I’m Leo, and I’m a Supply Chain Management and Global Management major at Pitt. I’m participating in the GBI Sydney Program. It’s no secret that Sydney is far from the United States, about 10,000 miles, to be exact. So what motivates someone to go somewhere so far? For me, the distance was a motivation in and of itself. Australia is hard to get to, so most people, even those who are fairly well traveled, sometimes have not been there. It’s not like Europe, where an American working part-time can save up for a few months, buy a cheap flight, and hop around just as easily as Australia. If I was going to live here, I wanted a comfortable home base to feel at ease so far away from home.

I’ve had the privilege of going to Europe the past two summers: the first time for working travel as a gardener in the south of France, and most recently for two weeks in a program focused on automotive manufacturing in Germany. I needed to get out of my comfort zone and explore somewhere truly new before I finished my time in college. Sydney is also an amazing city for supply chain. Almost half of its residents were born overseas, and it is a large natural harbor, which is great for oceanic freight.

Sydney has its own vibe compared to any other city I’ve been to. If I had to compare it, I would say it has a bit of Los Angeles, a bit of London, and some areas of Asia, specifically Japan and Singapore. The culture is very laid back. For such a diverse city, the social cohesion and cleanliness are mind-boggling.

I’m studying through CEA CAPA on the University of Technology Sydney campus. It’s all centralized in one building, more of a true “city school,” unlike Pitt, which has a true campus while still being in the city. UTS has other buildings, but for my purpose here, my campus is one building. The building is in Haymarket, but I live in an apartment in Zetland. The main thing I enjoy about the neighborhood is its embrace of new urbanism design: dedicated bike lanes, large walking paths, squares, and public spaces everywhere. The living situation is amazing. The service from the front desk allows us to avoid a lot of living expenses we would otherwise have to budget for, such as laundry detergent and dishwasher pods. Excited to see what this city has in store for me!