Australia, and Melbourne specifically, is actually not too culturally different from the U.S. The pace of life is slower than that in Boston and is actually strikingly similar to that of the West Coast, or even Hawaii, where I grew up. People walk slower, are generally friendlier and chattier, and all of the differences are subtle. Because they drive on the other side of the road, people walk on the other side of sidewalk, which was initially a difficult adjustment. I hadn’t realised how ingrained in me this was. Initially the accent and some of the local slang was also difficult to adjust to. I always made an effort to blend in and not stick out as a tourist.
I can’t say that I really experienced culture shock. I did, however, certainly go through different phases while abroad. Obviously, leading up to my departure I was increasingly excited and nervous about the journey on which I was about to embark. After arriving, I was so excited and absolutely loved the city that was my new home. About a week into classes, however, I found that I was incredibly homesick. I can’t say that I would attribute this to homesickness, but rather that I was missing my friends and family and hadn’t really found my group yet. After speaking with one of my friends from home who had studied abroad last year, I realized that I needed to make an effort to stay busy and to make friends and that I needed to constantly remind myself not to take any second for granted. After a couple of weeks, I found a routine and I found that I had fully adjusted to my life in Melbourne. After spending 4 months here, I can reflect back upon my time in Australia very fondly.
