Australian National University
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Saturday in Sydney
By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia I only visited Sydney a few times during my year abroad. One of my favourite days started like this: coffee from a local spot near Newtown, sitting outside watching the city slowly wake up then falling asleep on the grass. We wandered through Glebe Markets that morning. It’s one of those places where you can find vintage Levi’s next to handmade jewellery and a pile of books someone’s trying to rehome. I didn’t need anything, but I still somehow left with a tote bag, a mango smoothie, Cinnabon, and a couple mozzy bites. In the afternoon, we caught the ferry from the Quay.…
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Canberra: The City of Roundabouts
By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia When I told people I was going to Canberra, the reactions were mixed. ‘’Why not Sydney?’’ I wasn’t even sure what to expect. But after living there for just over a year, I can confidently say: Canberra is unexpectedly charming.
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Making My Room Feel Like Home (Even with Shared Showers)
By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia One of the first things I learned on exchange: you can’t control everything – but you can control how your room feels. And for me, turning my dorm into a little slice of home made all the difference. I stayed at Fenner Hall, one of ANU’s student accommodations. It’s right in the centre of campus, super convenient, and very social. My room came with a bed, fan, desk, shelves, and pinboards I printed out photos from home, took a couple of books from the op shop I knew I wouldn’t read (but looked good), and added fairy lights, of course. Within a week,…
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Bangkok and Shibuya
By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia I booked the trip on a whim: Japan and Thailand, all in one mid-semester break. No spreadsheets, no daily plan. Just a vague outline, an empty suitcase (for thrifting of course), and an old friend who was equally up for the chaos. My friend Hannah had visited Japan a lot recently and at this point, she didn’t know she was going to stay. We started in Tokyo, staying in Shibuya. It was every bit as overwhelming and exciting as I’d imagined. Bright lights, huge crowds, busy and did I mention it was bright? I’d seen the famous crossing in films, but standing in…
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A Soft Start in LA
By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia Before heading to Australia for my year abroad, I decided to break up the journey with a few days in Los Angeles. I figured it would help with the jet lag (kind of), but mostly I just wanted to ease into the adventure slowly somewhere familiar but still exciting.
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A NYC Winter
By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia After 3 months of deep heat, I found myself back in the northern hemisphere. I made friends for life with some girls on exchange and we still make it a habit to travel together and visit each others’ homes. New Years 2024, we went to New York for an East Coast tour.
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Law, Labs and a Little Bit of Chaos
By Ayero Moro, Australian National University, Australia When I arrived at ANU, I told myself I’d focus on law but the scientist in me had other ideas. Instead of choosing one academic path, I picked a mix of law, science (we’ll forget about physics…please), and language modules and ended up living in what can only be described as organised chaos.
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Preparing for College Life at ANU
By Alex Moore, ANU, Canberra Australia Accommodation is a massive part of organising your year or semester abroad. At ANU, this looks very different to the accommodation you would have experienced in first year. Each accommodation functions as a college, complete with a committee and its own social events and balls. There are both catered and non-catered, but I’m writing this from the perspective that I have spent my year in a non-catered hall. The main culture shock is the fact that instead of having a flat of say 10 people that you know and share your kitchen and showers with, you are now in a college where you are…
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How the Uni Work at ANU Compares to UOM
By Alex Moore, ANU, Canberra Australia When I was preparing for my year abroad I have to admit that the academic side of the move did slip to the back of my mind. But I also think it is important to understand what you will be doing at your host university as there are some differences that I have noticed in my first semester here at ANU.
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The Wildlife They Don’t Warn You About
By Alex Moore, ANU, Canberra Australia Before I moved to Canberra everyone I told would mention the spiders and snakes in Australia. I thought I was going to see a huntsman round every corner, but in my nearly 7 months of living here I have seen only one (and that was on K’gari island). What I wasn’t warned about was the birds and their swooping season. This is something that happens from July to November where birds, mainly magpies, are nesting and raising their chicks so they become extremely territorial. I have been on a run around Lake Burley Griffin and had a bird swoop at me and claw at…
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What to expect from Canberra..
By Nina Vincent, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia If you’re lucky enough to have been offered a year abroad at the Australian National University (ANU), you’re probably wondering what to expect from Canberra. When I first got into ANU, I had no idea what Canberra would be like either. Even though Canberra is Australia’s capital, it doesn’t feel like a typical big city. It’s unique, with a design that feels straight out of a Lego set. Canberra was built from scratch in 1907, with everything meticulously planned. Instead of choosing between Sydney and Melbourne as the capital, Australia went for a fresh start and built Canberra right in between the…
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Affording Australia- Turing scheme and how to get a job….
By Nina Vincent, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia Getting offered Australia for an exchange program is such an amazing and exciting opportunity. While the country offers stunning nature, rich diversity, and plenty of incredible cities to explore, it’s definitely not the most budget-friendly destination. I was super worried about the costs before I came, but there are a lot of options to help make it affordable.
