This is Not a Vacation, I Promise
By Emma Rosen
When you are a student at LIU Global in Byron Bay, Australia you field some very specific questions from your family and friends. Most often we hear: “how’s vacation?” It is easy to see why we are constantly bombarded with this line of questioning. In our first week in Byron Bay we have explored our little beach town, had a picnic with our faculty, moved into three extraordinary houses, experienced class on a beach, and more. But to these people, and anyone interested in LIU Global, I say — you are way off base, my friends.
A school semester with a beautiful ocean backdrop does not a vacation make. While exploring our new home we have started to make connections with locals and learned where all the best stores for sustainable living are located. The welcome picnic with our professors allowed us to get a better idea of what our classes will entail and also get to know the people who will be shaping our education for the next three months. Our houses are a far cry from a dorm room, but now we have the tools to cook for ourselves and create an optimal learning environment.
As far as class on a beach goes, our first session with Innovative Encounters with Nature and Knowledge included not only a lovely nature walk in silence but a chance to connect with our surroundings, observe, and then dig deep into some larger than life questions — what is nature? What is natural? The dialogue that ensued was beyond thought-provoking. We exercised our minds in ways many students do not normally have the chance to. All of these factors make up LIU Global in Byron Bay.
This semester is an innovative deep-dive into ecology, Australia’s First Peoples, international development, improving our research skills, and more. I have not always been particularly knowledgeable about the environment. Sad to say, I know, but now Global has righted my course. The great thing about the team here is that they never make me, or my classmates, feel like we have to change everything about our habits and our lives. But they offer their guidance nonetheless, without stipulations, and make us feel like we can reach the moon. Truly, the start of this semester has been one of the most exciting and happy times of my life. In fact, if this semester is a vacation, it is a vacation away from my old self, my old life. Here I can be someone better. I can be someone who wakes up early, someone who composts, someone who walks outside in the fresh air just to connect with my thoughts. I can cook vegan meals, I can utilize time management skills our professor Nigel Hayes has already generously instilled in us, I can read not just the required material but the recommended material as well. These are not just arbitrary examples — these are all new changes I have undertaken. We have been in Byron Bay for a week and I am already a better version of myself. This semester has barely started, and yet I am giddy with excitement over what is to come.
On top of the heaps of readings and in depth projects we will happily slave over, we will go on two camping trips, a two week field visit in Fiji, a two week field visit in New Zealand, some excursions to Sydney and Nimbin, and more. Each trip we take, each new thing we experience here is cultivated by the incredible team we have supporting us. Soenke, Nigel,
Marcelle, and JJ have surpassed our expectations at every turn, and I for one feel incredibly blessed that these are the people facilitating our learning and giving us guidance. I would like to take a moment to recognize the immense privilege of the thirteen of us here in Australia. We might be undertaking a rigorous course load, but we are in the minority when it comes to people who get to experience this kind of learning. We are living on indiginous land — always has been, always will be, as Soenke would say. We are able to move about in Cavanbah (Byron Bay), the land of the Arakwal people, without experiencing discrimination or lack of resources. How lucky we are. We were given sustainable products such as a water bottle, a lunch box, bamboo cutlery, and a travel mug. Our homes have landfill bins, recyclable bins, and compost bins. Being sustainable has never been easier or more convenient. How lucky we are. We were able to enter the country under the Electronic Travel Authority. I filled out a form, pressed send, paid $20, and in less than ten minutes received my proverbial golden ticket into Australia. There are refugees who are in detention centers in and outside Australia after fleeing their homes. They are not afforded the same perks that we as students from the U.S.A. are freely given. How lucky we are. Now all we have to do is take our privilege and use it to understand these pressing issues, to draw attention to these issues, and with some of that luck formulate some lasting solutions. Ask me how my vacation is going one more time, friend and/or relative. I dare you. Next time you do you are getting an earful of analysis on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, a full spiel on what development actually means and the historical significance of it, and an hour long contemplation on the ethics of international development. And then I will send you a picture of my lunch spot (the beach), my study spot (the beach), and my nap spot (the beach) just to mess with you.
