Hi again from Sydney! It’s insane to believe that we’re already at the halfway mark of our program. Sydney already feels like a second home, but our time here is beginning to come to an end. We have a ton of things planned for our last few weekends in Aussie, but I wanted to take some time to share about what life has been like here!
A bit about our neighborhood: We are staying on the University of New South Campus in their village, which is located in Kensington. Being a train ride from Sydney’s CBD can be tricky at times, but it also has pushed us to explore the surrounding areas. Some of our favorite neighborhoods we’ve explored are Surry Hills, Darling Harbor, The Rocks, Paddington, and North Sydney (where I work!). Every neighborhood truly has their own identity, and the cutest names of course 🙂
Living in dorm feels the same as at Pitt for me. I live in a room of 6 girls where everyone has their own bedroom and then we share the 2 bathrooms, living room, and kitchen. If you’re also a business student, think Bruce Hall suite but a bit more room, a stove, and your own bedroom! The room feels a bit bare bones, but it makes sense since our time is so short; not to worry though, its got all the essentials like cooking utensils, bedding, a desk, and a closet. Being on a campus also feels very safe and it’s convenient having a mini market and some food spots to go to right downstairs if you don’t want to travel to one of the bigger grocery stores.
Our program is hosted by CEA CAPA, a global study educational program. They’ve helped us get settled in, provide us with resources for academics and living, and overall make the experience as best as it can be! They offer a ton of fun programming too, like a night at the zoo and a harbor boat cruise! Our classes are held at the University of Technology Sydney, which is located in Chinatown. One of my favorite things to do in Chinatown is to stop by Paddy’s Market before class for a lunch break! They have the best stalls with so many types of cuisine; being from outside of Philly, it reminds me of Reading Terminal a lot!
But the cherry on top of my study abroad experience has been my internship! I am a Marketing/Communications/PR Intern at Ardent Communications, which is a full-service marketing and advertising agency. They help businesses from start to finish with their paid social media, SEO, PR, and Creative work. As a Marketing student, it’s been eye-opening seeing how the team collaborates with each other across tasks, manage different clients, and how my work helps them! I’ve gotten to help with a lot of marketing research and audits, learning about their clients and what sets them apart from competitors. My favorite part of this internship has been the team I work with. Though small, with only around 10 people in the office, the team is very tight knit and welcoming. Australia has a very relaxed work culture, so it’s been great getting to chat with my coworkers, learn about their roles, and talk throughout the day about things! Australia is also very multicultural, so I’ve gotten to learn a lot about my coworkers cultures: we have team members from Ireland, Dubai, Argentina, Venezuela, and more! Everyone’s cultural identity is really welcomed here and it’s so beautiful to see how excepting and curious people are about learning new cultures!
This program has brought me so much personal growth, but its also expanded my skill set and has made me more confident as an emerging professional. I feel like my intercultural competence and overall professionalism has developed so much through this internship. The skills that I’ve learned through my classes as Pitt and past work experiences have really come to play, and it makes me really grateful for how much my involvement at Pitt has prepared me for this role. I know without a doubt that this internship has helped me build both hard and soft skills that I’ll carry with me through the rest of my professional career.
3 weeks have flown by, and the next 3 will as well, but I’m happy to say my time here has been nothing short of amazing! That’s all for now, chat soon 🙂