Somehow, finals are already over and my time at the University of Sydney has come to an end. After an amazing four and a half months studying at the University of Sydney, I am beginning to pack my bags, get in my final sightseeing trips in, and say goodbye to some of the amazing friends I have made throughout the semester. When leaving for Sydney in mid-July, I expected my time abroad here to fly by, but didn’t see it happening quite this quick.
After spring break in the last week of September, the semester has been insanely busy, from group projects wrapping up, final papers due, going away events, the ending of classes, study vacation week, and finals. The countdown to my return to Boston which initially felt like ages, has now dwindled down into the early teens. I cannot believe how fast it went.
With the semester coming to a close, I have begun to reflect on the past five months abroad. Throughout these five months, I have made tons of new friends, adapted to many different cultural changes, learned how to be less high maintenance (which is a necessity when staying in hostels), and how to budget and survive on little to no sleep, budget, and wifi.
Through my classes and living accommodation, I was able to meet a number of really amazing people. The seven other girls that I lived with and I became really close over the course of the semester, participating in group dinners, going out together, weekend trips, and group movie nights. With our flat spread across Europe, America, and Australia the next few months, it will be hard to be so far away, but I know a reunion with everyone is bound to happen sometime in the near future.
I’ll also miss many of the classmates I made throughout my time at the University of Sydney. My classes were mostly split 50/50 between being filled with mostly Australians and mostly international students. Two of my classes, my core business classes Accounting Information Systems and Marketing Communications, were mostly Aussie students, as most exchange students tend to opt for the more elective and general based classes. In these classes, both of my group projects were composed of Australian classmates. I’ll definitely miss seeing them every day in class, but will hopefully be able to see some of them again sometime in the future on their travels to America or when I get the chance to return to Australia. My other classes, Consumer Behavior and Australian Theater, Film, and Learning, were largely international based, and mostly composed of exchange students. In these classes, my classmates were mostly European and American, ranging from Wales, Scotland, Norway, and German to some other Boston natives, west coasters, and fellow New Englanders. I’ll be yearning for a Europe trip soon to visit these classmates, and now new friends. Luckily, I am glad I will be able to see some of these friends in America, visiting them at their own schools around the country, and even having the pleasure of new friends back at Northeastern!
Adapting to the massive 14 hour time difference, which soon changed to 15 hours with Australian Day Light Savings time, then 16 hours when America lost Daylight Savings Time, was definitely difficult at first but helped me to prioritize my time and strengthen the relationships I had with my friends and family back home. Although we weren’t able to talk as frequently as we had when I was back home, I feel I was able to remain in contact with everyone through messaging, calls, and social media, which will make coming home that much more exciting to finally see everyone again in person.
As I mentioned before, as a matter of necessity I have learned to simplify my life through traveling frequently on the weekends. Once the girl known to bring four pairs of shoes for a two-day trip, I have since learned to more effectively pack my bag and make the most of the limited space allotted for weekend trips. Although still a slight over packer, I feel I have been a lot better in these past few weeks and have been able to travel a lot lighter than ever before. Additionally, I have become more easy going and able to fall asleep whenever needed, whether that be in a stuffy hostel room, a tent on the beach, a cabin with no heat, or a bungalow with no AC. Through these unique experiences, I have come to appreciate my bed at home, but also really value traveling and experiencing new places.
Living on a budget abroad has taught me how to effectively budget my money for necessities like apartment expenses, food, and laundry, but also for the fun, once-in-a-lifetime things like sky diving, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, renting a car for the Great Ocean Road, and booking flights to fly all around, in, and across all of Australia. Its been an expensive semester, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
At the end of these semester, I am happily coming back with loads of new friends from all around the world, and back at Northeastern, countless postcards, numerous souvenir t-shirts, multiple mementos and gifts, and the time of a lifetime. If anyone reading this is considering studying abroad in Australia, I cannot recommend it enough. There are few other times in your life that you will be able to live in a foreign country and be able to experience it to the same extent as you can when studying abroad. While studying in a new city, you are able to explore the area after your classes, find new places on the weekends to check out, meet locals and foreigners daily in your classes, and adapt to a new lifestyle in a new country for a set period of time with the comfort of going back home in a few months always in the back of your mind. I highly recommend studying abroad during your time at Northeastern to broaden your appreciation and understanding of the world and different cultures, as cheesy as it sounds. You can learn so much about yourself by submersing yourself in a completely new environment on your own. If you’re on the fence about applying, I can’t say it enough, just do it, love it, and treasure your time; it’ll fly by faster than you know it.
