Get Your Foot In the Door
There are different challenges and benefits of being a student. Plus side, you get concession prices at movies and events, downside, you are most likely in debt leaving you unable to pay for expensive conferences. My dad always said, if you can't afford to go, it doesn't hurt to email seeing if the organization/event needs volunteers. I would say 90% of the time they do! The wonderful organizers of Eco-City World Summit graciously accepted a number of us to volunteer for their conference this past week. The summit was put on to continue the important and urgent discussions surrounding climate change, and the impending affects on humanity and the Earth. The conference keynote speaker was Al Gore, which despite your political opinions/affiliations, and whether or not you agree with his ecological modernized view, has put the spotlight on climate change for many individuals not previously engaged in the subject. As a sustainability nerd myself, I was pretty stoked to be in the same room as him, especially when he was discussing something I am so passionate about. Generally I was very impressed with the caliber of conversations occurring in each session, and learned a lot about the importance of sustainable urban development as global populations grow leading to the mega trend of urban to rural migration. The other volunteers came from a variety of backgrounds, some students, some working professionals, all with different interests regarding livability, and sustainability in the world today. Anyways, the lesson of the story is, always try and volunteer. It gives you free entry into amazing conferences, enables you to network with professionals in your field and lets you meet other amazing humans who also love talking about the finer points of recycling/waste management (or whichever subject you love from your professional arena). Win/win/win! Andddddd, Eco-City 2019 will be held in partnership with BCIT in Vancouver! If you love sustainability and are in the area then definitely contact the organizers!
0 Comments
The Grampians Food and Wine Festival When someone asks you if you want to go to a festival whose soul purpose is to supply a vast and delicious array of food and alcoholic beverages, the answer should always be YES! Daniel, Caitlin, Rachel and I headed for a weekend in the Grampians to climb some mountains and drink some wine! Wine Time Well, there really is nothing better than a festival with over 30 vineyards, olive oil makers, chocolates, warmed nuts (ha), and food stands. We spend a couple solid hours "wine tasting" aka drinking free wine. I have officially decided that sparkling pinot noir is the best thing since sliced bread, why did this not exist in my life before. ["She proceeds to buy 3 bottles of Sparkling Red Wine..."]. After a great afternoon we headed to a local AirBnB, a cute little house filled with homemade scones. Hello you beautiful mountains The thing I miss most about home (in regards to the actual physical place) is the mountains! At home, you can be outside and hiking in 5 minutes, 10 minutes if you have to go through the school zone at Uplands. Needless to say, I was pretty happy to get out for a hike to the "mountains", aka hills, I would definitely describe Australian mountains as hills, beautiful hills that is... We headed to the Grampians National Park for a quick jaunt up to the pinnacle lookout before heading home. If you need an escape from Melbourne, this is a must! I am looking forward to heading back next year! Go Forth and Network
People say, its who you know over what you know. To some degree I would agree (and really disagree in other contexts, because heck how am I going to get a job after this Masters degree..[thats another story])... Ok, well I agree in the sense that the more people you meet, the more conversations you have, the more you know about the opportunities in the field, the more chances you have of ending up where you want to be. The great thing about being at university is, they provide a great platform to network and a variety of events to do this at! My faculty invited the sustainability students to join the business school at a panel discussion with the Future Business Council. It was definitely worth the trek downtown to check it out! Plus, there was free drinks and snacks. So even if you feel like you hate networking, or don't feel like going, remember...free drinks and snacks (always worth it, right?)! Freedom Yay! I have finally escaped the library to enjoy a trip to visit my friend Caitlin in Geelong! Caitlin and I first met during my exchange to Leeds, UK in 2010/2011! We sat down beside each other on the first day of orientation, and have been friends ever since! Sometimes when you are on exchange, you wonder if those friendships just exist due to proximity, but this friendship is far from this. Over the past 6 years we have stayed in touch, with our last visit (prior to this year) in 2013 when I was travelling around Australia. Here we are in 2017, and every time we hang out its like we were never apart, and pick up off wherever we last ended! I feel so lucky to be able to spend time with Caitlin, and our experience, life paths, and views are similar are so many levels - being here has been made much easier with her here (and my other exchange friend Louise - please note my feelings of close friendship and caring are equally felt/extended to her!). It's always wine time! So what did we do to celebrate Easter - drink wine of course! I trained to Geelong from Southern Cross, it only took an hour and was less than $9.00 each way - steal of a deal if you ask me (I pay $4.10 to go 2 mins to Caulfield everyday...). We stopped off at the local information centre and headed on our way to hit up as many wineries, olive and cheese shops as we could that day! Unfortunately, due to the holiday and that it was a Monday, not all businesses were open, but we did stop by three great locations! First however, we headed to Barwon Heads for a great walk around the beach! This little town is so cute, very touristy but tonnes of coffee shops and little restaurants to add to your day out! Winery 1 - Terindah Estate Well....cheers to getting buzzed at the first winery and splurging on a fancy bottle of Sparkling Pinot Noir, oops! Ok sorry, not sorry! Wow, this winery was amazing! Great variety of different wines, but my god, the Sparkling Pinot Noir, I have no words! I have never had a sparkling red, and was so glad we tried it! Lets just say Caitlin and I are planning a good wine and cheese night to properly enjoy this bottle... Winery 2 - Jack Rabbit Well, by this point we were too hungry to do any wine tasting/take pictures of our food! After Tenindah this winery felt a bit more commercial, less personal. The view however was amazing! We had a quick lunch here and jetted off in the search of olives! ------ *in-between wineries we went to look for olives, I have no pictures/no comments, but would not recommend certain olive grove experiences, and wouldn't return to said location*------ Winery 3 - Scotsman Hill I loved this winery, and the lady that helped us was great! I ended up buying a bottle of Pinot Noir, but had instant regret not purchasing their light, sweet dessert wine! This cute little estate was very friendly and we really enjoyed their wines! You an even buy them in stores in Melbourne, so a great option if looking for a good tasting wine when you can't drive to Bellarine! The evening finished off perfectly when we met a few of our friends travelling in from their weekend trip to the Great Ocean Road at a pub in downtown Geelong! A city escape was just what this grad student needed amidst all the studying! Well, apparently I'm a creature of habit. Once I find somewhere to study, I will literally never leave. There is something about the consistency of a location that definitely helps set the stage for a good study sesh.
Clayton If I am on Clayton campus, 99% of the time you can find me at the grad lounge at the corner of Exhibition and Sports Walk. With key card access, it keeps the masses out, there is a microwave, fridge, quiet study area, and usually someone from my course hanging out there. Plus there are plug-ins!!! If I'm not here, I am either sitting outside the grad lounge by the big t.v., or outside at the Jock Marshall Reserve. But usually in the grad lounge... Caufield I split my time between the Caufield and Clayton campuses, so depending on which day it is I will one or the other. I typically spend more time solo-studying on Caufield, so there are a few more places I like hunker down to read here.
Hi everyone - We have passed the halfway mark in the semester, which is crazy! It has been an interesting and busy first 7 weeks, but pretty amazing nonetheless. In particular, its been wonderful getting to know the diverse and kind group of people that are in my cohort. I think one of the biggest things I was worried about was meeting new people, especially leaving many lifelong friendships at home. Our cohort is one of the most diverse group of people I've ever met. In the main group I spend time with there are lovely ladies/gents from Mexico, Bangladesh, India, Colombia, Australia, and (me). Of our larger cohort there are people from Russia, Africa, Brazil, China and Sri Lanka - bringing many unique perspectives and conversations to our everyday classes/lives. Recently I was asked what the best part of the program was, and I would definitely have to say the people! Embrace the diversity of the group around you during your time at uni! It is a unique opportunity to be able to further understand different cultures, and global views! Gratitude I would also say, learning about my cohort's cities, socioeconomic aspects of their culture, and opportunities that did or did not exist in their home countries, brought me to a huge realization of how lucky we are as Canadians. Often, I am filled with gratitude regarding where I grew up. This is not to say Canada is the best country, as all countries of the world are unique, special and hold amazing culture and people. But our daily lives are much different from many countries. My home was safe, we had clean drinking water, my parents had jobs to support our family, I had access to health care, our air was clean, and nature was prominent and easy to access. It is a good reminder to all of us, that many people around the world do not have access to the things we take for granted everyday. So whether you are hiking of Terrace Mountain, fishing in our beautiful Skeena River, or safely and freely travelling around our province, and country; take a moment to reflect on your privilege to experience these things. I know I am looking forward to doing all of these things on my visit home this summer. xx Kathryn I wish I could say the reason I have dissapeared for the last few weeks is because I was out on an amazing adventure in the Australian outback. Sadly this is not the case, I have been on an daily epic trip to the library instead ;) I feel like the first few weeks of classes and readings are all a blur now, an interesting blur, but a blur none the less. After five years away from university, it definitely takes a few weeks to get back in the groove of student life. Lessons from Week 1- 4 $117 per teachable hour Out of curiosity I decided to calculate the average cost of my semester based on an hourly rate. I'm not sure if this was to motivate me more, or to make me cry. Regardless, on average it costs $117/per teachable hour for my course. This doesn't include living costs, or opportunity costs (of giving up my job) - I think this ended up being around $300-$400/hour... Needless to say, it motivates me tremendously to do well and put effort into this degree - why pay for it if you don't ever go to class or engage in the subject, right? Go talk to your course director and/or course advisor Although I entered my program with a pretty clear understanding of my intended stream (my program has five of them), there were still components of course selection that I needed clarification on. Your course director/advisor is a resource that should be utilized!!! When you are investing your time and money in a degree, ensuring you have covered every subject and area you need to is important. Plus - chances are your advisor will be able to chat with you about a variety of queries you may have, and may even be able to connect you with resources/people who can help you reach your full degree potential. I have been to talk with my director/advisor several times to discuss internship opportunities, changing my course structure, and to inquire into the ability to take a trip back to Canada during my second semester. Start reading early The course requires a lot of self-motivated study, with only 9 hours of direct class time, there is an expectation of 30-40 hours of outside reading and work required. Although the work load may seem light at the beginning, I would definitely suggest getting a head start because once week 3 hits , panic ensues. I had three essays due in seven days, as well as readings and two mini-assignments. If you get behind, it really kills you when things get busy. The good news is, the Week 3 storm has passed, the bad news Week 5 and 6 will be just as crazy. Brb, headed to the library... Another day, another library session...A balanced lifestyle, if I have to, I guess...
I mean in magical land where there are unicorns, I could eat everything I wanted and stay fit and healthy. Reality, not so much. Staying active and healthy were huge components of my life at home, so I really wanted to maintain this during my transition over . I just function better mentally and physically with a good sweat session. I had a hard time leaving my gym at home (anyone who goes to Transcend would know why), as I was nervous I wouldn't find a close knit local gym like Kristine and Simon's. The gym I joined definitely has a sense of community, but it is much bigger and definitely less personable. With this said however, everyone there has been very friendly, and the instructors (who are teaching mainly Les Mills classes) have been great. Plus they do a one on one session with a trainer to get you familiar with the space and equipment. The club is Re-Creation Gym in Carnegie, which I think is the right fit for me! Plus two weeks free and $15/week (student rate) for a weight room, spin studio, boxing room, circuit area, and classes. No car = walking/busing everywhere I also walk way more than at home, whether it is out for a stroll in the morning or after dinner - it is their summer so I should probably take advantage of the amazing weather; or walking to catch the bus or to school, I am definitely on my feet more than at home. With that said, I am off to walk to the grocery store before class this evening! If you have any questions, or are looking for a post on a particular aspect of Monash/Melbourne, let me know! I am staying in an more eastern suburb called Ashwood for the next 10 days, in a wonderful house with a mom/son. The area is quiet and they have a passionfruit vine! I had no idea how they grew to be honest. I had one for breakfast with some mango this morning, OMG so good! Hope everyone is having a great Sunday at home! Kathryn Still some adventuring this week, despite settling in to do some school work and moving Air BnB's (till my apartment is ready). Carnegie I would have to say I love the variety of shops and eateries of Koornang Road (main street of Carnegie). I finally got in to try Paradai Thai, Huff Bagelry and Split Milk (a cute coffee nook at the end of the street). None of these places disappointed! Paradai Thai I had chicken pad thai, super good! I would say though Sonny and Yoon at Cafenara give this place a run for their money!
Fitzroy Louise and I headed to the vegan capital of Melbourne - Fitzroy - and it did not disappoint. Hipster central could also be another nickname for this area, or heavenly location of all things delicious in the world. We started with a drink at Damask - this beautiful rooftop bar/lounge, followed by dinner at Veggie Bar. The restaurant itself is beautiful, this place was packed too (but amazingly did not affect the service or time to get the food - which were both great!). We sat at the "communal table" which offered a large dining room table for about 10 people. We were one of 4 groups clustered around this central location - love this! Plus it gave us a good view of other peoples food, aka what we should order ;) We had vegan mushroom stuffed Gyoza to start, Louise had a Buddha Bowl, and I opted for a tofu and quinoa burger with sweet potato fries! Choosing our dishes was so hard, the menu was amazing! I would definitely go back! Reality...
Despite all this wonderful food, my day usually consists of finding sales at the grocery store. Meat I have found to be (even more) expensive than home so I definitely look for what is on sale and base my meals around this. Most of the produce is grown in Australia which is neat, as so much of our stuff at home comes from overseas. Basically whatever is left in the fridge is what is for dinner, as eating out is far too expensive for every meal! Cheese however is cheaper so that is a definite bonus, haha. Also a good cider on a hot day goes a long way! This is us! Monash's 2017 Master Students for the Environment and Sustainability Program My people, my course, my future
This is going to sound insanely cheesy - but honestly, I have never been more excited or felt more "this is exactly where I am supposed to be" educationally before. Within the first hour of orientation I knew that this was where I needed to be to fulfill my educational pathway towards a career in sustainability. I told you, cheesy ;) I think the coolest thing about the first day was learning about everyone else, this really is a diverse and wonderful group of people (I look forward to meeting everyone throughout the year). For example, I met people studying from Sri Lanka, Russia, India, Columbia, Brazil and Australia. The range of global perspectives that will accompany group discussions is blowing my mind! Staff Supporting Students It became apparent very quickly that our course directors, teachers and staff would do anything within their power to support us during the journey through our degree. Something that stuck with me, which is something I struggled with in my undergrad, was the support for the individual (student) if they felt overwhelmed or down about the content of the course. Studying environment and sustainability I have definitely had moments of extreme sadness, frustration and hopelessness. This may sounds strange, but constantly looking at the state the world climatically and environmentally (which in many cases is not good), can be rather doom and gloom. Knowing there were people to support me if I was feeling this way makes a huge difference. My course director and specialization professor have also been willing and open to one-on-one meetings to discuss coursework and career pathways. My biggest regret of my undergrad was not utilizing the resources of professors and the university to learn as much as I could, so I am trying to change that in my graduate program. Because really, how often will one have access to the knowledge and expertise of these people/professors? Prepare, Prepare, Prepare I spent about 6-8 hours preparing for my first week of classes by completing my readings prior to this week's sessions. For our postgraduate degree it is expected that 40 hours of reading/studying will be done independently out of class time. I am taking three classes - one 12 credit course, and two 6 credit courses, with approximately 10 hour of class time between the courses per week. One does not spend *ahem* thousands of dollars to study abroad if they are not going to do the work! Plus, you get out (of the course), what you put into it. Also - many of you know I have an obsession with jumping photos (i.e. all of my travel photos). So when our cohort was asked for volunteers to jump in our class photo I was sold on the university ;) |
AuthorHi everyone! I'm Kathryn, a Master's student at Monash University in Melbourne. This blog outlines the experiences and transition of my life in small town Terrace, BC to the sites and sounds of Melbourne, Australia! Archives
July 2017
Categories |