After six incredible weeks, I am so sad to say that my time in Sydney, Australia, has come to an end. Though I am grateful to be back in my hometown, I am sad to know that the beautiful beaches and the best frozen yogurt in the world (Yo-Chi, of course!) are not a quick bus ride away anymore. My time in this city has been unforgettable, and looking back, I know I’ve gained valuable experiences and transferable skills through my internship and class experiences.

My first goal was to learn the “Aussie” way. I knew that coming into this program, the business and marketing realm could look different in Australia compared to the US. However, while abroad, I couldn’t help but notice the similarities as well! My experiences in the classroom and various sports, entertainment, and cultural events I went to pushed me to look not only at what differs us, but also what connects us. But believe me, the Aussies definitely do some things differently down under! The work culture and the way problems are approached proved that, through the many challenges I faced in my internship, I’ve gotten a good grasp of the “Aussie way” and am excited to bring it back to future roles back home. I especially found the culture around social media interesting and challenging. One of the clients I was working with needed to market to students aged 15-18. Because Australia has banned children under 16 from having access to social media, we had to be creative to market to this group without the use of social media in today’s digital age.

My second goal was to communicate with a wide variety of people. I know this was almost inevitable when coming to a new country, but I wanted to make sure I communicated with intention and effectively to hold meaningful conversations with a wide variety of people. During my orientation, I was told that Australians could be blunt at times, and though this was true, I found that most Australians meant well and were very excited to talk to me when they found out I was a study abroad student. I also was able to practice communicating in the business world when working with my supervisor and other clients. And though both the US and Australia speak English, the methods of communication are vastly different. Australians can be direct, and this takes some getting used to. Additionally, 1 in 3 Australians are born overseas and carry different styles of communication from their home countries. This adds to the unique communication style of Australia. But overall, talking to local Aussies as well as business and academic professionals in Australia’s communication culture has better prepared me for communication and conversation back in the US.

My final goal was to make the most of my time in Australia, which I believe I did. I wanted to do this to push myself out of my comfort zone, as I think it is easy to become stagnant and live in a bubble of comfort sometimes. By pushing myself to go out and explore the city, meet with friends, and experience life more than I do at Pitt, I was able to gain experiences I would not have had the opportunity to have if I had stayed in my bubble. This is a habit I want to bring back to my life at Pitt, as I believe I, like many other students, have been living in a bubble without realizing there is more to Pittsburgh and life to experience! Through my time in Australia, I have realized that this does not mean that I have to give up or completely change the life I already have, but rather to add on to the things I already have.

Through my experience abroad, I have also gained various transferable skills that will help me not only in Pitt Business but also in future professional and academic opportunities. Some of these skills include research skills gained through conducting market research for various clients and researching marketing strategies to help their companies; content creation and social media management by creating campaign materials, drafting content, and designing materials for promotional use; and finally, attention to detail by ensuring accuracy in reports, content preparation, and social media updates to maintain high standards in marketing. These skills will prove useful in future classes and professional settings in marketing and beyond. I’ve also taken a page from the Aussies and have improved my skills in proactiveness and goal setting, which can be useful in any setting.

Overall, my time in Australia forced me to be present and enjoy life where it is at. Before arriving, I thought six weeks was so short, so even if I wasn’t enjoying my time abroad, it was only 6 weeks, and I would be back home soon. However, time is a funny thing, and these 6 weeks were the longest and shortest time of my life. While I was living these weeks, it felt like I had all the time in the world to do the things I wanted to experience in Australia, but before I knew it, it was over. And though I was often homesick, and towards the end I was ready to come back home, I am so glad that I forced myself to stay present in what was in front of me, as it has given me experiences and memories that will last a lifetime. Throughout this experience, I often told myself that though I could very well come back to Australia in the future, I would never be 19 (and then 20 towards the end), studying abroad through Pitt, with these amazing people I’ve met, taking these crazy classes, interning with a company, and here in this moment, ever again. And this reminded me to truly live in the present and enjoy where I am at this point in my life, and because of this, I will forever cherish my time studying abroad in Australia.