One fun thing about studying abroad is the emphasis placed on exploring and learning in different ways and environments than usual. This translates to opportunities including service learning, internship placements, videos, artwork, guest speakers, and other field trips. For example, as an end of the semester trip, my Spanish class went sailing in San Fernando (it neighbors Tigre!) this past Friday.

In my quest to fit in as much as possible into my last week here in Sydney, I went to see Wicked at Capitol Theatre. For those who are unfamiliar (you should be ashamed of yourself), Wicked is the story of the Wicked Witch of the West and ultimately the back story of The Wizard of Oz. If you haven’t seen the musical there may be a spoiler or two in here so watch out!

Within Higashiyama Koen (東山公園) is the Higashiyama Zoo (東山動物園). I pass by 東山公園駅 everyday on my way to school and have been wanting to visit since I arrived in Nagoya. One weekend, my host family and I took advantage of the good weather and went to 東山動物園.

First, we went to the Children’s Zoo (子共動物園), which was a small petting zoo. There were goats and guinea pigs that could be touched and held, as well as rabbits, a cow and a horse that could only be seen in enclosures.

Thursdays are my favorite day of the week. Why? Because it’s Food Market Thursday of course! A girl in my program introduced us all to this amazing indoor market in Kreuzberg and now my friends and I make a (semi) regular appearance. Dozens of vendors line the inside of an old warehouse, serving anything from asian noodles and vegan burgers to traditional Bavarian dishes and gelato. The place is always packed with people, a mix of Berliners and tourists from all over the world. The diversity of food and people makes for a great atmosphere.