Made it to Melbourne!

Greetings from Australia!

I am Stephanie, a senior who will be studying chemistry at the University of Melbourne for Semester 2 (my fall quarter). I was interested in coming to Melbourne not only because it seemed like a beautiful, vibrant city, but also because the program at UniMelb was extremely flexible for my graduation requirements. In the future, I'll be able to tell you more about the research I am doing at the university and some of the classes I take. However, classes don't begin until the 29th of July!

Since arriving in Melbourne on July 13th, I've spent some time trying to become acquainted with the city. In my first two days at RMIT Village (where I'm living for the semester), I explored a bit of the city on my own. My favorite place after exploring was definitely the State Library of Victoria. It has several small art galleries and multiple reading rooms, all of which are gorgeous. I'm definitely planning on coming back to study in the La Trobe Reading Room (pictured below).

I also had a great time at Queen Victoria Market. The market is spread over almost two city blocks and houses vendors that sell everything from fruit and vegetables to fresh fish and kangaroo meat. I purchased a few items while I was there, including some olive bread, swiss cheese, celery, salami, and dips (hummus, olive tapenade, garlic/pinenut spinach).

On the third day, the Melbourne Welcome Program began, so that's where I have been for the past two days. It's been really great getting to meet so many other students from other countries, especially fellow scientists and engineers. So far we have gone on a scavenger hunt in Melbourne city central, traveled to the Yarra Valley for an Australian wine tasting, and visited the Healesville Sanctuary, which houses the native wildlife of Australia.

Thanks for checking out this blog and another thanks to the OSA Foundation for their support in my study abroad experience!

Until next time,
Stephanie