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Anna Mixon, a.k.a. “Aussie Anna,” loved her study-abroad program in Australia so much that she is ready to go back and is even thinking about moving there. “People there are extremely friendly; Sydney is a clean and beautiful city; and the country does many things of a community-minded nature, such as having its currency in different sizes so the vision-impaired can immediately tell which bills they have,” said Mixon, a marketing major who plans to graduate in December and currently works fulltime as an office manager for The Green Company. She and seven classmates explored Sydney and its environs during the second study-abroad to Australia. J. Randall Martin, a member of the Management and International Business Department and the college’s faculty director of study-abroad programs, led the trip, which ran from August 11-25, 2006. “We packed the schedule with tours, including a boat tour of the bay around Sydney leading past Russell Crowe’s house, hiking in the Blue Mountains, and visiting the natural history museum—among many other opportunities for students to see the unique sights of the country,” said Martin, who had spent a year planning the initial study-abroad program Down Under.
Vineyard tour whets palates while answering business questions. The short-term study-aboard programs always include a site visit, giving students the chance to learn management lessons firsthand. The 2005 and 2006 sessions in Australia delivered that message while participants tasted samples from the country’s growing wine industry. “We visited three vineyards in the Hunter Valley, which gave me the opportunity to learn about wines, and because of the detailed presentations, to learn about the management issues the vineyard managers face and how they solve them,” Mixon said. Stella Gomes, a finance major in her last semester and a part-time loan officer at Wells Fargo, had traveled to many places, but had never participated in a study-abroad program. She was attracted to the notice she saw in the Ryder Building and to the dates of the trip. “It was a perfect time for me, since I wanted to do something to get some credits during the summer session,” she said.
Describing the vineyard tour as “cool,” she put her new-found knowledge to use at her first restaurant meal upon her return. “I was pleased to see now-familiar Australian wines on the menu and to know how to order,” she said. Opera House entrances the first-time opera and concert attendees. Students also sampled culture, particularly at Sydney’s renowned Opera House—an architectural and acoustical marvel. Some attended the Gilbert and Sullivan opera, Pirates of Penzance; others went to a concert that included a Mozart clarinet concerto and a Saint-Saëns organ symphony. “It was one of the coolest experiences I have ever had, from an architectural standpoint as well as a musical one,” Mixon said.
Trip provides right mix of study, freedom, and memories. Though Gomes wasn’t sure about how the class time would meld with the free time, the balance worked well. “Professor Martin kept us to a class schedule, but he also gave us the flexibility to travel, and the weekends were ours,” she said. “It was awesome, and I loved it.” The study-abroad programs, offered through the Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), are based on the idea that learning about another culture while living in it deepens the academic experience for international business students. Mixon certainly learned that lesson. “It was fascinating to see the business aspect of life in another country and how matters such as location play a part,” Mixon said. “It was the experience of a lifetime. I felt different coming home. It helped me grow as an individual and changed my outlook, and I think it is great for anyone going into business because today everything is international.” For information about the many study-abroad opportunities offered through the university’s CIBER, visit http://www.fiu.edu/~ciber/.
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