By Dharma Bendersky, ISA Australia, Director of Operations
Everyone knows you, they’ve all seen how beautiful you are, they all know you’re a global city and that, unlike Melbourne with its culture, café’s, and coolness (yes, yes we know it always gets voted in the top three most livable cities in the world, and we love to hate it for that too…) you don’t need any of that to impress people. You’ve got natural beauty – harbors, amazing beaches, iconic buildings, warm and sunny weather, and world class universities.
And that’s why people from all around the world come to visit and study, and want to stay…because you make living life so enjoyable. You’re green and leafy, you’re chaotic and exciting, you’re full of parks and places to enjoy the outdoors, you’ve got amazing places to eat, and you’re safe, laid-back and friendly.
Sure it takes a few days/weeks to really understand what the locals are saying in their funny accent, and so what if shops shut at 5pm and the nightlife stops at 10pm, people shouldn’t be out at that time anyway if they want to get up early for a surf or for a morning run along a breathtaking ocean walkway, and stop for the best coffee they’ve ever tasted at a cool beach café.
Yeah, you’re a bit expensive, but jobs are easy to find and the minimum wage is $18 an hour so it’s easy to make some good money, no matter how long you’re here for (and students can legally work 20 hours per week!); and while no one can actually afford to buy a house anymore, there’s no more enjoyable day than catching a ferry across the sparkling harbor and dreaming about which waterfront house you’d buy if you won the lottery…and if that gets boring, watching whales and dolphins jumping and playing quickly brings a smile and a sense of awe.
Sure your roads are busy, but there’s plenty of buses, trains and trams to get you wherever you want to go, or there’s an Uber on every corner…
And your sport, people are spoiled for choice between seeing muscular men in tight shorts and sleeveless shirts kicking a small oval-shaped ball around at an Aussie Rules game (Australian Football League), watching the Aussies lose to the New Zealand All Blacks in rugby (no wonder though, have you ever seen a Haka!!!), or they can join a local sports club or uni (university) sports team in whatever sport they like (there’s something for all ages and skill levels).
So what if that’s not enough for them? What if people want to see something else? Well, you’re surrounded on three sides by national parks…the world heritage Blue Mountains to the west, Kuringai to the north, and to the south the 2nd oldest national park in the world in the Royal National Park (Yellowstone in the USA is the oldest). People can hike to their hearts content and see truly unique landscapes without travelling more than a few hours in any direction. And of course to the east there are more sandy white beaches to choose from then there are days in the week to enjoy them!
Decisions, decisions, decisions…
So Sydney, yes, you’re amazing, yes, you’re worth visiting, but to really get to know you, people need to dig a little and live you…become a local (or Sydneysider as they’re called), become familiar with you, learn what you’re all about, so they can rave about you to all their friends and family.
Thankfully there’s a really easy way to do this…becoming an ISA Sydney student! Imagine spending 6 months living and studying in Sydney and experiencing all that it has to offer, and being fully supported by a team of local ISA staff to help you get the most out of your time there… it’s a truly life-changing experience. For more information and to hear from others who’ve taken up this once in a life-time opportunity contact ISA today, and we’ll see you soon in sunny Sydney!
