Its Saturday right now, and already this trip has been incredible and so much has happened.
And before I confuse you by talking out of order, I'll just say what my flight itinerary was for the flights. I flew from Pittsburgh to Dallas on American, then from Dallas to LA on American, then LA to Sydney on Qantas, and finally from Sydney to Darwin on Qantas. Everyone that had talked about Qantas Airlines was right- it is definitely one of the best airlines in the world and far outshines companies like American and US Airways. Our US flights were 3 hours long and they brought you a single drink. Reasonable, right? The Qantas flight from Sydney to Darwin was 3.5 hours long and they brought out a full meal, as well as coffee, tea, and ice cream after lunch.
But the real flight that deserves discussion was of course the 14 hour 30 min flight from LA to Sydney. It took off on June 11th at 1030pm and landed June 13th (Monday) at 630am in Sydney. Qantas showed what they are made of, and the flight was incredible. The seats had carbon fiber chair backs, plush red seats, and an entertainment centre that had never ending options for movies to watch and games to play right in front of you. The entertianment centre had over 100 games and movies each, all recent and Oscar winning classics. After playing multiplayer local network battleship against a friend on the plane, I watched The Hurt Locker and The Adjustment Bureau to occupy my time. They also brought out multiple meals, and there was a drink and snacks cart in the back that you could visit at any time and get whatever you want for free (including free alcoholic drinks, if that's your thing. Not something you'll see on US Air).
When we got our baggage and rode to our hostel in Darwin (they drive on the left here if you didn't know), immediately we could tell we were somewhere else entirely. Car brands like Holden, newspaper headlines about what the "ballyhoo" was with local labor movements, and Australians proudly wearing their Queensland Maroons or State of Origin Blues rugby jerseys were all over the place.
It may look like the group is solely learning Australian culture, but inf act we're learning about the cultural differences between our own culture and so many others. In the Energy Tomorrow group alone there are people from Seattle, Indiana, Georgia, California, Venezuela, and Colombia, not even talking about other groups or people at the hostel which include students from Hong Kong, Germany, and other areas in Australia. The best way to learn cultural differences is of course to talk to others, and the group has come together really quickly and its been a lot of fun.
This blog is already probably too long and starting to bore you, so I'll leave you with this. In later posts I can start getting more into Australian culture and how interesting it has been to meet up and talk for hours with Australians from places like Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Darwin, and Perth- they're some of the nicest and most interesting people I've met in a long time.
And before I confuse you by talking out of order, I'll just say what my flight itinerary was for the flights. I flew from Pittsburgh to Dallas on American, then from Dallas to LA on American, then LA to Sydney on Qantas, and finally from Sydney to Darwin on Qantas. Everyone that had talked about Qantas Airlines was right- it is definitely one of the best airlines in the world and far outshines companies like American and US Airways. Our US flights were 3 hours long and they brought you a single drink. Reasonable, right? The Qantas flight from Sydney to Darwin was 3.5 hours long and they brought out a full meal, as well as coffee, tea, and ice cream after lunch.
But the real flight that deserves discussion was of course the 14 hour 30 min flight from LA to Sydney. It took off on June 11th at 1030pm and landed June 13th (Monday) at 630am in Sydney. Qantas showed what they are made of, and the flight was incredible. The seats had carbon fiber chair backs, plush red seats, and an entertainment centre that had never ending options for movies to watch and games to play right in front of you. The entertianment centre had over 100 games and movies each, all recent and Oscar winning classics. After playing multiplayer local network battleship against a friend on the plane, I watched The Hurt Locker and The Adjustment Bureau to occupy my time. They also brought out multiple meals, and there was a drink and snacks cart in the back that you could visit at any time and get whatever you want for free (including free alcoholic drinks, if that's your thing. Not something you'll see on US Air).
When we got our baggage and rode to our hostel in Darwin (they drive on the left here if you didn't know), immediately we could tell we were somewhere else entirely. Car brands like Holden, newspaper headlines about what the "ballyhoo" was with local labor movements, and Australians proudly wearing their Queensland Maroons or State of Origin Blues rugby jerseys were all over the place.
It may look like the group is solely learning Australian culture, but inf act we're learning about the cultural differences between our own culture and so many others. In the Energy Tomorrow group alone there are people from Seattle, Indiana, Georgia, California, Venezuela, and Colombia, not even talking about other groups or people at the hostel which include students from Hong Kong, Germany, and other areas in Australia. The best way to learn cultural differences is of course to talk to others, and the group has come together really quickly and its been a lot of fun.
This blog is already probably too long and starting to bore you, so I'll leave you with this. In later posts I can start getting more into Australian culture and how interesting it has been to meet up and talk for hours with Australians from places like Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Darwin, and Perth- they're some of the nicest and most interesting people I've met in a long time.
It's true- we're actually in Australia
Some of the guys
Some of the girls
Local Aborigines with a Didjeridu
Sunset in Darwin, Australia at the Mindil Markets
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