As the end of the semester is coming to a close, I cannot believe how fast this semester has flown by. I remember the day before I left how excited I was to come study abroad in Australia for 4.5 months, but I thought that it was an extremely long time. Now with only a little over a month to go, the time needs to slow down because I do not want to leave this amazing country. When I arrived I learned about the class, Sport and Learning in Australian Culture, and thought it would be an amazing way to learn about Australian sports and culture. All I can say now, is that I am so glad I took this class and would recommend it to anyone studying abroad at the University of Sydney. I am a huge sports fanatic, and by learning about different sports that I never knew about in another country definitely added to my study abroad experience. I find myself telling not only other Americans back home about what I have learned, but Australians in Sydney about sports (like they would not already know what rugby is!). To learn about the passion, love of the game, and see Australians obsession with sports was amazing and is commendable. I thought it would be hard being away from American sports for so long, but this class made me get over it real quick! I have learned to love rugby and have even started growing a liking for footy!
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the field trips the class went on. It provided me with an overview of not only sports, but Australian culture as well. I would have never picked certain things up like Australians love and dedication to sports by just walking around Sydney. By having different lecturers explain to me about the history of Australian sports and why they are so important to the culture really put things into perspective. I have realized how much sports have played a huge role in the history of Australia, but would never have known why without this class. Thank you so much for this experience!
My favorite field trip was probably the Nippers field trip. I loved this field trip because I noticed that the people who run Nippers and are in charge are strictly volunteers who do it not only because they have community spirit, but also did Nippers as a young child and want to give back to others. There were no coaches or teachers telling these children what to do, rather the unpaid volunteers who encouraged the children to participate. This event taught me a lot about the importance and nature of children’s sports in Australia just by watching the Nippers for a short amount of time. Since Australia is surrounded by ocean and the majority of the people live on the coast, I learned that it is really important for all kids to learn how to swim and be comfortable with the ocean. I was very impressed by the behavior and attitude of the parents and volunteers involved with Nippers because none of the parents were screaming at their kids to win, rather they were encouraging them to try their best. All of the parents and volunteers also got along with one another, which shows the community spirit and passion for the program. This event taught me a lot about children’s sports in Australia and the importance of education and experience with the ocean. The part of Nippers that I thought was distinctively Australian was the community spirit and the way everyone got along. It did not matter what the race, gender, background, or religion of these people because they are all one community who have passion for Australia and their beaches. Being exposed to this sport and understanding Australian culture allowed me to experience Nippers through an American viewpoint. The volunteerism and community spirit that is involved with Nippers made me wish that America had something just like this program. The mental and physical growth that comes out of this program benefits not only the participants, but everyone else as well.
I also really enjoyed the day that we got to play cricket in class. Even though all of us probably made a fool of ourselves out on the oval, it taught me a lot about the game. By playing cricket, it gave me an appreciation of the sport and let me realize how hard the game actually is to play. Even though it can be a bit boring to watch and hard to understand, by getting out in the fresh air and playing cricket for the first time was a memorable experience for me not only in this class, but in Australia as well.
Even though many of the Australian sports may be similar to American sports, there are many differences to the popularity of sports in Australia. For example, not many people play rugby, footy, or even cricket in the United States because it is not very popular or even heard of. The way children are brought up early in their lives to hopefully one day get at the professional level is not very prevalent in the states either. While many children hope to one day achieve this goal, it is not a huge deal like it is in Australia. By having sports outside of school settings lets the children form physical education experiences and social bonds. Australians realize that regardless of the gender, age, race, and nationality of the youth, being exposed to sports help in the development of human beings and contribute to a healthier nation.
By having to write a blog for this class let me reflect on all of the experiences that I have had and will give me something to look back on for the rest of my life. I believe that by having to sit down each week and write a blog about a sporting event that I went to that week let me analyze Australian sports and culture more than I would have without having to write in this blog. With the semester ending, all I can say is that I have had an amazing time in Australia and with this class. I am going to be extremely sad when I have to depart, but will have to bring all of the experiences and memories with me back to the United States to share with all of my family and friends. Thank you Steve, John, and Christina for this amazing experience and for the class discussions!
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