This week we were able to venture outside Sydney for the first time since arriving almost a month ago. First off, however, I would like to reflect on the first four weeks of class since our first block wrapped up this past week. I learned an immense amount of new material that will help me in my professional career in two classes, the first being Financial Decision Modeling and the second being Business Law. I found Business Law to be very interesting, and contain a lot of important information that I had not previously learned about. This new information will be crucial for me down the road, and it is incredibly important that I learn it while I am in college. Financial Decision Modeling further improved my Microsoft Excel skills and knowledge, preparing me for any internship I accept in Singapore and in the future. All in all, both classes made me feel much more competent in various aspects of my business skillset, and I hope to learn even more in the next block of classes.
Melbourne Weekend Trip – Saturday
Moving forward, after class wrapped up on Friday, all of us took a flight to Melbourne that night. We stayed in very nice suites right in downtown Melbourne, which gave us incredible access to everything the city has to offer. Saturday morning, we woke up and embarked on a walking tour of the city. Here, our tour guide provided us with an immense amount of interesting information regarding the history and culture of the city, and she recommended a few great spots to see while we were there. The food and cuisine were incredible, I had some of the best Chinese and Vietnamese food while I was there. Matt and I enjoyed a bowl of Pho in downtown Melbourne, which was easily the best I had ever experienced. I hope to experience more Vietnamese cuisine while I am abroad. After dinner, we explored more of downtown Melbourne as we headed towards the famous Ice Bar. This is a fully frozen, speak-easy type bar where they serve drinks in ice glasses. The seats and the actual, physical bar were also all made out of ice. It was a very cool and surreal experience, if I did not have the opportunity to go to Melbourne, I do not believe I would have experienced something like this. Afterward, we watched the sunset at a rooftop pavilion and called it a night.
Sunday in Melbourne
Furthermore, on Sunday morning we got breakfast at one of the arcade areas around our hotel. I ordered eggs with sourdough toast, and it was one of the best I have ever had. We went to tour an art gallery by the water after we finished breakfast, and continued to walk around the city until we found a sports bar to watch the Duke game. We then decided to take the tram back up to the center of the city, and then got lunch at a local Irish pub, the food there was delicious. All in all, the Melbourne trip was incredible, I felt like I saw an immense amount of new sites and learned even more about the greater Australian culture.
