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?)!
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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 |
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
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