When in Rome....

When it comes to incredible, kick-arse, jaw-dropping, beautiful cities, Rome has got to take the cake.

Everywhere you wander, thousands of years of human history is laid out before you...or crumbling before you in many cases.....and it rocks (no pun intended).

The city centre of Rome is very compact, cobble stoned and incredibly fun to explore. It
will test your self-control as every cafe will tempt you in for wicked coffee, every shop will wink suggestively at you with the latest fashions, and every taverna will grab you around the throat and just insist that you have yet another pizza.

Mmmmmm, pizza.

Around each corner is yet another church (there are 2300 of them in Rome), piazza, fountain, ice cream shop or taverna - the place is definitely up there with my fav cities in the world.

The plan was simple: stopover in Rome for 4 days on the way through to Paris for Christmas. The fact that Singapore Airlines fly in and out of both cities is massively convenient for Australians - you can easily fly into Rome, spend a few days, jump on Easyjet to Paris (our flight cost $50 one way :) then fly directly back to Oz from Paris. A great itinerary.

So over our 4 walking-filled days we hit all of Rome's famous sites: the Vatican, the Colosseum, Pantheon, Forum, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona etc etc

 

Piazza Venezia. Above, the view from the top towards the Colosseum.

One thing that did strike us during the trip was the commonalities that exist between cities all over the world:

• Wherever you go, each major city will always have a Peruvian panpipe band
• There will always be buskers dressed up in ridiculous outfits outside every major monument offering to have their photo taken with you (in the case of Rome, it is bunches of blokes dressed up as Roman soldiers)
• Every time it starts to rain, you will start being accosted by gypsie-looking men trying to flog you cheap umbrellas, even if you already have one
• Every time the sun comes out and it's scorching hot those same men will try to flog you bottles of water (probably refilled from a scungey bucket in a backstreet)
• Taxis will always rip you off, regardless of how hard you haggle or how good your language skills are (this is one of the 10 great facts of life, I think. Don't ask me about the others)
  
• You'll meet at least one person at a cash register who will scowl at you, unhappily take your money then throw your change in a little dish in wanton disgust.
  

One of those pesky buskers










We ate at the funky Ducati Cafe (dedicated to the famous Italian motorcycle) - this funky restaurant/bar/shop is definitely worth a stop. The food is brilliant (although pricey if you're a student), and it has great atmosphere. The other standout meal (amongst all the brilliant food we ingested) was at Lo Zozzone, a tiny pizza joint packed full of locals in the streets behind Piazza Navona. Our reviews are on our tripadvisor profile.

One afternoon, standing under a crystal clear blue sky with the cold eating into our bones, we spotted pigeons in the sky.

Now I'll admit that in itself doesn't sound so exciting, but the fact that there were 100,000 of them probably was. Every pigeon in Rome was up there and they were flying formation - breaking into huge groups of thousands of pigeons, ducking and weaving. These black clouds were dancing across the sky like live art - it was truly something spectacular to see. Who would have thought that humble pigeons could create such a visual spectacular!

Simply amazing. Here, tens of thousands of pigeons doing what they do best: mindlessly flocking.

The Romans, who live with the miserable, cretinous pigeons day in day out just looked at us like we were idiots on drugs.

Not happy, Jan.







Rome is full of great little tavernas where you can eat for just a few euros and, as cities great for tourists go, it is right up there. We'll definitely be back!

Marine makes a wish and throws a coin into the Trivi Fountain

Rob, somewhere in Rome, on a crisp crystal clear European winter's day. 









Sometimes it's nice to play tourist: taking a ride in a callech.

Generic Pre-Departure Session

If you missed your pre-departure webinar for your program you can now view a generic pre-departure webinar online.

Click here to view AIM Overseas' generic pre-departure webinar

When will I get a final itinerary/schedule for my program?

A common question is "When can I expect to have the final schedule about my program?"

It's a good question and one that's understandable - it's nice to know that everything will be in place and ready for our arrival!

Universities overseas who put together intensive study programs have a lot of logistics that need to be arranged. There is accommodation to be booked, academics and lectures to be arranged, visits to be organised and facilitated, transport connections to work out and plenty of administration to crunch through. Programs can take 12 months of work to get ready to the point where the doors are ready to open to students.

With all the details and logistics that go into these programs, it's not unusual that you might not have your final schedule until just a few weeks before departure. Some things such as visits, lectures and even accommodation can only be confirmed by host institutions in the final weeks before a group arrives, so receiving this information just a few weeks before departure should not be a reason for concern.

Often you will receive several draft schedules from AIM Overseas in the weeks and months leading up to your departure showing the different layers of the program as they are finalised.

Sometimes, when a program has been running for many years or does not have a lot of dynamic content (i.e. visits, field trips, cultural activities away), you may have your schedule from day one. These types of programs are more often the exception than the rule.

AIM Overseas works with excellent, experienced universities abroad and we have full confidence in them as they arrange their programs. If you have any questions or concerns about your program, schedule or any of the details regarding your program, do not hesitate to contact us via the details on our website: www.aimoverseas.com.au

Sustainability of Tropical Heritage in Malaysia

In July 2009, Jorja from Griffith University in Australia went on the Universiti Kenbangsaan Malaysia program covering 'Sustainability of Tropical Heritage'.


Listen to an interview with Jorja here (2'01").



This overseas study program is offered exclusively to Australians through AIM Overseas

"[This program was a] unique experience. You will never get to see and experience such things outside of a program such as this...In terms of field work, it was very intense, but awesome. I learnt a lot more from such field trips then I would in the class room. In terms of free time, where possible, we were never restricted in with what we wanted to do....this enabled us to experience another side of the different culture."
          - Nathan West, University of Newcastle

The Oxford Interlude – by Kabu Okai-Davies

This past winter, I had the opportunity to participate in the 2009 Summer Creative Writing program at Oxford.  It was an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my writing life.

It all started two yeas ago like a wish, but this year the plan was made real, with help from University of Canberra as a student in Writing. With permission from my family; I set off to England to experience the mystic and awesome history of Oxford University.

The ride from London was like any good Highway ride. But when we arrived in Oxford – driven by my brother Jeff with whom I had stayed while in London – the gothic images of Oxford I had held imaged and English country living, blended together to form one mosaic of fascination mixed with a feeling of being out of place.

For starters the lay out of the town was configured to serve the interests of it’s many tourists groups from around the world.  It was as if I had entered a labyrinth and it took us over an hour driving around in circles, trying to find our way to Exeter College. Eventually we parked our car on the outskirts of town and walked to the College.

For three weeks, I lived in Oxford, studying new techniques of writing from some of the most experienced writers in the business. There were budding writers from all over the world, especially form America. But most of us were from Germany, South Africa, India, England, Costa Rica, China, and of course Australia.

I enrolled in the Life-Writing and Poetry program and everyday there were Plenary Sessions, where we received lectures from literary agents, writers, and industry specialists.

On weekends we will tour other parts of England to feed our imagination with ideas and be inspired by the English countryside. I choose to visit Kelmscott Manor, the country home of English engraver and craftsman, William Morris.  The second weekend I joined my mates to visit the birth place of Winston Churchill, Blenheim Palace and the village of Woodstock. The last weekend I decided to indulge my Tudor sensibilities and went on a tour bus to visit Hampton Court Palace for an entire day. I was enchanted by the experience. It all brought to life the magnificent and philanderers’ life of Henry VIII.

Oxford the city, with its museums, libraries, Colleges, walkways, gardens, myths, legendary alumina, and buildings of spires, each with its own story, set against the historic struggles between the town and the colleges inspired many stories and poems in me. The most significant of which is the story of Sir Thomas Bodley, benefactor/founder of the Bodleian Library, whose life I am dreaming of writing about as a fictional bio/historical novel, set in England and Ghana, to be called The Bodleian Conspiracy.

In the end, it is not how long you study and stay at Oxford, but how long Oxford stays with you as you continue to study the craft of creative writing.

Cambridge Summer School Testimonial

Lindsay Bainbridge went to the Cambridge Summer School earlier this year. Here's what she had to write about it:

What was the highlight of the program for you?
I most enjoyed the diverse range of friends I made and the insight I gained of all of there cultures and countries.

What comments would you make about the academic course?
I like how Cambridge is very focused towards creating a well-rounded person and therefore provided plenary lectures and evening lectures by prominant professors on many controversial issues.

What comments would you make about the extracurricular activities?
I took part in some extracurricular activities which had been organised prior to my departure. They were great - but there was no need to have them organised. You make so many friends and there is always endless things you can do during spare time.

What was your accommodation like?
Accomodation [at Newnham College] was very spacious.

A summer spent in Berlin - by Zac Denman

Zac Denman from the University of Southern Queensland went to the Berlin School of Economics and Law in July 2009 to do the Markets and Management program.

Have a listen here to Zac's account of his time on this short course in Berlin.





Information about this overseas study program is available through AIM Overseas - www.aimoverseas.com.au

Malaysian Hospitality Program

Malaysia, I think, is a country that is often off the radar with Australians. It's one of those countries kinda to the north, somewhere in the mass of islands and continent that is South East Asia.

But Malaysia is an awesome place.

The people are fantastically friendly, the food is amazing, English is spoken everywhere, the shopping is the bomb and it is....cheap!

Getting there is cheap (see AirAsiaX), cost of living is cheap, shopping is cheap, transport is cheap.

It is a perfect study destination.

AIM Overseas currently has a group of students in Malaysia. You can read about it as it unfolds on the Tourism and Hospitality program blog.

Next year AIM Overseas is working in conjunction with the National University of Malaysia on two great programs: the Sustainability of Tropical Heritage program and Indigenous Communities program.


Students might also be interested to consider an internship in Malaysia.

Either way, think about Malaysia as a study destination - it is a fantastic place to spend time!