Hey everyone! I’m almost three weeks into GBI Sydney and I’m having the best time. I’ve finally gotten into a routine with my new classes and part-time internship, while balancing time for exploring as much of Sydney as I can!
I’m living in Zetland, a neighborhood in Sydney, in an ApartHotel. I have three roommates and I share a room with one of them. Two of them actually go to Pitt! The apartment itself is so nice! We have plenty of space and great facilities, including a pool, gym, and sauna. Additionally, I really appreciate that everyone in the program lives in the same building. This makes it really easy to do things together as a big group. I love walking around Zetland, a more relaxed part of Sydney, and I’ve loved trying amazing restaurants around my apartment. Safe to say I’m adjusting very well so far.
Through CEA CAPA, we are partnered with University of Technology Sydney (UTS), which gives us access to their very nice facilities. This is about a 35 minute commute from housing, but it is very accessible through either the bus or train. This is definitely a big difference from Pitt, as I live super close to campus, but it does allow me to see so much of Sydney! Though both institutions are in cities, UTS is way more urban than Pitt. UTS doesn’t have the same campus feel; instead, its buildings are spread throughout the city more. UTS also feels larger than Pitt!
I’m taking one class while abroad- Analyzing and Exploring the Global City: Sydney. This feels like the perfect class to take while abroad! It is such a unique class compared to what I’m used to at Pitt. We’ve had 4 classes, and 2 of them were already field classes where we got to explore a neighborhood of our choice and go to the Australian Museum! We also have more class discussions.
My internship is with Intelligence Assist, an AI consulting firm that helps to implement AI solutions in small and mid-sized businesses, meaning I am working in the tech industry. This has been a great learning experience as I’m gaining skills that apply to both of my majors – Marketing and Business Information Systems. So far, being eager to learn and being a good listener has allowed me to experience new things throughout the company, and even get assigned projects of my own. I even got to do a client visit, where I learned about the exact processes of the company.
There is a lot of new in Sydney, with my housing, class, and internship, but I am loving every second!