Category Archives: Australia/Pacific Islands

Location: Sydney, Australia

First Post In a Long Time

First off, I would like to apologize for being unable to write these entries as frequently as I believed I would be able to.  This is in part due to my computer being broken and the computers on campus having a use limit of one hour, needless to say I have been using those for school work and now finally have some free time to write this entry.  Given that I have not written in awhile I will be commenting on a host of topics in this entry.

University
School here is completely different here than in the United States, and I don’t believe it will ever seem normal to me.  I was told by one of my professors that a 70 was a great grade for a paper and was close to “distinction” at UNSW.  With 70 being a great grade and 50s-60s being passing marks, it is very disheartening to see a grade and not think of it in terms of U.S. grading scales.  It is interesting to hear how at UPenn and Boston College the grades are given a +15 to make up for this change, yet I do not exactly know Penn State’s policy and thus am semi-nervous for the sake of my GPA.

Riots
The past few weeks have been a tumultuous time in foreign relations with the Libyan Embassy crisis occurring and numerous protests ongoing throughout the world.  Sydney was one such city in which a protest occurred and being near the “action” was an eye-opening experience.  I saw a child holding a sign which read, “Behead All Those Who Insult The Prophet” and it is an image I will never be able to clear from my memory.  I can’t begin to express my feelings regarding how this made me feel; the emotions range from sadness to concern and anger for the future generations who must deal with hatred based on religion, race, etc.  The riots also showed a darker side for the racism which seems to hide within Australia.  People standing in line at the grocery store would use racist remarks regarding the incident and also say things such as, “Send them all back where they came from, this is our country.”  After learning of the Aboriginal struggles within Australia I find these people to be righteous hypocrites whose ideas of what Australia should be to ruin the greatness that is their country; a mixture of people of different ideas who all came to Australia to follow their life’s dreams and aspirations.  The entirety of these events has forever changed me as a person, and I’ve realized the truth of the matter is the world isn’t as beautiful of a place as I believed it to be.  Sometimes this truth hurts. 

Uni Games
After the last paragraph, I find it necessary to remark on one of the great things which has happened to me while being in Australia.  I played baseball for UNSW in the Australian University Games in Adelaide and our squad finished in 4th place, the highest ranking for UNSW in baseball in quite some time.  I did quite well batting, fielding, and occasionally pitching and the greatest part of all was forming a bond with my teammates which I believe will continue on throughout my life.  If there is one event for American students to bond and become friends with other Australian students it is Uni Games, and I highly recommend any student going abroad to participate.
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One Month Left
With one month left in my journey, I am truly appreciative of everything my time in Australia has taught me, namely that I’m more at home with a backpack sleeping in a hotel room, a bus, or an airplane than I am necessarily on a bed.  I’ve realized I still want to see more of everything this life has to offer me and continue to go to other countries and continue to travel on this long road.  I’ve realized that despite some of the ugliness present in the world I still want to see it all.  I feel I am the most in my element seeing all these things for my own and not simply having television and newspapers tell me how I am supposed to feel about the events which are happening.  I want to learn more about the world. It makes me want to get up and go.


Location: Sydney, Australia

Summer’s In The Air…

….and it feels absolutely amazing. Despite the school work being loaded on, it can’t get me down. Today, I re-fell in love with New Zealand. Nothing remarkable happened today and yet it was perfect–that’s part of what I think makes NZ so great.

 

This morning, after losing an hour of sleep to daylight savings, my friend and I made an 8 am grocery run. The streets were absolutely empty. It allowed me to truly appreciate this walk I do so often and all the wonderful stores, boutiques, restaurants, cafes, and seating areas that adorn this walk. I am going to miss this walk so much–the surroundings, the company, the struggle and convenience at the same time. Parnell/Newmarket, where I live, has just the perfect mix of city and small town feeling. As I was grocery shopping, I realized how used to this life I have become; I tend to forget it’s just temporary. As I approach the three month mark, and have a bit over a month left to go, it’s hard not to get preemptively sappy and reflective so I’m constantly reminding myself to live in the present but can’t suppress thoughts of things I’ll miss and things I can’t wait to return to.

 

As the weather gets even more lovely than I thought it already was, everyone starts to come out a bit more, like summer back home. The streets have random markets, festivals, and tents. Families, couples, teenagers, and kids…everyone’s out and about and it makes me incredibly happy. There are hoards of runners and bikers as well, many in groups; I love how active the Kiwis are.

 

Anyways, my friends had been planning to go to One Tree Hill, not too far from where we live. But with all this uni work and my anything-but-ideal grades, I knew I should be staying in. Nevertheless, I went outside to say hi to everyone. The sun was shining and the air was just perfect. I knew I couldn’t stay inside on a day like this.

 

After a bit of internal conflict, I ran back to my flat to pack a backpack and change into some shorts for the bit of a trek that lay ahead. I’m so glad I went. The park was absolutely gorgeous and I’m hoping to run there in the future. All the cherry blossom trees are in full bloom, and a beautiful fountain greeted us into the park. There were tons of people there, but not in the way that I find annoying. The spirit was just fantastic. A huge band was playing so we went around asking people what the occasion was for–no one knew. It was just happening. We saw a bunch of little kids rolling down hills and some “sledding” on cardboard boxes. My friend and I couldn’t resist and cackled like children as we rolled freely down the hill. It was fun to feel carefree for that time I was spinning wildly down the hill with nothing to do but scream and laugh and be one with the other children.

 

We alas got to the top of One Tree Hill, not without passing some sheep, of course, and came up to a beautiful view of Auckland, the Tasman Sea, and the Pacific. It was awesome to see in one view, water, sheep, a park, a city, and suburbia. I love this city. I would love to find anything like it back home.

 

Exhausted from the sun and the walking, we took a bus back and got groceries for a BBQ. As I sit hear blogging, stomach full with a delicious strawberry nut Panera-like salad we made, a grilled potato (friends made grilled chicken too), I feel warmed with the feeling of summer.

 

And it’s just Sunday: A day at home that would just be an ordinary catch-up-on-homework Sunday. While I still have to do that, I’m so glad I went. It was not an epic trip or must-do in Auckland, but something about this just day was absolutely wonderful and made for a great start to the week.

 


Location: Auckland, NZ

Studying while Abroad

This week was a reality slap to the “study” part of studying abroad.

 

I had two large projects due that most students worked on during the semester break. With my traveling the entire break, I obviously had a lot of making up to do. So, it was quite a stressful return and beginning of the week, but I got through it (hardly).

 

In fact, I ended up having to skip class to spend more time in the computer lab in an attempt to program a code that was just not going my way. I ended up meeting up with one of the students at uni whom I kind of knew from tramping club (and by knew I mean facebook friends) to help me out. He was so eager and enthusiastic to help me out and did a great job teaching me and asking me questions to help me get through the assignment. While I wanted to be doing anything but this code, I was excited to make a new friend, especially him, because, to me, he is the ultimate Kiwi. He is extremely adventurous and has travelled NZ through and through doing incredible hikes and other outdoor challenges; he has given my friends and I some great advice for the remainder of our stay.

 

That said, I often get called out for taking uni too seriously while abroad. While many people are taking the easiest classes of their college career, I am continuing my engineering studies as I would back home. When I was deciding to study abroad, I did have to consider whether I would actually be able to enjoy myself if I chose to enroll in a semester no lighter or easier than at PSU. In the end, I figured it’s worth it and I still feel that way.

 

Even if I’m putting in a bit more time and effort than my international friends here, and maybe spending awhile longer in the library and computer lab than is expected, I have found it makes me feel good about the entire experience. Some of my friends here are at a bit of a loss as they feel unchallenged and bored in their classes. It frustrates me when people then judge the university as being so much easier or worse than their university at home when their course selection here does not compare with what they normally take at home.

 

I have been very pleased with my uni education here so far. I don’t have scantrons; I have built relationships with my professors; most of all, I have developed relationships with other students. It’s awesome to meet all the international students, but it’s also exciting to get to bond and immerse myself with Kiwis. From group projects, to cramming in the library, or finishing up a computer project, I have met so many people in the faculty of engineering, here, who make me feel at home. The engineering students here are incredibly tight-knit  (even though the school is huge), and so, while I certainly stand out like a sore thumb to them, they have all been incredibly kind and helpful and a key part of making my experience abroad memorable.  I think the places I see and activities I do are tremendous, but ultimately, it’s the diversity of people I am meeting here, and lessons I learn from talking to them and observing them, that truly make my experience unique.


Location: Auckland, NZ

There’s No Place Like “Home”

After being absent from blogging for awhile, I am back.

The “home” I am referring to, though, is my flat back in Parnell, NZ.
The last two weeks, I have been traveling the south island. Right before this semester break, I was drowning in papers and exams and couldn’t get myself to write a post! But, no worries, I will make up for it.
At a glance, these past two weeks consisted of the most beautiful sights I have seen in my life. I’ll admit, I am not one to make superlative statements like the former, but in trying to come up with anything that has competed with what I witnessed on the South Island, I’ve got nothing. From twinkling stars in the night sky at Mt. Cook, to the majestical mountains of Queenstown, to every rolling hill, and lamb (of which there were thousands), everything seemed to put me in awe.
While this vacation, I’m sure, will be a highlight of my semester abroad (a climax to my friends and I, in fact, making me quite sad that it’s over), it also left me very contemplative. Before I divert, I will post in more detail about what my friends and I actually did and share some pictures that attempt to show how amazing it was.
Anyways, I typically don’t get “homesick.” Not even my first semester at college, or overnight camp, or the first few months here phased me. But, on this trip, which I loved and am so fortunate to have taken, all I wanted to do was share it with my parents, sister, family, and friends at home. Everything I saw or did or encountered seemed to remind me of someone back in the US. It was at these times that I actually felt that I am on the other side of the world.
I think a lot of this also had to do with my lack of access to the internet. I realized how much I rely on the internet to keep me feeling connected even when I’m so far away. This is definitely a good and bad thing; I was glad to not check my facebook and emails daily and live in the moment, but also can’t deny how much closer I feel to home with such resources at my fingertips.
But, what I think has stunned me most of all, is how excited I was to come “home.” This concept perplexed my friends before we realized that in the past two months, Auckland has become our new home. It’s somewhere we feel comfortable and anticipate returning to after breaks, a day trip, or a long day at uni. It’s somewhere we can be to ourselves, or knock on our neighbor’s door to hangout.  
With this in mind, we all couldn’t help but ponder how great it will feel to return to our actual homes, with our family and friends, at the end of this semester. At this thought, I yearned for my old street and house which my family has moved from, but continue to understand that it’s the people who really make home, home.

Location: Auckland, NZ

Another Fast Food (Part 2/2)

So here comes, another post on fast food places in Melbourne City! I hope you guys are excited. But even if you don’t, please bear with it. I assure you that this is going to be my last post on this boring topic. So, let’s get to it!

 

The other day, I stopped by another Japanese fast food place called “Hanaichi” for the first time. It’s located at the heart of Melbourne inside one of the famous shopping center: Queen Victoria. In comparison to Don Don (the other Japanese fast food place I mentioned on my other post), this place is pretty big and you will not have a hard time trying to find a place to sit and eat in. I ordered the medium size Pork Curry. It’s basically crispy fried pork cutlets served with white rice, red pickles and curry sauce.  It was a six-dollars-and-seventy-cents of tasty curry!  The size itself was pretty big for something that they called ‘medium size’.

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The second time I went to Hanaichi (yes, I’ve been there twice now), I got their Beef Yakiniku (A$6.90). It’s a little bit too sweet for me, maybe because I personally don’t like sweet taste. However, the stir fried beef was good. The thin sliced beef wasn’t overcooked nor undercooked. It was tender, yet there is no apparent blood or anything. It was served on top of white rice and garnished with bean sprouts, yellow pickles, shallot and coriander.

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Alright, now let’s move on another fast food place called “Nando’s.” They have a lot of branches around the city making it very convenient. Nando’s is very well known for its spicy grilled Chicken because they use the  Peri-Peri, a type of chili from Africa. The restaurant itself turned out to be from Johannesburg, South Africa. And yes, Johannesburg is a metropolitan city that is very well known as the richest city in South Africa! I went there with a friend of mine. I and my friend ordered the Half Flame Grilled Chicken with french fries and mashed potatoes as the sides. Nando’s allows you to choose the sauce yourself. The choices are: lemon and herb, Mild Peri-Peri Sauce, Hot Peri-Peri sauce, or Extra Hot Peri-Peri Sauce. At that time, I chose the Extra Hot one just because I love chili so much. My friend got the medium one. I cannot give much comment about the chicken, it was just good (not too dry). The chili sauce, however, was amazing. It’s not as hot as I expected it to be, but it has a strong taste! It costs about twenty seven bucks, but the size was super big, so it’s worth it!

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I don’t want to make this post too long, but I really really want to mention McDonald’s one more time cos when I stopped by that place yesterday, I ordered something that States’ McDonald’s doesn’t have and it was pretty amazing. It’s the “Serious Lamb Burger”. The lamb was awesome, juicy and well marinated, I would say. The burger was served with cooked egg, red onions, a slice of cheese, tomato, and lettuce. The size was super big, it’s bigger than other Maccas burger. And no, I failed at finishing it up myself just because it’s way too big and ‘heavy’ for me: This burger costs me A$7.95.

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Alright, I will stop now before I bore you guys to death:| Cheers!


Location: Swanston Street, Melbourne, Australia

Daily Things

Alright, so last week was a pretty hectic week. I had an online test and also two papers to write. That is why I haven’t been posting anything last week. So, here come my two posts:) Well, another one that I will post shortly is on, as I promised, Melbourne’s fast food. It’s the second and the last post about fast food, I promise.

 

On this post, I will be rambling about random stuffs that I noticed are different from that of States.

The people of Melbourne are very fashionable, I would say. You can’t simply find a person walking around in hoodies and sweatpants, and yes, even in campus. Almost everyone looks nice and neat everywhere.  And, I personally, love it and think that this is something inspiring.

 

Melbourne is also a place that is very well known for its coffee shops. There are just tons of coffee shops around the city and even on my campus. I, myself, am a big fan of coffee and I actually aim to try every single coffee shop in Melbourne while I’m staying here.  I would probably write a post or two on that later on since I’ve only been to seven coffee shops so far.

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One last thing I wanna mention on this blog is the fact that here you have to always have cash with you! You cannot always use your debit or credit card because there is a minimum limit before you are allowed to use your card. During the first few days of my stay, I’ve often panicked because I used to always use card when paying for something, even for a two dollars candy.

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So, I guess that’s all for today’s post, I’ll write some more for you guys next time! Cheers.


Location: CBD, Melbourne, Australia

Education

During our day trip this past Saturday, we got on the topic of our experiences as students. Martin, a boy from Germany, mentioned how at his university they are given two opportunities to re-take a test during their time of study if need be. He said he had re-taken one that he was extremely unprepared for/ didn’t properly anticipate.
 
After all, it was his first multiple choice exam.
 
 My jaw dropped. Martin took his first multiple choice exam in his second  year of university. I couldn’t tell you when my first multiple choice exam was it was so long ago and there have been an infinite amount since. In response to my shock at this statement, another German friend of mine responded, “In Germany, we take real tests.” I laughed at this statement but it honestly made me quite sad because it was true. If nothing else, the fact that schools there are willing to take the time to grade “real” tests, already expresses a deeper value in education than our system where educators simply use a machine to grade and critique a student’s “knowledge” of a topic. Already, I am more excited for my exams here as NONE of them are multiple choice. Especially in engineering, a subject so based on process, method, and problem solving (not just the solution), I would expect all exams to be this way. However, at home students appear inadequate as they go about an entire process correctly, aside from a calculating error, which causes them to get an entire multiple choice question wrong. I know the American educational system is constantly struggling to find a “fair” way to asses how students are learning, but the increasing of standardized testing, I believe, is only holding our system back.
 
I have engaged in a couple of other conversations that I have found interesting in regards to education at home and abroad.
 
A boy who I befriended, Deon, was chatting with me when I ran into him at the library. He asked me how I felt University of Auckland compared to my university at home in terms of education. I responded that it was hard to tell with the types of classes I’m taking/ my year of study/ just these few weeks. Then, he continued to say he asked because (at least in NZ), University of Auckland boasts the best, most prestigious reputation. Last year, he attended Auckland University of Technology, AUT, a “not-so-good” school as deemed by society here. I think of it like OU’s reputation vs. OSU’s reputation currently, perhaps? Anyways, he then went on to say that since transferring here he thinks that’s all crap. The faculty here is known for their intelligence and research yet they can’t necessarily lecture or teach. He doesn’t feel like he has received a higher quality of education since transferring. I found it sad and interesting that this is such a universal issue. This point he brought up is something I constantly think and rant about. So many universities pride themselves on their amazing professors and all they have done, yet don’t discuss their actual teaching abilities or how they interact with students in the classroom. Even so, society accepts these universities as the the “best” and most respectable learning institutions.  It was nice to here, first-hand, from someone who has transferred, that, often, the prestige and reputation built around universities is rather superficial, and does not always reflect the educational experience of the student body.

In addition, after chatting with some people in a project group of mine, I got invited to the facebook group for the school of mechanical engineering (as I am taking 2 ME courses here and another course that all engineering students need to take). It should/will be helpful, but it’s immediate effect was distraction. I have found that after being here 5 weeks I feel like I recognize more student faces here than at home. Anyways, this group is crazily open. Everything from shirt ideas, to complaints, to homework help is found here. I found multiple comments criticizing my Italian Dynamics professor. A meme was made which reads “MECHENG 222 cannot be taught without an accent” and other people who refer to it as ITALIAN 222. Now, I admittedly was annoyed with this woman, initially,  but between the facebook group and rude people in class, I have realized that she’s not that bad. The students need to be more accepting and get over it, in my opinion.

I mention these posted issues because what I found most interesting, is how they are handled. All expressed concerns are summed up by two members of the group, the elected representatives for second years in the school of mechanical engineering. I found it awesome that they have such a tight-knit and direct way of addressing issues. These two students attend meetings every few weeks with staff to discuss issues and concerns of the students. They type up the minutes and the staff responses and put them on this facebook page. The issue mentioned above was addressed with much apprehension. I think the staff is fully aware of the difficulty some lecturers cause students, but know, as do we, that it appears as discrimination. Also, on paper, I’m sure these lecturers are extremely qualified people. I think it’s wonderful that this university is full of so much international diversity; it’s actually one of my favorite parts of being here. I’ll admit, though, here and at home, having a professor you can’t understand (along with a difficult subject) will always be an extremely frustrating situation. Nevertheless, students need to be more accepting of professors, where they come from, and see their brilliance even through a thick accent.

Location: Auckland, NZ

Coromandel Peninsula

This past Saturday, my friends and I rented a car and made our first day trip to Coromandel Peninsula. It was about a three hour drive total. Driving on the left side of the road wasn’t as weird as I expected (though I was just a passenger), but the curvy mountain roads we had to take made me squirm.

Halfway, we stopped in Thames, a small, quaint town. We arrived there no later than 9:30 but the town was lively and awake. The sidewalks were covered with tents and people (none younger than 55 or so, plus grand children) for an outdoor market. They had everything ranging from jewelry, to jelly, to mussel fritters, and books. Nothing in this town was a chain. It didn’t appear to be the fanciest of places, but I really loved its down to earth environment, as well as the mountainous surroundings.
Then we re-focused ourselves back en route towards our next destination, the hot water beaches. Wherever we saw a nice view and shoulder, we pulled aside and got out of the car just to appreciate the landscape a bit better. This freedom is definitely the best part of renting a car to see NZ. As sleepy as cars make me, I didn’t want to close my eyes for a second because the ride itself was absolutely beautiful. We finally arrived at the hot water beaches as it started to rain but that didn’t stop us. Unprepared, we dug with our hands to make a hot pool for us to sit in. The actual water is freezing but when you dig through the shore’s sand, steam comes up and the water is incredibly hot. The science behind it is something geothermal but can’t say I fully know yet. We dug our pool like children and laid their as the rain came down, not caring at all.
After attempting to wash off heaps of sand from my body, we got back in the car and headed towards Cathedral Cove. Our walk down was beautiful and we had the beach to ourselves– that is certainly a perk to being in NZ in “winter.” The sun came out for us and we all just sat back and admired how incredibly beautiful this place was. We spent hours here before getting back in the car to stop at a few more pretty sights then making our way to Paeroa, the home of L&P…the most popular NZ soft drink that my friends are obsessed with. They have multiple, huge L&P bottles throughout the town and signs about it adorn every building. Needless to say, they’re very proud of it. Other than that, there’s not much going on in this town. 

When we stopped for gas, we didn’t know what side the gas cap was on and clearly looked like newbies. When my friend got out of the car, a woman said, welcome to NZ!…and the man inside proceeded to laugh at our multiple attempts to “top up”. I think we were the 
most exciting thing to come into the town in days, so we didn’t take offense.

It was a fantastic day trip and I can’t wait for our next one! In the mean time, there’s uni to go to, but I don’t mind! I am really enjoying getting to know people in each of my classes and observing the students here versus back home.



Location: Auckland, NZ

University of Melbourne

Today, I want to share couple things that you should expect if you are traveling to Melbourne (Australia) and also some experience I got so far from the University of Melbourne. First, the weather; the weather here is not as cold as Penn. Since I arrived here, which was early July, the coldest that I’ve ever experienced is only 3 degree Celsius, while as we know, State College can reach -20 degree Celsius. So it’s quite nice here. However, expect the unexpected rain and wind!

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The city overall is very enjoyable. The main transportation we use here is trams, even though they also have trains and buses. Trams, as we know, are slow, but they are very convenient. Melbourne also allow their people to rent a public bike that they can return at any ‘bike station’. Here are some pictures:

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However, beware pedestrian! The cop here fine people for jaywalking and crossing when the red light is blinking. The fine costs about 70 bucks. Yes, it’s pretty high, unfortunately.

Well, so far these are the things that I noticed. Cheers.


Location: Melbourne, Australia