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First Week In Sydney!
By Moses Chun (The University of Sydney, Australia) Hello! It is the 7th of March and I am now in Sydney! The semester has just started and it has been around one year since I was accepted to go on this exchange programme. Having only been in Sydney for a few days and feeling excited while I am settling down, I think it may be good to look back and write about the preparation for my semester abroad. It all began in 2013, back in the first semester of my first year in Manchester. I was filling in the application form and it was a long one despite having only…
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Pre-departure Blog
By Grace Griffiths (Australian National University, Canberra, Australia) I want to go back in time and give past Grace a tap on the back for deciding to apply to study abroad. Recently, motivating myself to work has felt like wading through mud whilst carrying a panda bear. I don’t know why a panda bear – it was the first heavy thing that sprung to mind. I may be alone with the analogy but I know I’m not alone with the feeling – exam season can be a bit soul destroying for all of us. You can imagine then, how nice it is and how lucky I feel that as soon…
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Easter Adventure on The Great Ocean Road
By William Kelly (Australian National University, Canberra, Australia) The Easter holidays began and I was very fortunate to be invited on a road trip down along the Great Ocean Road. For those who do not know this, this 243 km of road along the south eastern coast of Australia between the cites of Melbourne and Adelaide. Our plan was to start from Melbourne and to drive down the coast till we got to Warrnambool. Then head back to Melbourne for some sight seeing and a night out. Unfortunately, the drive from Canberra to Melbourne is eight hours! I complain about driving from Manchester to London, but that is a laugh…
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My first semester at UQ
By Serena Graham (The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) I wrote this blog just before Christmas but totally forgot to post it – sorry it’s late! So it’s the end of my first semester here at UQ and it’s been amazing. Time has flown so fast I can’t believe I’m nearly half way through my year here. It’s summer now in Australia and temperatures have reached up to 40 degrees, which was quite unbearable. I’ve had such a busy few months, and have been lucky enough not to experience homesickness (thanks to Skype it’s so easy to get in touch with everyone back home!). So here’s an update of everything…
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Australia 2014
By Kate Bowmar (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) So, for one of my final blog posts I have made a video that summarizes what studying abroad in Australia and at the University of Queensland is like. Most of these pictures and videos were taken on field trips with the University and on five-week trip of the east coast. I hope that this is helpful for anybody wondering about whether to go to UQ/Australia or not, and to anybody who is doubtful, please go! You will have the best time of your life! Kate Bowmar
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East Coast Road Trip (2)
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Australia) So, following on from my last blog post, I am continuing to tell you about my five week trip from Brisbane to Melbourne… Surfers Paradise – Surfers Paradise is the main attraction of the Gold Coast region in Australia, just below Brisbane and once again easily accessible by public transport. It is known for its high skyscrapers, vast expanse of beaches and surfing! BYRON BAY! – Byron Bay is one of the most famous spots along the East Coast, recently for being the location of the new ‘Inbetweeners’ film, but other than that it is a small hippie town in New South…
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East Coast Road Trip (1)
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Australia) My last five weeks in Australia have been spent doing the classic East Coast road trip. On this trip I travelled the whole length of the Australian East Coast from Cairns to Melbourne, stopping at about 10 places in between. In this first blog, I am going to tell you all about the first leg of my trip, from Cairns to Brisbane.. Cairns – Two days after my final exam at UQ, myself and a friend flew to Cairns to begin our road trip. Cairns is the most northern city in the state of Queensland and about a two hour flight from Brisbane.…
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How’s things now in Manchester?
By Karl Vikat (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia) It is time for the concluding entry of this blog, as reading week has arrived and it is time to assess how a reverse culture shock might have manifested itself, as well as how re-integrating into Manchester has evolved. As winter is approaching, with every leaf that hits the ground I realise more and more that missing out on winter in Australia has had quite an impact on me. Probably, of all adjustments to Manchester, weather and the tempo changes have been the most pronounced. In Australia, most of the activities occurred outdoors; in fact, the distinction outside/inside did not really dominate…
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MID-SEMESTER BREAK!
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Australia) So with only a month left at the University of Queensland, Australia, I thought I would update you guys on what I have been up to in the past month. Firstly, I just wanted comment on how fast a semester abroad goes. For anybody wondering if they can manage 6 months away from home, YOU CAN! A semester abroad goes buy in a second and you will be wishing you were away for longer (trust me, I’m currently wishing I was in Oz for a year!). So my advice to anybody who just isn’t sure about whether to go abroad… please do!…
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Month No.1 at The University of Queensland!
By Kate Bowmar (The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia). So, officially a month ago today, I had my first class at The University of Queensland, Brisbane. The initial differences between Australian university culture and Manchester were quite striking, so in my second blog I’m going to describe the differences between the two, and also let you guys know about all the other amazing stuff I have been up to. Key differences between UQ and UoM UQ start some classes at 8am and studying Biology means I am in these classes! UQ has no ‘Fallowfield’ – most students live at home or in shared houses that are spread all over the city. For…
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Reflections on my year in Melbourne
By Anna Powell (University of Melbourne, Australia). I know that everybody says it, but I can’t believe how fast this year has gone. It’s been over a year now since I was saying goodbye to friends and family and boarding a flight to Australia, feeling somewhat unprepared and apprehensive about what to expect when I would land over 10,000 miles away from home. I remember my arrival as a whirlwind of activity. Melbourne Welcome Week was intense; I stayed at Trinity College with other exchange students from across the world and we were shown the city by local students. It was such a great few days, but after it had…
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Arriving Down Under!
By Serena Graham (University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia). After all the waiting and anticipation I’m finally in Australia! I probably should have written this sooner but I’ve been so busy since I’ve been here, so here’s a recap of everything that’s happened so far. My journey here consisted of 3 parts: Birmingham to Dubai, Dubai to Singapore, and Singapore to Brisbane. In total it took over 24 hours to get here and I am thankful that I won’t have to do this journey again for a whole year! It was very tiring and since I was travelling alone it seemed to last days. Luckily, the in-flight entertainment was pretty good…
A study abroad journal by students, for students.
