I think I have grown a lot from studying abroad in Sydney this semester. It got me out of my comfort zone by allowing me to meet new people and travel to places I never would have imagined being able to visit otherwise. I was nervous in the beginning of the program because I didn’t really know anyone else going at the time, but I wish I could go back and tell myself that I would end up meeting some amazing people over the course of the semester and that there was no reason to be nervous. I had 8 roommates, which seemed overwhelming in the beginning, but they became such amazing friends, and I couldn’t have asked for a better living situation. I do wish I could also go back and tell myself to focus more on school while I was in Australia because like I mentioned in a previous blog post, schoolwork wasn’t always my number one priority and I wish I had focused on putting more effort into my classes this semester. However overall, studying in Sydney was an incredible opportunity and one I will never forget!
One thing that surprised me about Australians specifically is their overall demeanor and opinion of the United States. From my experience, Australians are generally blunter and more straight-forward than Americans in the sense that they share their opinion very clearly and don’t worry too much about being politically correct, which I really appreciated. It was very refreshing to have conversations with people without worrying about offending someone because they tend not to take things too seriously. Most of the Australians I met have some negative opinions about the United States in terms of healthcare and other pressing political issues, however they have a lot of respect for Americans, especially ones who take the time to visit Australia. Another interesting thing I learned about Australians is that they tend to not participate in the more common tourist experiences, so I met a few Australians who had never actually seen the Great Barrier Reef! However, I guess the same could probably be said for anyone who lives in a popular tourist destination. It was really interesting interacting with people from another culture and I think it’s one of the reasons studying abroad is so beneficial.