After the Great Ocean Road, we had a free day on Sunday so we decided to make a beach day! A few of us made our way down to Brighton Beach where we got to see the very colorful Brighton Bathing Boxes. We took a bunch of pictures by the bathing boxes and the freezing water. Lunchtime came around and we were all starving so we got some good food and smoothies at a restaurant near the beach.  We also decided to go to St. Kilda Beach where we got to see some more penguins. It was a cloudy day but we made the best of it. We really took advantage of this free day because we had a really busy week ahead of us.

Monday morning started off with some really good pancakes both homemade and bought. Once we got to Batyr they handed us a variety of pamphlets and documents about different mental illnesses and different ways in which they can be prevented from happening. This agency’s main focus is to reduce the stigma around mental health by having young speakers talk about their stories to other young people in hopes of helping them seek help if they feel like they need it. Fun fact, their logo is an elephant because they want to address the elephant in the room and the name batyr was the name of an elephant who could actually talk. Afterward, we had to get on a train to go visit Maribyrnong City Council’ Phoenix Youth Hub where we got the chance to talk to two of the girls participating in one of the hub’s programs and they helped us make buttons with positive messages on them.

We visited the Bouverie Center the following day. They are a family institute and their mission is to improve relationships with family and others. We had a really unique experience at this agency because they had us partake in an actual scenario of a family struggling to stay together. Once we got to our apartment, a group of us got together and went to the pool and the sauna to relax and have a fun time.

On Wednesday, we had a long travel to our agency visit at Family Life. Everyone was exhausted this day but we pushed through and listened to everyone’s really well-done presentations. They gave us little snacks and the last two ladies who talked to us about trauma gave us little toys to play with and help us stay awake.

Finally, our final day of agency visits we went to Mind Australia where one of the researchers talked to us about how they work with people ages from 16-64 years old and the programs they have with the main focus on YPARC. Then we divided into two groups to go to two different YPARC facilities and got the opportunity to see them and ask any questions we might have had. It was our last night in Australia for this program so we had our departure dinner at an Italian restaurant, We had good conversations and said our goodbyes. This was truly an incredible and humbling experience and we are glad we came on this trip!

Ashley White and Leobeliz Perdomo Blanco

Our first weekend in Australia, a majority of our group decided to travel to Sydney for sightseeing. The first place we visited was the art gallery, one of our classmates had an uncle who contributed an art piece that we got to see. After visiting the art gallery, we found a small market that had shops that were selling unique things like crafted candles, fine jewelry, and clothes. While we were walking, we stopped by a photo festival and saw pictures of people and their stories of growing up and working in mines for numerous years. Once we got back to the hotel, we decided to go out to dinner at a haunted restaurant, our waitress told us stories of how they would put away furniture for the night and come back in the morning, only to find out that all the furniture had been mysteriously rearranged. A few members of our group decided to walk along the Sydney Harbor Bridge and got a beautiful view of the Sydney Opera house along the way.

In the morning we went to a pancake house for breakfast, the pancakes were big and delicious! After breakfast, we went to the Royal Botanic Gardens; this place had beautiful flowers and breath-taking views of buildings and a water fountain. The gardens also was a place where we saw beautiful cockatoos fly around. We made our way to the wishing fountain and each of us circled the fountain 3 times to the left and right and made a wish. We then went to Bondi beach and did a little shopping at a gift shop; we also walked on the beach and saw a beautiful rainbow on the ocean. This trip to Sydney was another great experience for us to have and hope to treasure every moment that we were there.

We had Monday as an extra day off and went to the Sea Life (Melbourne aquarium). We saw a lot of exotic fish; there were stingrays, an enormous alligator, and lots of sharks. The last section of the aquarium, we saw penguins.

On Tuesday, we went to an Agency called The Foundation House. The agency provides services to people of refugee backgrounds in Victoria.  This was a very eye-opening experience and interactive session. Wednesday, we went to the University of Melbourne and experienced a classroom setting and talked about biases and how we need to handle them in the social work field. Thursday, we went to another agency called Anglicare. They focus on protecting Victorians for example, children suffering from abuse, a homeless young person, a woman escaping domestic violence, etc.

Friday and Saturday, we visited the Great Ocean Road and got an amazing view of the coastal drive. We saw the Twelve Apostles that had a beautiful view of the ocean. On our way to our destination, we saw the countryside where we saw cows, wallabies, and koalas. Our group stayed at a hostel for the night which was interesting because it was set up like a dorm and everyone shared a room.

The overall experience that our group had was unforgettable!

~ Ashley White & Leobelize Perdomo

The first week of being in Melbourne, Australia was an amazing experience! After a LONG journey of traveling by air, we finally made it. Once we all got together and finally got taxis, we were brought to our apartment complex. At first, we were joking about how people were driving on the “wrong” side of the road, but then we eventually would get used to it. Upon getting to our apartment complex, we all got roommates, leaving us to be the only ones in a double in a different building. We didn’t get our apartment right away and had to wait until after the city tour to get settled. Even though we were all tired, we met with our tour guide, Katie, and we couldn’t wait to get started on the tour of the city.

We received myki cards and got on a tram for the first time. Katie took us around the city and we got to see many places like the market, a jail facility, a museum, and an arcade (shopping mall). Katie gave a good overview explanation of the history of Melbourne and how the city came to be what it is today. Katie was very pleasant, and we were super excited to see her again for our field trip to Phillip Island later that week.

On Monday, May 7^th, we went to the Melbourne Museum and it was a really cool establishment! It was also Leo’s birthday so we celebrated it as much as we could. The next day, we had our first visit to an agency called VACCA (Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency). We were greeted by one of the Aboriginal social workers and she explained that in every meeting, they acknowledge the land that we stand on. The social worker then talked about the Aboriginal history, culture, traditions, and place in society. A feeling of sadness and anger took over the whole room while she was explaining how the Aboriginal people were killed, stripped away from their identity and seen as the lowest class possible by the white conquers. This was a very informative agency visit and we all learned a lot about the Aboriginal people in Australia.

The next day we all went to the Old Melbourne Gaol, and we got to see the jail cells which had information about several convicts and just the history of how the jail was run. We also got the chance to “experience” being arrested and see both the male and female sections of the jail; we all had a great experience. After we all dispersed, a group of us went to the Royal Arcade where we looked around in the shops and got a feeling of the shopping experience here in Melbourne.

Thursday was a free day so we all decided to make our way down to Sea Life (the aquarium). It was really cool to see all the sea animals and take lots of pictures of them while all hanging out together. That Friday, we all met with Katie to go on our adventure to Phillip Island! The views were absolutely beautiful! We got to see both koalas, wallabies, and penguins up close in their natural habitats, and that was an amazing and memorable experience!

These events have been such an impact to each one of us. Not only did we learn about Australia’s culture but also about how their social work system works and how it influences people’s lifestyle.

~ Ashley White and Leobeliz Perdomo Blanco