The Start Down Under
It’s official: at this time tomorrow I will be headed towards the other side of the world! I am beyond excited to experience a whole new environment including everything from its engineering, to its people. The only thing standing between me and the exquisite land of Tasmania is about 26 hours of travel…
There are a lot of different reasons I have always wanted to study abroad. While choosing Northeastern, I had always kept in mind that there were a great amount of opportunities to study abroad, and that was something that grabbed my attention from the beginning. When my sister had attended school here, she did a semester abroad in France, and it looks incredible. She told me that it was one of the best things she did in her 5 years at Northeastern. Additionally, I think that studying abroad could only add to the understanding and experience I have of my field, especially if I did a trip that concentrated on my major.
I think that this trip will change me tremendously. I believe that I can gain a greater understanding as to what engineering is by seeing how it applies to other countries. I also think that traveling will help me see a lot more of what the rest of the world is like compared to the US, and how they are doing certain things better. Lastly, I think that the classes I am taking will further enhance my knowledge of engineering as is, and help me decide what I would like to do in the future.
I have a few goals while studying abroad. I’d like to do well in my classes and truly learn what fluid mechanics is all about. I’d also like to get a grasp on the beauty that Australia holds. In order to achieve both these things, I believe that there needs to be a balance between traveling and coursework. Luckily, this dialogue of civilizations was set up in such a way that both those two things were intertwined. There will be times where we are traveling throughout the island of Tasmania whilst learning about different processing plants, which will further develop our fluid mechanics knowledge. There will also be time for traveling for leisure, which I think will definitely add to my Australian experience. I expect that I will study hard and use the resources that I have in Tasmania to my full advantage.
In terms of fears or apprehensions, I do not have many. As I previously mentioned, I’ve traveled a lot and it does not make me worry too much. If anything, I am incredibly excited and have high hopes for this trip. I think the food, people, and culture will be intriguing. Being honest, I’m most looking forward to all the hiking and beautiful nature I will be seeing. Tasmania is a location rich in natural scenery and I am thrilled to be traveling to this unique place.
