Halfway point

It’s crazy to think my study abroad experience is halfway done. I have been here for almost 3 months now and it has been one of the best experiences of my life. I have had the opportunity to travel to different parts of the country and truly engulf myself in the culture within Australia.

I am taking classes that involve excursions through different towns with historical backgrounds, which has given me the opportunity to meet a lot of natives and hear their stories. For instance, I got to explore Redfern, a suburb in Sydney, with an Aboriginal tour guide and learn the history of the town. This town is a sacred place for a lot of Aboriginal families because it was the first place people acknowledged their indigenous roots and gave them land rights within the area. As a result, there are a lot of beautiful murals in the town representing Aboriginal peoples history.

I think its important when studying abroad to step outside of the university area and truly see the other great things the country has to offer. I had the opportunity to travel outside of Sydney; I went to Bali, the Gold Coast, and Melbourne thus far. Melbourne is a very artsy city in Australia and it is also leads to one of the most scenic routes in Australia, the Great Ocean Road. I took a tour of the city and went down ACDC lane, which is a popular graffiti alley where a lot of old rock bars are, specifically where ACDC performed.

The weekend I went to Melbourne it ended up being the championship game for footy. This is a very popular sport here that I knew nothing about. It is a combination of rugby and American football, except the rules are a lot harder to understand. But I joined all the natives and watched it outside on a big screen in the center of town.

I did not realize how much I’ve grown to feel at home in Sydney until I started traveling. I would look forward to coming home to Sydney by the end of these trips. I still have a lot more to accomplish in Australia and I am looking forward to being able to celebrate the holidays here and see how Aussies celebrate. When studying abroad, you have to try not to rush things because the months will pass by much quicker than expected.