I have had one of the best trips of my life in this winter of 2019. That’s all because of a 2 week program in the University of Navarra, Spain. My project was learning how to run and function basic robots using programming. It was essential to know about Python (programming language) to operate the robots. Our classed started from 8:30 AM and ended at 2 PM with a 15 minute break in the middle. After class, there were cultural activities which were very entertaining. In the first week, the professor of the university gave lectures on robots and the importance they will hold in our future. When we acquired knowledge about the robot industry, we were taught how to use python to operate the robots. In the second week, A professor from Denmark presented to us on advanced robotics and the way coding is used like a language.
During the project, aside from exploring the beauty of Spain I learned a lot about new gadgets and how they’re impacting our lives. I have gained vast knowledge about the robotic world and acquired programming skills from this brilliant course. From this project I can now perform efficiently and constructively in a professional event. I also got to know in detail about the work ethics that are required to be a good engineer. Plus, I had a great in-depth discussion with the professor on ROS and how the Artificial Intelligence can be used for the benefit of human beings. ,
From learning Mobile Robotics to exploring the culture of Spain, I had many precious experiences throughout the course. I made new friends, experienced surfing for the first time, learned how to thrive in a foreign country by myself and most importantly, gained knowledge about the differences in work environment of Spain and Australia. I earned confidence to work globally and got familiar with the engineering workplace. To conclude, this course was a great learning opportunity for me and boosted my confidence to become a good engineer to work for the welfare of this world.
Travelling has always been a part of life that I wanted to discover. This desire made me decide to travel miles away from Australia to Vietnam – a decision that is without an ounce of doubt one of the best I have ever made. My trip to Danang, Vietnam began on the 29th of July 2019. This two week trip was everything more than I had expected!
Being with people from all over the world not only taught me more about cultural differences but also how diverse our world is! These two weeks were intensely packed with classes and activities which made the trip wonderfully worthwhile. During the first week we went on a city tour to the famous Dragon Bridge, Marble Mountain, Hai Van Pass and the Old Buddha Sanctuary. Seeing these I was amazed at the amount of beauty hidden in Vietnam. To add to my delight, we took part in cooking classes and experienced the vast Vietnamese food culture (I can finally make their Vietnamese rolls, yaay).
A Few of the amazing places: My Khe Beach, one of the main tourist attractions in Danang. Hoi An, packed with colourful ancient night markets all lit up with traditional lanterns, fairy lights and street vendors bargaining to earn their extra bit. The Pottery village in Hoi An, all dedicated to hand made potteries giving that village a rustic ambience.
It was a delight to be in a world full of calmness, living away from the rapid, racing lifestyle that’s very common back at home. I observed how people strongly upheld their roots and traditions that were decades old. Overall, this city that is so full of artistry and tradition is a place worth visiting! Meeting the amazing people around the world makes it even more meaningful. Looking forward to more of such great experiences!
What happens when you gather 32 girls from 21 different countries? It’s simple, it results in an international family being created as a result of one amazing and priceless experience.
For the majority of July I spent my time in Austria, exploring the culture and history while being a part of the International Summer Academy in Engineering for Women (ISAE4W) at the university of Applied Sciences, Upper Austria. This program ran for two and a half weeks and covered a variety of topics that focused on exploring applied sciences, women in engineering, new technologies in medical science and gave us the opportunity to network with other women who are currently in the field.
The other participants of the program were from all over the world. Spain, Turkey, Ireland, Japan, China and Canada to name a few. All of us shared the same passion for engineering and natural sciences and it was a chance to not only connect with people from other countries, but also to make long lasting friendships.
When I first heard I had been accepted into the program I was excited to learn about all the other cultures that would be present at the program; I had always wanted to travel abroad so that I could experience living in a foreign place and have the chance to learn about different ways of life. Not only did Austria’s culture amaze me but hearing everyone’s stories about how they got to Austria was inspiring. None of us had the same story and we were each able to pass on bits of advice to our friends across the globe.
I would highly recommend completing a program abroad because it is an insightful experience that gives you the opportunity to make international friends and increase your understanding of the world we live in. It is true what they say about going abroad, you are forever changed by it; you bring a little piece of where you went home with you.
Madison Dias
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Mechanical and Mechatronic)/Diploma in Professional Engineering Practice
The start of my self-discovery journey began in early July, and led me on an unimaginable adventure that involved becoming lost for hours in winding dirt roads after eating dal bhat for the third time that day, crossing knee-high flood waters to get to our next accommodation location, living with a family that had not the slightest clue of what I was saying when I asked where the bathroom was, and haggling with locals when trying to buy a skirt because it was only when I arrived did I realise jeans in a monsoon season did not dry overnight.
Did I expect any of this? Honestly, yes. Was I expecting to be nervous in the back of a taxi when I realised road rules did not exist in Nepal? Definitely. Did I expect not to go to the toilet for the first three days because I was scared of falling backwards in the squat toilet? One hundred percent. However, I did not expect the feeling of triumph and satisfaction after I accomplished each of these small challenges.
Before leaving for the Global Challenges International Study
Tour in Nepal, I knew that I was in for a tough two weeks. I knew that I would
be facing obstacles that one could only ever imagine in western culture, and I
expected to feel only relief when I hopped into bed each night. Surprisingly, the
only relief I felt was when I was able to escape the heat after walking up a
mountain for an hour while carrying a 50 kilogram backpack. I realised after
each obstacle I overcame that I was becoming mentally stronger, and I was
shocked that I felt such a strong determination to participate in each and
every aspect of the Nepalese culture, regardless of how daunting it seemed.
I was also overwhelmed by the eagerness to share by the Nepalese people I spoke to. Whether it was locals working at markets wanting to share stories of their experiences living in Nepal, the homestay families wanting to share their limited amount of food with visitors, or the farmers in the local village wanting to share their knowledge regarding the traditional ways of living, I was constantly surrounded by sharing. This willingness to give was completely unexpected, as I assumed the less someone had the less they were eager to share. On reflection, I could see that this was not the case for many of the Nepalese people I spoke to. In the words of Mother Teresa, “The less we have, the more we give”. I found that even though so many had so little, they were so content with what they had. I know now not to pity those that have less than me, as in some ways they may actually have more than me. Many appeared to be so content with both themselves and with what they owned, and had a smile planted on their face, regardless of the situation.
During this program, I had the opportunity to create an
innovative physical product that benefited the rural village of Dhulikel. I
worked collaboratively in a small, multi-disciplinary team with other
Australian students while partnering with both local ‘design for development’
experts and the community to develop a project with a focus on Nepali farming.
My team noticed that in the Dhulikel village, automatic
tractors had replaced traditional ploughing methods within the farms. Based off
research, we had expected to see traditional ploughing techniques to be
utilised, such as using the land effectively, ensuring rainfall was sufficient
before planting seeds, and undertaking tillage methods.
After speaking to the local farmers with the aid of a
translator, I was able to understand the reasons behind replacing traditional
ploughing methods with modern tractors. Traditional methods of farming were
considered to be very labour intensive, less efficient and required strenuous
man and animal labour hours. Surprisingly, it also cost more to feed and care
for working animals than it did to buy a tractor upfront and maintain it.
However, it was through the discussions with both the farmers
and also local community members that we were able to understand the negative
environmental impact these modern tools were having on the land. While
miniature tractors are very time efficient, the ploughing tool connected to the
tractor overturns the soil, resulting in microbes and minerals from deep soil
being brought to the surface level. These nutrients are then destroyed by
direct sunlight exposure. Consequently, the quality of the soil in the Dhulikel
village for farming has depleted. Thus, this method of ploughing with miniature
tractors should not be continued.
My team decided to focus on this and create an innovative
ploughing tool to address the issue of soil depletion. While addressing this issue,
both the productivity of the product and the level of labour required had to be
considered. To ensure we were meeting all the requirements of all stakeholders,
we had the chance to interview both farmers and local residents. We were then
also given the opportunity to test our prototype on a local farm and receive
feedback from these stakeholders to improve future iterations of the model.
I found it quite challenging to ensure the criteria given to
my team was met within the one model, especially as there was only five days to
design and develop a prototype. As a student that has lived in the city her
entire life and studies a subject that does not even scratch the surface of
agriculture, I was very unfamiliar with farming methods, tools and techniques. As
a female within a group of males that lived on farms as children, I felt almost
inadequate at the beginning of the brainstorming sessions, as I had little to
contribute but a lot to ask. However, upon reflection, I have realised that
this was completely acceptable. I was able to learn so much in such a short
period of time by asking endless questions while interviewing local farmers and
villagers. This then allowed me to develop a new perspective on traditional
farming methods that my other group members did not have.
While we were receiving feedback regarding our ploughing tool
prototype, I found it very surprising the local’s level of concern regarding
the ploughing tool’s impact on the environment in both the short and long term.
From my perspective, I had assumed that their main concern would be providing
an income to support their family and their community. However, after numerous
discussions with the locals regarding the environmental impact of various
ploughing tools and techniques, I had noticed that my perception of what I
believed their main goals and values were had shifted. I began to understand
that their respect for the land that they grew their food in outweighed the
need to create a more comfortable life for themselves. This was shocking to
realise as I had previously assumed that, like in many western cultures, people
are generally primarily focused on their socio-economic status and their level
of income. I had taken my experiences from my own western culture and assumed
that it was transferable to the Nepali culture.
After considering various viewpoints and perspectives on these values and beliefs, I believe I now understand the reasons behind the people of the Dhulikel community having such respect for the environment. The land they grow their food on is both their entire source of income and is a large percent of the food that they provide their family. If this land was to become nutrient lacking after years of upturning of the soil as a result of ploughing, this income would halt completely. Likewise, they would want to ensure that future generations would have the opportunity to continue working on farms to provide for their own families. Thus, minimising the negative environmental impacts that their farming has on the land is extremely important, and I believe that they are willing to sacrifice some own personal comforts to ensure their efforts are sustainable.
Upon reflection, I now realise the importance of respecting
the environment. This is especially important within western culture, where
socio-economic status, income levels and power placement are valued so highly.
This realisation has influenced the direction of my goals for the future –
especially regarding career-related goals.
I am currently studying a Bachelor of Construction Project
Management and hope to be working full time in the construction industry by the
end of my degree. The construction industry is often generalised as one of the
most environmentally destructive industries, with little to no concern
regarding the environment.
While this issue has been brought to the attention of many
large construction companies, sustainability efforts to create more
environmentally sustainable construction methods, techniques and materials have
been slow to adopt. This is largely due to the demographics of the industry.
The construction sector is a very male dominated environment and comprises
largely of an older generation. This specific demographic has been reported to
have an “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it” attitude. Consequently, the longer
term negative impacts of the environment is often overlooked by these
construction workers as their efforts are often placed into ensuring the
project is completed on time and on budget.
After my experiences in Nepal, I have decided that I would like to delve deeper into the sustainability options that can be utilised within construction projects. I have realised that innovation and creative thinking have the potential to change the course of sustainable construction projects in the future. However, I believe it is the implementation of these new tools, methods and materials that will determine whether they are successfully adopted. Similar to those living in the Dhulikel village, I want to ensure that I am respecting the environment regardless of the industry I am working in. To do so, I have realised that I may need to sacrifice some personal benefits and gains to ensure I can play an influential role that will assist in protecting the environment.
On June 30 2019, 24 UTS Engineering students commenced a brilliant two week course at Shanghai University. With classes in the morning and city exploration in the afternoon, their fortnight abroad went by in a flash!
Here are some short reflections from a few of the students who recently embarked on this terrific overseas experience:
From the 30th of June to 13th of July 2019, our daily schedule consisted of lectures lead by industry professionals from 8:30-11:30am. The content covered a variety of engineering related modules ranging from advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, and city infrastructure which transferred to concepts and trends taught in my own mechanical engineering degree. After lunch, we’d assemble at 1pm for site visits to relevant companies and the opportunity to discuss issues and concerns with international experts in industry. The UTS x SHU trip provided an invaluable academic and cultural experience. I am looking forward to partaking in more BUILD programs and I have been raving to other students to get involved too. – Anika Wenceslao
The comprehensive program enlightened me to a side of China not often conveyed in the Western world and has left me longing to return there and explore outside of Shanghai. I can’t help but smile when reflecting on the entire experience and was genuinely sad to return home after spending two weeks with some truly great people who I got to share the experience of a lifetime with. – Lachlan Derrig
I hadn’t travelled outside Australia in more than ten years. Going to China has been one of my favorite things I have done. Exploring new cities, meeting people, creating memories, sharing moments with strangers and friends, eating, learning. That’s how I would summarise my experience abroad. There was always something to do, to seek, to learn. I’ll admit that I was scared. Scared to leave home, scared to not know anyone, scared to navigate alone. But all things exist in contradiction. I was excited. I was excited to leave home, excited to not know anyone, excited to navigate alone. It was liberating. – Kassem Safwan
Visiting Shanghai was a very insightful and culturally eye opening experience. It was quite amazing to see a city that is almost completely cashless rely on payment methods such as WeChat and Alipay which are phone based applications in which you use QR codes to scan and then pay via an account. The best way I would be able to describe the atmosphere of shanghai, is that it is one giant factory. – Will Lazaris
Despite spending my first night sleeping at Pudong Airport, I only had good moments in Shanghai. From learning some mandarin, walking around the city and making friends with the locals, I had so many eye opening experiences. Everyday became exciting. Shanghai is an incredibly exciting and lively city. From how cheap the cost of food and living is, to how densely packed the cities of China are, you’ll never run out of things to do. I can’t wait to come back! – Nicholas Lukito
Shanghai has been an absolutely unforgettable experience. I was blown away by how much I was able to learn and experience in as little as 2 weeks. Admittedly, I was incredibly nervous before departing. I was about to embark on a trip with people I had never met, in a country I had never been. But as soon as I landed in China, that very quickly changed. From enriching cultural experiences, exploring sites such as Yu Garden and Tian Zi Fang, to insightful lectures paired with relevant company site visits, for example touring FANUC, a global robotics and manufacturing company, I can honestly say this trip had everything and more. I’m beyond grateful that I was fortunate enough to have such an incredible experience with such an incredible group of people. This program has truly exceeded my expectations and I strongly urge for students to take this rare opportunity to experience a BUILD Abroad program for themselves! – Brigitte Zappia
The key thing that I learnt through this BUILD trip is that there is a big wide world out there and that in order to understand and comprehend it, you need to see and experience it! From my journey I had the chance to experience different societal views of government and how different governments influence the lives of the people. This was something I found confronting, especially when I asked some Chinese citizens about their freedoms they either responded with “I’d rather not comment” or “It’s complicated”. All in all, going to China was an experience I will never forget, which has taught me and exposed me to so many new and exciting things and given me a desire to further travel through Asia to countries rich with culture and history. – Callum
Before I left for my trip, I set myself the goal of attempting to make my first video to capture my emotions and experiences of the trip. There aren’t many more words that I can say to do both my trip and Shanghai its true justice. However, I hope that this video does. – David Pangna
Before I left for Shanghai many of my friends and family would ask me, “Are you excited?” I often answered with an uneasy “yes” or a truthful “I honestly don’t know”. As absurd as this sounds, I was truly quite anxious to travel to China as it was my first time travelling alone to a foreign country. To save all the suspense, I had an amazing experience! Looking back on it there was no single factor or event that made this an unforgettable trip but a magical and rare combination of everything. The friendships and lessons I have learnt on this short two week trip will stay with me forever. – Veronica Gorgi
Me, Jakeb, Jess and Kassem right before getting on a Ferris wheel
As part of our program, we had the opportunity to visit many popular cultural sites. The Bund was one of these. It is a waterfront area in central Shanghai which consists of buildings that light up at night, creating a beautiful view which cannot be described with words – you just have to be there to absorb its magnificence. We also had the chance to participate in a sight-seeing cruise along the Huangpa River which exposed us to breathtaking scenery. Along this cruise we saw the Oriental Pearl TV Tower which is an iconic tower seen in many western and eastern movies, and we were given the chance to go inside it to see Shanghai from above! – Kelvin Luong
Before visiting China I always had a negative perspective of China and what they have done to the world. But, after this short program I got to listen and learn from the people there and my perspective has changed. I now look at China with an open mind. – Synat
At first I was a little nervous, I have always had a distaste for travelling in groups. There’s always the bickering and the squabbling, trying to decide where to go. But thankfully, once we started the course, our days managed to stay teetering perfectly between everyone’s preferences. One of my favourite days was when went down to Shanghai Pearl Tower. The tower gives a panoramic view of the city, where you can stare down at the people on the city floor below and watch them going about their lives. Overall the trip was super enjoyable and I hope to go on another in the future. – Nadav
This July I participated in the Mitsui Immersion Program run by Mitsui & Co., a huuuge Japanese sogo shosha (global comprehensive solution provider) with connections around the world – including (most importantly) Australia!
I and 13 other students (6 UTS, 7 UWA, 1 UoN) spent 2 weeks in the heart of Tokyo – a pleasant 10 min walk from Mitsui’s headquarters. During that time, we attended various seminars run by Mitsui employees and managers, allowing us to gain insight into the inner-workings of the company. It was fascinating (particularly from a science-IT background) to learn about how a large company like Mitsui is able to manage its many business units, ranging from natural resources and mining, to lifestyle/health and startup business development. And at the heart of it all are Mitsui’s core values:
Challenge and Innovation
Open-mindedness
Mitsui is people 🙂
Prior to this program, I was admittedly unaware of Mitsui’s involvement in Australia. However, my perspective quickly changed following the seminars which specifically detailed Mitsui’s various business ventures in Australia, such as Shark Bay Salt Mine (100% Mitsui owned).
In addition to the seminars, we also…. visited the Edo Museum in Tokyo, where we learnt about former Mitsui’s beginnings as a family-run kimono store (Mitsui’s logo is in fact the original family emblem or kamon); visited Mitsui’s new incubation hub, Moon Creative Lab, which aims to create and develop new innovative business ideas; and, had the chance to meet-up with students from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, learning about each other over some fun team-building activities and lunch!
At the Edo Museum – a replica of former Mitsui’s textiles store which revolutionised how kimono was sold, making it more affordable and thus accessible.
At Moon Creative Lab located near Harajuku, where we got to meet some very inspiring people!
Group photo with some students from TUFS, featuring our (toppled-over) spaghetti/marshmallow tower in the bottom right.
After some intense learning the first week (including a group presentation), the majority of our second week involved site visits! There were quite a few, so here’s a photo summary:
At the Australian Embassy in Tokyo with the Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Court. We learnt about Mitsui and Japan’s ties with Australia, and got to network with Embassy members whilst drinking tea/coffee out of super fancy teacups!
At Kashima Port, a little north of Tokyo. We were given a ferry ride around the port filled with massive ships and processing facilities – in particular, a salt processing facility with tonnes and tonnes of salt all the way from Shark Bay! (below)
At Kimitsu Steel Mill – this is a photo of one of the blast furnaces in operation (it was unbelievably huge). It was fascinating to see how iron ore is turned into steel, and a very intense experience watching red-hot steel charge down a conveyor belt.
The view from Umihotaru, an over-engineered rest stop on the Tokyo Bay Aqua-line Expressway, with multiple restaurants, a food court, an arcade and of course, a 7-Eleven.
Early morning buying ‘ekiben’ for our trip to Nagoya via Shinkansen!
Posing at the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology after a fun time exploring the museum’s plethora of exhibits. Prior to this, we visited the Toyota Exhibition Hall where we received a tour of the nearby Toyota Factory, seeing the production line for Lexus and other high-end Toyota models.
In true Japanese-businessman style, we ended one of our site visits with after-work drinks at an Izakaya.
But then it was back to work. For the last two days of the program we were split into 2 groups and tasked with creating a presentation showcasing what we had learnt, as well as pitching a potential business venture Mitsui could take that would also benefit Australia. It was a stressful 2 days, between the trials and tribulations of coming up with a business idea, and the pressure of having to speak in front of senior Mitsui executives and Australian/Japanese government officials.
Hard at work >:|
Luckily, everyone was impressed with our presentations and the program ended with smiles all around 🙂 – as well as tears, once we realised it was coming to an end.
At the closing reception – group photo with one of our HRD supervisors, Kaz.
Thank you to everyone at Mitsui and UTS, as well as the Japanese and Australian governments for making this program possible! It was an amazing experience that resulted in life-long relationships, valuable connections and unforgettable memories. It has undoubtedly helped me develop as a business professional through teaching me about Japanese business philosophy – knowledge which will definitely come in handy should I decide to work in Japan one day!
With that said, I encourage anyone who is interested in Japan to apply for this program if you get the chance! 🙂
Extras:
We were given free time on the weekends to explore Tokyo. Here are some snippets of what we got up to…
Summer in Japan means festivals! This was at Yasukuni Shrine during the Mitama Festival, where people go to honour their ancestors and the spirits of the dead, lighting hundreds of lanterns.
Tanabata Festival at Zojoji Temple in Tokyo.
Shinkyo Bridge in Nikko, which is home to a collection of World Heritage listed Shrines dating back to the 17th century.
A massive Sakura tree within the Imperial Villa Memorial Park (also in Nikko). Just imagine how it would look in spring..!!
Not the food photo you were expecting, huh? 😏 This was a Magicarp-themed ‘taiyaki’ from Akihabara.
— Sofia Oldman, Bachelor of Forensic Science (Digital Forensics) / BA in International Studies (Japan)
Before leaving for my exchange, I was the most excited but also the most nervous I had been. I had wanted to go to Berlin for years whilst learning the German language. I was considering doing a semester abroad but finding about the Humboldt University Berlin in the Summer Program, I knew this would be more plausible for me. It was a rush to organise everything within a matter of 2 months which was worthwhile in the end. I got to spend my break immersing myself into a culture I was so intrigued by whilst receiving academic credit for it.
I was scared because I knew I would be alone there. This was my first time overseas by myself, and I did not know anyone else going, but I knew this was what I wanted to do. In my first week there, I really noticed the rugged nature of the city which gave its own character. Everyone dressed how they liked which I really appreciated, as I love to see people’s artistic expression through their style.
East Side Gallery
Warschauer Straße
I was amazed to meet a variety of people from all around the world on my exchange and in my German class. It fascinated me how one program could do this. It amazed me even more knowing that most of their native languages were not English, yet they were onto learning their 3rd languages.
My class was situated on a quaint street tucked away from the buzz of Berlin, but only a few hundred metres away from some of its most popular nightclubs. Nearby was the lovely River Spree, and delightful bakeries where croissants were sold for only 1 euro. I loved how diverse this city was. Residences, nightlife, stores etc were all mixed together with things spread out in the city.
18 Rungestraße
I was living in Kreuzberg, allowing me to experience the 24/7 buzz of Berlin. Street art decorated the old and new buildings, as well as the array of multicultural cuisine and nightlife. Being on the east side of the city really felt like it had more soul, than the west. However, the west had Tiergarten! A truly beautiful sight.
I got to enjoy Biergartens and the famous Berliner Weisse beer (I recommend the grün flavour!) and of course Currywurst. I saw the infamous Bahnof Zoo for myself as seen in ‘Wir Kinder vom Bahnof Zoo’ which I was surprised by how much the same it looked 40 years later.
Biergarten Golgatha
Apart from the rigorous bike riders, I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the German people. Any stereotype I was informed of them being unfriendly was completely thrown out the window. I saw smiles from bus drivers and even those in supermarkets.
I loved the sense of freedom in Berlin. Apart from the fact that I was living by myself, the city felt freer. Police were hardly seen. You did not even need to pass through gates to get on a train – just present your ticket if a controller comes! No lockout laws, less of a reliance on cars, frequent open-air cinemas, bikes – the city just gave a free vibe to me. I really cherished this.
Hackescher Markt
Having class only 3 times a week, I was able to utilise my long weekend! This meant I got to visit Amsterdam and catch up with some friends whilst also visiting Leipzig and Potsdam one week with my newfound friends.
Leipzig
Potsdam
It was difficult at first being on my own, but experiencing this city and forcing myself into uncomfortable situations was the best thing I did for myself. By the end of the month, I didn’t want to leave (except when the weather dropped below 20 degrees!). I know I will definitely be back to Berlin again.
Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to live in the future? Perhaps you can visualize a city among a garden? In the winter vacation of 2019, I had the opportunity to travel to a country that most other nations consider as the ‘model city’ – Singapore – an enchanting modern metropolis. A city planned 50 years in the future, and I did not believe that myself until I saw it with my own eyes.
Combine this with the opportunity to study an exchange at one of the world’s best universities, the renowned Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and this trip was even more amazing. Over the 4 weeks in June-July, my 5 friends and I from UTS embarked on a trip of a lifetime, discovering every aspect the tiny nation of Singapore had to offer.
NTU has one of the best campuses of any University, it has its own residential dorms, bus lines, gyms, pools and fast food joints like McDonald’s, KFC, Starbucks etc. It was also an incredible learning opportunity to be taught by professors with over 30 years of experience in their respective fields of Cyber Security and Project Management.
One of the most interesting aspects of Singapore was the food. Delicious, cheap, abundant and diverse. It makes me wonder how a country with no agricultural space, hot-humid annual weather and a huge population can have such a huge variety and seemingly endless supply of food. I also got to try the highly anticipated Chili Crab but was left a little disappointed.
Travelling was a breeze. Singapore has developed one of the world’s most technologically advanced and efficient infrastructure for the Metro system (MRT), public buses and ride sharing services – GRAB. Automated trains run from sunrise to midnight at an amazing frequency of 3 mins and buses are not a minute late. Singapore may be small but it is hugely dynamic and fluid.
Singapore does not have the natural beauty that many other countries in the world are gifted with, but oh boy do they impress with their modern architecture. Singapore has a vast indoor, underground and vertical infrastructure rivaled by few cities. One of their most magnificent structures and landmarks is the Marina Bay Sands hotel in the heart of the bay. The huge towers are a symbol of prosperity, art and affluence. At night, water shows, and light shows in the neighboring Gardens by the Bay bring the city to life. It was here I spent a majority of my time exploring and admiring the city. We also spent a lot of our time enjoying the cooler climate in the many shopping complexes around the city which are open till 10pm daily! One of my most favourite shopping destinations were the famous Orchard Road and Jewel at Changi, a new entertainment hub recently inaugurated.
Singapore also has some unique natural attractions to offer such as Sentosa Island and Henderson’s Waves. It was fun to visit the Southernmost part of continental Asia, visiting the largest Merlion on the island and riding on the Luge with friends at Sentosa.
Singapore has a rich history and it was humbling to learn about the birth of a nation through my visit to the National Art Gallery, National Museum and visiting several heritage places such as the Supreme Court, Pulau Ubin, Haji Lane, Little India, Chinese Gardens and so on.
Whether it was attending 8-hour lectures, exploring the city in 35C heat, playing Uno on campus with friends or relaxing at Marina Lighthouse and seeing the city at night, Singapore was a truly fairytale experience and one to cherish for many, many years to come.
If you get the opportunity, do not miss a chance to visit the Garden City yourself!
– Ahnaf Rahman Bachelor of Information Technology Co-op
7pm, my last exam finished. 10pm I was on my flight to Europe. Crazy right? Two weeks before my flight I didn’t even know I was going to Europe, just the casual weekday leading into the exam week when I get an email from UTS BUILD regarding my application from several weeks back, “Congrats!” it says. An opportunity I would not miss, France was a destination I have wanted to visit since I was 3, when I use to live in Talatamaty in Madagascar. French was the language I had picked up first, as a result of living in Madagascar, although leaving all that behind and 17 years on I am now living in Australia, my love for France is still there.Now, 31 hours later, I arrive in Madrid. I spent a few days here before setting off for the summer program in Bordeaux. Europe lived up to my expectations so far, and the excitement only grew as I was travelling to Bordeaux from Madrid on the 29th of June.
The program was for a duration of 2 weeks, and consisted of daily lectures within the topics of ‘Sustainability within Civil Engineering’ which were eased into with an hour of French before it. Every day commenced at 9am, with an hour of French, a lecture, 1.5 hours of lunch break and then either another lecture or a site visit. Site visits were an amazing experience where the entire group got to experience the practical aspect of the lectures, some visits outside the engineering field were wine tours, these involved learning about the French vineyards and details about wine production.
Amongst the educational aspect of the program, the socialising opportunity was a great experience. I was the only student from Sydney, amongst 10 students from RMIT in Melbourne, few Chinese students and a few Korean students from Seoul. Making friends from different places around the world, yet connected by the same discipline of engineering was a unique experience. The usual day would finish at 5pm, after this the others along with myself gathered and went out to the city to soak up some French culture, either indulging in some French food or going to popular bars where we would meet others who are also travelling, or even appreciating the French architecture which was mind blowing as it was very different to what we are used to seeing in Sydney.
Some amazing work in the city I have captured are presented below.
The city of Bordeaux is a great place for students to study as the city is young, plenty of people out and about even until really late we still felt safe walking around the city. Sun set’s really late in Europe, so that was an experience in itself as we had plenty of day time to explore the city. This was weird at first as we’re use to such an early sunset back home!
Most of the city was covered with old French influenced architecture and it was maintained as such to be the centre of attraction in Bordeaux. However if you were to make a small effort to cross the Garonne river via the cities iconic ‘Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas’ bridge you come to discover this magnificent and alluring portrayal of the youth influence within the city. A location known as ‘Le Hangar Darwin’ where every wall boasts an eye catching piece of art through graffiti. The place is not filled with too many people at once however, you will come across a few locals who spend time with friends and of course the odd tourist like us who come to appreciate the contrasting nature of the city from the ‘left side’ to the ‘right side’ as the locals say.
A few of the works in ‘Le Hangar Darwin’ are shown below.
Overall, this short yet meaningful trip has taught me several things. It has shown me how to get through obstacles that you may face small or big, it has allowed me to gain confidence and step outside my comfort zone and do something out there. Most importantly, something I will keep with me for a lifetime; the new friendships and qualities which have been engraved into my personality from the duration of the trip. I strongly recommend this program for future students who seek something outside the normal university life and want to travel whilst adding value to their degree.
In June 2019 I set off to fly across the world to Italy to continue my studies of Italian Language and culture through the UTS BUILD winter program. This intense three-week language and culture course at the University of Bologna allowed me to expand my knowledge of the Italian language in such a short amount of time and immersed me within the culture of the city.
I set off from Sydney three weeks before the commencement of the course to go visit my family who live in Italy. After spending my time travelling around Italy with my relatives I caught the train to Bologna, where I met up with my friend from UTS who I was sharing an apartment with for the duration of the course.
The next morning was the first day of classes, kicking off with a speaking assessment to judge what level of Italian we already had. The first week of classes flew by and the next thing I knew it was our first weekend in Bologna. In true Italian style, my class decided to head out on the Friday night for some traditional Bolognese food; tagliatelle with ragù, mortadella and tortellini.
After sampling the food, wine and gelato and listening to some music across town it was time to start the second week. Although the intensity of the course was sometimes a little overwhelming, the fast pace of the learning allowed me to gain the most amount of knowledge possible in the short amount of time. One of the cultural activities we did during this week was my favourite by far: a traditional cooking class. As a class we made tortelloni (big tortellini) with ricotta, a salad with veal and a panna cotta with caramel.
Before I knew it the last week of the course had arrived and it was time to start studying for the final exam and making the most of the last few days before university in Australia started again. Making the most of the summer warmth, I spent my last days studying in the park and soaking up the sun. Unlike parks in Sydney, the park was filled with people playing soccer, basketball, frisbee, tightrope walking and juggling, with strangers encouraging me to give them all a try.
The last day of class quickly approached and it was time to say goodbye to everyone I had met. We went out in traditional student style watching a band play in one of the many parks of the city on our last night. After many hugs it was time to pack up and leave and head back to Australia. Although I was only in Bologna for a short amount of time, my experiences in this wonderful city improved my Italian language skills to a new level and I now have more cultural awareness of Italian customs and traditions.
