Submitted by Allison Dolce on the 2024 Winter NURS program in Sydney, Australia…
My first week in Australia has been incredible. I have learned so much about the culture of Australia, and I have met some wonderful people on my program. We started off our week by learning about the history of Australia as a prior British colony. We took a tour of the historic Rocks District, which is a lovely area with lots of character. The next day we took a tour of the New South Wales Office of Health and Medical Research, learning all about the Australian healthcare system. As our program is all nursing majors, it was fascinating to learn about the free healthcare system throughout Australia. It is quite different from the U.S., with higher salaries in the nursing profession and much smaller medical bills in all parts of Australia. Later in the week, we toured the famous Sydney Opera House, learning about the fascinating architecture and history of the building. My personal favorite activity was our Aboriginal history tour in the Rocks District. Australian citizens have a great found respect for Aboriginal people, but it was insightful to hear perspectives from the other side. British settlers controlled Aboriginal land without permission, and up until the 1970s the Australian government had permission to remove Aboriginal children from their families. As Australia became more industrialized, more Aboriginal communities were at risk of being destroyed. I learned that even the infamous Sydney Opera House was built on a former Aboriginal community landsite. Learning about the Aboriginal people really gives insights into the history of Australian culture and the traditional landowners that we must pay respect to. I also learned about the social lives, food preferences, and typical daily activities of Australians, especially during the summertime. I even had the opportunity to try kangaroo at a restaurant! I look forward to spending another week in Sydney and immersing myself even more in the Australian lifestyle. (Submitted on January 24, 2024)
