Submitted by Nicole Latino on the 2012 summer session Australia EDUC program…
Before we even left the States, our study abroad group met a very interesting Australian family in the JFK airport. Our group talked to a girl in year 7, (our 6th grade) named Lily, who was filled with tips and answers about our intended trip to her homeland. Lily’s family was coming home from a two month world tour, which included stops in South Africa, Egypt, US and other countries. I have found that all the Australians I have met, are the most generous people!…
Hello from down under! It’s only been five official days here in Australia, but my trip has already been pack full of adventure. After a 21-ish hour flight, we arrived on day one, May 31st, at 9 am. The day consisted of the group exploring our new home for the next two weeks, the beautiful city of Melbourne. I have to admit, however, that most of our exploring consisted of finding some sort of food product. (After two days of airplane food you would be thinking the same way). Surprisingly, we beat jet- lag pretty successfully, with only two members of our group giving in to sleep.
On day two, we attended a lecture on the history of Australia given by Andrew Lemon. After the lecture, we went to Flag Staff Gardens, a very pretty park with some great views. Very interesting note, we saw basketball hoops with a backboard. (Very strange sight!) After the park, I ventured to the docklands. The docklands is home to a very strange sculpture accurately titled, “Cow in a Tree.” It literally was a cow upside down in a fake plastic tree.
Saturday morning, we ventured to the Queen Victoria Market,( aka. souvenir heaven). The market is acres long and filled with clothing, aboriginal art, food, key chains, basically a little bit of everything. Saturday night was game night! Our group was lucky enough to get tickets to an Australian Rules Football game featuring the Melbourne Demons and the Essendon Bombers. The underdogs, the team we were supporting (don’t say rooting in Australia, it does not mean the same thing as it does back home) were victorious 58 to 52. I must say, I think I like Aussie Football better than the States version! The game is so action packed, and the outcome could go either way. Two of my fellow peers were lucky enough to meet a couple of the players and walk onto the field (which is round.)
Sunday was tourist day. We went to the Melbourne Museum, the Shrine of Remembrance, Botanical Gardens, and China town. The Shrine of Remembrance offered gorgeous 360 views of the Melbourne skyline. On Monday, we attended a lecture at the University of Melbourne about their master’s program in Education. Tuesday entailed our first school visit to an Australian School. St. Paul’s invited us into their classrooms with open arms (including tea and biscuits). The school was very progressive with its ethos, but I found the school completely enthralling. Without going into too much explanation, I think that American schools could learn a lot from the structure of St. Paul’s, because it focused more on children acting independently, and included an emphasis on positive feedback rather than negative discipline. Can you believe it’s been less than a week?
