Program dates: 01/01/2015 – 04/30/2015
A program with 17 student participants, they were based mainly in Brisbane. Study focus is on the history, literature, culture, natural history, marine biology, and contemporary issues of Australia’s urban coasts. Includes excursions to Sydney, the Great Barrier Reef, rainforests, and other locations of ecological and ethnic importance. The students live in hostels, tents, and with host families. They become acquainted with the diversity of Australian cultures,
Recent posts [display all posts]
Australia’s Sporting Identity - I was fortunate enough to attend two different Rugby matches at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, Australia. At each of these matches, I was able to experience completely different economical lifestyles. While attending these games, I learned a lot more about the Australian culture and their national identity. On the 21st of February, my host-father and […]
The Life of a Surf Bum - One backpack, one T-shirt, one swimsuit, two bro-tanks, a couple pieces of underwear, a wallet, a tube of sunscreen, a broken phone and a determined and adventurous attitude are essentially the components that have driven my Australian semester abroad thus far. The concept of being a ‘light-packer’ has truly been employed in many excursions throughout […]
My Amelia Earhart Moment - You can only bring 10kg Nat – our trip leader said. You really only need your togs (the Australian nickname for swimsuit), a pair of dry clothes, beach walking shoes and sunscreen, she continued. With this in mind we prepared for our journey to Lady Elliot Island. The island is so small that it takes […]
F**k the Wright Brothers (In Poem Form) - This is a poem about flying on planes. Planes, like the big metal tubes in the sky That should not, cannot be there It just does not make sense. This is also a poem, about how In order to travel in Australia, You travel a lot. In planes. So here goes, because even talking […]
Rediscovering Science - As dusk fell in the rainforest and the sun burned a dying orange band across the eucaplypts, our field biology instructor told us his worst nightmare: letting a baited mammal trap go unrecovered through the night, with a furry bush rat or antichinus starving inside. For the next two hours, our group of seven students […]
In the Middle of some Ancient Rainforest - For my week off in Australia, I worked at a bed and breakfast farm in Cow Bay, located within the isolated Daintree rainforest. Travelers are welcome to work there in exchange for housing and food, an arrangement similar to the “wwoofing” experience. The B&B and farm where I worked, The Epiphyte, is about three hours […]
Far, Far Away on a Coral Island - Last week we took one of the smallest planes to one of the smallest islands I have ever seen. The entirety of which could fit in the frame of the window. And it takes about thirty minutes to walk around the whole thing (but more on that later). The island is about the length of […]
The PO of AU - If you’re in Australia and homesick for that Portland vibe, Melbourne is the cure. For the week of our spring break, Lu and I traveled down the east coast of Australia to the hip, happenin’ city of Melbourne, and it didn’t disappoint. Melbourne doesn’t necessarily look like Portland; its buildings and apartments are much […]
Into the Unknown - “the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” — H.P. Lovecraft If you had asked me three months ago whether I thought that was true, I would have told you to shove off. Everyone knows spiders are far worse that the […]
Home is Where my Backpack is - It’s a strange feeling when you realize how much of your life can fit into a relatively small backpack. I had this feeling for the first time a few weeks ago when we said goodbye to our homestays and set out into the bush. For the remainder of our time in Australia, the term “home” […]