Monday
So my first priority after getting to the hotel was to get a SIM chip for my phone so I could use Google Maps to find my way around town, and so I had a local number to give people. I asked Devlin for a recommended carrier because I needed it to be cheap since I won't have income until at least September. I ended up going with Amaysim, which offers unlimited Australian calls and texts and 4GB of "3G" data. I say put 3G in " because Australian 3G is U.S. HSPA...so it's not all that bad actually. And for $40AUD/month, it's affordable.
Monday
https://www.mynetstuff.com/blog/10-back-for-the-first-time.html#sigProIdfaeb59be4c
So my first priority after getting to the hotel was to get a SIM chip for my phone so I could use Google Maps to find my way around town, and so I had a local number to give people. I asked Devlin for a recommended carrier because I needed it to be cheap since I won't have income until at least September. I ended up going with Amaysim, which offers unlimited Australian calls and texts and 4GB of "3G" data. I say put 3G in " because Australian 3G is U.S. HSPA...so it's not all that bad actually. And for $40AUD/month, it's affordable.
Once I got my phone all set up, I made my way to the bank to start that process. Unfortunately, they don't open accounts immediately and give temporary cards like they do in the U.S., so I had to request an account, get approved, then wait for my card/account numbers. This took longer than expected because they were also switching over to a new system which added a few days delay. I never did get to meet William (the guy who answered all of our questions while I was still in TX about my international accounts).
I ran out of time to get the bike tires on Monday because I wanted to check in at the dive shop so that I could go diving on Tuesday, so I made my way up there. I also didn't make it to the beach because I needed to check in. Anyway, I did make it dow to the shop to meet Carl and Sam. After running through the IDC paperwork and my account at the shop, Carl gave me times to get at the bus station the next day for the dives. It's a nice shop...smaller than you'd think for how popular and financially large they are. Not only are they the best dive shop in Sydney (by numerous polls), but they're also the Oceanic Dealer of the Year several years running.
I made my way back to my hotel, and had a "steak" for dinner across the street at another hotel. I wouldn't really call this a steak, as it was more like a gas station steak you'd find in the middle of TX at a cheap gas station. My mom may remember the gas station steak we had one time...
Tuesday
https://www.mynetstuff.com/blog/10-back-for-the-first-time.html#sigProId71baf3c2df
So Tuesday I woke up at 5 because I had to be at the train station at 8, and wanted time to get everything together and make it to the train station so I didn't miss Carl. I found a coffee shop that was open and had a cappuccino and a sausage roll (like sausage egg and cheese in a crescent). Carl ran into traffic so he was late anyway...but we made it to the shop, I loaded my gear, and we headed to Mission Impossible 2 Island (Bare Island).
I was basically tagging along with an open water course of 2 students with an instructor going through the same thing I was about to start. I did take my new GoPro setup and got some nice footage. I'm definitely going to have to learn to hold it more still with the currents and surge they have over here. :P We did 3 dives, saw some cuttlefish among other things, and I got to know 2 of the interns I'd be staying with at the house; David and Lola. Oh! As I'm writing this (3 weeks late, I know), Lola just reminded me that we saw dolphins on the surface on my first dive. Apparently that makes me lucky. 
I was hoping they'd get closer, but apparently they don't like the bubbles because it throws off their sonar.
After the dives, we got back to the shop around 5-ish, so I just washed my gear and walked my dive bag back to the intern house as my first drop off. I met Alex (another intern who was done, just waiting for her last day) and helped Lola with her dive computer since she was having trouble downloading the dives. I didn't stay long as I was tired and still had an hour or so trip back to the hotel.
Once I got back, I downloaded my GoPro footage and started digging through it. That didn't last long though...I ended up crashing at 8.
Wednesday
https://www.mynetstuff.com/blog/10-back-for-the-first-time.html#sigProIdd00440a218
Today, I woke up at 4 and I was going to go to Starbucks and study the last few modules I had for my pre-IDC e-learning and go through the Emergency First Response Instructor training, but they don't open until like 7 over here...so I ended up at McDonalds because they had free WIFI and they were already open. Check it out!
I spent an hour or two going through that training, then worked my way over to JayCar Electronics (Radio Shack for AU) to pick up some universal power cables for my projector and my server. Went to the Apple store to pick up another AU charger for my 2amp plug and it was cheaper to just buy another charger than it was to buy the international kit; they should sell those things separately. I went by St. Clarence Cyclery and bought tires and a pump, then walked down the road to Jet Cycles and found everything for $20 cheaper...so St. Clarence is like the Apple Store of Bicycle shops. I walked back to the hotel and put the tires on, then walked the bike back to Jet Cycles to air up the tires since the pump I bought was one of those CO2 cartridges and didn't want to burn through both of them just filling the tires for the first time. Unfortunately I pinched my tube on the way back to Jet Cycles and had to do a tube replacement there in the store. 
So I replaced the tube, bought another, then rode my bike back to the hotel.
I dropped my bike off at the hotel, packed my bag for the beach, and headed to Bondi. I did finally make it to Speedo's Cafe...my new favorite coffee shop...sponsored by my favorite swimsuit. 
I did my last two e-learning modules and had a coffee. By the time I finished, it was too chili to actually get in the water, so I just enjoyed the view and walked the beach.
I made my way back to the hotel, rode my bike to the train station, then took the train back down to Ramsgate to drop my bike off at the intern house. I had to move my stuff in stages so that it was all there by Friday since we decided to do a study session on Friday to see where everyone was at after the e-learning. I didn't stay long at the intern house again because I still had the 1hr trip back. It took me like 5-10 minutes to ride my bike from the station to the house, but it takes close to 30 minutes to walk...now if I can just get my trust up enough to lock my bike there it'll save me a lot of time. Apparently, my wallet fell out at the intern house and I somehow made my way all the way back to the train station before I realized it, but I did figure it out and called Lola to have her bring it Thursday morning since we were going to meet up to get her phone fixed and just hang out. Because of this, I didn't have any money for dinner, so I ended up having Tim Tams and water for dinner. 
Thursday
https://www.mynetstuff.com/blog/10-back-for-the-first-time.html#sigProIdd0a26bfd2c
So I was going to go diving today, but it was going to be Bare Island again, and just tagging along on another Open Water course, so I just decided to get all of my stuff together and go ahead and move it to the intern house. Lola offered to help get one of my bags up there which was pretty much the deciding factor. She didn't turn up in the city until about 12-ish, then it took us almost an hour to find each other, so I was starving (see Tim Tams and Water). The only reason we didn't eat first was because her phone shop was on the way to the restaurant, so we dropped off her phone then headed for food.
After brunch, my banker called regarding something we missed on my application (which meant another delay), so we headed to the bank to sign whatever all that was about. Since Lola didn't bring a swimsuit..because she's not a much a sucker for the water as me...we headed up to Circular Quay where the Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge are. It was pretty awesome to see it all in person, though I still can't justify $350AUD to climb the bridge. I can get a helicopter ride around Sydney for less than that...and I don't have to climb anything. At the Opera House, the seagulls have become quite friendly as seen in the attached pictures; They get really close. There's a nice restaurant over by the Opera House too that turned out to not be as expensive as we thought. Unfortunately they were setting up for Sydney Vivid, so we couldn't see how much a show at the house would cost...more to come on that later; I just really want to see a show in there. After relaxing, we headed down to pick up Lola's phone, grab my bags from the hotel, check out, and head to the intern house. I spent some time getting all of my stuff organized, because as of right now I'm in my own room...let's hope it stays that way, as the rooms are quite small...and I have a lot of shit.
Friday
Friday was relatively uneventful...I got up, went to the IDC study session, and went grocery shopping. The groceries at Coles (the closest grocery store to the house) are just a little higher than in the U.S., but the selection is quite limited. I'm going to be checking out Woolworth's and Aldi when I get a chance.
Well that's it for now...once again, sorry for the delay but the Internet is out at the intern house...still...so I'm limited on when I can write these and get pics put in. Please comment here rather than on FaceBook or G+ so we can keep the conversations shared!