The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Study in Townsville, Australia

Hands down best experience of my life. TEAN had everyone who went through the network meet in cairns where I met people from the states that will then be dispersed all over Australia! This made it SO easy to travel everywhere because you had a tourguide and a place to stay where ever you went! throughout the entire abroad experience TEAN made it so easy and so enjoyable constantly giving me opportunities to explore! I truly miss Australia and the people I met there everyday.

TEAN Abroad is an amazing program to study abroad with. They personally take you on an orientation before classes begin that helps you to better integrate into the culture and learn more about the country that you chose to stay. TEAN Abroad helped me decide to study marine biology in Australia and I will be returning to James Cook University for my Masters degree. No other program could make your experience abroad better! You will never want to leave Australia!

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!

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.

I had so many unique experiences while studying in Australia, but one of my favorites was when my friends and I randomly decided to skydive. I never really had a bucket list, but as I traveled around Australia I began to make one because I saw and heard of so many cool places to go and things to do. It all started with a weekend trip to Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays. The plan was to try to keep this trip as cheap as possible while still having a great time. A few days before we left we were talking with some of our Aussie friends about what we could do with our free days in Airlie Beach and one of them brought up sky diving. My friends and I who were going on the trip immediately agreed that we HAD to skydive there which threw our cheap weekend trip plan out the window. Interestingly enough it was harder to convince my parents I would be okay than it was to convince myself. The fear really hit me when I was on the bus ride to the airport because I had never done anything like this before. I was the first of my friends to jump out of the plane and I have to say it was terrifying for the first few seconds but absolutely amazing at the same time. I got to see the world (and one of the most beautiful countries) from a point of view most people never get! If I could, I would skydive on every trip I go on!

Studying at JCU was the best decision I have ever made. Townsville is a laid back city with beautiful beaches close to campus, which was perfect for me. Living on campus in George Roberts Hall made my experience so special because I really got to indulge in the culture and make some really amazing Australian friends that I still stay in touch with.

I met other Americans at JCU who did not go through any program to study abroad and they definitely did not have as great of an experience as me. TEAN was super helpful in every step of the process and were always there to answer any questions I had while abroad. My TEAN advisor, Alyssa, who was a grad student at JCU was always just a text message or email away to help me with anything I needed. TEAN took all the stress out of the study abroad experience so I could fully enjoy it without worry.

If I could restart my semester abroad I wouldn't change a thing. (Except maybe extending my stay!) TEAN truly made my time at James Cook University unforgettable!

The best decision I have made for myself so far was to go abroad, and I am very happy that I chose TEAN to facilitate this experience for me. From collecting paperwork and forms, to providing packing lists and group flight information, the logistics of my trip and tiime abroad were taken care of. Not only does TEAN get you there, but they also provide experiences around your host school so you can really see what your new home has to offer!
One of my favorite days was a trip to Magnetic Island, which is a 20 minute ferry ride away from Towsville. I saw beutiful beaches and wild koalas, fed and played with lorikeets, and fed some rock wallabies. This day trip was provided for by TEAN to introduce us to the wonderful "Maggie" which I ended up visiting multiple times during my 4 months in Townsville.
James Cook University also is a unique experience from most Australian study experiences because at JCU you live on-campus. The dorm style is similar to US dorms, except you live in single, rather than double rooms. I absolutely loved my time at JCU, and living on-campus allowed me to make friends with several locals, some of which have truly become lifelong friends.
Townsville is a rather small city, but there is plenty to do at the Strand (the local beach), Sunday's Flinders St. Markets, and having dinner at Cactus Jack's. Townsville is definitey a quiter area, however, so if you want a big city atmosphere, I would recommend going to a different university and taking a trip up to Cairns during a free week or long weekend.
The environmental classes on coral reefs and Australian fauna I was able to take were incredible, so I would definitely recommend taking an elective class on the Australian environment or indigenous culture while you are there.
I had an amazing time while I was abroad, and Australia is now a second home to me. TEAN definitely helped to make my experience abroad fantastic and the support the provide while you are there makes you feel safe and secure even though you are miles from home.

Without a doubt, I would highly recommend this program to absolutely anyone! TEAN is a wonderful support system that I reached out to at any point during my study abroad experience. They were always there for me and that's what really made me feel at ease. No matter what I wanted to do they were always right behind me cheering me along! I don't have any regrets & if I could do it all over again I'd do the same thing :) Go for it!!!!!!

I loved JCU-Townsville! It was such an incredible experience, I still keep in touch with all my aussie friends a year and half later. Live on campus for sure, Uni Hall is the BEST! O WEEK is a blast, just embrace it all! Travel as much as possible, take in ever experience go to crystal creek, castle hill, the strand, the river, the sunday market and the friday night market, go to cheap tuesdays down town and just have a blast!!