What I Wish I Knew Before Studying Abroad Down Under
To wrap up my semester of Australian Blog posts, I’d like to discuss a few things I wish I had known before I studied abroad in Gold Coast, Australia. Overall, I felt very prepared; all of the technical stuff I got sorted pretty early on, figuring out international banking, phone service, travel logistics, etc., but here are a few Australia-specific things to think a little more about for your time abroad.
Bring warm weather clothes. Obviously, this is specific to the time of year and location I decided to go abroad, as February is Summer in Australia, and the Gold Coast is hotter than other parts of Australia. I’m a native Floridian, so I think I did an overall good job preparing myself since the climate is so similar. However, I did not expect my apartment to not have air conditioning. I have friends who brought mostly pants, assuming like in Philly it would be more plausible to wear pants even if it was warm, they have all since bought new clothes, and we all invested in fans for our rooms. I advise packing mostly tank tops, shorts, and things of the like, and purchasing warmer clothes if the temperature does drop (warm weather clothes take up less space in a suitcase as well). Also, bring flip-flops (or thongs as they call them here), they function as both shower and beach shoes.
I cannot stress this enough, wear sunscreen! Again, I’m from Florida, so when the UV outside is 11 I know to put sunscreen on and that I will still tan. My roommates, from Philly, Jersey, and Ohio all got severely sunburnt in the first few weeks here, being more prone to Jersey beaches which have a max UV of 7 in the Summer, where you can get away with not reapplying, or not applying at all, as opposed to double that with a maximum of 15 UV in Gold Coast Summers. I promise you, you will still get an incredible tan even if you put sunscreen on with UV that strong. Drink water, reapply, and be careful in the sun.
Not only do they drive on the left, they walk, take the stairs, and generally move on the left. I have had to unlearn the natural habit of looking “left right left” before crossing a road to look “right left right”, and have to math out which cars are turning where in a large intersection before crossing. Since they drive on the left-hand side here, most other minor habits follow that. Escalators go up on the left instead of the right, and stair etiquette is the same. They even walk on the left side of the sidewalk, so I often have to consciously remind myself to move to the left so I don’t run into everyone. I can now tell who else is American when I spot someone walking on the right.
Lastly, and this is more of a general study abroad tip, be very detailed with your search for a school. My friends and I picked our school early on, and though I adore the Gold Coast and the environment of Griffith University, my one friend and I are not studying for our majors here, instead taking classes to fulfill our minors. My roommates and I are all Theatre majors, so when looking for schools we looked under our major. I do wish I had taken more time to look into schools that may have fit my minor better, with more class options to take. Take everything into account; location, courses, campus, transportation, grocery stores, sights to see, etc.
I hope you have found some of this useful, and good luck in your study abroad experience! I highly recommend it.
