A Day in the Life…

May 16, 2017

I’d like to say that my days are relatively diverse here while I study abroad, but alas the University life seems to have caught up to me. These days I’ll wake up about a half hour before my first class, rush to shower, get dressed, and make it to the cafeteria before class starts. No longer do I have enough time to order one of the fancy poached egg breakfasts that the dining hall offers, instead I get a yogurt parfait and a coffee (if I have time to wait in the line) and call it a breakfast. I will then head to my classes, heading to the library or the Media Lab Center in between classes to catch up on some reading, essay writing, or studying that I must do. In the evening, I’ll try to make it to a workout class, catch dinner with friends, study some more and then call it a day. At least, this is what a typical week day looks like.

The weekends are a slightly different story. If I don’t have any pressing assignments or looming due dates, I’ll usually try to plan an adventure with friends. Just this weekend myself and some fellow huskies took a trip to Brisbane to meet up with another fellow study abroad student at Queensland University. There, we went on a free tour with a volunteer group called the Brisbane Greeters, and were able to learn about Brisbane’s history, its City Hall (the only ‘city’ hall in all of Australia, as the rest are all called ‘town’ halls), and see all the hidden art that Brisbane has to offer. We were also able to walk through Brisbane’s bustling South Bank, stumble upon hidden Peace Pagodas, and take pictures with the famous Brisbane letters. Our day concluded with a night walk through Brisbane’s Botanical Gardens, where bats swooped so close to our heads that we were afraid they’d attack, and their cackles had us realizing why people had ever thought vampires might be real. Each weekend that I get to experience a new city or town or beach that Australia has to offer I fall more in love with this country, its fascinating history, and the people within it. As the last week of classes draws closer, I can’t help but to feel sad that my time here in Australia is quickly coming to an end.

Claire Celestin

I am a premedical student interested in pursuing medical school after I obtain my undergraduate degree, and in my past few years at Northeastern University, it seems that I have gotten stuck in a routine of sorts. My days consisted of classes, volunteering, and studying in Snell library until I could not hold my eyes open anymore. Although all of this studying did allow me to maintain a high GPA, I have begun to feel trapped. Growing up, I had always dreamt of traveling, exploring, and immersing myself in different cultures and ways of living. I wanted to join the Peace Corps, build houses with Habitat for Humanity, and volunteer as a medical provider in impoverished countries. These are all things that I still want to do. My post graduate plans all point towards medical school and becoming a health care provider where I intend to serve not only those in the United States, but most importantly those areas where good doctors and health care are hard to come by. I believe that this study abroad opportunity will be a stepping stone into my future of world travel. I intend to take advantage of every opportunity that is presented to me while I am abroad. I will say yes to sky diving, snorkeling, and hiking into beautiful sunsets. In between all of that I will also try not to scream when facing Australia’s notorious gigantic spiders. I hope to travel around Australia every chance that I get, take surfing lessons, wake up in time for the sunrises on the Gold Coast, and still ace all of my exams. I intend to say yes to all of these experiences and more and upon my return I then want to share my experience with other students like myself. I want to show other students like me, who are afraid to push the rigid boundaries of pre medical studies that it is okay to take a break from the pressures that they have set upon themselves.