My Sydney - My Macquarie: Study abroad experience by Kavya Santhosh Kavanakudy My first real introduction to Australia (besides Finding Nemo of course) was my Zoology class sophomore year of high school. It felt like every unit, we were learning about some obscure animal that was indigenous to Australia. The phrase, “Is that from Australia?” popped up a lot whenever we learned about an animal that was...unique to say the least. The answer was almost always, yes. But the animals aren’t the only reason why I chose to study abroad here. I started to look into the culture, environment, and people of Australia and was intrigued; I just had to see this continent in person. Now 4 years and a lot of paper work later, I’ve achieved my dream. I came with a bucket list of things I wanted to accomplish. Some of the major ones are seeing the Great Barrier Reef, going skydiving, holding a koala, visiting the Sydney Opera House, and camelback riding. Living in a new city by myself definitely was an adjustment, but there’s always an adjustment period through every major change in life. I didn’t want to believe that I would miss any part of home while here; I wanted to be in the honeymoon period as long as I could. But just like how I didn’t stay in the honeymoon period for long, I didn’t stay in the adjustment period for long either. Queensland is the only place in Australia where it’s legal to hold a koala. Most of my days during the week are usually filled with classes, school work and other day to day activities. But there’s always something going on somewhere. But some of the best experiences I’ve had while here are the moments I’ve spent with friends, even if we weren’t doing anything “significant” or adventurous. Walks along the coast, movie nights with lots of junk food, brekky after circus training, all of these little moments, although they may seem insignificant at the time, are some of the best experiences I’ve had. Not everything has to be a grand adventure or getting work done. Studying abroad is a unique experience and I’m glad I did it. It’s a great way to meet new people, have new experiences and learn to be independent. Sydney is an amazing city with amazing people, and it’s been a privilege to live here these past couple of months.
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