The Stern Opportunity

I went to Australia with a lot of expectations. I was certain that I'd go to the Opera House, snap a few photos and head over to a nearby café, grab a latte and wait for Paul Hogan Hugh Jackman or Olivia Newton John to walk by. I was even ready to settle for a Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman sighting before heading down to Melbourne for the class and a little bit of tennis. But, are those two still together? Anyway, I digress…

The majority of the 38 students who participated in the DBi spent some time "down under" prior to the start of the DBi. The most popular destinations amongst Australia's six states are New South Wales, where Sydney is located, Victoria, within which is Melbourne, and Queensland, frequently visited because of its proximity to the Great Barrier Reef.

Most modern maps don't portray Australia properly, as it often appears like it's a small island in the southern hemisphere. Don't be fooled, Australia is a very large country. It is roughly the same size as the United States if you subtract the square footage of Kansas. However the country only has 22 million residents, most of who live in the major cities like Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. I decided to check out Sydney and Queensland prior to attending the DBi in Melbourne.

Sydney was my first stop and, despite not seeing any stars, I was rather impressed. I met so many people from places I had only read about in books, like Vanuatu and Mauritius. Sydney reminded me of New York City in a lot of ways, but it was distinct at the same time. There was plenty to do and the city had a great night life. I made my requisite trip to the Sydney Opera House and I must say I was more impressed with it than I thought. The Opera House is truly an architectural marvel and it is worth the praise it receives. All in all, Sydney was my favorite city in Australia.

My next stop was in Queensland. Most people stay in either Port Douglas or Cairns and I opted for the latter. Besides visiting the beaches, the main reason for visiting the QLD is the Great Barrier Reef. As a non-swimmer (meaning I cannot and do not swim) I was a bit skeptical about snorkeling. But, much to my amazement, seeing the reef was one of the best things I have ever done. Assisted by every floatation device known to man, I was able to take a crack at Finding Nemo. I wasn't successful, but I saw a lot of other things that were truly amazing. It was pretty much taking a trip to Best Buy and sticking your head inside one of those plasma TVs that show all these tropical fish in their natural habitat. It was also as good as advertised.

My third and final stop was Melbourne, which is a great city in its own right. It's clean, organized and easy to navigate. Melbourne is like Sydney in its diverse array of people, but that is where the comparisons end. I felt as though Melbourne was much like the UK in terms of feel, but it is an architect's dream. Many of the buildings are very contemporary and it seems the city planners only had stipulations regarding function and not form of each structure.

The University of Melbourne is the site of the DBi and that's where the other Sternies and I spent the majority of our time. Together, we explored all of the restaurants, night life and sights that Melbourne had to offer. We all took a group trip to see the Great Ocean Road in Australia, which is similar to the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in California, but it is a bit more scenic. The road is famous for some its sights, like London Bridge, the Gorge and the 12 Apostles and it is infamous because of its flies. I think I can speak for my entire DBi class when I say that I have never been accosted by more flies in my entire life. At any given time everyone around me would get brutally attacked by flies, which have tendency fly near your eyes and mouth in search of moisture. It was completely frustrating, especially when we took a trip to a local vineyard. Despite that annoying fact, I would do everything I did on the trip again.

The program itself was awesome as well. We had the opportunity to engage 10 speakers who spoke on practically every social, political, financial and legal aspect of doing business in Australia. I am sure I speak for everyone in the program when I say that we all walked away with a definitive understanding of how to do business in Australia…along with a few sights, sounds, and priceless memories.

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