I have always loved learning, ever since I was little. Most little kids love learning, that’s why they ask so many questions. It’s once we grow up and think we know everything–once we stop asking questions–that learning no longer becomes fun. I know many educators dedicate their time to keeping that inquisition alive as children grow up, and I was lucky enough to keep mine. That desire to learn is most of the reason I like to study and live abroad as well. Learning isn’t just a classroom experience, you can’t learn about an ecosystem or the laws of physics by memorizing all the attributes; you have to be immersed in it, you have to see it in action. The same is true of learning about the world.
However, that doesn’t mean that classroom learning can’t be rewarding. My most interesting class here is my Coastal Processes class. We get to learn about beach morphology, sediment characteristics, and wave dynamics as well as how they intersect to form the coastal ecosystems that we see and love. I really enjoy this class because of its intersectionality. There is not a single issue on this planet that doesn’t intersect with some other issue, whether that be in regards to climate change, feminism, or interpersonal relationships. So, to me, studying the intersections of ocean and land in this class means I’m also learning about how to identify and work with intersections in general, a tool that will help me for the rest of my life.
Another interesting part of this class is the lab component. We’ve gotten to work with ArcGIS, which is a skill I’ve been wanting to cultivate for years, as well as coding programs like MATLAB and Python. Even though I’m an environmental science major, I haven’t really had the opportunity before to work in-depth with coding. I worked with Python a bit sophomore year, but most of it didn’t stick. Having the chance to work with these programs a lot this semester has really broadened my skill range.
Of course, studying in a lab or in the university library can get kind of boring. To me, a place isn’t home unless I have at least two go-to study areas (mostly cafes because who doesn’t want food and tea while they study?). Here, my two cafes are the Bean Brewer and Handcraft. The Bean Brewer is a cute, open-air cafe near my apartment that has a 10% student discount and a really excellent vegan breakfast burrito. Handcraft is closer to my school, and they make the best soy hot chocolate I’ve had in Sydney. Both have free wifi and don’t mind if you park inside for a couple hours while you study and stress eat.
