I’ve been in Australia for about a month and a half now, and it’s finally sinking in that this is my home for the next few months. It’s been a big change for me, but I think I have finally become acclimated to the time change, become used to the fact that no one drives on the right side of the road, and also the fact that the food here is worlds better than in the states, owing probably to the fact that they do not pepper their food liberally in preservatives.
I’ve made new friends here on this excursion, of course. I’ve been roomed with some fantastic people who I have grown to love dearly, and I have joined a few very exciting clubs at the university that have broadened my horizons in terms of friends.
In light of this, I have a few more fun tips for anyone wanting to visit Australia on exchange!
- Look at labels and be in awe. You won’t find any weird artificial ingredients there, or if you do, there won’t be many!
- Enjoy the weird noises birds make, but stay clear of them. They will fly up to you and steal your food. I’ve seen it happen.
- When your friends ask you if you want to go to the barbie, always say yes. This is not about dolls.
- Classes are weird. Professors don’t care what you do, the whole grade is three assignments, and they say to call them by their first name.
- Australians think Americans are interesting. Not awesome. Interesting. They’ll ask you a bunch of questions and you might wonder, "What have I done to warrant this question? I’m not the one who wants to buy Greenland!" (Couldn't resist.)
- Visit the cities. Sydney is big, beautiful, and way cooler than just about any city out there. The Chinatown is amazing.
- Try kangaroo. No questions asked.
All kidding and quips aside, this has been a tremendous opportunity that I am so blessed and grateful to have. This has been an amazing trip, and I have grown so much as a person being here. I am learning new things every day, and developing as a person and a student as I study. I hope everyone who reads this is inspired and maybe someone will want to take their own excursion to Australia, as it is a lovely country with so much to offer!
