A six-week lesson from halfway across the world

The USA Industry Placement Program is a six-week internship designed for students to experience the international business environment, gaining knowledge, skills and networks within our respective majors and future careers.  

While my trip started roughly at a bad start (my transit flight to the USA was cancelled due to a volcanic eruption), the time I spent at the San Francisco Bay Area made it worth all the drama. My six-week placement in the US could be best described in three words.

Stimulating, thrilling and appreciative. 

Stimulating… 

My six-week placement was dedicated to Berkeley Search Consultants (BSC), a small recruitment agency dedicated to offering search services. Before I came to BSC, I must admit that I wasn’t entirely familiar with what Executive Search meant in recruitment. Having finished an internship in Human Resources for a multi-national company, my skills and knowledge in recruitment were quite limited. Despite this, I was ready to see what Berkeley Search had to offer. 

Working in a small business like Berkeley Search, I felt my duties were far more diverse than what my job title as a Human Resources/Recruitment Intern would entail. Whether it was daily maintenance of their recruitment software, updating training files, organising team documents, writing up press releases or synthesising client data, every day was never the same.

Thanks to this opportunity to wear many hats, I was able to gain confidence knowing what it’s like to work behind the scenes and support the colleagues around you. In return, I gained hands-on experience and lifelong lessons from my colleagues and supervisors who had several years of industry knowledge under their belt.  

Learning all the ropes and behind the scenes of a recruitment agency had its perks for me. I was able to see first-hand what recruiters and hiring managers look for when searching for a potential candidate. For someone in their early career stages, this was beneficial to me as I had learnt new lessons, tips and tricks that will help my job search process in the future. I came into this internship thinking that my resume and my current approach to job searching was adequate, but I was wrong! I underestimated how much work it takes, and I wouldn’t have been able to discover this without the support around me.  

Thrilling…  

Working in the San Francisco Bay Area also exposed me to a new level of diversity. Every place, street and corner had something to contribute to the San Francisco way of life. For instance, a commute from our residence to Berkeley would consist of walking beside Chinatown, through to the Financial District in Downtown San Francisco, over the Oakland Bay Bridge on the BART train system, passing by the container cranes at the Port of Oakland (where it supposedly inspired the AT-AT Walkers from the Star Wars movie franchise). 

All this while admiring the different house architecture styles.  

San Francisco and all its attractions and little quirks were sufficient to work, live and play during my time there. There was not a free day wasted.  

Appreciation…  

For me, I think doing an internship, especially one that’s outside of your comfort zone, i.e. location, is a key thing to do. Being a business student, gaining work experience is key to boosting your employability opportunities.

I came to the Bay Area with textbook knowledge and patchy life skills. Now leaving this place, I am glad to have had this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to throw myself into the business world and figure out what to learn, how to survive as an adult, and the pathway I would like to see my career move towards.  

I thank my host company, Berkeley Search Consultants, for doing such a tremendous job in maximising the knowledge and skills I needed to learn all within a short period of time. Most especially to the Business School, I am grateful for them providing this opportunity to all Business students and a sincere thanks for allowing me to undertake this program.  

Now it’s your turn to apply! 

Innovating for Business Opportunities Where Ideas Never Sleep

New York City is an assault on the senses – overwhelming, loud, a home to almost 9 million people. While some would describe this combination as big, bold and brash, it is a strangely welcoming city. 

At every corner there is a feeling of incredible opportunity and abundant evidence of a long history of entrepreneurship. Backed by the belief that failure drives important lessons, a desire to discover and innovate, and a strong venture capital funding network, it is little wonder that New York is one of the main cities outside Silicon Valley that is named consistently as one of the best start-up locations in the US. 

The main objective of the US Study Tour is to learn how to create opportunities in business with a commercial impact. Twenty Bachelor of Commerce (and combined degree) students were selected to participate in the two week program at NYU, Stern Business School’s start-up lab. 

Informed by design thinking principles, the unit offered students practical and theoretical insights into identifying opportunities, research skills to build an understanding of customer needs, pitching skills to sell an idea and cross-cultural skills via insights into business in the US. 

With a profound interest in start-ups, the opportunity to carry out the methodologies behind the development of a product was immersive. Upon listening to presentations by key figures within the start-up space and having the privilege to hold personal conversations with co-founders and investors, I gained invaluable insights that enriched my perspectives on potential career opportunities. - Daniel Tran 

Luke Williams, Founder of NYU Innovation Labs & CEO of Meta Idea Labs

The program broadened my horizons on what it means to be an entrepreneur and innovative. Hearing the thoughts of so many founders and individuals in this space made me realise you don’t have to wait around until you have an amazing idea. Some of the best advice I heard was to just jump in, because it is okay to fail. - Cameron Gonzalez 

                           

Hosted by Professor Cynthia Franklin, the program at NYU Stern Business school incorporates a unique and outstanding line-up of academic insights, startup panellists who speak genuinely about their lived experience, investors who provide reflections on what they look for in start-ups and pitch experts who challenge students to think about how to 'spin' a story and engage an audience.  

Student Tom Serrone described the US Study Tour as a "first-class learning experience" that allowed him to "witness and interact with the start-up economy in New York whilst also thinking about design thinking and disruption."

This first-class learning experience also proved to be of practical value, with Marketing student Chelsey Jayadiwangsa believing her ability "to apply design thinking tools to reimagine problems and ideate customer-centric solutions" will be carried into her future professional endeavours. 

In addition to learning about innovation and entrepreneurship, students are exposed to career and personal brand building tips, networking events and activities and business insights through site visits to Boston Consulting Group (Digital Ventures) in Sydney and NY, the American National History Museum, cultural consultancy and trend spotters Sparks & Honey, and a network event hosted by the North American Alumni Association. 

"The alumni event was a great chance to mingle with former University of Sydney students and really get a feel for how this university stretches our opportunities," said student James Scott. "As someone who is eager to work in New York at some point in my career, it was very refreshing to see so many people making the leap and giving me a lot of confidence in making this big move myself within the future.”"

The opportunity to listen to the experiences of entrepreneurs and the exposure to the dynamics of New York City provided "invaluable knowledge, amazing memories, newfound confidence and excitement for the future," said third year Commerce Law student Rowena Young. 

"I ended up having incredibly genuine and fun conversations with people who imparted all sorts of wisdom. Living, eating and breathing with my group members was also a new experience that taught me patience and the power of collaboration. My only regret? The program was over before I could grab my third slice of artichoke pizza."

US Study Tour 2019

Just need to take the first step

Nine months ago, I stepped off the plane in Sydney after many hours in flight. It was an early chilly morning. Looking at the newly risen sun, I took a deep breath of the cold air, full of unfamiliar smells, telling myself that I could fulfil my goals.

However, to achieve these goals was anything but easy. I thought I had learned English well enough, but then I found myself barely understanding the conversations around me. I thought I was good at studying, but then I found myself having difficulties applying my knowledge to real cases. I thought I could find an internship at a local firm in the same way I did in China, but then I found myself limited in many aspects as an international student. There were so many challenges and much competition. I was scared. I began to lose confidence.

It was at this point that I decided to go for a consultation at the Business School career kiosk. Through the consultation, I realised that since the possibility for an international student to enter a local firm would be relatively slim unless haivng a high English level and necessary working skills that could match native students, what I needed to do was take a step forward, leaving my comfort zone to enhance my capabilities.

The first step I took was taking part in Neuroblastoma Australia – a charity activity – as a volunteer. At the beginning, I was too shy to speak and was afraid of doing things wrong. But as soon as I finally took the first step to start chatting with Shirley, a friendly girl who was working next to me, I immediately knew that I had worried too much. Actually, we had many things in common, and we might have kept talking forever if time permitted.

Later she introduced me to her friends who were also working there as volunteers. Gradually, the barrier in my heart disappeared. At the end of that day, not only did I finish my job well, but I also got to meet many new friends and had fulfilling conversations.

Encouraged by this volunteer experience, I joined many other activities. At the same time, I kept gaining employment skills from the Business School's Careers and Employability Office (CEO) career workshops, where I learned how to modify my resume, enabling me to stand out in an Australian employment environment. I also embraced opportunities to network with employers and recruiters, and so on. Several months later, in the summer holiday, I was offered an internship position from a Sydney company, which although small, provided me with a great opportunity to apply what I’ve learned in a real-world setting.

A week ago, I walked into the career kiosk consultation office again. This time, I had a professional resume with two pages full of my extra-curricular activity and internship experiences in hand, and talked in much more fluent English with a confident tone. I was going there for Industry Placement Program (IPP) application advice.

Another winter is coming now. Looking at the newly risen sun, I take a deep breath of the cold air, and smile. It is never easy to go uphill, but it may not be as hard as we think as well. All we need to do is take the first step, and have the initiative to be fully prepared for future opportunities, so that when we look back, we will be proud of how far we have walked.

Brenda Zeng
Brenda is an international student and current student at the University of Sydney Business School.

The city that became home

Doris Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.  

I closed my eyes.

Next to me, my roommate’s speaker was playing the acoustic album from her favourite artist, Above and Beyond. A door away, one of my flatmates was finishing her House of Cards Season 3 binge on Netflix. In the kitchen, the other was cooking her dinner, the aroma of food filling the room through the half-opened door.

When I first arrived at Room 803, it was empty. I could hear my heavy breathing from dragging my luggage from the taxi to the lobby, and my footsteps wading across in my wet UGG boots. But not anymore.

Over the past nine weeks, we have filled in the blank space of eerie silence. Our wardrobes became full, our beds made (at least in the first week) and class notes piled up on the table. We no longer kept to our own desks or rooms. We popped around wondering what each other was doing. We shared food and desserts and complained to each other about how fat they were making us, while scraping the bottom of the pan for the brownie crumbs. We planned trips, to Philly or to the zoo, or when we felt like we really needed that dress down the road.

At work, I learnt the doorman’s name, although still having trouble pronouncing it properly. Our workstations, once clean and tidy and bland, now decorated with sticky notes of reminders arranged by colour, on the drawers, on the boards, next to the computer. Research and meeting papers lied on the desk, ruffled as often used. We eyed the kitchen or front desk for new treats, be it greentea chocolate from Tokyo or sheep cupcakes in celebration of Chinese New Year. We gathered around the conference room to have lunch, where stories from all over the world came: from midnight taxi rides in South Korea to Spanish wine festivals.

Over the past nine weeks, I saw snow for the first time, then had my first snow day. Cheers had erupted from room to room on the 8th floor, as we consecutively found out about the office closure due to the snow storm. The next morning we headed to Dupont Circle, making and throwing well-formed snowballs. We attempted at building our first snowman, before giving up after making the lower body, realising we couldn’t put the upper body on and ended up building a snow penguin.

 It’s A Snow Day!

Over the past nine weeks, I squealed at my first glance of a baby panda, who was clearly having a Monday morning; yawning, covering its eyes and turning on its face back to dreamland. Over the past nine weeks, I laughed as my colleague and I shared stories about our childhood, our embarrassing moments and silly promises. Over the past nine weeks, I learnt the difference between a motive and a theme in music, and watched a play about Mary the Queen of Scotland in the Shakespearean theatre.

Some time over the past nine weeks, I started calling Room 803 home.

Some time over the past nine weeks, I broke out of my shell and started to be myself again.

On Friday I took one last look at my room, my side completely empty and clean, just like the first day when I first arrived.

I closed my eyes.

Because I didn’t want to cry. But tears fell anyway. Through tears conjured from moments shaped by laughter and delirious happiness, I knew.

All those memories, captured in the snow flakes and the -10 temperature, would stay with me forever.

One month at Boston University

I remember my first days in Boston very clearly. I was so excited, yet so nervous about living and studying in a city that was so far away from home. I remember pressing my face against the window on the plane and marvelling at how everything was covered in pure white snow. I remember trying to navigate through the “T” (Boston’s super complicated public transport system) and eventually setting foot on Boston University’s campus.

It’s been one month since I arrived. Here’s a review of my experiences and some highlights (there are really too many to go through!).

Snow
Being on the other side of the world, the seasons are reversed, and I found myself in the midst of winter. And not just any winter, but a record-breaking winter. January 2015 was the snowiest month ever recorded in Boston. I remember the day it was announced that a historical blizzard named Juno was about to hit the State. Everyone made a run for the grocery stores to stock up on food for the “snowpocalypse”, and I was advised to charge all my electronics in case the electricity went out. But the snowstorms didn’t stop coming each week. After Juno, came Linus, then Marcus and Neptune.  There was so much snow that five days of classes had to be cancelled. It was fascinating to see cars buried under the snow, even public transport caved in on some days and stopped running altogether.

Like a true Bostonian, I have become accustomed to temperatures that have usually ranged from between -20 to 0 degrees Celsius. I can thank Boston that my concept of “cold” will never be the same again.

 Trying to cross the road right after Juno the snow blizzard

Classes
Studying at Boston University isn’t quite the same as studying at the University of Sydney. All my classes here are “tutorial” style and they are all taught by the same professor. Attendance and participation is really important; it’s worth 30% of the total grade for one of my subjects. Also, forget about getting HDs, Ds or Credits - the grading system here is based on letters.

One of my favourite things here is that the gym is completely free to students. You can take classes at the gym that are worth credit points, and I took advantage of this by enrolling in kickboxing (which I currently have a love-hate relationship with – it was a lot more intense than I thought). As a Marketing major, another thing I’m extremely excited about is that one of my Marketing group projects involves working with the famous Boston Red Sox.

School spirit, not to mention, is also really huge and unforgettable here. Friday nights are spent at the School arena cheering on the hockey team (very loudly and passionately), draped proudly in red and white gear (pictured below with friends from my dorm).

Dorm Life
At Boston University, about 75% of undergraduate students live on campus, meaning friends are never too far from you (and parents are far far away). I was so lucky to be assigned to live in a “brownstone” dormitory. It’s a beautiful 19th century house along a tree-lined road, and looking out my window, I can see the Boston skyline and the Charles River (pictured below). I also got to experience what having a roommate is all about; eat at dining halls and do my laundry in a laundry room.  But the best part of it all – it only takes five minutes to walk to my classes every day!

The view from my window before the snowstorms began

If you look closely, you’ll see number 179 which is my dorm number

American Culture
Even though I had to part ways with some of my Australian habits, it has been worth it to experience things that were unique to Americans. For example, I’ve had to change some of my vocabulary. Whenever I asked someone simple things like, “How are you going?”, I was always given a puzzled look – I’ve since learnt that “What’s up?” was how everyone greeted each other in Boston. I’ve also accidentally walked into a store asking if they were selling “thongs”, when I meant to say “flip-flops”, resulting in one of the most awkward situations I have ever found myself in. Luckily I just explained that I was from Australia – which then reminds me, I’ve lost count of the amount of times someone has told me that they loved my Australian accent and wanted me to keep talking. I wish making friends was always this easy!

Another notable thing about living in the U.S is that I’m always carrying a wallet full of coins. Yes, 1 cent coins for some reason still exist, and they are bigger in size than the 10 cent coins. To add more confusion, the coins are referred to by their names – penny, nickel, dime, quarter, half-dollar, and I’m still trying to figure out which is which. You also need to tip at restaurants or after a taxi ride, and this continues to stress me out because I never know how much to put down. I’m also still learning how to convert Fahrenheit to degrees Celsius, miles to metres and pounds to kilograms in my head. I’m definitely getting there though, becoming more American everyday – which is one of the best ways to make the most out of Exchange.

All in all, applying for the International Exchange Program has definitely been one of the best decisions I have ever made!

Fiona Le
Fiona is a student at the University of Sydney Business School, and currently participating in the International Exchange Program at Boston University.

The Big Red Button

Doris Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.  

I used to get really drunk on jealousy when I scrolled down Facebook and saw my friends posting holiday photos in different parts of the world. I used to think- well, lucky them; I am just stuck at home being bored out of my skull.

Recently, as the uni holidays started to draw to an end, photos from Singapore theme park, a Canadian ski trip and Chinese festivals piled up in my newsfeed. I looked through them and caught myself thinking, ‘geez, that looks fun - better add them to my list’.

I remarked to a friend the other day that my world felt so much bigger now. I could hardly remember the person I was, falling into the routine of uni-work-study-society, and hanging out with the same group of people; too scared and too comfortable to reach out.

But the Industry Placement Program (IPP) has forced me to reach out, to break through my comfortable routine and to meet other people outside of those I already know.

It was horrible.

The loneliness of not knowing any of the people in my apartment, in my classes; not having the best friends on call when I felt down; not having the ready-cooked meal when I arrived back home; or the familiarity of transport and environment.

I had the biggest homesickness for days, and my extroversion took a huge hit.

But when you are on the edge of a cliff you have to take chances. I chose to not stand there and decided to simply jump into the unknown. I decided to get to know my roommate better by sitting next to her during her binge of ‘Jane the Virgin’. When Jane eventually shared a kiss with the dashing Rafael, and we cheered spontaneously - a knowing glance told me that we would be best buddies soon.

And I was right. What followed was girls nights in, shouting at each other while playing catchphrase and monopoly with new friends, sharing cooking tips, a trip to Philly and lots of late night shopping.

Then there was the corridor encounter; a friend of a friend opening a door and the smell of chicken curry escaping their apartment. We invited ourselves in, and spent the night playing cards against humanity and trash talking the other teams. It would soon become our Friday traditions that go into the late nights/early mornings.

It was moments like this, the beginning of something new and magical, that became really precious to me.

When I learnt the rules of American football on the night of the Superbowl. When I winced at the loss of the home team at my first Ice Hockey game. When I managed to work a laundry machine and befriended a girl who came to pick up her clothes. When I met Erin Gurwell, the teacher behind the Freedom Writers.

There is something magical about watching a game with a room full of people.

My classes made me forget how tedious studying used to be. Foresight made me choose two arts subjects - Arts in Our Capitol, and DC film and Theatre - and the subject choices were amongst the best decisions I have made in this program. I spent my night classes discussing museums and artworks, and how music is produced and experienced. I toured the largest library in the world and watched world-class concerts in the first row. I attended a play about President Lincoln’s widow, Mary, at the Ford Theatre where he was assassinated. I learnt about the film history of the depictions of Washington DC.

Front row seats at the Library of Congress Performance!

At the East-West Centre in Washington where I intern, I wrote articles on US-Asia Pacific relations; on topics of trade, politics and cultural exchanges. I worked on my project on the Centre’s connections with Australia and social network marketing strategies. Sometimes I attended events around DC, and listened to top experts talk about the region. The latest talk I attended was by Jang Jin-Sung, a North-Korean defector who was once the country’s top propagandist.

I missed home terribly for two weeks, and now I don’t anymore. I used to think it’s because I am having such a blast here- which is true, but now I know.

It’s because DC is home now. Like a typical DC-er, I complain when we are only getting 1 inch of snow when we are expecting 5. I consider 4 degrees beach weather. I think going to museums on weekends is extremely cool and free entries are a must.

Sometimes, it really does take one thing, one program, one experience, to open your eyes up and see the world differently for the first time. And I guess that is why I no longer feel jealous seeing other people’s travels, because I know now that they can be my adventures too.

Life in Los Angeles: Week 2 of my Industry Placement Program

Eric Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. He is currently in the United States as part of the Los Angeles Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.

We’re two weeks into the program and the time has simply disappeared. Our days and nights have been jam packed, so I’m writing this on the bus to uni tonight (or college, if you’re American).

Buses are kind of a menagerie of the weird and wonderful, with surprisingly eloquent individuals wearing fox skin hats on a hot day and performing monologues at the back of the bus, ranting about the disparity between the rich and poor; to the older man wearing 3-D glasses for sunnies. But hey, we’re in LA and who knows, maybe 6-D is the next big thing.

The program has been exhausting, but I’m having the time of my life. Even when I get up in the morning, way too groggy to do anything but just sit there gormless, I pinch myself to remember that I’m here studying and working in the City of Angels. It’s an exhilarating thought, and my biggest fear is getting complacent and not making the most of my time here.

I’ve been trying therefore to travel as much as possible, and experience as much of America as I can. I’m not going to bore you with all the details of the two weeks travelling around America with my friends on the program, Nicola, Dan and Edison after my trip to Chicago, but suffice it to say, we had an awesome time. We explored New York, rode out a couple of ups and downs at Disneyworld, nerded it out at Harry Potter World in Universal Studios, celebrated New Years in San Francisco, and drove down to LA. It was so intense, but so much fun. After that, we got straight into the swing of things with our first class at UCLA.

On our way to bike the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco

Literally soaking up the Brooklyn Bridge in New York

Class
Most of our week is pretty structured, with work from Monday to Thursday, and class three nights a week. On Monday nights, Heather takes us through what we need to do for our research assignment, so it’s a good chance to hang out with the others and catch up on all that's happening.

Our Tuesday and Wednesday classes are run by professors at UCLA, who teach us about doing business in the US and leadership communication strategies. Although they sound fluffy, the classes here are actually really interesting, as they’re so different to those at home. Run akin to seminars, there’s about 30-40 people per class, so it’s much more interactive and we get cold called all the time.

Work
I’m working with two other students, Lisa and Nathan, at Cappello Capital, a boutique investment bank based right across the road from the Santa Monica beach and a five minute walk from the pier. The view from the office is amazing, sometimes it’s hard not to get distracted when we’re trying to learn financial modelling or build lists of potential strategic partners for various transactions. We sit at the Australia desk, surrounded by buckets of Vegemite and boomerangs. Everyone here is cool; they’re fascinated with anything “Awwssie”, especially when we tell them about drop bears and riding kangaroos to school. Weird accents and even stranger words are a constant source of banter with the guys there, so we broaden our accents and turn up the bogan sometimes.

The view from the board room

Living
I’m living with three other boys, which is great. The four of us are generally having a good time. In saying that, however, our place looks quite similar to what it looked like when we first moved in, actually, with a bare cupboards and an empty fridge.

However, we’ve made some changes around the place; stocking the pantry with a pack of chips, microwavable popcorn and some UCLA Jell-O moulds (how do these even exist?!). Just the essentials really. Oh, we also bought brown rice and whole grain spaghetti to stay somewhat health conscious.

Well, that’s entry two of Eric’s not so wise words: Get organised. There’s a ton of work coming up and I’ve been remiss in keeping on top of things, so I'll learn from my mistakes and get with the program.

What happens in Vegas

After only a few weeks here in Los Angeles, it was time to take advantage of the long weekend for Martin Luther King Day and head to Vegas. My colleagues from my internship with M&C Saatchi were full of recommendations, so we headed off to Vegas with high hopes for the weekend.

The canals at the Venetian – the ceiling is actually painted to look like a bright sunny day

The Iconic Caesar’s Palace

The Bellagio – the fountain is spectacular – where’s Danny Ocean

The opulence of Vegas truly has to be seen to be believed. Where else would you see 5 star hotels that recreate Venice, New York, Egypt or Paris. The financing required for resorts with such attention to detail is all the more impressive when you consider that many of these hotels were funded with junk bonds. The New York, NewYork rollercoaster was fairly rickety, and several of us ended up with bruises at the end, but definitely worth the novel experience of weaving in and out of a building.

The New York New York rollercoaster towers over Statue of Liberty.

That night we went to one of Vegas’ megaclubs, Hakkasan, for a Calvin Harris concert. After being pushed, squeezed and trampled, we made it to the front for a truly epic performance.

Waking up in pitch black the next morning, we could be forgiven for thinking it was still night time. Actually, it was 1pm in the afternoon, so we decided to hit up one of the famous hotel buffets for dinner. Satiated with almost 3 hours of bottomless drinks and food for $50 at the Aria hotel, we headed to a Cirque du Soleil show.

Impressive Cirque du Soleil performance, made all the more real by a few falls

Sunday was a trip to the Grand Canyon. Pun intended, it was grand. The photos can’t do justice to it, it truly is an impressive sight.

Before coming to Vegas, I’d expected that I would overhype it. But Vegas exceeded my expectations in every way. The food, the extravagance, the quirkiness, all created an amazing weekend for us. We’ll come crashing back to reality on Tuesday but for now, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.

Patrick Ward is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. He is currently in the United States as part of the Los Angeles Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.

The Places Etched in My Memory

In the beginning, it felt as though all the forces were preventing me from entering the United States.

Yes, I am serious.

My flight was booked for the 21st of December. Less than 24 hours before my departure, in the middle of my farewell party, I received a text telling me that my flight was cancelled. The link to reschedule showed no available flights in the next couple of days.

After a massive panic attack, I submitted a request for refund and booked my ticket with another airline. The next day when I arrived at the airport, I was told that because I bought my ticket at the last minute, I was put on standby and she wasn’t sure if I could board the flight.

I googled several breathing exercises while she connected me to the seating officer.

So there I was, waiting and wondering whether I should take this as Australia loving me too much that it doesn’t want me to leave, or America simply doesn’t want me in the country.

Having been here for more than a month now, I can safely say it’s probably not the latter.

I quickly forgot about my struggles when I landed. Since I had arrived in the US two weeks before my program started, I had the perfect opportunity to travel around and immerse myself in the culture I have only previously seen on a screen.

In Santa Monica I fell in love with the city with a beautiful name and an even more gorgeous sunset. In Los Angeles I found out my hand was the exact same size as Emma Watson’s, and was so disappointed when I didn’t spot Ryan Gosling at Hollywood.

Sunset at Santa Monica

In New York I watched my first ever Broadway show, and had the song Phantom of the Opera stuck in my head for the remainder of my trip. I traced the steps of Patrick Dempsey and Amy Adams in Enchanted at the famous Central Park, and tried - without success - to find the hill where BBC shot my favourite episode of Doctor Who. I spent a day going through the massive collection at the Met, and braved the cold atop the Empire State Building just to catch a glimpse of the entirety of the famous city.

It was so cold I have developed my own face warm-up routine.

I saw snow for the first time in DC. It was the third day of my placement - and I almost wished I didn’t have work so I could go catch a snowflake or build a tiny snowman or whatever people do with snow. I say ‘almost’ because the place I am interning at - the East-West Centre in Washington - is a lot of fun too.

On the first weekend I went down to Orlando and had the chance to wear a t-shirt again. There I spent two days chatting to Stan, the Knight Bus driver, trying on my new Hogwarts ropes and sipping hot Butterbeer in Hogsmead. I came back from my trip refreshed and ready to start the second week of my internship.
Those are the places etched in my memory. So far.

Diagon Alley

Doris Xu is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre.  

Exploring the Big Apple and getting lost in Capitol Hill

Jenny Chen is an undergraduate student at the University of Sydney Business School. She is currently in the United States as part of the Washington DC Placement Program, offered by the Business School in partnership with the United States Studies Centre. 

Ah, New York. The city that never sleeps. An appropriate nickname seeing as that's exactly what we did. We didn't sleep. Our 12 days in New York were jam packed with tourist destinations, shopping, food, shopping, food, and did I mention shopping?

For a city known for its hustle and bustle, lines never seemed to move fast in New York. 70% of the trip comprised of waiting around, whether for an attraction, restroom, traffic light or food. It was a test of my patience to say the very least. However, for all waiting, it was worth it. We experienced several breathtaking moments, including:

New York Sunset

View from the Empire State Building

The pond in Central Park

Frozen pond in Central Park

The Statue of Liberty

Times Square

The buzz of the Big Apple prepared me for the crazy work and study schedule that awaited in DC.

On our first day interning at Capitol Hill, my roommate, Ari, and I were thrown into the deep end. We got swamped by phone calls from passionate constituents who were eager to give their views and grilled us about who the Congressman was going to vote for in the Speaker Election, which was being held the following day. The rest of the week was just as intense but still a lot of fun.

Everyone in our office has been incredibly friendly and helpful. They love asking us questions about Australia and I have taken it upon myself to educate them on all things Australian. I will not stop until Australian phrases have slipped into their vocabulary. When I first met Congressman Peter Roskam, his wife and two sons, Mrs Roskam even attempted the Australian accent.

In order to make us feel more at home, the legislative correspondent printed out a picture of the Australian flag and taped it onto our wall. Much to our delight, he is also a fan of the Australian comedic genius himself, Chris Lilley. Now I'm not one to play favourites, but I think I found a strong contender for the coolest staffer.

I’ve also had heaps of fun getting to know the American interns in our office. It's extremely interesting discussing different aspects of life with them and comparing how growing up here is different from growing up in Australia. Despite cultural differences (we constantly bicker because supposedly I say funny phrases and pronounce words weirdly), it's nice to know we can still engage in some classic office banter!

You may remember that in my last blog I mentioned my struggles with geography. Well just my luck, Capitol Hill is a gigantic labyrinth. Every corridor looks the same; the buildings were designed to be symmetrical.
To help us find our way, we were sent on a scavenger hunt around Capitol Hill, where we wandered the underground tunnels and rode the Capitol subway back and forth between the office buildings and the House and Senate. The subway rides always remind me of a mini rollercoaster ride.

Since we have class after work, it is an absolute struggle when we have 9am - 9:30pm days. I'm a huge fan of coffee and I'm all for downing cups and cups of it to ward off sleep. However, the coffee here just isn't as good as it is back home. The search for good coffee in DC is on. At least the classes that I take, 'The History of the Central Intelligence Agency' and 'Energy – Powering the Economy in an Era of Climate Change/Political Instability', are interesting, making the eternal fatigue worth it.

I'm sure you're all wondering how we're dealing domestically. I'm happy to report that we are all alive and there has not been a case of food poisoning or scurvy. Yet.

After my first day of work, my friend offered to order me pizza so I had food when I got back. In my state of extreme hunger, I decided that I should have an entire pizza to myself. He failed to mention that each slice was bigger than my face. Many dinners later, a lonely slice of pizza still lies in our fridge.

As I document my culinary struggles on Snapchat, several friends have criticised me for not eating properly. Our American flatmates however, have got this down. Their stocks of spices, fresh produce and meat make my microwave meals, instant noodles and Reese's Peanut Buttercups look absolutely pathetic.

One week in and we’ve already witnessed our first culinary disaster. A friend forgot to fill up his instant noodles with water and put it in the microwave for 2 minutes. Their flat smelt like burnt food for the rest of the week. His excuse? "I was hungry."

Having survived the first week, I’m surprised that so much has happened already. I can’t wait to see what the next few weeks have in store. Check this space again to follow my journey!