I have been in Australia for almost two months now and this time has flown by! Now that I have been in school for two weeks, I am starting to understand the class workload more as well as the ins and outs of the campus. Exploring life here in Australia has been so fun, but with it comes confusion and culture shock. Especially regarding school, there are many differences that I have had to adapt to even just in four weeks time.
The school system is very different here in Australia. One of the aspects that still blows my mind is that the students here are in their summer months during Christmas break! I have had many conversations with fellow students about how wild it is to me that they are not in school for Christmas break. That is actually their hottest time of year, too! At my college back in the States I am used to a very rigid and self-reliant grading system, but here I have had to get used to a whole new way of doing things. Here, the grades start at zero and you have to work your way up to your desired grade–most people never get A’s. Along with this, their grading system is different here too, whereas a seventy percent back in the US would be just barely passing, a grade of seventy here actually counts as an A.
I have also been learning how to adapt to a more laid-back homework schedule. At my college in the US, I am used to submitting homework daily and it is regular for me to do three to four hours of homework a day; however, the Aussies have a really healthy work-life balance and instead shoot for larger assignments that though weight heavier on the grade, it is less to think about on a daily basis. I am not quite used to this way of school just yet, but I am loving learning how it all works.
Another cultural difference that my university here has shown me is how relaxed the barrier between students and professors is. In the US I have had some professors insist that me and my fellow classmates address them according to their academic level (professor, Dr., etc.), but here, all of my professors insist that we call them by their first names. The professors here are very relaxed and do not make attendance mandatory either, they are very concerned about the mental health of students here and want to make healthy connections with their students.
Brisbane, and Australia in general has a very relaxed culture. I was walking along the Brisbane River the other day at just barely five o’clock, and both the riverwalk and the parks around it were filled with people enjoying their evening. Along with all these wonderful cultural differences I am learning to adapt, there are also some that I am still struggling with. Some of them are walking on the left side of the sidewalk, preparing themselves to spend more money than usual on groceries because Brisbane is a popular city, with no tipping (none!).
I am also learning that the city comes alive at night. Since it is so hot during the day, everyone tends to take their outdoor walks in the evening, and on the weekends, the city does not even get busy until around 10 pm! Something that I am enjoying is all the public transportation that Brisbane has to offer. Not worrying about having to drive places is very nice, and recently a public vote just passed which announced that all public transport only costs fifty cents!
Australia is already teaching me so much and I am already so grateful for my time here. By learning different ways of doing things, meeting new people, and making this city feel like home, I am becoming more appreciative of this city every day. Every day I feel as though I am learning something new, meeting new people, or exploring new places in this city. Currently, in Brisbane, we are preparing for a cyclone–or a tropical storm–which is something I have never experienced, but the Aussies are saying it is “no big deal”.
Every day I feel more and more comfortable living here and creating a path that reflects who I am as a student, a friend, and a person. I think that even in these past four weeks Australia has provided me with amazing opportunities along with homesickness and uncertainty, but I have no doubt that this experience will continue to outperform the impressive journey it has given me so far.
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