From Paris to Sydney

One of the main reasons that led me to pick Sydney for my study exchange is that I needed a city surrounded by nature. As much as I love Paris, its breathtaking architecture, its crazy pulse and its wonderful and unique people, I can only regret its lack of green spaces. And if you can find a piece of nature in the city, it is likely to be perfectly tamed, mowed or trimmed. The only wild thing you can find in Paris is its people.

Most of the trips I take are focused on experiencing the natural environment of the destination. However, I tend to be quite adventurous when exploring those landscapes. I have to admit I enjoy going somewhere without knowing anything about it, which can often lead to great experiences, but sometimes also to unpleasant ones. So far, nothing bad happened to me but I know that travelling on my own in the wilderness can be very dangerous and one of the movies that participated in opening my eyes about this is 127 hours.

I always try to read about people's adventures in the wilderness, and one of the most inspiring books I have red on the subject so far is Wild. I relate to her experience as I tend to have the same perspective on the subject, but also because she focuses on her unexperience when it comes to hiking for a long time on her own.

So when I heard about the Education in Outdoor class, I didn't hesitate one second. First of all, because it is a kind of course we are not used to have in France except in specific schools. Moreover, I also wanted to discover Sydney surroundings, and doing it with a group can be interesting for me as I am used to travelling by myself. But most of all, I would like to learn how to appreciate my environment being aware that I can be a danger for it as much as it can be a great danger for me.

I also expect a lot from the group dimension of this class, because I know that it is a very important part of the field I would like to work in later; advertising. I think that when it comes to building a communication strategy, team work is the most important element, as there are a lot of different skills that are required. Between the creative and the commercial parts, people have to be able to understand each other and work together even if they have different backgrounds.

In a word, I think that I can learn a lot form this class. Wether it is from a personal or professional point of view, I think Education in Outdoor could really widen my horizons.