Submitted by Daniel Intriago on the 2019 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Chemical Engineering…
The first week of a new experience is always the most challenging and exciting. In the case of the CHEG Melbourne study abroad program, I am expected to maintain a strong work ethic while living in an unknown area with a different culture. This week, I was able to get accustomed to my classes – we have a heavy workload, so I have been keeping a strict weekly schedule to ensure I can complete all work in a timely fashion so that I have additional time to explore the city of Melbourne and learn about its differences from my U.S. East Coast experiences. Luckily, everyone in Melbourne speaks English, and the primary cultural differences are nuances such as vernacular and habitual, everyday customs. For example, understanding some of the people with which I interact can be difficult due to certain unknown terms like ‘arvo’ for afternoon, ‘thongs’ for flip-flops, etc. Through some of these difficulties, however, I have been able to learn a bit about the history of Melbourne (and Australia) through one of my courses and through my exploration of the Melbourne Museum.