Justin
Marketing, Business Management Major

This is our last day in Australia. I don't think many of us are ready to leave Australia to head back to school and get into our daily routines, but I guess it is time.

Today was our travel day home to the United States, and it was literally the longest day of our lives. This morning we woke up around 4:45 a.m. to finish our packing and catch our flight from Cairns to Sydney. We then had a lay-over in Sydney for about four or five hours, as we waited to get on a plane for another 12 hours to San Francisco, followed by another two-hour flight to Seattle. An interesting thing during our long flight to San Francisco was that our flight attendant's husband went to Whitworth and was roommates with Chuck Boppell. Small world. We were all very tired from all the travel, but the crazy part was that we lived Jan. 28 for about 43 hours total, with the 19-hour time difference. It was definitely strange arriving in Seattle at 1 p.m. on the 28th when we left from Sydney at 2:30 p.m. on the 28th. We got to relive almost a whole day, but that meant that I could have actually told you all that had happened on the 28th and then it wouldn't have been a surprise.

Anyways, Cairns was definitely a highlight of mine on the trip, and it was nice to end our trip in such an amazing tropical place. Gilligan's Backpackers where we stayed was one of the coolest places because of the amazing pool with a big screen TV and waterfall. We spent a lot of time in that pool. I also thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Great Barrier Reef, where I not only got the opportunity to do a lot of snorkeling, but I also went scuba diving. The coral and all of the topical fish and sea turtles were amazing to see close-up.

The trip in general was a wonderful experience. I learned a lot about international business "Down Under" and made some good friendships with the other students on the trip. A couple of highlights for me were the Sydney Harbor, staying with Don and Jean Warren in Adelaide, Kangaroo Island and of course, Cairns, as I mentioned above. I hope that I get the opportunity to visit Australia again sometime and visit some other cities such as Melbourne and Brisbane.

I am now preparing to head back to Whitworth for my last spring semester. I'm sure it won't compare to my learning experience in Australia, but I hope for the best, as I will be graduating in May and heading off into the real world!

Scott
Business Management Major

Today is the first full day we have been back in the United States and so far no jet lag has hit me, maybe tomorrow. Although in Seattle it is about 40 degrees colder and raining, I think we are all glad to be home. The trip was amazing and it will definitely be an experience that will be with us for the rest of our lives.

Over the month in Australia we as a class went from the busy fast-paced life in Sydney, where everyone always wore a tie, to the more laid-back life in Adelaide, where I got the impression that you work hard at your job, but it doesn't consume your life. After Adelaide we headed south again to Kangaroo Island with Mark (Imagine Steve Erwin on steroids with shorter khaki shorts) as our tour guide. This time was spent chasing kangaroos through farmlands and trying to find the little dots of grey that were koalas. After Kangaroo Island we headed to Alice Springs, which is a city in the middle of the desert, where there is almost no escape from the heat. I was more than willing to duck into one of the many art galleries just to be under an air conditioner. Our time in Alice was short, but we were able to get a better grasp of the aboriginal culture and the struggles that the people have had as a society. Lastly we moved onto Cairns, where it was 90 degrees, overcast and raining for most of the trip. This made for one of the most beautiful, lush jungles that I have ever seen. The rain was nothing like what I am experiencing now and was almost warm to the touch. In Cairns we were able to take a day and sail out to the Great Barrier Reef, where we spent the day scuba diving and snorkeling in the 90-degree water.

Throughout the trip, we interviewed and explored many of businesses in the public and private sectors in Australia. We found many similarities and subtle but important differences in the way things were done, and from our experiences many ideas of job opportunities and the possibilities of a career overseas started to enter into our thoughts.

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