How Australia Changed My Life

The desire to travel is in my blood. I grew up hearing stories about the 2 years my parents lived in Germany. They were just 20 years old, newly married, and my dad got his army orders to Germany. I was always so mesmerized by the fact they had lived in a different country and visited countless others at such a young age. I always wondered, will I ever get that chance?

Thanks to encouragement from my parents and my older brother, I was given the chance to study abroad for a semester my junior year of college. As a science major, I had decided I needed to go to an English speaking country so I could take appropriate classes. I had my heart set on studying in England so I could follow the path of my parents and my brother’s adventures in Europe. While I am still hoping to do a grand european trip one day, I am thankful everyday that a best friend I studied abroad with talked me into going to Australia. What I didn’t know then, was he was helping me to truly forge my own path.

I was terrified at 19 of going to the other side of the planet, knowing I wouldn’t see my family for 5 months and would need to be on a plane for almost 24hours. However, my friend said something to me that changed my life forever, “When will we ever get the chance to go to the other side of the world and have our student loans pay for it?” Now obviously student loans need to be paid back, but we were both fortunate enough that our parents were able to get loans to pay for that semester. That one choice turned out to be one of the top things I have ever done in my life and changed my view of the world forever.

What Most People Know about Australia

I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I am guessing most people who read this know a few main things about Australia:

• It’s where Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter is from
• Kangaroos, Koalas, and Crocodiles
• The Sydney Opera House
• Surfing and Beaches
• Finding Nemo takes place there
• Giant spiders

To be honest, prior to going there, that was about all I really knew too. I used to watch the Crocodile Hunter and just thought it would be super cool to visit the Australia Zoo! I can promise you, Australia is SO much more than the list above.

A Shift in Perspective

I attended the University of the Sunshine Coast, a place that almost doesn’t sound real! I assure you it is, and it’s located approximately 90 minutes north of Brisbane on the east coast. The university itself is set on a nature preserve (we had kangaroos living on campus!) and is mostly surrounded by residential areas. It didn’t have the typical “college town” within walking distance from campus that we are used to in the US, but I’ll admit it’s a simply breathtaking area and I am so grateful to have lived there.

Living there offered a truly different perspective on life for me. For starters, I had assumed that day to day life would be pretty much the same as in the US. From the standpoint of school alone, I had a bit of culture shock. Dormitories were not very common when I was there in 2008 (they may still be uncommon) and at my university, we were put up in 4 bedroom apartments with 3 other roommates. I also discovered that having a meal plan at school wasn’t a thing, something no one explained to us before we left. Suddenly I was in a different country and needed to go grocery shopping every week. What made this even harder is the nearest grocery store was a few miles from our apartment complex so without a car, or a roommate who had one, shopping was extremely inconvenient. So, we had to adapt. We did have a bus station on campus, so we learned to take a 30min bus ride to the nearest town where there was a grocery store. We still had to carry our bags a ways from the bus stop to our apartments, but it was easier than the alternative most times.

For the first time in my life I was also surrounded by people from so many different countries and cultures. Being around so many different people was humbling and made me realize as an American, how ignorant I was about certain things without even realizing it. For instance, whenever I would tell someone I was from New York they would go on and on about how cool it must be to live in New York City. It never really occurred to me that not everyone in the world realized that New York was a state and a city. I realized many Americans have a tendency of assuming that the rest of the world learns all about our history and our geography, when really many people know as much about the United States as we know about their countries.

This realization changed me, and I resolved to learn as much as I could about 0other people’s countries and cultures when I met them. I found it fascinating to learn the history of Australia as a nation. Especially fascinating was diving into learning about the aboriginal culture, the native peoples of Australia. I loved the similarities between that culture and the Native Americans in North America. I learned that the history of European settlers and the aboriginal people is as tragic as it is in the US. However, I also learned that the culture is as beautiful and respectful of nature as the native people of my own country. I made sure to invest in really special pieces of art and other handmade goods while I was there that were certified made by aboriginal artisans. These still hang in my home and remind me everyday how important it is to take the time to learn about someone else.

So Much to See

I knew Australia was a continent, but prior to going there I had never thought about the fact that it is every bit as big as the United States, meaning that traveling around the country could be just as difficult. Lucky for me, Australia's train system was actually pretty good and domestic flights were typically very affordable. I structured my classes so I had every Friday off and I traveled with friends every weekend I could. I believe there was a solid month we all lived off of cereal and peanut butter and jelly so that we had the money to travel. I also received a few trips for free by planning multi-day excursions for 20+ American students! I was there for 5 months and still didn’t get to see everything I wanted

Australia also provided me with some of the best friends I have in my life. Two are fellow new yorkers that I met on the plane over, and 12 years later we are as close as ever. One is Australian and we created such a beautiful friendship that he surprised me and flew to the US for my wedding in 2016. Seeing him was the only thing that made me cry my entire wedding weekend. Without stepping outside of my comfort zone and flying to the other side of the world, I wouldn’t have these ridiculous and magical people in my life.

What’s Next?

Leaving Australia was bittersweet. I was so happy to be going home to see my family but I would have stayed a few extra months in a heartbeat if I could have afforded it. I promised myself that someway, somehow, I would get back there, no matter how long it took. When I met my now husband, I spoke about Australia so often and with such fondness that he resolved we’d get there together. In 2018, ten years after I first set foot in this amazing place, I landed there again with my husband! That’s a story for another time.

Australia made me realize I had been living in a bubble. Since then I have had the opportunity to travel to a handful of different countries with a bucket list to go. If you are able, I truly believe the best thing you can do for yourself and for your own growth, is to travel. Take advantage of study abroad, look for internships, or make it a point to visit people you know who may be in a different place for a while. Even traveling to a different part of the United States can be a culturally eye opening experience.

I have so many favorite places in Australia and my intent is to write in detail about them in the hopes to entice you to visit yourself :)

I’d love to know though, what are some favorite locations of yours?

I hope this little journey was interesting in some way or perhaps encouraged you to live or study abroad! A like, share, or tip is always appreciated as I am really looking to expand on writing about my travels to help others in any way I can who may have that same wanderlust spirit!