Australia:
For the second semester of my junior year, I studied abroad in Melbourne, VIC, Australia. I was admitted into the Arts (General Studies) Department at the University of Melbourne and took Practical Ethics to fullfil a requirement by Wellesley College and China in Transition just for my personal interest.
I also took two courses in the Creative Arts Department. The first was Visual Arts: Installation Projects in which I created a work called "Breaking through the Iron Rice Bowl". It reflected China's transition from communism to a market-oriented economy and from isolation to openness. It was inspired from the China in Transition class that I had taken at the same time. The second Creative Arts course was Interactive Multimedia, in which I reviewed HTML and CCS and learned the very basics of Flash. My final project was a website I created using Flash called DiviNATION, which contained basic information about fortune-telling, zodiac signs, and horoscopes.
Melbourne is absolutely one of my favorite cities in the world. The City district is amazingly modern, especially Federation Square located right on the Yarra River. Considered the centre of Melbourne, Fed Square has a huge variety of attractions such as the Melbourne Visitor Centre, the National Design Centre, Ian Potter Centre: NGV (National Gallery of Victoria) Australia (art), the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI), the massive Crown Casino with high-end clothing stores, restaurants, bars, and cafes, river cruises, and so on. Built just in the mid 1990s, it is great place to see a ton fantastic architecture in one compact area.
By extreme fortune, I was able to experience the 2006 Commonwealth Games which happened to be host by Melbourne that year. It is similar to the Olympics, but it consists of countries that were once part of the former British Empire. I watched a series of rugby-7 (7 people) games that were very short but were played one after another. It was amazing to see teams from so many different countries rush on and off the field. I had also never seen an actual game of rugby in person, so that was an experience in itself. I can now understand how my friend received 2 concussions from playing the sport, but I am more confused as to why anyone would want to put themselves through that torment.
During the Games, there was also a huge variety of cultural events and performances. At various sites throughout the city, there were concerts, cooking contests, art displays, water shows on the Yarra river, and a ton of other activities. The city was truly brimming with life and positive energy during the Commonwealth Games.
Although, I was busy with my classes, volleyball, and work during the semester, I was able to do a little traveling in various parts of Australia. I was in Brisbane, QLD, for a couple of days when I first flew into the country. The city was quite modern but not huge. It's still being developed, however, so I suspect that it will be quite a booming city in the near future. Local surrounding areas could be reached conveniently and quickly by boat on the Brisbane River. I was not able to explore much, but the city was nice from what I saw. Just by the river near the downtown area, there are a number of very chic (but somewhat expensive) restaurants. If you go to Brisbane, you must try the seafood. It's what the city is famous for.
For my Easter break, I went to Cairns in the Tropical North Queensland. I actually had a horrible time, but this was due to the time of year and a long string of bad luck. I suffered everything from seasickness to severe food poisoning, and some of my activities were cancelled because the surrounding roads were flooded since it rained everyday I was there. It was late in fall in Australia and there had been a tornado just about a month prior to my arrival. If I went during a better time, I am sure I would have had a fabulous time. I was able to do a little snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef (despite the overcast day) and go white-water rafting (despite the horrible case of food poisoning from it). But, as Australians would say, no worries! Live and learn...
Spain:
At Wellesley College, the students get over a month-long break during the winter, and there are options to take classes for half credit. The college also organizes 3-week-long courses at various places overseas. During my junior year, I was accepted into the Spanish Department's wintersession program in Barcelona. As a Spanish major, with a focus on Spain (as opposed to Latin America), I was blown away by the opportunity to visit the actual country of my studies. The art I saw in Barcelona was also a huge inspiration to me as a Media Arts & Science major.
The course was run by Professor Carlos Ramos and was entitled "Barcelona and the Spirit of Modernity: Art, History, and Culture (1859-Present)". The title is extremely long, but it is quite fitting because there was such a wide range of topics covered. I never knew that so much could be learned about one city! Everyday we had very detailed schedules to visit various art museums, religious institutions, historical landmarks, and of course cafes to drink "cafe con leche" ("coffee with milk" or cafe ole in the United States). A huge recommendation from me would be to visit all of the architecture by Antonio Gaudí, one of the most innovative modern architects in the world. La Sagrada Familia, a modern cathedral is still undergoing construction (which began in the beginning of the 20th century!) but it is still a breathtaking sight. We also each stayed with a family during our time there. My Spanish host mother was extremely cordial and sweet, and she fed me with enough food to feed a third-world country.
My time there was absolutely amazing! Life seems so much richer and much more lived in Spain. If you want to relax and immerse yourself in art and culture or party until daylight (literally) Spain is definitely a country you must visit.
