Paul Banwart - HRIR 3021 in Australia

Traveling abroad was a life altering experience that enriched my knowledge of Australia and helped me develop a global understanding. This was my first study abroad experience and I really didn't know what to expect when I signed up for this trip. Since Australia and the United States's foundations stemmed from Britain, I knew that our cultures would be similar. Although our cultures are similar, it has become apparent that these two cultures are very distinct from one another in many aspects. These differences create the ambiance people associate with Australia.

Australia is a very interesting country that I could consider living in one day. The more I learned about Australia, the longer I wanted to stay because I had become so fascinated with the country.

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Yesterday, was the longest day of my life (40+ hours) because of the time zone shift traveling east. Unfortuantely when we departed from Sydney it was the afternoon, so much of the flight on the way to the United States was sunny. As a result many of the passengers only got a couple hours of sleep. Learning abroad in Australia has been a fun experience, but I am looking forward to getting back home. I am jet lagged an need to get up for work early tomorrow morning!

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For our last day in Australia, we went to manly beach which is one of the most traveled to northern beaches in Sydeny. Up and down the beach, there where sea shells, sea weed, and washed-up jelly fish. Manly Beach is also a popular attraction for surfers. On the beach, there were 100+ surfers, many of which were beginners.

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RailCorp is the government owned rail system in New South Whales mostly located out of Sydeny and its surrounding area. We went to their company headquaters and meet with the human resource professionals in the organization. We learned that the rail industry is highly unionized with over 90% in some sort of union. The current human resouces problems in this sector include providing equity and diversity and consolidating different union's policies and rules into a a single, consise manual.

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From a distance the Sydeny Opera House appears to be a smooth pearlly white buidling. Once you near the building you are able to see very detailed designs all over the building. In the night time the Opera house is lit up using rotating designs. It is a spectacular site to see and is defientiely one of the top attractions in Sydeny.

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Yesterday, we flew from Brisbane to Sydney. We took a bus tour around city that featured many of Sydney's highlights including Darling harbor, Syndey Opera House, Manly Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Although Brisbane and Sydney have many commonalities, the most obvious difference is the age difference between the cities. Brisbane is very modern with really no old buildings. Sydney, on the otherhand, is an older city that has some fairly old buildings especially in the downtown area where we are staying.

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For my last day in Brisbane I visited the Martime museum which featured a World War II Australia ship, the Queensland Museum which featured artwork and crafts from Australia's indigenous peoples, and Saint Johns Cathedral which featured many different architectural styles throughout its 80 years of development. Saint Johns Cathedral just finished construction about a week ago.

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Yesterday we visited the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, the world's first and largest koala sanctuary. So far this has been the highlight of the trip. Visitors are able to get up and personal with Kangaroos and pet and feed them. You can even hold a koala! The sanctuary has several other animals including tasmanian devils, wombats, and a variety of native birds. There was also a sheep dog show.

The Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary is definitively a must-see attraction in Brisbane.

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For about the last decade Australia has been in a drought. During our stay in Brisbane, an unusual amount of rainfall has occurred. There has been so much rain that many of the streets and neighborhoods around the Brisbane area have been flooded. One of guides home was flooded last night because of the downpour which lasted most of Thurday.

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One thing you will notice in Australia is that humor is a part of their culture. Even in business settings, humor is very normal much more so than in the United States. Even though we have only been on a company visit and a couple lectures, the speakers humor always shine through. This really isn't surprising considering Australia's laid back culture.

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We have had less than a full day in Australia, but the differences between the US and Australia are very apparent. Looking at the businesses in downtown Brisbane, I noticed several American chains including 7/11, McDonalds, and Starbucks. It was interested to see that Burger Kings were called "Happy Jacks" probably used as a more attractive marketing name in the country.

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