Author: Sarah Buckman

Location: Newcastle, Australia

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Everyone has their daily routines. At college this most likely includes the many jobs, clubs, and activities you find yourself involved in. However, this tends to happen naturally, while in your home country. So how do you get involved while abroad? Here I will share some of the things I did to get involved while abroad, that ultimately changed my entire experience for the better.

Some international students and I at Vivid Lights in Sydney!

When you get to your country that you will be abroad in, the first thing I recommend as a must do would be to take advantage of your new college’s welcome week. It is typically within the first week of you arriving there and is jam packed with optional activities to go to. Make it your personal mission to go to as many things you find interesting as possible! What better way to get your feet wet than by taking advantage of how new everyone is to college life, to meet people, join things, and make memories! Between tours, get togethers, club and sport meet and greets, and activity fairs there is so much offered during this unique week. Out of all the things listed, if I were to pick the top thing that changed my experience would be the activities fair. If you can only make it to one thing be sure to make it to this! Even though you will feel like a freshman all over again, it is something that should not be passed up in order to get involved and acclimated to your new college.

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While at the activities fair, make sure to be open to trying new things, but also make sure to get to the booths you know are things you will most likely get involved with. For myself, I love to be involved religiously, so I made sure to get information from those. If you are also interested in spirituality while abroad, you are in for some good news! It is very likely no matter where you end up studying that there will be plenty of options for you! I love getting involved in the Chapel back at Valparaiso University, so I knew this would be a good fit for me! Turned out, between UniChurch and Reality Bible Study at the University of Newcastle, both are where I ended up making the majority of my friends while abroad! I hung out with these friends almost every day, go on day trips with them, and even went on a weekend retreat with them! Such a unique experience to have during a study abroad program! I even became a volunteer youth leader while I was abroad and got to work with kids! Could not recommend this bit of advice enough!

Some of my friends and I during our weekend retreat!

One very easy thing to help you get involved on your new campus is to check to see if your campus offers an international student club/organization. At the University of Newcastle, our international organization was called UNESN (University of Newcastle Exchange Student Network) and it was a fantastic resource to meet people from many different countries besides America and Australia. Through this organization, I had the opportunity to go on many excursions and planned events and got to meet many people and grow close to those people because we all looked forward to seeing each other again on the next event. Going abroad is about meeting people from new places and being a part of an international organization helps this piece of studying abroad become a reality.

UNESN group on our trip to the Blue Mountains!

Another solid way to get involved while abroad is to attend building and/or floor activities! Just like in America, you will find most colleges will still offer events that are just related to the people you live closest to! In my case, my dorm building not only hosted building events, but even floor ones. Making sure to go to them when you have the time is a great way to meet even more people, and it does not require any work! During my floor events we played games, made baked goods for each other and even potted plants together. Each event probably only lasted an hour, but it still made the best impact at getting to know people better. As far as building events go, there are too many to recount! My favorite, and most impactful one that I went on, by far, was when we all went to clean the beach on National Clean Up Australia Day! It was so cool getting together with them to accomplish something that held a bigger impact than just on ourselves. Seriously, take advantage of getting to know the people who are literally closest to you!

Cleaning up the beach with my fellow dorm-building mates!

These are just a couple of ways to help get you involved while abroad. If studying abroad has taught me anything, it is that the more people you meet, the better your experience will become. Why seclude yourself to small amounts of people when clearly studying abroad shows you just how big the world can be? Do not be afraid to branch out and to put yourself out there!

Author: Sarah Buckman

Location: Newcastle, Australia

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

One of the many trips I have been blessed to go on during my semester abroad, was a weekend spent in the Blue Mountains. This was an excursion organized through the student exchange club on campus here in Australia. Over 100 students traveled across the country by many trains and buses to experience some of the beautiful nature Australia has to offer.

The student exchange group at Three Sisters.

We spent one full day in the Blue Mountains, which included a jam-packed itinerary. After a quick train ride to the mountains from our hostel, our long day began. Upon arriving everyone split into smaller groups to make hiking on the narrow paths easier. The goal of the hike was to see the beautiful waterfalls at the bottom of the mountain, but the day turned out different than expected. My group of friends and I made it about halfway, stopping every so often to take pictures, when Jamie and I got separated from the group. Me, being very directionally challenged, was nervous for how we would find our way; but through this trip I ended up learning a lot. Thanks to my optimistic friend, we turned our situation into an adventure. We decided to look at our situation as an opportunity to experience the most of our hiking trip. A mixture of taking frequent stops to enjoy the view, and going down any trail we wanted, led us to an amazing lookout point of the whole mountain we would have never gotten to see if we stayed with the group! We were truly in awe of Australia’s natural beauty.

Sara, Alexis, Jamie, Teleia, Sam and I making our way to the waterfalls.

Jamie and I enjoying the view at the top of the mountains.

Finally, after admiring the mountain’s horizon for long enough, Jamie and I focused on making it down the mountain to see the waterfalls. When our group leaders told us it was going to be a full day of hiking, they definitely meant it! It took Jamie and I about two hours to make our way to the bottom of the mountain- there were a ton of stairs! Once we made it to the bottom it was so beyond worth it! The waterfalls were soaring hundreds of feet above us, with gallons of water falling over them causing rainbows to be seen everywhere. To say it was gorgeous, would be an understatement. What’s one thing I never expected to happen while going hiking in the mountains? Getting soaked! So beyond thankful I packed an extra pair of clothes! Then of course, Jamie and I spent another hour or two just enjoying the waterfalls and taking it all in.

Getting soaked at the waterfalls felt so good after a full day of hiking!

After spending most of the day in the mountains, the last thing on the itinerary to hit was Three Sisters at Echo Point. On the walk over, my friends and I made up stories about why it was called Three Sisters and we never actually understood until we got to our destination. Once we saw the rock formation, sticking out of the mountain side, it made perfect sense how it got its name. The whole group stayed until the sun went down, to take in the beauty of the mountains for as long as we possibly could.

Laughing because my friends and I finally understood why it was called Three Sisters.

Overall this trip was an incredible experience and taught me some important things. First of all, I had no idea Australia even had mountains in the first place! Researching more in depth before studying abroad is a great thing to do, so you do not miss out on experiences like this! Next it taught me how taking things at your own pace and going off the main path for awhile has its payoffs! The more you try to squeeze into life, the more you will get out of it! Lastly, it taught me that on any good adventure you may go on while you study abroad- to always bring an extra pair of clothes! You never know when you’ll need them!

Author: Jessica Hanson

Location: Newcastle, Australia

Well it seems to be getting to that time in the semester where many of my fellow Valpo students are trying to decide where they want to study abroad or, if they’ve already chosen their program of choice, are getting anxious to see what all the hype is about! For any of you considering University of Newcastle (UoN) here in New South Wales, Australia, I figured I’d give you some tips and tricks to make your transition into the Aussie lifestyle as smooth as possible!

First, I thought it would be helpful to orient you to Australia as a continent and where we are in relation to, well, everything else! Fun fact- Australia is the world’s largest island as well as the world’s smallest continent. Australia is the about the same size geographically as the United States, yet has less than 10% of our population! The name ‘Australia’ comes from Latin Terra Australis meaning ‘land of the south.’ It is also lovingly referred to as the Land Down Under, or even, the Land of Oz (which, may or may not have anything to do with Dorothy, but that is for you to find out!) It consists of 6 states and 2 territories. Queensland, New South Wales, and Victoria are the three states along the East Coast of Australia and contain about 3/4 of the population, which totals just over 24 million. Sydney (NSW), Melbourne (VIC), and Brisbane (QLD) are the three largest cities- if you like the city life, Sydney is about 3 hours south by train and you can get round-trip flights to Brisbane or Melbourne for a weekend get away for around $100-$150- I would definitely recommend taking the time to check these out if you get the chance. You will also notice while you’re over here that many cities have some pretty odd names thanks to the Aboriginal culture- Wollongong, Wagga Wagga, Katoomba, Toowoomba to name a few!

(Travel tip: while everyone is immediately going to recognise your American accent, you can save yourself some embarrassment by knowing the correct pronunciation of the city names. They don’t have a hard ‘r’ sound like we do in America, so you might want to practice these a few times before coming over: Melbourne–> mel-bin, likewise Brisbane–> briz-bin, Cairns–> cans (yes, like the soda!) I probably butcher the Aboriginal names as much as you would but they seem pretty phonetic to me, so good luck!)

As far as where you’ll be living, University of Newcastle is often shortened to UoN or referred to simply as Newy! Where you will be living and going to classes is the Callaghan campus, although there is also the city campus with the NeW Space (an architecturally abstract building that opened this fall- definitely check it out!) where many of the business and law classes take place. If the program is still the same, you will most likely be assigned a single studio apartment in one of the really nice new residence towers- you get your own kitchenette and bathroom, which means, unfortunately, you’re responsible for buying your own groceries, cooking your own food, and doing your own dishes. Thankfully, you get a weekly bathroom cleaning courtesy of the lovely cleaning ladies in the building. The campus is much bigger than our small Valpo home- say goodbye to rolling out of bed 10 minutes before class and making it on time! However, most professors are also pretty lax so making it to class a few minutes late won’t hurt. Make sure you take the time to do some exploring when you get here but it only took me a few days- once you find the Shortland building in the centre of campus, you’ll figure out the rest from there 🙂 Night life on campus is also a little different than what we’re used to in the states- most of the buildings/dining on campus close around 5 and any activities are going to be over in the city. Make friends in your building fast so you’ll have people that know the good places to go out if you’re looking for something fun to do!

The Aboriginal, or Indigenous, people and culture is also something you might want to do some research on before coming over. It is very complicated and a dark part of Australia’s rather-recent past. The Aboriginal Australians are thought to be the oldest tribes in the world and most of their population was wiped out due to violence or disease during the British colonisation of Australia during the late 18th century (you will find many parallels with British treatment of the Native Americans during our colonial history, although the issues have continued up through the 1970s and  is still a very sensitive subject in the culture.) The good news is that Australia is in the progress of amending some of this dark past, such as working with some Aboriginal tribes to give them control and ownership of their original lands. One thing that I find very touching is that often when people stand up to talk in front of crowds, perhaps for class or giving presentations, they will pay respects to the Aboriginal peoples by saying something along the lines of: “I would like to acknowledge that this meeting is being held on the traditional lands of the [insert local Aboriginal or Torres Strait Island Nation]. I pay respect to Elders past, present and emerging.”

Finally, thanks to our lovely US standard system, it will take some time to get used to the metric system! I wrote down a key for reference before coming but you won’t reeeally need it, especially thanks to phones that have automatic conversion apps. However, I still am not used to seeing 100 on speed limit signs- 100 kilometers per hour that is, which is akin to our 65 mph limit. It is also important to remember that since Australia is in the southern hemisphere, the seasons are flip-flopped and they use Celsius as well. If you are planning to study here next semester, you will be leaving snowy cold Valpo and arriving in the lovely hot Australian summer (unfortunately, I get to do the opposite transition…) It will be around the 80s/90s, or around 25-30 degrees Celsius, so pack your summer gear, but be prepared for temperatures to drop to ‘chilly’ fall temperatures around 50F (10C) by the end of the semester. Also, they aren’t kidding when they tell you to be prepared with a LOT of sunscreen- especially coming in the summer since Australia is positioned right underneath the hole in the ozone layer- sun blisters are NOT something you want to deal with!

Alright, I think that’s enough of my rambling, but I am going to leave you with some Australian lingo that it will be helpful to be familiar with! Thanks for tuning in, and good luck if you’re off to Australia next semester!

Food!
Kebabs– an Australian staple, kebab shops are fun places to grab a bite!
Capsicums– their odd word for bell peppers
Avo– avocado! Australians love shortening their words, but they might like avocados here even more! They’re a tad expensive, but oh so delicious.
Vegemite– another Australian staple, but one that is extremely foreign to the American food palate- you definitely much try it (its a spread for putting on toast), but make sure an Aussie prepares it for you, otherwise you’ll likely end up spreading it on thick like nutella, which is a terrible idea.
Lemonade– sprite. The word sprite? Also sprite. Our idea of lemonade does not exist over here, but you can find some fizzy lemon-flavoured sodas that are pretty close. Also, if you love rootbeer like me, I’m sorry to say it will be very difficult to come by 🙁
Soft Drink– soda or pop or sodapop, however you call it! If you’re at a restaurant and want to know what ‘sodas’ they have, you should ask them for their soft drink menu instead.
Wooly’s– short for Woolworth’s, your go-to for all your grocery shopping needs.
Hungry Jack’s– the same thing as Burger King, just called differently. They also have Domino’s and Pizza Hut if you’re craving some American fast food.
Macca’s- a country wouldn’t be complete with out a McDonald’s right? Aussies lovingly shorten it simply to Macca’s, and I’m sure you’ll be at peace knowing you can get your late night chicken nugget or McFlurry cravings taken care of!

Clothing
Op Shop– short for opportunity shop, these are the lovely Australian thrift stores- Vinnie’s (St. Vincent de Paul) and Salvos (Salvation Army) are the most common!
Thongs– yes, they will probably laugh at you if you forget and call them flip flops anyway.
Runners- tennis shoes
Swimmers– swimsuit….makes me feel like I’m in the 60s but I guess you just roll with it!
Jumper– sweater
Sunnies– sunglasses

Other Lingo
Dodgy– sketchy
Rubbish– trash/garbage
Footpath– side walk
Carpark– parking lot
Trolley– shopping cart
Life– elevator
Revision– review
Mozzies– mosquitos (The word is definitely cuter than the thing itself)
Timetable– class schedule
Concession– student prices- always ask if there are concession prices for events/tickets!
Power point– NOT the Microsoft Word program, power points are little orange lights on the power switches letting you know if it is on or off
Boot and Bonnet– the trunk and hood of a car
Aluminium– notice the extra ‘i’, it might take a while to get used to saying this metal element the way it is actually written on the periodic table…
Bubbler– for all of my Indiana friends who make fun of us Wisconsinites who use bubbler, guess what- so do the Australians! This was definitely a win for team Wisconsin <3

Alright, that’s all I have for today, hopefully this helps alleviate some of the frustration before you get here, and best of luck figuring out Australia!

Cheers,
Jessica

P.S. Make sure to finish all your favourite binge-worthy Netflix shows before you get here! Australian Netflix has a different selection, and unless you’re really skilled at figuring out VPNs (Netflix recognized my preliminary attempts and I gave up after that), you’ll have to live without a few American shows for a couple months!

Author:  Jessica Hanson

Location: Newcastle, Australia

Hey friends!

So so sorry I haven’t posted in what, at least to me, seems like forever! I had intended to post an update during this last week, but a philosophy essay kicked my butt and I didn’t get around to it. For anyone who wants to talk about informed consent ethical issues, I’ve got you covered!

(this is a Tasmanian Devil)

Before I (potentially) go MIA for two weeks, I wanted to give everyone a little update of my semester now that the half way point has officially passed. The first month here I was definitely feeling nostalgic for my Wisconsin/Indiana family, friends, and routines! It wasn’t particularly difficult getting adjusted to schoolwork over here or other ways of Aussie life in general, but it was weird that nothing was familiar- people, city, shopping etc. Even worse, I quickly realised how I definitely take my car for granted at home- being at the liberty of public transportation can be frustrating, but I’m glad I’ve learned how to use public bus systems to make my way around! I also was able to rent a bike while I’m here that allows me to make it to the nearest shops and back really easily- thank goodness I can fulfill those late-night ice cream cravings! 😉 Anyway, the past few weeks I’ve finally found my groove- I’ve been meeting a lot of amazing and lovely people, and I’m starting to be sad that I have to go back to the states now…if I didn’t have obligations at home, there’s a chance I might have chosen to stick around! ;P Either way, I am definitely enjoying my time here and will make sure to take full advantage of the time I have left with the lovely people I have met- it is shaping up to be quite a lovely semester 🙂

As for classes, they are definitely different than what I am used to…Instead of having class MWF or TR like they do in Valpo, I have each class only once or twice a week. I have a one- or two-hour lecture and then a few of my classes have what is called tutorials- what is similar to what I believe is called recitation at other universities in the states? It’s a small group class that typically has discussions/time for presentations, therefore not interfering with the lecture time! So, here’s what my schedule looks like:
Monday- 9AM Lecture (Sustainable Society) w/ 11AM Tutorial; 2-4 pm Lecture (Innovation/Entrepreneurship)
Tuesday- No class!
Wednesday- No class!
Thursday- 8AM Lecture (Ethical Debates); 12-2 PM Lecture (Biology)
Friday- 10AM Tutorial (Ethical Debates); 2-4PM Lecture (Biology)

The best part is that if you miss a lecture, such as the dreaded 8 am, all of the lectures here are recorded and posted on Blackboard! This may or may not minimise my motivation to go to some of my classes…but I make sure I am caught up and do the work I need to! The grading system here is also different. First of all, instead of letter grades, they use HD (High Distinction, 85%+), D (Distinction), C (Credit), P (Pass), FF (Fail, <50%)….and sadly, many Aussies seem to be content with simply aiming for a P in their classes, which makes me definitely feel like a try-hard with my American-bred school motivation! Additionally, my total number of assignments (for all my classes) is only: 1 group presentation, a total of about 6 essays, weekly quizzes in biology, a handful of quizzes in innovation, and two finals- and that’s it! It definitely allows plenty of time for exploring, or as I’ve started to do, personal time for doing things I don’t normally get time to do, such as practice guitar and piano again, listen to podcasts, watch documentaries, or even go for the occasional (very occasional) run!

Alright, well I’m going to be late for my train if I keep rambling about my adventures! Last weekend I did hike to the bottom of a waterfall in the Blue Mountains, and yesterday I went to the horse races with a bunch of lovely ladies (they even had the fancy hats, called Fascinators!!) but I will have to update you on those when I get back to campus in a few weeks! I will try to post all my pictures as soon as possible- I take way too many, but with a broken laptop, I forget to upload them when I’m in the library, so will get around to it eventually.

Here’s a sneak peek of the blue mountains! PC: Cole Wesselman

I will try to post an update post-Tazzie adventures, but that of course will depend on my access to Wi-Fi in the hostels…until then, enjoy the fall weather back home and I will see you in a few weeks <3

Love,
Jessica