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