Hi all,
Unbelievable to say that my final days at Northern Arizona University are here. I cannot believe how quickly this excellent exchange has gone. In saying that time has flown, I think I have achieved an enormous amount of satisfying feats in my time here.
As mentioned in previous blogs, I have studied Hotel & Restaurant Management and learnt a lot about one of the most popular industries in the United States. Studying International Tourism at Flinders and having focused on a sector of the industry for the last four months has definitely broadened my mind along with all my experiences here. Things I’ve learnt include:
- Improving my time management skills
- The numerous styles of hospitality management
- Potential career paths
- How to integrate with a number of cultures
- Adjusting to different formats of study
- And a whole lot about myself
This exchange has been one of the best periods of my life, and the most satisfying part is the achievements that I will be able to reflect on for years to come. In such a short period of time where my lifestyle has included a balance between studying, working, travelling and partying, I have achieved everything I could have dreamt of at N.A.U! Achievements include:
- Sharing memories and making friends with people from all around the globe.
- Scoring A’s and high B’s in all five subjects.
- Making contacts with people high up in the HRM industry.
- Joining a tennis club along with improving immensely and competing in my first tournament.
- Going on numerous road and weekend trips away.
- Gaining experience in my field of work.
- Living in a vastly different climate.
In the next few weeks, I will be venturing up the west coast of the United States, visiting my 30th state, sharing more experiences with American families and looking forward to flying home from Vancouver, Canada.
Northern Arizona University is a wonderful partner university. Located in a small college mountain town, with an international house great for bonding, and lots of fun to be had, this is a different experience easy to be enjoyed.
Matthew Milne, a Bachelor of International Tourism student, Semester 2 2016 exchange at Northern Arizona University, the United States
