So Many Stairs!!

The Three Sisters

The Blue Mountains were spectacular! We had a wonderful view of the valley and the Three Sisters, which are a rock formation. The valley was similar looking to the Grand Canyon, except it was covered with a eucalyptus forest. It also had a sandstone plateau. 

The Blue Mountains

We took a long hike down the mountain. I went down more stairs in this hike than all the stairs I have ever went down in my entire life, or at least that is what it felt like. The stairs were very narrow and steep. Unfortunately, I did a lot of looking at my feet instead of the view because the path was uneven and I did not want to trip! It was very hot, but thanks to all the beautiful trees, we had shade covering us for most of the hike. Through out the hike I heard lots of noises. Most of them were birds or insects. I also saw a little brown lizard, but I almost missed him because he was sitting on a brown rock. There were huge rocks all around our walk. In the places were the sun could not shine through, the rocks were covered with moss.

Waterfall

My favorite stop along the hike was at the waterfall. I could hear it off in the distance and could not wait to see it. When we got there, the site was incredible! It started way at the top of the mountains and ran under the bridge we walked over. It was such a peaceful place.

The trip we took to the Blue Mountains relates to this course because it fits into the tourism industry. Australia gets thousands of tourists who come to see the uniqueness of these mountains. They also come to see the Three Sisters and to hear of the legend behind these formations. It also relates to the mining industry because the Blue Mountains are rich in coal, which means it plays a large role in the global economy. Its role is so large because so many countries are dependent on Australia’s coal exports and without them, many countries would not have enough coal to support their energy usage. 

I'm an Aussie

I have experienced many great adventures so far! It would be impossible for me to write about every single one, so I will just highlight a few things and then go into the academic portion. Yes, believe it or not, I have been doing homework!

On the first day, we landed in Sydney at 9:30am and got checked into our rooms at Sydney University Village. Then we went on a walking tour around Sydney and I got to see the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, Hyde Park and much, much more! It was wonderful to get to know the city and it’s heritage. Then the next day, we did a bus tour around Sydney and I got to see the Pacific Ocean. We took a 3 mile walk along the coastline and got to play in the ocean at Bondi Beach! It was wonderful! Yesterday, we got to tour the Sydney Olympic Park and go on a very long and scenic hike in the Blue Mountains. It was absolutely beautiful up there! Today we had a guest lecturer, Lynne Chester, who is a professor at Sydney University talk to us about Australia’s role in coal mining. Then tonight is the huge New Years Eve celebration! We will be down on the Sydney Harbor watching the fireworks! I cannot wait! 

Australia is a country born of Globalization 1.0 because of all their exports. Australia is the world’s largest coal exporter and exports most of its coal to Asia. Japan and China are two major receivers of this coal. Australia also exports gold. According to Michael Heath’s article in Bloomberg Magazine, shipments of gold have rose 36 percent.

The authors of The World Is Spiky, which is an economic article found in the Atlantic Monthly, argues that the world is flat, meaning that the world is still not fully connected. Barriers such as population, light emissions, patents and scientific citations confirm that the world is disconnected. The countries of South America and Africa do not have an Internet connection, which disconnects them from the rest of the world. Until these countries can connect on a global scale, the world will remain flat.

The people who I saw at Bondi Beach, were of all ages and nationalities. It was hard to distinguish who was actually from Australia. We met some young adults at the beach who looked like they were from Asia, but they were from Australia. However, I did see some “typical Australians” who were like the European Model, from the Typical Australian article. They were physically oversized and very tan. The trip to the beach is part of Globalization 3.0 because people from all over the world were at the beach. These days individual people are empowered to travel anywhere around the world. 

Australia Is Almost Here

I cannot believe I leave for Australia in only 17 days!
This is my first blog post ever! I am so excited to share all of my Australian expeditions with all of you! Once I actually get to Australia, I will be uploading academic and personal posts to keep you updated with everything I am learning and everything else I am experiencing. I am looking forward to experiencing a new culture, learning about the Australian economic system and of course, soaking up the sun!
The photo above is of my 3 lovely roommates and myself. It is our "Family" Christmas card. I am going to miss these girls, but I cannot wait to travel to one of my top places to visit on my bucket list!