Student Bloggers
Getting Pumped
Date
May 26, 2015
By Michelle H., Sydney Internship Program Summer, Australia
I've been touring New Zealand and Australia before the start of my program (Arcadia's Sydney Internship Program Summer) and it's been a laid-back routine of site-seeing, talking with natives and living locally. I've adjusted fairly well to the time zone change (14 hours ahead of those back home), the cuisine (can't really say there was a big change there since it's mainly American in nature), and life abroad. Yet as the days tick on, I'm getting more and more excited for my program. As a student in the middle of my studies, I feel indescribably happy that I can start to work directly in my field. I feel every student has that moment of realization when you can take what you love (your field of study) and actually work in it (apply what you've learned). During my stay in Sydney, I'll be working with Odyssey House in the Admissions Office. Odyssey House is a drug and alcohol rehab center in Sydney. This site was my first choice, so clearly I'm happy to be working in this area. I've volunteered with a drug and alcohol rehab center back home in the greater Philadelphia area for three years now. One of the things I am most excited about is seeing how mental health, specifically the treatment of addiction, is handled on the other side of the world. Literally. I'm eager to work under professionals to learn about paperwork in the field (as there is much in the field of social work), client-staff relationships, and programs available for individuals struggling with addiction. I can't wait to see where this adventure will take me. And if I get to intern in a country that has amazing wildlife (kangaroos!), access to culture (great Asian cuisine), and speaks English, then lucky me.
Michelle Handy is a student at Gwynedd Mercy University and is blogging from her summer abroad with the Sydney Internship Program Summer in Sydney, Australia.