Andrew Lamont's Diary

Andrew is the winner of the 2007 Macquarie Scholarship. He arrived in Sydney on January 31 and this is the first of his journals.

Week 1 
January 31 - Feb. 3
 
After a massive last minute effort to pack all my things with out taking too much, I was off to San Francisco for an overnight flight to Sydney. Having been busy all week leading up to the day I left, the realization of what an awesome chapter of my life I was about to begin had been slow to set in but once I had cleared the intense scrutiny at the boarding gate and got on my plane I suddenly opened my eyes to the idea and was quite exhilarated. I was lucky enough to procure an exit row seat and was quite happy to have the extra leg-room for the trip.

After stowing my bag and taking my seat I was eager to see who I would be sitting next to for the 14 hour plane ride. I lucked out and my trip mate turned out to be a very nice lady from Canberra who was returning from her first time in the US and her first time out of Australia. We shared many stories and she joked with me about the slang I needed to learn and sites I needed to see once I was settled in Sydney. The flight was rather uneventful; I was actually able to sleep for a good while and just as my legs were trying to convince my body to start a mutiny on the plane the captain announced that we would be landing shortly and that it was a windy 25 degrees on the ground. After finally getting my bags and convincing the man at the baggage claim that the bag with the skateboard attached to it was actually mine I whisked through customs and met up with the driver taking me and two other students to Macquarie.

The driver was an absolute cracker of a character, part time airport bus driver, part time solicitor and head of a world competition-travelling Aussie barbeque team. He was very laid back and friendly and tried the whole ride to convince me to be his assistant at a future Jack Daniels cook- off in the States. I made no promises but I have his card, so we will see. He dropped me off at Macquarie University Village, an awesome spot that will be my home for the next 5 months. I am in an apartment with 5 rooms. The first day went very smoothly, all of my paperwork had been taken care of and my main goal was to meet my advisor and get the lay of the campus. The campus is a very beautiful area full of many grassy areas bordered by tall tress with the school buildings set amongst them. I made my way over to the International Students building and met my advisors who have and will be helping me immensely. They were very cool and have helped me get the classes I want and an internship with a local outdoor-rec program. It was quite a productive day and with my first practice the next day I hit the sack pronto.

I awoke the next day to rain outside and proceeded to be lazy all day to get over the jet lag and rest up for the first practice that evening. Since I couldn't wait to get started at practice I got there early to see what the field was like. What an awesome spot, after 3 years of playing on random fields in the US it is quite a reward to finally get to train and play on a true oval. A few of the blokes had turned up early as well and I went over and introduced myself to them and met the assistant coach who was filling in for the day and some of the boys. We started off by doing a few laps and more and more guys showed up and when practice began we had about 30 guys plus some of the under 18's. My goal in getting to Sydney so early was to be able to get in some pre-season training and be in good form when the season begins. This was only the 4th practice so I was glad I had showed up early. The coach introduced me to all the boys and they were all very friendly and helpful. I have no idea how I will keep track of all the nicknames (kinky, spaz, etc.) but I will try.

Friday was another long rainy day that I spent mostly organizing my stuff in the apartment and planning my itinerary for my foray into proper Sydney downtown the next day. Saturday was a brilliant sunny day and by 7.30 the absolute concerto of bird activity outside had convinced me to get up for a run. I jogged over to the athletic fields to see if I could find any trails to run on and as luck would have one I found a single track trail heading off into the bush. I immediately felt thrown into the wild as the brush surrounded me and all other sound were drowned out by the incredibly loud rhythmic humming off what i am guessing are crickets or cicadas. After about 10 minutes of jogging down the side of a small valley i burst onto a small road with a welcoming sign to Lane Cove National Park. I was amazed, a national park right in my back yard, definitely a find. I ran for another 20 minutes onward and was awed by the sheer beauty of the eucalyptus jungle forest and the swarm of giant sulphur crested cockatoos and other parrots that noisily squawked at my passing. The variety and activity of bird life here is amazing - unlike anything I have ever seen.

After that foray, I showered and headed to the bust stop to catch one to Sydney. Once we had negotiated the suburbs the bus began its crossing of the Harbor bridge and I was awe-struck by the view I took in. Th Opera House framed by the skyscrapers to the right and the harbor filled with more boats and ferries that I could ever have imagined to the left. I soon dis-embarked and for the next four hours took my own meandering tour by foot of the city. After taking in the George Street area I strolled through The Rocks and around to Circular Quay where I had lunch on a hill overlooking the Opera House and the bridge. I continued on to the Royal Botanical Gardens, full of sun bathers, exotic trees and birds and hundreds of squeaking fruit bats. After another stroll around the impressively modern Darling Harbor I was completely wiped and took the train back to Marsfield. What a Saturday.

- Andrew Lamont
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