Submitted by Monika Marciszewski on the 2014 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the College of Engineering…
My past week in Melbourne, Australia with the CIEG/MEEG program has been fantastic. We are staying at Swinburne University, which is right outside the city of Melbourne. The area has incredible public transportation services, so we are a 10-15 minute train ride away from the heart of Melbourne. There are so many things to do in the city. On Wednesday evening, I went to the Queen Victoria Market. Every Wednesday night, they set up a huge trading area, where vendors from all over come to sell their goods and food. They were selling every type of cuisine imaginable, and the trading area was completely packed with people. On Friday, our group went to dinner in South Bank, which is a trendy area of Melbourne along the beautiful Yarra River. There are a ton of high end restaurants and shops there. Since it was a Friday, there were also street performers. We watched a man swallow a sword and juggle flaming batons. I also went to the beach, which needless to say was a very enjoyable January activity.