Meghan spent a term in Brisbane, Australia studying at the University of Queensland.
Everyone talks about how deadly the creatures in Australia are, so when the dive instructor handed me a jellyfish that wasn't going to kill me, I was beyond excited.
Diving in the Great Barrier Reef was so surreal. It was high up on the bucket list and definitely worth the trip.
This was just one of the incredible views that caught our eye as we drove along the Great Ocean Road.
Don't let this picture fool you, it took way too many attempts to actually get this shot! I got the hang of it pretty well by the end though!
I don't think this picture could get anymore Australian. This was taken at Byron Bay, the most eastern point in Australia. We were the first to see the sunrise that day and were lucky enough to have a kangaroo join us!
Meghan, Kinesiology, 3B
I've dreamed about going on exchange to Australia even before I started school at UW so when I got the acceptance to go abroad, I was beyond excited! I was a little hesitant to be in Brisbane when I found out it wasn't right along the beach like most of the other cities in Australia, but within a week I fell in love with the city.
Before getting settled into Brisbane, I spent a month travelling around Australia with some friends. This was an incredible opportunity because it gave us the chance to become familiar with the country and get to see so much of it even before the exchange term began.
The Great Ocean Road was definitely a highlight of the trip. We rented a car and, once we got used to driving on the “wrong” side of the road, we explored the coastline, stopping at many of the incredible views along the way. Fraser Island was probably one of my favourite places: We did a 3 day group tour where we drove 4WD cars along the beach of the largest sand island in the world! We stopped at numerous fresh water lakes, lookout points and other famous landmarks during the day, and settled into our campground at night to hangout with our new friends! I highly recommend this tour!
When school started I got settled into Brisbane in a house with other American exchange students. The transition was easy as both Australian and American culture are so similar to Canadian culture. I attended the University of Queensland where I had the opportunity to take courses related to my Kin degree, as well as courses aimed towards exchange students, including a course on marine biology and another on Australian culture. This was definitely cool to be able to learn more about the beautiful country that I was living in.
School started, but the course load was a lot lighter than I was used to at UW, making almost every weekend free to travel around Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast and the Gold Coast. We went to countless beaches, hiked around and found some of the best coffee shops (I'm not sure I'll ever be able to go back to Tim Horton's coffee after having Australian coffee!).
This exchange has been such an incredible experience and definitely a highlight of my undergrad. Not only does it give you a chance to explore other parts of the world, but a chance to meet new people and grow as a person.
I'm excited to continue my travels around Australia and then head to New Zealand for a month following exams!