The Weekend I've Been Waiting For.

I had another great week in The Land Down Under! The week started off slowly due to my cold, but I shook off my illness by Wednesday. My work activities continued to be the same as the previous week, which is helping Julien out with accounts receivable and fixed assets while I manage prepayments. On Wednesday, I was able to discuss the significant transactions within the prepayments account with one of our client's financial executives, which was a great learning experience! I was really excited that my team trusted me to talk to him 1v1. A shoutout to my teammate Seb, another senior, who let me take control of prepayments and provided great advice when I needed it.


-Gettin' ready to snorkel, read below for details!

Because I was at the client (about a 40 minute train ride from my aparment), I did not really get to venture out and order exotic food this week. When we were work late during busy season, however, we usually get to eat dinner at the client site. It's nice having those meals at normal times, rather than getting dinner late after work. This week, I am switching locations to another office of theirs, which is about a 15 minute walk away. We sign off on the audit Tuesday, so I expect the next few days to be very hectic and then slow down after the sign off.

Now for my travels! While my team was working this weekend, I was off to the Great Barrier Reef with the rest of the Sydney interns (Morgan, Jordan, Casey, and Meagan). We took a half day off on Friday, and boarded for Cairns (where the GBR is) in the afternoon. Once we landed, we took a shuttlebus to our hostel, which was called Gilligan's Travels. Everyone told us to stay at Gilligan's, so I was expecting a fun time. Sure enough, it was! We stayed with a girl from Germany and two guys from Holland, and we got along very well. They had both already done the snorkeling tour we were about to embark on, and they said it was an amazing experience.

As you can tell by this view, it was. Props to Jordan and Morgan for taking amazing pictures with our tax friend's underwater camera!! We went on a tour called "Passions Paradise." Clearly, it was a paradise:

 

It was a two hour trip out to Michaelmas Bay, where the first snorkel was located. I was a bit hesitant to go in the deep water at first, but I overcame that fear and ventured out and saw some really amazing sights. The coral looked incredibly lively, and there were fish I cannot even begin to describe that I saw. The fish were so colorful, vibrant, and just amazing to look at. We also saw sea turtles and stingrays! No sharks thankfully.







-Me, Morgan, and Jordan about to start our second snorkel of the day!

EY has sent 57 interns across the world as part of this program, and we are having a contest to see who can take the best/ most creative pictures with our EY umbrellas. I think we have a pretty good shot to win! Snorkeling the reef from across the world, umbrella flipped inside out...we can't lose!

After the first snorkel, we got a great lunch provided by the boat crew. After lunch, we drove a bit of a ways more to another part of the Reef. This section was not surrounded by a beach at all, and was much deeper than the previous one as well. The waves were strong, so it was hard to swim out very far or go beneath the surface level of the coean. We still saw a lot of unique fish and coral though, and it was a great experience. Definitely one of the coolest things I have ever done in my life; I am incredibly thankful that I was able to do this!


-post first-snorkel

After a two hour trek back home, we stopped at a souvenir shop (surprise), grabbed dinner at a German restaurant, and walked around Cairns for a bit. We left early this morning, and got prepared to start our final week of work! We have some fun night-time activities planned, and hopefully we will be able to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Friday. While I am sad that this is rapidly coming to an end, I am excited to see friends and family back home! A few days after I return from Australia, we go to Orlando for the IILC (International Intern Leadership Conference) with all of the interns  from the summer and winter in 2014. I will again be meeting people from all across the world, and I am excited to build new relationships and learn more about EYs culture.

I'll try to write one more time, so see ya guys then!



-thanks for following along!

Halfway Point= Heaps of Fun

I cannot believe my trip is already halfway over! This week flew by, and I was extremely busy. Let's recap:

As per usual, I tried an incredibly diverse amount of food. On Monday, I had spicy squid at a Korean restaurant. I really stepped out of my comfort zone Tuesday and tried Malaysian lamb at this Indian/ Malaysian restaurant, and it was delicious. Wednesday, I went to a cute little Japanese restaurant and got the most American item on the menu: chicken teriyaki. I also ate at local burger and Mexican restaurants, which were similar to back home. I figure I will only be here once, so I should try everything. Literally...everything. The prices here are much steeper, but you do not have to pay tip, so it balances out (sort of). The wording in Australia for food is incredbily unique! They call cookies biscuits, shrimp are called prawns, ketchup is tomato sauce, and chips are called crisps, just to name a few.


 -Roomie love.

I had quite a busy week at work. Counting Saturday, I worked around 60 hours. The week went by quickly, as I was always busy helping out the Staff 1 from Switzerland, Julien. I helped Julien with Fixed Assets, Accounts Receivable, and Prepayments. I typically do more of the setting up of various workpapers and referencing documents back and forth to show supporting evidence than actual testing and talking with the client, but I have done some of those things every day. Many interns think talking to the client is very intimidating, but most of the people that we work with are extremely nice and try to help us get the supporting documentation that is required. My supervisor/ senior, Phil, was nice enough to introduce me to the client and walk through the process of getting what we needed from the client. Phil has been such an asset to me here, as he has been a friend and mentor on top of being my supervisor. We worked until 10:30 on Thursday and took the train home together, and we really bonded on the way home. He even (jokingly) offered me a job here when I start full-time in a year, so that will be something to consider. Just kidding Mom (maybe...).

I also like working Saturdays more than I should. It's a really relaxed atmosphere, and I get to talk with everyone on the team, including managers and partners. Special shoutout to managers Lauren, Matt, and Jaya for being great and keeping the audit room fun!


-My view from the office Saturday

This weekend, we went to the Glenmore Lounge in Darling Harbour for food and drinks after work. This was my view:



After work Saturday, we met up with Casey's (another intern) work buddy Ollie and he took us for drinks and to an AFL game. The Syndey Swans played Carlton and won something like 120-51. AFL is so much fun to watch! They essentially picked the best rules from soccer and football and combined them to form an awesome sport. I honestly thought it was more entertaining than American football.


 -Grandstands built in 1910!


Today, we woke up early and met up with Carolyn, our EY friend from last weekend, and drove 2 hours up to Hunter Valley for wine tasting! We visited 7 different wineries. I'm not much of a wine person, but I know that I really like white wine now. The highlight of today was easily the Belgian chocolate and marshmallows I had! It was the best chocolate I've ever tasted.





That basically wraps up my week. I'm so excited to leave for Cairns for the Great Barrier Reef Friday afternoon! I'll be posting a blog all about that next week. Look for an update within 10 days or so, and it will probably be my last one.

Have a fantastic week!

Week 1 is Complete

That flew by fast!! I cannot believe I'm 25% done with this lifetime opportunity. Follow along for the details:

My third day of work included something called a PIE meeting. And no, food was not served (I'm really good at dad jokes). PIE stands for post-interim event, where the team discusses any significant changes between interim (first 9 months of the year) and end-of-year field work, as well as getting prepared for the financial statements/ earnings release audit. I was tasked with taking notes and asking questions. It's quite interesting to hear the high-level/ conceptual views of the audit as well as watch the team interact to create a good working atmosphere. Even across the globe, I can tell that EY has similar values in their offices and it is really easy to build relationships with coworkers, especially people our age.

On Friday, we went to a pub for a farewell lunch with a new/ former coworker of mine, John Thompson. John will be moving across the globe to attend the University of Michigan to earn his MBA! It was really exciting to meet someone similar in age who was moving to the States and had questions. I had a lamb burger, and it's definitely better than a hamburger.

A highlight of my trip so far is during work, watching a guy dance on a streetlight in a purple outfit to Call Me Maybe. The street performers here are very unique, to say the least. After work on Friday, the interns met up with a tax director (similar to a partner) from the States who has been with the firm for 20 years. We all loved getting to know her and it was nice having someone take care of us! We celebrated the 4th at the Australian Hotel, then moved the adventures down to a bar called the Orient for some live music. Everyone goes out right after work on Fridays in their work clothes. For dinner, I had kangaroo pizza, which was even more amazing than chicken feet!

-Dinner with Carolyn the director and interns!

 

After the partner and her husband left, we went out to a bar on another side of Sydney. It was your typical young people/ college bar, and it's safe to say that bars like these are very similar across the world.

 

Saturday was my favorite day of the trip so far, easily. We took a bus to Bondi Beach, and it can basically be summed up in this photo:

 

 

 

The transportation in Sydney is phenomenal compared to the States. The ferries, trains/ subways, and buses are so easy to navigate quickly, and are extremely clean. We had breakfast at a really cute cafe, and after walking the beach for a couple hours we had gelato. I'm not very cultured in the gelato department, but it was better than anything I've had in the States.

 

After the beach, the interns took a ferry to Carolyn's house on Manly Beach for an American barbecue. We met a new partner in international tax as well; she's on a three-year rotation here. Don't worry Mom, I won't be doing that anytime soon! But seriously, EY is so great because of all the connections and relationships you can build anywhere. It was really fun to hang out with these partners and their families, and get to see their lives outside of work!

 

-hangin' out beachside

 

On Sunday, we woke up really early to start our tour of the Blue Mountains, which is about 1.5 hours away from our apartment. To my surprise (probably because I've been along for the ride and haven't planned too much), we stopped at a wildlife park before the tour. This park blew the zoo we saw last week out of the water. You could pet and feed kangaroos and koalas! See here:

 

-real life Koko

 

...and the cutest picture ever.

 

 

We finally got to the Blue Mountains, and the view was just awe-inspiring. We walked around for a bit, then took a skyway, then cableway, then railray around the mountains. We had some breathtaking views, and it was really cool to see all the different things Australia has to offer.

 

-Chillin with the Three Sisters Mountains

 

 

Next weekend, we are going to an Aussie Football game as well as going to a winery tour, which I'm really excited for. We also just booked our Great Barrier Reef flight for July 18-20, and I'm even more excited for that. The fun never ends! Look for an update sometime this week.

 

Hope the 4th weekend was (and is) great!

 

Regards,

 

Carmen

Work: Reality Hits (In a Good Way)

Walking to the office, reality sunk in. After a successful winter internship (from here on out known as the "winternship," see previous blog), I had not done any type of accounting for three months, and I knew I would have to shake off some rust. Luckily, I get to work at this building:

The building is 52 floors, and EY has about 20 of those floors. It's in the heart of Sydney, and it's about a 5 minute walk from my apartment, Hyde Park Regency.


-Hyde Park with Saint Andrews Cathedral in the background!

I got myself set up, and I met my team for the week. Like I said previously, my only client for my time here is News Limited. They buy and circulate newspapers throughout the US and Australia. While still fazing out, Australian newspapers are much more widespread than in the States.

I am going to delve into the business/ accounting aspect of why I'm here for a little, so if that bores you, feel free to scroll down. EY is the external auditor for News Limited, and Deloitte is the internal auditor. This essentially means that Deloitte audits the financial statements and tests the controls for News Limited, and EY audits the work that Deloitte does to ensure accuracy. News Limited is publicly traded on the NYSE.

I expect myself to work 8-11 hours per day. I get out to the client site next week, and it's a 40 minute train ride. I'm expected to wear a shirt and tie, which is different than the States. I have noticed that guys are typically dressed up very nice here, but they don't have to shave everyday and there is quite a bit of facial hair on most of the guys.

My team is incredibly nice. The main guy I work with is from Switzerland, so it's fun to hear his stories of Australia and his culture back home. My supervisor/ senior is from Boston, so we definitely have some common grounds being from the States. I also have a few Australian guys I work with regularly, and they're typically very enthusiastic and happy to work with me (we'll see how long that lasts). I've been able to do a ton of networking so far and build some relationships just a few days into being at work! So far, I have mainly done Sarbanes-Oxley revenue testing (making sure that revenue can be recognized in the correct period and that the revenue exists and the transactions were approved), bank confirmations, and summarizing audit consideration checklist documents. Some work is more exciting, but it's all a great experience and helps me understand the big picture of the audit and the client as a whole. I do not want to bore you too much, so if you have further questions on the accounting jargon (looking at you, Accounting Club members), feel free to contact me on Facebook or LinkedIn!

Back to the "fun" stuff. After my first day of work, I purchased a Socceroo scarf, which is what they call the soccer fans over here. I am collecting quite a bit of Aussie souvenirs.


-My souvenirs! What the hek, maybe some lucky ducks will get some too :)

I got some Mexican food for lunch, Chinese food for dinner, then sushi/seafood/ chicken feet for lunch today, and Thai food at night. The chicken feet was actually AMAZING and the Thai food was great too! I had cashew nut squid and green curry chicken. I've also tried a few coffee places, and it tastes very similar to the States.


-Me and my chicken feet

I'm currently hanging out with other interns as we try and figure out the weekend to travel to the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, about a 3 hour flight away. We plan to celebrate the 4th on Friday American style, then go to Bondi beach on Saturday and walk the Sydney Harbour Bridge to Luna Park on Sunday. We're also looking to really get to exploring Sydney over the next few weeks and seeing the Blue Mountains as well.

That's all I have for now, happy Hump Day (and a Happy Thursday to me)!

Part 1.

It's majestic. The people, the sights, the sounds...it's all majestic. As I walked through the airport after my 20 hours of flying and got into my cab with my roommate Jordan (he works in EY Los Angeles) that I was in for an amazing month.

I am apart of Ernst & Young's (now EY) relatively new program called the GSE- Global Student Experience. I applied for the program in March and made it through the necessary steps to be selected for this program. 57 interns were selected to work abroad around the globe, and 20 of us are stationed in Australia (4 others with me in Sydney).




On our first day in Sydney, a recruiter from Australia was our tour guide as we took a ferry near the Opera House and Sydney Harbour Bridge on our way to Manly Beach, which is one of the more famous beaches in Sydney. Once we got back, we went to an area of Sydney called "The Rocks" which is filled with pubs and markets, which sell jewelry, clothes, and figurines.

Right away, I noticed that the locals here are extremely friendly and polite. A few phrases I have picked up on already are sunglasses are "sunnies," exit is "way out," and the word "heaps" is quite common. Something very different from the US is that in Australia you are not allowed to take leftovers from restaurants back home!

On my second day, we had a brief orientation around the office, met our buddies, and had a networking lunch. I tried VeggieMite for the first time, and it was actually not the worst thing I've ever eaten. I also won a boomerang which is super cool!


-My little friend Koko


-We went to the Taronga Zoo, so I got to see kangaroos, wallabies, and koalas in person!

After a long day, we ate dinner at a bar/ restaurant in the Opera House; the food was delicious! I also got to say goodbye to the interns who are leaving for other cities in Australia. It's sad to see them go, but I'll be able to see them at EYs International Intern Leadership Conference (IILC) in Orlando. More info on that to follow :)


I start work tomorrow, and I am on a client whose main service is selling newspapers. They will be my client for the entire month, so I'm sure I will have plenty to report back on! I hope you found this interesting, and you should hear back from me soon!


 

Thank you EY for giving me this incredible experience!

Cheers,

Carmen