Submitted by a student on the 2020 winter session study abroad program in Australia sponsored by the School of Nursing…
I have been loving Sydney, Australia for the week that I have been here. I have learned many things about the cultural differences when compared to the United States. Some of the major quirks I have experienced are the differences in currency (size/shape/value of coins) and how they don’t have 1 cent coins, therefore rounding most of their change, they say “lift” instead of elevator, they don’t know what lemonade is (they think it’s soda), and they love American sports. Many of these surprised me, but the most shocking thing was my misconception about the Sydney Opera House. This iconic venue can be seen in many forms of media, one of the most famous being the major motion picture, “Finding Nemo”. In most photos and videos, the Sydney Opera House is seen from the side. What most people don’t know about this iconic building is that the sail-like structure is actually three separate structures. On my program, we got a behind-the-scenes tour of this amazing building. Our tour guide gave us a glimpse into the secrets and history of this venue. If you look closely, the off-white building is made of small ceramic tiles, consisting of triangles and squares, that are almost never stained (see picture). The color changes slightly based on the amount of sun reflecting off or the amount of rain the city has gotten. The building is never cleaned because the rain washes away any impurities. My tour guide also explained that the concept of the building is based on spheres, which was a famous engineering feat for its time. Other than the architecture of the building, our guide gave us insights about the secrets of the stage and the supposedly ghostly history of the building. This experience was one I will not soon forget!