Things I learned in my first 24 hours in Sydney

1. Hostel rooms can be smaller than college dorm rooms and fit twice the number of people

2. The Pitt Street Mall is actually a maze in disguise

a.       The Prada and designer clothes zone is not on the way to the food court

b.      Concierges at the Pitt Street Mall are cheerful and nice

3. Passionfruit does not exist in Sydney (sad face), but passionfruit gelato does

4. The free shuttle bus stops running at 3:30 pm

 5. It can start pouring at any moment, but especially after 3:30 pm

6. Within several hours of being in Sydney one can develop an accent (according to the hostel front desk)

7. Apparently giving your resume to a café manager earns you a trial period (we’ll see how that goes)

8. Gulls taking baths in street fountains are pretty cute, but street-smart ibises lurking near restaurants – not so much

9. Yes, that super loud squeaking in the trees is in fact rainbow lorikeets

10. Guys running job advice offices are surprisingly interested in caterpillar to butterfly metamorphosis and know all about Silicon Valley 

11. Lunchtime in Hyde Park features lots of school kids in dorky uniforms talking about Facebook statuses

12.  Funky brown birds with yellow beaks love grills and climbing under tables

13. Jet-lag lasts forever…good night!