Australian National University
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Arriving in Canberra
By Abbey Harber, Australian National University, Australia After months of stressing over my visa, travel insurance, and accommodation, I finally arrived in Canberra in July.
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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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Surviving Your First Long-Haul Flight
By Alex Moore, Australian National University, Australia The thought of having a 24 hour+ journey was definitely a daunting one and they are a very different experience in comparison to the short European flights that I had taken before. That being said there were a few things that I did that made the experience slightly easier and less stressful.
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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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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…
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Highlights of the East Coast of Australia
By Honor Cessford, The Australian National University In the three-month summer break from university, my friends and I travelled down the east coast of Australia. In this blog, I will highlight my favourite memories from my favourite destinations!
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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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Aussie Adventures: Prepping You for Down Under!
By Honor Cessford, Australian National University Things I wish I knew before moving to Australia If you are considering studying down under, here are several things I wish I had known before I moved to Australia: Australia is Vast and Diverse: Covering over three million square miles, Australia’s size rivals that of the entire European continent. This significant size has implications for travel and transportation so is necessary to keep it in mind when planning trips & transportation. Australia’s Varied Climate: Contrary to the assumption that Australia is always warm, there are distinct seasons. Winters can be quite cold, especially in places like Canberra where temperatures can drop significantly –…
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Exploring Canberra: A Guide to Enjoyable Activities
By Honor Cessford, Australian National University, Australia Despite its reputation as a dull inland city, Canberra, the capital of Australia, offers an array of fun activities. Disregard the misconceptions and let me share some of my personal favourite things to do in Canberra!
