Category
Adrienne Wilson, 2011 South Queensland student blogger, writes: May 29 We arrived at Noosa beach today! Along the way we had a lecture about ecotourism and that I found pretty interesting. Our place at Noosa is called Noosa Caravan Park, pictured left. May 30 Today was a free day. I woke up early to finish my last module and to…
Continue readingVisitors to Australia always seem to comment on how happy the residents of the country tend to be. Well, it’s not just a perception any more. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has announced that Australians are truly the happiest people in the world. The OECD’s latest Better Life Initiative index ranked Australia the happiest based on a…
Continue readingEast Carolina University students on the Fiji program, have celebrated the 4th of July in the town of Nadi. First up on the day’s itinerary was a visit to the largest Hindu temple in the Southern hemisphere, pictured left. The group had a tour of the temple and some students took the opportunity to be blessed and offer prayers. Next…
Continue readingJune 10, 2011 is a day that I will remember for the rest of my life, because I was stuck in it for 36 hours (talk about Twilight Zone). Four flights and three hours of driving later I found myself laying in bed at home in Northeastern Pennsylvania about to close my eyes and drift off into dreamland, when suddenly…
Continue readingSteve Parish, award-winning wildlife photographer and Order of Australia recipient, is celebrating his 50th year of photographing Australia. Steve started his career photographing marine life on Australia’s coast line and in the years since, he has spent much of his life traveling Australia, capturing the land, its wildlife and its people in spectacular images. To celebrate his work he has published…
Continue readingAlyse Horn, 2011 New Zealand student blogger, writes: During our last week in New Zealand Penn State and Virginia Tech really got to experience the marine life as well as the unique off shore and mainland island sancutuaries found in this country, which is something we have all been waiting for. This past Saturday we split into two groups and went hiking and kayaking in Abel Tasman…
Continue readingHere at AUIP we are accustomed to the excitement surrounding an emperor penguin sighting; wildlife spotting is one of the highlights on our Antarctica program and each year we receive many photos of a variety of penguin species in the natural landscape of Antarctica. However, we were not expecting the news and subsequent photos and videos from our own shores! The…
Continue readingAlyse Horn, 2011 New Zealand student blogger, writes: Fox Glacier is found in South Westland, New Zealand and has been recorded to advance at up to four meters per day, and guess what? We climbed it on Tuesday. Just another tag to the awesomeness of New Zealand’s diverse ecosystem, the glacier is found surrounded by rainforest. Huge amounts of snow and…
Continue readingAlyse Horn, 2011 New Zealand student blogger, writes: The sites just keep getting better. On Tuesday, Penn State and Virginia Tech explored the wilderness of Aoraki Mt. Cook National Park. The mountains don’t even look real. I just want to reach out and touch them, but even after a four-hour hike they are unattainable. During our day hike it was…
Continue readingAlyse Horn, 2011 New Zealand student blogger, writes: Traveling to New Zealand is a task within itself. After leaving from Newark Airport in New Jersey at 5 a.m. on Monday, I finally made it to Christchurch, New Zealand with my group around 5 p.m. Wednesday. The time difference here has really taken a toll on my body, as I find…
Continue reading
