Australia: “Work Hard, Play Hard”

Submitted by Mary Galanek on the 2018 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering…

“Work hard, play hard” is the slogan my professors use to describe the CIEG Australia program. As junior engineering majors, the late nights and workloads are second nature, but the added twist of a foreign country was something to be intimidated by.  I feared I would struggle to balance the fun of exploring Australia with the course work I am assigned. Luckily, however, the adjustment has been slow, steady and worth every minute. My classmates and I work together to stay on top of our material and we also work together to plan different day trips. In just one short week we have toured the city, visited museums, spent the day at the beach, played at the zoo and completed two lengthy problem sets. I have indulged in the food, I have shopped at the local markets and I have been able to take on every opportunity that has been presented to me. Fortunately, I packed time management skills I developed at UD and have been able to apply them to my course load here. However, this is not to say that I am mastering my classes or homework, but rather that I am allowing myself to have fun while also working hard to stay on track. I am fortunate because my fellow classmates are very encouraging of one another and my professors have been readily available to ease any homework anxiety we face. I hope moving forward that I don’t let the work get away from me. There are many distractions here and I want to experience everything, but I also know that I am very serious about school and want to succeed to the best of my ability. In this first week, I really have had so many experiences that I will look back on and feel proud about. I am enjoying my time here and I am learning a lot about the Australian culture. I hope these next four weeks are full of more experiences, good food, no sun burns and hopefully good grades.

Brighton Beach, Melbourne
Immigration Museum, Melbourne