Australian Reunion🇦🇺🐨💙

By Honor Cessford, Australian National University

After nearly a whole year apart, we finally managed to arrange an Australian reunion at a time that suited us all! Strangely, five of my closest friends that I met in Canberra all went to The University of Dundee, so it made perfect sense for the rest of us to travel up to Scotland (seen as unfortunately, Australia is slightly too far for a weekend away)! My friend and I hopped on the long train journey from Manchester to Dundee as our friend Jonas boarded a flight from Germany!  It just so happened that this weekend coincided with St. Patrick’s Day, which made celebrations all the more fun!

After a gorgeous scenic train journey (mostly the ending through Scotland, I must admit), we were met by Freya at the train station. After a quick turnaround, we headed to the pub to watch the Six Nations – I was in the minority of fans for this one as everyone was obviously supporting Scotland! After the game, we reminisced on our time away, going over countless memories of both our time in Canberra and travelling Australia. It was so strange to be with people who shared the same experience with me after such a long time apart, AND I was able to talk about Australia without my housemates giving the classic “did you know I went to Australia?” chat! As the night went on, we had a boogie on the dance floor before heading off to bed, ready for St. Paddy’s Day celebrations on Sunday!

We started the morning off right with Buck’s Fizz and croissants before dousing ourselves in anything green! Freya surprised me with a handmade top, perfect for the occasion! After meeting with the rest of the group, we headed into town for a pub crawl – needless to say the Irish bar was the best!

The following morning, before packing our bags and saying our goodbyes, we headed out for a tour of Dundee. The city is situated on an estuary, making for a gorgeous view, however, I must say it’s very small compared to Manchester! We tucked into a Nando’s before saying our goodbyes and planning our next meet-up. Fingers crossed, we make it to Mallorca in July!

I am so grateful to have met so many amazing people during my time in Australia – and it’s strange to think I would never have met some of my closest friends had I not participated in a year abroad. After being there for each other through the ups and downs of living on the other side of the world, I can honestly say that I made friends for life. I know it’s cringe to say but my experience studying abroad both changed me as a person and altered my outlook on life – anything is possible.