Melbourne: August 1 – 5
After the hectic Singapore schedule, it was such a pleasure to have several unscheduled days in Melbourne. Arriving from tropical Singapore, it was a shock to arrive in the antipodean winter—with temps hovering around 50 Fahrenheit! Melbourne is a lovely city with some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted. It was a blast to explore the city and its environs for a few days. Karalyn and I ventured on a winery tour, and had an awesome time sampling the various varietals around the Yarra Valley wine region.
One exciting development during our stay in Melbourne: officer elections! I was thrilled to welcome Jay Hong and AJ to Dins leadership, and I participated in the democratic transfer of power by resigning my own role as Producer. Alas, such is life for a graduating senior.
Sydney: August 6 – 11
After Melbourne, we had an amazing stay in Sydney. We were greeted at the airport by Ted Blamey, a Harvard alumnus and longtime friend of the Dins. Ted took us for a night on the town, showing us around all of Sydney’s historic bars. It was such fun to go along with Ted because of his deep knowledge of all things Australia (by the end of the night I had learned the rules to Australian football). An amazing first night.
The Dins had a fun performance at the Harvard Club of Australia. It was a beautiful event at a downtown building abutting Sydney Harbor; dozens of Harvard Club affiliates came to enjoy music and dinner. Prior to our performance, though, the club’s President delivered a lecture on the state of U.S.–Australia relations. As a politics nerd and Government concentrator, I enjoyed this a whole lot—not a bad opener for a Dins concert!
Our final night in Sydney, we performed at the opulent Royal Sydney Yacht Squadron. The Dins enjoyed hors d’oeuvres with the RSYS guests, then we all sat down to a three-course meal. After an amazing (and hilarious) introduction by Ted, the Dins performed a set during the dessert portion of the meal. This gig was so fun—Mattheus and I were seated next to an engineer and a pilot, so conversation was predictably fascinating. It was a fantastic last night abroad.
