Counting down the days until I meet again with the lovely Pacific Island of New Zealand! My friends from my program and I had so much fun hiking, surfing, climbing, and going out during our time spent overseas. One of my favorite stories was getting invited to a semi formal with a cute kiwi boy and dancing the night away in the city! The lessons I learned from this trip made me the best version of myself I can be!
I feel like the most memorable part of this entire experience was the people that I met and the cultures that I learned about. I lived in college on campus and each night at dinner a group of people would collect at at table. There were people from Hungary, India, Mexico, Chia, US, and of course Australia. There was not a day that went by that someone was telling a story and someone else had never heard of whatever they were referencing. It was fascinating to hear about the different cultures. Along with learning about other cultures I learned a lot about my own. I am from Massachusetts, I have lived here for my entire life. In Massachusetts we have a different way of pronouncing things and we use some strange vocabulary. Up until my adventure abroad wherever I went there were other people from Mass. I remember one day in Australia walking to class with a few friends and we were talking about something, I don't remember exactly what, and I said; "oh that would be wicked cool!" The reaction I got you would have guessed I was speaking a made up language. I had no idea why they were giving me strange looks. They asked me to repeat what I said. Where I live we use the word wicked in the same way that you would use the word really, but I never noticed it before! I thought that was interesting. Even though the primary language was still english I learned a lot of phrases and words that other cultures used regularly. Then as we all became such good friends we started using each other's phrases such as hella, thrice, and how ya goin'? I definitely left with a new fascination for all other areas of the world and my own, which was wicked cool!
I absolutely loved going through TEAN for my abroad experience. Not only were they very responsive and super helpful before I left for Australia (I called them more times than the average person because I was so excited/nervous/anxious), but they also were very hands-on once I got to Australia.
I loved participating in the pre-orientation program at Uluru. It gave me the chance to meet some of my best friends abroad and explore the Australian “outback” before I settled into Sydney. The program was just long enough that I was exposed to everything that Uluru/Ayer’s Rock had to offer, but not too long that it got boring.
What I really appreciated was the continued communication with TEAN throughout my time abroad. Since I was studying slightly further away from most of the other Sydney Universities, Caroline took everyone at ICMS out to lunch twice to discuss how the program was and if there was anything she could help with. This continued touchpoint really proved how much TEAN cares about the students they send abroad.
Hands down one of the best experiences of my life and I owe TEAN a lot of that.
What would you improve about this program?
Nothing. Studying at ICMS is the best experience anyone could ask for!
It'd always been my dream to go to Australia, and TEAN was able to make that dream a reality. Not only did they make traveling to Australia as stress free as possible, but they made my time abroad better than I ever could have imagined! I was more than prepared when I stepped off the plane, and never once looked back. If I could do the entire thing over I would, but I wouldn't change anything - I'd do it just to live those six months all over. Of course Australia was beyond beautiful, but attending James Cook University itself was its own adventure. Three of my classes went on field trips, two to the Great Barrier Reef and one to the Outback, and they were out of this world. I never could have expected that I would be measuring corals and catching lizards for credit! And on top of it all, I made amazing friends that I still keep in touch with, even though we're thousands of miles from each other. Absolutely one of the best experiences of my life.
While it's been several years since my study abroad experience, it was something that left a lifelong impact on me. The ISA staff, both in the U.S. and in Granada were always helpful when I had a question or needed assistance. While we were given the option to find our own place to live or stay with a host family, I'm glad I chose to stay with the host family. It was a great immersive experience and while challenging at times, I loved it! The classes were also challenging and you were placed depending on where you tested for an initial test. ISA also had great opportunities, even for the five week program to see other cities. Upon arrival we saw Madrid and Toledo before heading to Granada. We also went to Sevilla one weekend. You can also plan excursions on your own of course and I was able to visit the beach one weekend as well as Cordoba. I'm also glad I opted to sign up to meet with a local student who was taking English classes so I could practice my Spanish and she practiced her English, I always enjoyed those meetings and the city of Granada as a whole!
What would you improve about this program?
The only thing that was disappointing was that there were a couple of occasions when the ISA staff surprised the students with an outing like a flamenco show toward the end of the program but a group of friends and myself had already gone because we didn't know they were planning it. Sometimes those things can't be prevented though!
Studying abroad in Melbourne, Australia with TEAN was the best decision I made in college. The TEAN program is amazing and they truly did immerse you in the culture. Having a resident director in the city allows you to get local advice and find the best things to do and places to go. TEAN was always there to answer my questions and calm my nerves. I loved my resident director in Melbourne, and one of my favorite memories was going to a local concert of a rising Australian artist with the resident director and other TEAN students.
Melbourne, is a great place to live, and I truly believe it is world's most livable city. Overall, Australia was amazing and in my semester I was bale to travel all over Australia as well as New Zealand and even go on a Thailand excursion with TEAN.
I can't imagine how my study abroad experience could have been any better.
I absolutely loved my 5 month long study abroad experience through TEAN. I lived in the heart of Sydney and studied at UTS. Every day was a new adventure, whether it was walking to Darling Harbour, taking the train to Circular Quay to a) stare at the Opera House or b) take a ferry to Manly Beach or Watsons Bay or c) walk around The Rocks, hike in the Blue Mountains and Royal National Park, doing the Bondi-Coogee coastal walk, or traveling to other cities in Australia, and other countries such as New Zealand and Thailand. TEAN staff members were ALWAYS accessible and readily available if we ever needed anything from my first day in Sydney to the last. Overall, my Sydney study abroad experience was unbelievable and indescribable, and I wish I could do it all over again!!
Whether you're traveling to Australia to explore the Great Barrier Reef, learn how to surf, hug a koala, or any of the other amazing experiences that Australia has to offer, the Gold Coast is one of the most gorgeous places to live. A quick flight away from Cairns, Melbourne, and Sydney, you will have no problem traveling to some of your most dreamed of destinations. The Gold Coast is home to Surfer's Paradise, a modern shopping area and beach town by day, and a clubbing scene at night. A quick bus ride from Bond University will bring you here, unless you live off campus in Broadbeach, which will put you at walking distance to Surfer's Paradise. You can also take a short bus ride from both Bond and Broadbeach to Burleigh, which has a breathtaking beach along with a hiking area that offers some of the most beautiful views I have ever seen (Burleigh Heads Lookout). Another amazing and gorgeous place to check out is Coolangatta, which is about a 45 minute bus ride from Broadbeach, but totally worth it. Whatever you are looking for on your adventure to Australia, you will be sure to find it in the Gold Coast!
While studying at UNSW, I had the experience of a lifetime. I had the opportunity to immerse myself into the Australian culture by traveling throughout the entire country. Opportunities are endless in Australia! This experience is truly life changing and I would extremely recommend to study abroad with The Education Abroad Network and go to Sydney, Australia. I can promise anyone that studied abroad in Australia will be extremely pleased!
What would you improve about this program?
I do not think anything needs to be improved within this program. Each aspect that could possibly occur is taken care of through this program.
Studying abroad in Chiang Mai was one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life. Honestly, it was scary at first because all of my friends were studying abroad in Europe or Australia, and I had chosen a location a bit more unconventional. As soon as I arrived, I wasn't nearly as nervous anymore after meeting the staff and the other students. The TEAN orientation is a great introduction to the country. You're given advice, given tons of new food to try, and introduced to your roommate! I have completely fallen in love with Thailand and South East Asia in general. Every time I think about my time in Chiang Mai I miss it so much! So I love looking at old Thailand photos or texting the friends I made to remind myself of the most amazing five months of my life. I also traveled to Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos, while in Asia. This traveling gave me so much confidence in my skills to navigate, communicate, and to be a bad-ass traveler. If you go on this program you will not regret it, I PROMISE!
What would you improve about this program?
Living in the student apartments is strictly single gender, this sometimes made it difficult to hang out with all the students as nobody of the opposite gender could go in the buildings.
