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How to fight the home scaries
by Nicole Dann, Australian National University, Australia On the 11th July, 363 days after my flight to Sydney, I flew home to sunny Birmingham. Everyone talks about how amazing a year abroad is and all the opportunities there are and great memories to be made etc etc, but no one tells you how hard it is to then drop all that and leave. I’m here to share the realities of saying goodbye and how to better prepare yourself before coming home.
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Three month gap yar
By Nicole Dann, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia Arguably one of the best elements of a year abroad is the back-to-back summers and it is essential that you make the most of it. After finishing my first semester in land-locked Canberra, I was desperate to take advantage of the 3-month summer break. In November, I was lucky enough to have my parents visit me and after that, I did a 3-week east coast trip – a rite of passage for Brits in Australia. It was then the question of where the hell was I going to spend my first Christmas without my family?
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Campervanning New Zealand
By Nicole Dann, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia If there’s one thing to put on your bucket list while on your year abroad in Australia, it is to campervan around New Zealand, specifically South Island. If you’ve seen Lord of the Rings, you’ll know that this tiny island is home to the most breath-taking and beautiful landscapes. My expectations were high yet, I was still in absolute awe. I thought I’d missed my chance to go before my time was up down under, however I was given a last-minute opportunity to fill in a spot with some course mates from Manchester and it turned out to be one of the…
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What college to choose?
By Nicole Dann, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia The time has finally come where you found out what university you are being shipped off to and things are suddenly starting to feel very real. If you – like I was – are feeling pretty overwhelmed and confused on how you feel, you’re not alone. I was one minute ecstatic that I was moving to Australia and the next minute sobbing because what even is Canberra? Well, I’m here to tell you that ANU is no doubt the best university experience you can get in Australia. It may not have the white sand beaches or crystal blue ocean waters, but it…
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Ranking my trips in Australia
By Nicole Dann, Australia National University, Australia I’ve officially met the halfway mark of my year abroad and have been feeling very reflective of my time so far. While I’ve loved my college lifestyle in Canberra, I’ve got to say some of my favourite moments have to be the times I’ve left the ACT. So with that said, I am going to go through and reflect on my various expeditions through the year, providing hope to future students that you are not only limited to your chosen university.
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Couch to ultramarathon
by Nicole Dann, Australian National University, Australia It has been 2 months since I completed Inward Bound and I think it is finally time that I relive it. You’re probably wondering what the hell I am going on about, let me attempt to enlighten you. Inward Bound – otherwise abbreviated to IB – is an activity unique to ANU which is all about running, navigation and torture. Each college has the opportunity to submit 7 teams into 7 different divisions with the top team running up to 105km… this is the torture part. Even the lowest division ends up running 45km which is still more than a marathon. They weren’t kidding when…
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Breaking misconceptions
by Nicole Dann, Australian National University, Australia I am officially 2 months into my exchange year at ANU in Canberra and safe to say I have been met by a few surprises. The main shock is probably how much of a Canberra fan I am and how thankful I am I was allocated ANU (even if it was my 7th choice). If you, like I was, are unsure of ANU as a location for a year abroad, I am here to tell you that you are in for a surprise. I’m also here to tell you that Tiktok is not a legit source of information that should be trusted and the…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
