June 4th.
Off Day- Melbourne


      Today was spent by everyone experiencing Melbourne on a personal basis; while some went on a trip called the Great Ocean Road tour, others walked downtown in Melbourne and experienced the city on another level. The city is starting to become more familiar and we can get around without needing to use GPS in our phones, directions, or a Taxi. This morning I personally went on a long run, and ventured beyond Victoria University that we attended for lecture yesterday morning and ran alongside the river. It was cold outside as I ran at around 630 am, but it was a beautiful run, and amazing to see the sun rise over the skyscrapers and reflect off the steel grey bridge. I spent the day afterwards exploring Melbourne and had a long conversation and coffee with Craig Douglass. He enlightened me on a lot of the interesting aspects of Australian history and culture, and I am glad I was able to have the conversation. We talked about everything from TV shows to the reform in aboriginal treatment in Australia as of late. Every time that there is a business meeting or lecture, it is customary now for Australians to acknowledge prior to starting the formal meeting what land they are on. For example, they will say something like, “we’d like to acknowledge the fact we are on “blank” aboriginal land.” I thought this was very interesting. The coffee here is also incredible, I haven’t found a bad cup since I arrived. Australia is already stunning and I cannot to see what is in store next. 
     Professor Burton also said to us that the relationships that we make here could be lifelong ones and as the initial awkwardness of meeting our peers for the first time started to vanish I realized this could be true! The people on this trip are so open and excited for new experiences and relationships. I think that we are all interested in a trip like this in the first place because they are eager to experience new things, so the general vibe of the group is very open minded. It is a great group for seeing new things and experiencing this new culture. I have never been out of the country before, and I can already tell this experience is going to change my life. 

Sydney Brackett 

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