Hello!!!
My name is Sejal, and this summer, I completed the 2024 Fall Lead WRIT 340 program with Viterbi! I spent the last two weeks of my summer in Sydney, Australia, where in my cohort of 30 students, I had daily tours, classes, and events scheduled.
This Viterbi program worked with CIEE, which is the The Council on International Educational Exchange. This is a non-profit organization that coordinates classes, living spaces, and other program amenities for students studying abroad. Whether it is your first time doing so or not, CIEE confirms that every student feels comfortable in the foreign space.
My program coordinator for CIEE was Crystal, who is a Sydney local. She has worked with other student groups in the past, and she was particularly enthusiastic for my cohort, as we are from all part of the US!
On our first day in Sydney, we tasted some of the most popular Australian snacks, and it was such a funny ice breaker to be disgusted by Vegemite! After we learned about some of the safety information, we took a jetlag break for the day! Our real adventures began the next few days!! I took some really cool notes on the Architecture, Manly Beach, and Trandev tours (the Australian government’s ferry engineering company).
Architecture Tour:
The first thing I noticed in the architecture tour was that there were many different types of buildings in Sydney. In contrast, in the US, most cities have similar designs in terms of building structure layouts. In Sydney, however, it did not take long to make the observation that the buildings present were beautifully structured and unique in their own ways. This was confirmed when the tour guide described the historical backgrounds of the buildings. It was interesting to hear that these buildings were built on the premise of competitive designs as well as friendships, as described by the tour guide in some of his stories. I thought that these backgrounds were particularly interesting, as they displayed Sydney’s appreciation for creativity from its engineering students and enthusiasts.
Manly Beach Tour:
The Manly Beach tour was my favorite so far, and it was an incredibly beautiful destination. I felt connected to the water and the nature near the water, as most outdoor/beachy areas I have grown up around in Virginia or seen in California do not particularly have both the water and greenery aspects. I was entranced by the beauty of the ocean as well as the tranquility of the people. All of the residents of the area were kind, and they seemed to share a passion for maintaining the beach’s cleanliness, which really speaks volumes on their characters.
Transdev:
The Transdev tour was very engaging, as the company shared their interests in converting their ships to a fully electrical composition. I found an interest in this because I am studying environmental engineering, and this tour really resonated with my passions for electric vehicle engines. I was interested to hear not only the engineering aspect or the environmental aspects of this tour but also the social aspects of the citizen’s beliefs too.
These were some of the more technical tours! We also went to the national zoos, and I pet a kangaroo!!! 
