Thank you Bethel-St. Clair Rotary of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA for providing me with the incredible opportunity to study in Australia! Here I am with the club in January before my departure:
Australian National University (ANU)
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory (A.C.T.), Australia
As a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar at Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, I will be researching gender and Aboriginal cosmology/ceremonies in a master's postgraduate program.
I left Pittsburgh on February 12th and finally arrived in Australia on February 14th. I arrived in Canberra after a very long flight from Los Angeles to Sydney (25 hours). Canberra, the capital of Australia, is a very beautiful city located on Lake Burley-Griffin.
The ANU campus has numerous rugby fields, tennis courts, bike trails and soccer fields. There are many opportunities for students to participate in outdoor sports and activities, and the first week I joined both the Mountaineering and Caving Clubs.
I am staying on campus, with a very convenient 5 minute walk to class. My building is located next to a small stream near this rugby field. The above photo is a view from my room.
Ambassadorial Scholars Welcome Dinner
Tony Trumble, District Chair for the Ambassadorial Scholarship Committee, was kind enough to have a welcome dinner at his home so that all of the scholars could meet each other.
Wayne (far left) and I are the two new Ambassadorial Scholars to Canberra. The dinner gave us the opportunity to meet the other scholars who arrived in Canberra last term. Tony and his wife (middle) are members of the Rotary Club of Belconnen, Canberra in District 9710.
The five of us are all postgraduate students at ANU. From left to right: Parul Sharma (India), Jon McCann (Ohio), Rachel Ward (Pittsburgh), Wayne Joseph (citizen of Trinidad; sponsored by Rotary of Waco, Texas), and Paul Lushenko (Oregon).
You can read more about us, including our programs of study, here: http://www.rotaryd9710.org.au/foundation/ambassadorial-scholars/inbound-scholars/2010-11-scholars.html
Both Jon and Paul are accompanied by their wives Lisa Lushenko (left) and Elisha McCann (right).
Bike Tour of Canberra
During my first week in Canberra, I bought a bicycle and rode the perimeter of Lake Burley Griffin for a scenic tour.
Telestra Tower is located on Black Mountain which overlooks the ANU campus. A few days later, I hiked to the top with the ANU Mountaineering Club (see photos below).
Canberra's museum which overlooks the lake.
Parliament House
And directly across the lake is the War Memorial Museum.
Across the lake from the War Memorial Museum.
With the ANU Mountaineering Club, I did a "bush walk" (hike) to the top of Black Mountain where we ended at Telestra Tower:
Some beautiful views of Canberra from the Telestra Tower platform at dusk:
