One Month In

I can't believe I have been here a month already, and am honestly a little disappointed to think I only have 3 months left in Australia. I will continue to try to get as much out of my time here as I can and as the warmer months continue to approach, I can collect some better snapshots and take advantage of Sydney beaches.

As for today's agenda, I was able to meet with a Portfolio Manager of an American hedge fund which actually has an office here in lovely Sydney. The office is located in the historic part of the city called "The Rocks" which is also right on the water. Despite the location, the manager himself actually trades predominantly in the American markets (go figure) but I have a hard time believing he would trade the Sydney locale and weather for Greenwich, CT (where the fund's headquarters are). I really enjoyed getting to pick his brain on his trading strategy and get details about the firm itself and if their compliance department gives the go-ahead, it looks like I may be able to shadow his trading activities.

After the meeting, I sprinted to the nearest bus stop to get back to campus with classes on my schedule from 1-4 and then another from 4-6. With classes dominating my entire afternoon, I was invited to dinner with some Australian friends who have in a sense taken on a role that is essentially a host family and enjoyed some unreal chicken curry and plenty of Australian-grown fruit including a new staple in my diet; the kiwi.

With the time difference from here to the US, I wanted to wish a happy birthday to my brother Matt who is now 16 which didn't hit me until I just typed that number. Scary to think he is legally allowed to sit behind the wheel of a car especially judging by the way he drives the jetski.

 The iconic Sydney Harbor Bridge

Older buildings in "The Rocks"

 
Restaurant owned by famous LA Galaxy soccer player Kobe Jones (about as famous as soccer players get)

Kangaroo for Dinner

Earlier today, I wrapped up the Sydney Winter Baseball season in Quakers Hill about a 40 minute drive from where I am in Sydney. I enjoyed my time with the team and and experienced some success in Aussie baseball hitting .460. I will continue playing as we begin to change seasons as it gets warmer and the summer league starts up.



Now onto the topic of Australian food. While there is a lot of the same food here as in the US with a lot of Asian influence, especially Thai, there is definitely some food which is unique to Australia. Which brings me to my dinner tonight...

so good

Miso Soup and Sushi

After getting to my internship bright and early and working some modeling magic on excel while sifting through financial statements, I was invited to Sushi Tei (a Japanese Restaurant) for lunch courtesy of the company credit card. 

 

(Sushi Tei, Sydney)

I got to take full advantage of enjoying what was easily the best sushi of my life; and tried everything from an eel roll to octopus, squid, salmon, tofu (underrated food), and tuna...but that was only the appetizer. The meal included miso soup which tasted similar to french onion soup, but you added anything you wanted to it as you cook it at your table your own way and can toss this unbelievably amazing beef, noodles, vegetables, and even an egg among other things. While Sydney itself is not cheap, lobster is as a delicacy is taken to the next level as its so rare it sells for over $100 per pound (at least at this place).

Since tipping is not used normally at all in Australia, the service is much different and the table had a button which you pushed if you wanted something, definitely different than American style restaurants. After wrapping up an amazing lunch (which makes me hungry to think about) I was able to meet an executive in the hedge fund industry at his office which overlooked the city of Sydney and the Opera House itself. I finished off the day by getting in some boxing and conditioning at the gym where the club trains.

Overall not a bad day.

Day 25

Was able to head out to one of the "ovals" used for cricket, rugby, and baseball to get in some morning sprints to kick off the day. Will be headed to class shortly, then planning an excursion in to Sydney and thinking of seeing Dawes Point 

and hanging out in the Royal Botanical Gardens to enjoy the day.

Sydney Tower, Aquarium, and more baseball

Got to see the city of Sydney from the Westfield Tower yesterday. The tower is 305 meters tall, as high as the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

Afterwards I went to the Sydney Aquarium to chill with some sharks and see other sea creatures. 

Today I had a another chance to play baseball Aussie style and picked up a couple more hits, RBI, and stolen bags while getting to face an Australian pitcher who pitched in Double-A ball a few years back. The field itself was in Hawkesbury, described by my teammates as being "in the boonies" and a great place to go cowtipping. The guys on the team and Australians in general have a unique but very entertaining sense of humor. The Aussies love messing with a French player on our team, while cracking jokes among each other.

I finished off the weekend with a weekly dinner at some friends and family's house and tried some Turkish Tea, which seems to be glorified hot cider.

Boxing in Australia

Having already met former Kickboxing World champion Grant "The Bomber" Barker who introduced me to boxing and gave me his old jump rope, I joined Sydney University's boxing club tonight and will get to train with them during my time here as cross-training for baseball. It'll be interesting to see how baseball translates to the ring.

Looking forward to checking out the Sydney Aquarium tomorrow using the tickets I got courtesy of the University baseball coach.

 Grant Barker during his fighting days

Casinos, Ferrari's, and Baseball

Now 3 days into the start of classes I have firmed up my schedule composed of Investment/Portfolio Management, Financial Math, Mergers & Acquisitions, and an Internship in Sydney's Central Business District (CBD).

After my first class of the day, I went with a new friend to Star City Casino in Sydney to take advantage of $10 lunch special at their awesome buffet. On the way out I snapped a couple pictures of the red Ferrari's parked out front (5 to be exact) and after returning to campus and sitting through another class, I got in some practice with other Sydney Uni baseball guys. I also met another new player from the US who plays ball at Amherst College in Mass. That makes 3 Americans across the club's 3 teams including another from Georgia who played D2 ball at Albany State.

 Star City CasinoOne of 5 Ferrari's in the background