This time a year ago, I could never have imagined that I would be where I am now – here in Australia, studying at the University of Adelaide. It’s been exactly six weeks since I left the UK, and so far my time here in Adelaide has been amazing.
After months of planning and preparation (as well as a mountain of paperwork), I was ready to leave to start my second year abroad in Australia. It felt like I had barely finished first year when suddenly I was getting ready to board a plane and fly off to the other side of the world. Due to the seasons in the southern hemisphere, the academic year runs from February – November, meaning that I would be starting my Semester 1 (which is Semester 2 here) in July. I left England on the afternoon of July 15th from London Gatwick. Fortunately, I was able to fly out with a fellow Southampton exchange student (although we hadn’t actually met until an hour before the flight at the airport) so it was nice to have some company. The flight was seven hours to Dubai, landing at half-midnight and then a quick dash through the airport and onto the next flight for 2am, which was then twelve-and-a-half hours until Adelaide. Due to delays, we were actually on the plane for fourteen hours…we made it eventually though, late the following evening, where we were picked up from the airport by representatives from the University of Adelaide.
My plans for accommodation took a change when I arrived. I debated going into university halls before I left the UK but due to the cost of most of them, I was swayed into having a go at looking for private rented upon arrival as it would be cheaper. For one week I was placed in temporary accommodation at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, and in this time I had to find a place to live. The next few days consisted of a blur of organizing bookings and viewing houses, as well as trying to get to grips with a new city (and country!); I bought a metrocard and used this to get on the trams, buses and trains to make my way around the city. Having viewed a good number of places and none of them matching up to what I was looking for and seemingly getting nowhere, I weighed up my options and then contacted the University’s accommodation service for some advice. Fortunately, there was one room available in a place called ‘The University of Adelaide Village’. I had previously looked this up and this was one place I had seriously considered applying for beforehand; as fate would have it there was only ONE room left out of 400 available. Safe to say, I took the offer and felt relieved to finally be settled somewhere. The Village is really good and the staff are very friendly; it was the right decision. I’m in a townhouse with four other girls and have a brilliant study environment. The Village is located in the Western CBD so it is near Adelaide’s Central Markets and Chinatown. To get to the University, it’s only a ten-minute walk down the road where I can either get the bus or the tram.
The following Monday was the start of Orientation week, which involved lots of welcome talks and many Aussie BBQs (free food!). I was able to meet lots of other international students and some Aussies, as well as a few people from Southampton University, which has helped settling in much easier. The atmosphere here is very relaxed and friendly – I love it. One of the highlights of Orientation Week was a trip to Victor Harbor and Urimbirra Wildlife Park. After being bundled onto a bus in what reminded me of being a kid at school again, we were driven to the park where we were able to feed kangaroos(!), as well as see other typical ‘Aussie’ wildlife: koala bears, snakes, dingoes and many species of birds. After this, we were driven to Victor Harbor, which is a little seaside town. We walked along the coast, had lunch there and explored the town.
The weekend of O-Week, I also viewed the Central Markets and Glenelg beach (Saturday is the best day to go for bargains as the market is closed on Sundays and Mondays). It was a wet and windy day at the beach though (British weather just seems inescapable, even on the other side of the world). Although I knew I’d be flying into Australia in mid-winter, I did not expect it to be this cold (equivalent to very late Autumn in the UK). In the six weeks since I’ve been here it has warmed up a little bit but for anyone thinking about coming out here in mid-July, I strongly recommend on bringing a thick coat as it can get very cold! Speaking to the locals though, they have said that this is the coldest winter they’ve had in many years (fantastic – the year I’m here).
The week following Orientation was the start of lectures and classes. As an English literature student, I am taking four of these modules. Here at the University of Adelaide, the system is different to the UK whereby students in this discipline study ‘Arts’ and therefore take a range of modules under this discipline (one English module, another History, etc.). I thought my workload was rather intense but just assumed this was due to the step-up into second year and also adjusting to a new system. As it turns out, students here do not just take four English modules as a full course load (I’ve had some incredulous looks and then people say: but that’s A LOT of reading!). A lot of reading it is and right now I am in the midst of assignments all due at the same time. There’s not much I can do about this as it is what my degree is in the UK so I’m pushing through with the intense workload; besides I love the modules that I’m studying so want to keep them all going. It’s made harder though by all the amazing travel opportunities on offer here, so I’ve had to manage my time very carefully to work solidly during the weekdays in order to try and have as much of the weekends off as possible. In terms of the actual classes, the system is similar to Southampton with the lectures and seminars (or ‘tutorials’ here) and most submission of assignments is via online. There is a much greater emphasis placed on class participation though. My fellow Aussie classmates are nice and friendly, making the experience much more enjoyable.
For those interested in studying at Adelaide, it is highly rewarding. There are three universities here in South Australia: Adelaide, Flinders and Uni SA, so there is a strong student community in this city. Adelaide is one of the best universities in Australia; it is a member of ‘The Group of Eight’, which is the Australian equivalent of ‘The Russell Group’. Everything is so well-organized here and the international support network is brilliant. The city itself is also very good; it is relatively small in size compared to other Australian cities (such as Sydney or Melbourne) but it has lots of space and a population of over one million. There is a large arts culture here (which I love) and the beaches are only a short tram ride away. I can’t believe how quickly six weeks has gone since arriving here, and I’m sure it will be no time until I’ll be writing my next blog in September.
