Task 2

Upon entering into the UGPN experience, I had expectations regarding what I was walking into. To note, I had vastly different expectations walking into this opportunity compared to how I was walking out. Most of these initial conceptions were negative on what to expect within this initiative mainly focussing on the difficulties and struggles I was anticipating. This was due to never previously being part of an experience similar to this. However, I learned and developed a lot within this experience and can confidently say it was one of the most invaluable adventures I’ve ever been on.

 

Upon first entering into this experience, I held the expectation that it would be difficult to form purposeful connections with the other international students taking part. This was largely due to the fact that this opportunity was conducted online, and our only mode of communication was virtual. I believed that because of this, we would lack the foundation that would lead to strong, effective teamwork. However, after meeting the other students, it became evident to me that this is not the case, and our group was still able to form connections with each other and produce a well-crafted end product. We were able to find similarities between us all and the four universities in which we attend, which was surprising as they each exist in very different parts of the world. Almost all of our group meetings were filled with laughter and interesting conversation that strayed from the work as we were discovering more about each other and life in our respective countries; and we concluded the experience by sharing our social media handles in order to keep in contact with one another. As a result, my initial expectation of this experience was proved otherwise to my delight and led me to form new and cherished international connections; as well as allowed me to get to know the other Wollongong students better.

 

A second expectation I held going into this that led me to have doubts about the experience, was the difficulty we would have navigating the time zones.  To my surprise, this was a factor that could be managed quite easily. There was always negotiation on which times suited everyone best and it was a little difficult remembering that we in Australia are a day ahead and so a meeting on Friday morning would be Saturday morning for us. However, we quickly adapted and learned that organising time to meet by date is the best way to ensure we were all there. However, when those of us couldn’t attend, information was relayed immediately after in our team chat and no one was left feeling in the dark. We balanced the workload out as best we could to ensure everything we needed to accomplish would be achieved. This meant that while us Australian students were asleep, the American and Brazilian students would be doing some of the work and vice versa. The time zone website resource given to us by the teachers to help navigate was also extremely helpful in our organisational abilities and thus, we were able to successfully accommodate for each other and achieve a high level of work.

 

The last expectation I held heading into this opportunity, was that this experience would not be as valuable or impactful to me as initially made out to be by the running faculty. This idea of mine was not a concern to me but an interesting factor to test while participating. However, it became evident that I failed to realise in the beginning how my skills would evolve and develop to become invaluable for my personal development. This experience taught me to cope and adapt to external obstacles out of my control and to manoeuvre through these effectively and efficiently; for example, negotiating time zones and learning to make it work. Despite this, my biggest learning progress came from the development of my international communication skills. I had to become comfortable communicating with language barriers and a lot of the time working together when this occurred to try to figure out at best what was attempting to be said. In addition, I also learnt how to quickly form bonds and make adjustments with individuals I had never met before, and who are significantly different from me in what we prioritise and value, due to the nature of our vastly different upbringings between nations. This experience was extremely beneficial to my skillset in improving my approach and communication in situations and fostered the necessary skills I need in the future workforce.  

 

The expectations I held entering the UPGN academy could not have been further from what I experienced when participating. This opportunity proved my initial perceptions incorrect and I’m extremely grateful that it did. The personal developments I have made since being a part of the UPGN are nothing short of spectacular and entirely beneficial towards my future endeavours, whilst also encouraging me to consider participating in more opportunities similar to this, to which previously I wouldn’t have contemplated. My experience within the UPGN academy was extremely positive and definitely an experience I won’t ever forget or disregard.