My time in Australia is almost to an end. This encompassing time abroad has truly gone by and I am sad that I will return back to the states in less than a month. Australia has been a great experience; the people, the food, the sites and experience all hold a meaningful place in my heart. Since my last blog, I, along with the rest of the University of Portland students who are studying abroad in Australia, had the pleasure of taking an excursion to Broome. Broome is in the northwestern part of Australia in a region called Kimberly and is home to some of the most deadly animals in the world.

Upon arriving in Broome, we had the opportunity to go to Cable Beach at sundown where we got to ride camels along a 22-kilometre-long stretch of pure white sand, set against a backdrop of red ochre cliffs and crystal turquoise waters of the Indian
Ocean.

The next part of our excursion required us to take a four-wheel drive into the Australian Outback, commonly known as the bush. At our camping ground, there was nothing but red sand and trees, however; we were greeted by Aboriginals who got us accustomed to this unfamiliar setting. Moreover, an Aboriginal elder taught us how to mud for crab, which were crabs in mangrove trees. These crabs often bury themselves deep within the mud, so it becomes difficult of find and catch them. It was definitely a struggle as many of us where in knee-deep mud trying to use a metal stick to pull them out of their holes. However, the crabs made a scrumptious meal and therefore, the day of hard work was worth it.

During the evenings, we gathered around a campfire to listen to our Aboriginal tour guide talk about Aboriginal involvement throughout history. It was interesting and exciting to learn about Australian history through an Aboriginal perspective. We were able to ask him any questions we had about the Aboriginal culture or the history about the region. Recently, Aboriginals gained native titleholders of Broome, in which was proven through a 7,000 year old footprint that was uncovered on the ground. It was amazing to see the footprint that showed that the Aboriginal people were here before the Europeans arrived. Moreover, we were able to take part in an Aboriginal traditional dance, where we got to see the native Aboriginals get painted in white stripes and dance with eucalyptus leaves to the sound of the didgeridoo, a traditional Aboriginal instrument. It was amazing to be a part of the oldest culture in the world.

Broome was an interesting and new experience for many of us and I was glad to have gone on this trip. It has taught me a lot more about Aboriginal people than I could have learned in the classroom. I am sad that I will be leaving this amazing country soon, but it has been an experience that I will never forget.

See you soon USA,
Nathan

Hola! It’s been almost two months since I’ve been studying abroad in Spain and the experience has been beyond what I could have imagined. In my last blog, I talked about some activities I’ve done but they don’t compare to what I have done in October. I’ve been to many different parts of Spain including Ronda, Grazalema and Seville.

Each of these places have been unique and different in their own way. For instance, Ronda is small town located in southern Spain, extremely close to Málaga. Ronda is known for its extremely large bridge called El Tajo. I had the opportunity to climb down to the bottom of the bridge to see the small river below. The water was extremely clear and beautiful. Also, when I was in Ronda, my program and I visited the Plaza de Toros. When we were here, we learned about all the different cultural aspects of bullfighting and the history of the Plaza. Also we got to take some cool pictures.

I didn’t have the opportunity to spend much time in Grazalema but I got to see some amazing sites. Grazalema is located in the Sierra Mountains of Spain where the temperatures are extreme. While we were there it was extremely hot. The main part of this trip was taking a hike through the Sierra Mountain. Even though most of group was completely dead after the hike, we still enjoyed it because we go to see and learn about the different aspects of the Sierra Mountains.

Finally, I just got back from my trip in Seville. Seville is located in southern Spain, just west of Granada. Even though it down poured on our group and none of us brought the proper clothes, we still had an amazing time seeing different sights in Seville. My favorite part of this trip would be Plaza de España. This plaza was enormous and had a river running directly through it. Also an interesting fact about this plaza is Star Wars and the Dictator were filmed there. Not only was this amazing plaza but Seville also had an international festival with shops and food from all around the world. Lastly, I got to visit a structure called Las Setas, which translates as the mushrooms. Don’t ask me why. The structure is similar to the shape of mushroom. At Las Setas, I got to see a complete 360 view of the city of Seville. I have to say this was one of the best places to take pictures.

Overall, this experience has been beyond what I could have imagined. I can’t wait to see what adventure are in store for me. Next week, I will be going to Madrid. Stay tune to hear about more of my adventures in Spain.

Fun Fact about Spain: Spain is only 14 km (8.7miles) from North Africa, which is extremely close. Los Angeles to Catalina is 22 miles.

Hasta la Próxima,
Katie Twineham

Greetings Mate!

A lot has happened since my last blog post; this past month I went on a week trip to Singapore for my “Business in Asia” class. In the class we are learning about the different cultural traditions and business systems within each country in Asia. By going to Singapore, I was able to experience different industry procedures that companies respectively adopt within their businesses.

Our first visit was to Nordam, a leading manufacturer in producing parts and components for business, commercial, and military aircrafts. We learned about the competitors that have recently joined the market and how it has greatly affected their profit margin. Second, we got the opportunity to tour the US Embassy, where I learned about the business relationship between the United States and Singapore. It was interesting to learn how the United States monitors business transactions to prevent corruption.

APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) is a corporation whose goal is to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. APEC ensures that goods, services, investments and people move easily across countries. This company sets up a common standard across countries especially in the Asia-Pacific economy. On our final day of our excursion, we visited the local Housing Development Board and Deloitte. The housing development board talked about the on-going struggle to offer affordable housing to its citizens because of the high cost of living within Singapore. My favorite company we visited during the week is definitely Deloitte. Deloitte specializes in audit, tax, risk consulting, financial advisory, and many more. As a Finance major, I was especially interested in their financial division.

However, besides touring the different businesses, we were given free time, where I got to explore the attractions Singapore had to offer. The iconic Marina Bay Sands is a renowned hotel for having a boat as an infinity pool where it sits amongst three of the hotel towers. The view was picturesque and breath taking as you see the city lights down below illuminate the night sky. Moreover, Gardens by the Bay is another high-end hotel known for their collection of greenhouses that are shaped like trees and at night they light up in different colors. Lastly, a few of my friends and I decided to go to Sentosa Island, which is a huge tourist destination in Singapore, where they offered many different attractions. On the island, they offered Skyline Luge, a go-kart style adventure activity that requires you to race on hairpin corners, long straights and exciting slopes. This was perhaps the most memorable activity on the trip as I would race my friends down the track as fast as possible.

Looking back at my experience in Singapore, I can truly say that this trip was filled with educational and activities that were truly a rewarding and an unforgettable experience.

Until Next Time,
Nathan Nusaputra

“Bienvenido a España” were the first words I heard when I touched down in Spain. I’ve been in Granada, Spain for almost one month now. I’m currently taking classes at el Centro de Lenguas Modernas. At first, it was difficult adjusting to the culture and the language but after a couple weeks you adapt and it starts feeling like a second home. In my program, we only speak Spanish, which really helps you immerse into the culture. By only living here a month, I have already learned so much about the culture and how it differs from the US.

Spain is a college student’s favorite country! One of the cultural differences in Spain is the Siestas. Everyday for Siesta, you come back to your house, eat a delicious lunch and then take a large nap. All the stores close during Siesta so basically they’re forcing you to nap–I’m not complaining.

One aspect that I discovered about Spain is that the home is a private place for family only. In the US, we invite our friends and families over for parties, social gathering or holidays but that’s not the case in Spain. That being said, people meet friends at restaurant or bars at night, which is one of the reasons why the streets are so busy.

Another part of my program is I get to travel all around Spain. Lucky me! So far I have been to Nerja and Córdoba. Nerja is a tiny community about an hour outside of Granada in Southern Spain. Nerja has some of the best beaches in the world but my favorite part was the caves. Nerja is known for having large historic caves. This was my first time ever going into a cave so I was pretty excited. Inside the cave, it was dark and the floor was very wet from the moisture above. While I was in the caves, I got to learn about their history. I mentioned earlier that Nerja has some of the best beaches and I wasn’t lying. As you can see the beaches are just a little bit better than the Oregon coast.

Just this past weekend, my class and I went to Córdoba, Spain. Córdoba is another
small community like Nerja but there are no beaches.  In Córdoba, I got the opportunity to explore the city, attend Arabic baths and visit the famous Mosque/ Cathedral in Córdoba. This picture to the right is also a famous street called Calleja de Las Flores. This street is known for having beautiful flowers hanging from the many balconies. My favorite part of Córdoba was the Arabic baths. At these baths, they have three pools. The first one is ice cold, second is medium temperature and the last pool is extremely hot. The purpose of these baths is to relax your muscles.  There is more than 600 Arabic baths in Córdoba. As you can see, these Arabic baths are extremely popular in Spain due to the Arabic influence in the Spanish culture.

This coming week I will be touring the Alhambra and visit Ronda, Spain. Stay tuned for more adventures of mine in Granada, Spain.

Fun Fact about Spain: Spain is split up into 17 regions.

Hasta Luego,
Katie Twineham