Why did you decide to study abroad with GlobaLinks in Australia?
Amy: The “Bridging Cultures” program is what really inspired me to study abroad through GlobaLinks. This is a weeklong orientation period in Cairns, Australia in which we were able to do many of the stereotypical, touristy activities one thinks about when they think of Australia. We learned how to play rugby and cricket, held a koala, fed kangaroos, learned to throw a boomerang, try many Australian famous foods, and went scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef. This was a great way to acclimate everyone to a new culture.
What made this a unique and special experience?
Amy: In addition to the Bridging Cultures program, a large group of us students who went to JCU through GlobaLinks became amazing friends. We all met throughout the orientation week. It has been a year since we have been back from Australia and our groups of friends have already traveled to both the West and East Coast to reunite. In no other study abroad program did I notice such camaraderie. I would recommend GlobaLinks to everyone!
Describe an example when GlobaLinks went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure you had a great experience abroad.
Amy: GlobaLinks did an amazing job keeping me updated throughout the entire pre-departure process. Before I left for Australia, I was able to contact my adviser often. She was very helpful when I asked questions about flights, rooming, student visas, and essentially made the entire process fool-proof which is exactly what I needed! It’s a lot of information and decision-making to process while still focusing on school, so it was really great having all their help!
How has this experience professionally impacted your future?
Amy: As a future occupational therapist, it is very important for me to be able to connect with my clients to build a rapport. Understanding one’s culture is a very important part to this that many overlook. Going abroad gave me a better understanding of not only Australian culture, but I was able to meet many other international students who have taught me about so many different customs and traditions. I would love to work internationally one day, and I would undoubtedly return to Australia for this.
Highlights: Three out of four of the classes I took abroad required me to attend a field trip of some sort every day. I loved getting out of the typical classroom environment and exploring even more of Australia from some of the local professors. In my Diversity of Animal Life class, we visited Rowe’s Bay in Townsville, where we searched for all sorts of marine organisms through tide pools during low tide. In my Biodiversity of Tropical Australia, we visited the rainforest at Paluma National Park to create a dichotomous key of the many different plant species. We also had a “bird scavenger hunt” in which we had about 3 hours to find and identify as many bird species as we could around Townsville. In photography, we were often outside experimenting with the camera. We could also sign the camera out to take pictures with a digital SLR camera wherever you traveled, which was awesome for practicing. The field trips and using the phenomenal environment to implement all the classes really added to the unique experience.
It is nearly impossible to take the best five months of my life and pick the one, best part. One of my favorite aspects of the trip living in Townsville was the incredible convenience of being only a ferry ride away from Magnetic Island. I absolutely loved hiking the “Forts” trails and finding wild koalas in the trees, feeding the wallabies at the ferry terminal, snorkeling on the reef in the many different bays throughout the island, and sleeping under the stars on the beaches. I loved the climate, the environment, and the people of Australia. Their culture of “no worries” was the icing on the cake.
Morning: Nearly every morning I would wake up around 8 am to the sound of a laughing kookaburra and other tropical birds, plus the sunlight coming through my balcony windows. I would then go for a run around the university loop (if it wasn’t too hot outside) and meet some friends for “brekkie” at the university dining hall. For breakfast, they had many different options - from hard boiled eggs, pancakes, and cereal to more unique breakfast items like canned spaghetti and fish sticks. My personal favorite breakfast, however were crumpets! After breakfast, I would shower and chat with the cleaning lady, Maria, for a bit before heading to my first lecture!
Afternoon: Most afternoons, I normally had class until noon or 2pm. I would meet up with my friends in the dining hall for lunch. On days when my classes finished early, a couple of my friends and I occasionally walked to the Ross River to soak up some vitamin D and cool down by jumping off of the dock or off one of many rope swings into the river. Regardless if I went to the river, went to class, or even just hung out with friends, we always made sure we made it back to the dining hall once again for dinner.
Evening: In the dining hall we would all normally pack about 10 people around a small, round table and continue talking and having a great time until the workers asked for our dishes around 6:30-7pm. Since socialization and sport is a huge part of the Aussie culture, I would normally go to a Fisher Shield sports game in which one residence hall in JCU would compete against another (similar to how the houses in Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series compete against each other.) These sports (basketball, soccer, rugby, etc.) require try-outs if one wants to participate. The fan section is usually quite large and a lot of us would continue to the “Uni Club” to further celebrate and socialize with one another. On nights with no games, my friends and I would usually watch movies.