Hello everyone!!! My name is Sarah and I will be spending the semester in Sydney, Australia. I will be studying at the University of Sydney, or, as they call it in Australia, Sydney Uni. I'm not 100 percent sure, but I think I'm the last of the bloggers to leave for our respective countries. I leave on Feb. 11 and don't arrive in Melbourne (for orientation) until Feb. 13! Door to door, the trip will be about 30 hours.
Now a little about me...
I am a Civil Engineering major, and although that takes up a good chunk of time, I am involved with several clubs and organizations on campus. This past semester, I served as the treasurer of the environmental club and as an RHA senator. I am also involved with the Society of Women Engineers, the American Society of Civil Engineers, and the outing club. I hail from Fair Hill, Md., which is between Baltimore and Philadelphia, and live with my parents, my brother, and two cats.
I am beyond excited about my upcoming adventure, and have spent the past weeks learning anything and everything about Australia and Sydney. I have been studying maps, reading books, watching movies, and checking out Australian news and message boards, desperately hoping to avoid being a "dumb American." Most of my friends who are studying abroad have already left and I am getting anxious to leave ... I am ready to have adventures of my own.
I have already decided on a few must-do activities while Down Under.
1.) See the Great Barrier Reef. One of the classes that I'm taking includes a five-day field trip to the reef ... clearly a big part of why I chose the class. I'm excited that I will learn about the reef, instead of doing the typical tourist thing.
2.) Go to New Zealand after finals end.
3.) Try new things. I know that everyone says this, but still. Going to University of Sydney in itself is trying something new. I'll be in a different country (I've never been out of the US ... unless you count Niagara Falls), I'll be going to a huge school (University of Sydney has over 40,000 students), and I'll be living in a city (I'm from a pretty rural area). I'd particularly like to try new types of food. Sydney is a melting pot of cultures from all over the world, and there are ethnic restaurants everywhere.
Meantime, I will be working in an engineering office earning money to finance the Australian adventures I hope to have. I'm sure I'll write again before I leave.
To all the Bucknellians who will be heading back to campus in the next few days: good luck with classes!
Fun Fact: There are no squirrels in Australia ... I can't even imagine a college campus without them!
Comments (1)
Sarah,
Best of luck to you down under! It sounds like an awesome chance to expand your life. I am a bit jealous however becuase when I was a CE student (1989) we didn't have any abroad opportunities. Also I lived in Sydney from the ages of 1 & 2 1/2. If you are willing to please email me to talk about a picture I'd love for you to take while you are there.
Posted by Grant Tormey | January 31, 2008 10:53 AM
Posted on January 31, 2008 10:53