Category: Australia

Submitted by Olivia Szefer on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia…

The iconic sites of Sydney are of course the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge which can be seen from every angle of the Harbour. After two months of living and studying in Sydney, I had plenty of time to admire them at different times of day and at different angles throughout the Harbour. However, I have never had a view from them on the actual water even though I had taken ferries before to Barangaroo. A major catalyst in finding a unique way to experience the two Australian landmarks was that my sister was visiting from Texas A&M on her spring break and I wanted to have a memorable time with her. After searching the web, I finally found the perfect adventure for us: Sydney by Kayak.

This program takes individuals and groups out into the harbour on kayaks to learn about the waterway, but also to witness the glorious sunrise come up upon the bridge and opera house. We were both able to appreciate where we were in the world and how lucky we both were to be in such a beautiful place as the colors appeared across the sky. Once we took some posed photos, we journeyed on around Lavender Bay then we kayaked to various wharfs. Throughout this experience, we learned about the origins of Luna Park, how ferries use their horns and about various convicts from the beginning of the colony. I am thankful to have seen the beautiful sunrise and to have hadquality time with my sister whom I don’t get to see often.

Submitted by Harrison Crum on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia…

This past Monday, I traveled to the Taronga Zoo to participate in their roar & snore overnight event. I had the opportunity to stay overnight at the zoo and experience the nightlife of all the animals and participate in the morning duties that the staff go through. We watched as possums climbed into trees and penguins nestled their eggs. Our guides allowed us to touch numerous animals, including a Children’s Python, bearded dragon, and a possum that was only just recently welcomed to the zoo. During the cool of the night, many animals that are not usually out and about were exploring their enclosures. One such creature was the Bongo, which typically confines itself to a corner of its enclosure during the daytime. We saw this animal grazing on the various foods around it and scratching its back with its large horns. It was truly amazing to watch, especially given that there are only about 80 more of these creatures in the world. Back at our tents, there was an incredible view. We could see the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, and the rest of the city.

In the morning, we were treated to a few behind the scenes events throughout the zoo. The most notable was when we traveled to see the giraffes. We were given the rare opportunity to feed the two giraffes lettuce. I held out my hand with the lettuce and each of the giraffes bent their long necks down and used their tongues to grab it. We learned more about the giraffe, including how the brown patches on their fur help to keep them warm during the cool nights, whereas the white stripes around their bodies travel along their blood vessels to keep their blood cool during the extreme heat. This was such a surreal experience, and an extremely unique opportunity given that the Taronga Zoo is home to many animals that are not seen anywhere else, either in the wild or in other zoos. I have seen so many new and fascinating animals since I’ve been in Australia and I’ve had an extraordinary time.

Submitted by Michael Davis on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia sponsored by the Department of Behavioral Health and Nutrition…

In my time in Sydney, Australia, I have noted a lot of similarities to the United States. However, I have noticed how there are different norms in Australia which seem to make it easier to be socially accepted. Australia is the laxer of the two countries.

To begin with, you will quickly notice how many people have tattoos and tattoo sleeves that are visible while they are in business and work attire. While in the United States, tattoos are becoming more of a norm, it is still common to conceal them when at work to avoid looking “unprofessional.” Here, it seems you are in the minority if you do not have one.

I would say that the same goes for piercings as well. Many people have nose rings, septum piercings, etc., that would be considered unflattering in the workplace in the United States. I believe that the lax nature is because the Australian workplace understands that appearances don’t determine a person’s work performance.

While the country may seem more relaxed and easy going, it does not mean that the country suffers from productivity. It may be the opposite. You do not have to spend time worrying about social norms that are unrelated to your work and can spend more time doing work with less pressure.

Submitted by Harrison Crum on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia…

Pollution is a global problem and Australia is no exception. While many of the beaches are clean here, when a storm rolls through, trash floods many of them. Thankfully, as awareness of this problem increases, many volunteer groups in the area have formed that seek to clean up the litter. One such place is the Dive Centre Manly. This past weekend, they held a volunteer beach cleanup with all of their gear up to half priced for the day. Volunteers had the option to pay for scuba or snorkeling gear, or walk along the shoreline and pick up debris. While most of the volunteers were veteran divers with their own gear, there were a handful of us that were not experienced and walked along the beach. The target of this cleanup was mainly plastic. While other materials, such as glass, can be used by aquatic life as homes without much, if any, negative effects, plastic causes numerous issues. Sea life can mistake plastic for food and ingest it, and this can cause the animal to die. So during this dive, glass was left behind for homes, but all plastic was collected because of its adverse effects. From this dive, I learned a great amount about how waste and debris ends up in the ocean.

In the past couple of decades, Australia has realized just how much of their waste ends up in their oceans and the impact it has on both their lives and the lives of the Australian wildlife. They’ve begun creating more policies against dumping in the oceans and placed much emphasis on recycling. Most Australians stray away from single use plastics, and plastics in general. There are many, many things I have come to love about Sydney, but the biggest takeaway so far is the environmental awareness and the willingness of Australians to take time out of their schedules to address a problem that is not going away. I believe this responsibility that the individual takes for ensuring there is a liveable environment for not only their generation, but generations to come, is something that I will incorporate into my attitudes even after my study abroad program.

Submitted by Olivia Szefer on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia…

Homesickness hit me quite hard this past week. I made a plan to have a phone call with my parents, significant other and my sister about twice a week. This way, both sides would be able to communicate openly and not miss out. However, I still began to miss them and their close presence to me. I am quite the homebody and extremely family-oriented, therefore moving across the world for three months was quite the adventure. Little to say, I was down in the dumps for a few days in this beautiful country. The silver lining in this story is that the wonderful friendships that I have made here helped me with this dilemma. My friends came to my door with coffee, a box of Tim Tams and warm hugs to comfort me. Later, the group of us made a pact to keep each other busy with adventures and day trips to not feel as lonely and stuck with our thoughts. I am lucky to have come out of my comfort zone and make new friends from across the United States who in turn help me with my longing for home.

Submitted by Harrison Crum on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia…

Australia values their ties with Asia, in particular China, and one way in which this is best exemplified is through their Chinese Lunar New Year celebration held throughout the city of Sydney. Since I arrived, I have seen countless advertisements preparing the Australian citizens for these celebrations. Here in Sydney, there is a huge three-week festival to celebrate the Year of the Rat. All throughout the city there is live entertainment, performers, golden rat robots, games, lion dancers, markets, and food trucks. In particular, in the Circular Quay area there are the Lunar Lanterns. The Lunar Lanterns are a creative, contemporary interpretation of a centuries-old tradition. Twelve pieces of giant artwork are on display, each is a different animal that represents a creature of the zodiac. It was such a great opportunity to experience a part of the culture of China, and at the same time, the relationship between Australia and China. The artwork was absolutely beautiful, the attention to detail was astonishing. And the fact that the city displayed these works of art in one of the most populated parts of the city shows the strong ties between the two countries. While America plays a large role in most countries around the world, it has been very interesting to witness the interactions between cultures that I am not native to, which is obviously something hard to do when living in my home country. Australia has relationships with various countries and I greatly anticipate being able to view them.

Submitted by Olivia Szefer on the 2020 spring semester study abroad program in Sydney, Australia…

This past weekend, the CAPA program sponsored a trip for the students to the Blue Mountains as well as the Featherdale Wildlife Park. From the time I landed in Sydney, I was excited to travel to these places because I am an avid hiker and large animal lover. Once I got there, it was exhilarating since I have never been this close to such beautiful creatures, and I even had the chance to feed some of them like the kangaroos and wallabies. The picture below shows my friend Amíca on the left and I on the right feeding a kangaroo some regular feed. However, with the Blue Mountains trip I was forced to get out of my comfort zone. I am petrified of heights and during the hike we were passing by cliffs that had high drop offs that would lead straight to the valley below. At one point in our hike, there was a moment where we had to climb down steep stairs to get onto the three sisters – where it was a straight drop. Though I was scared to climb down, I pushed myself through my comfort zone in order to experience new things and to have amazing memories with my newly made friends.