Next Stop, Australia!
Date
June 1, 2016
By Chamira S., Sydney Internship Program Summer, Australia
I have been patiently awaiting this day since I got accepted into this study abroad program, Sydney Internship Program Summer. Because this is my first time out the country I didn't know what to expect and I have to admit I was a bit nervous to leave, especially by myself. I arrived to Sydney approximately 2 days later (15 hours ahead of Chicago) and to my surprise I wasn't tired at all. It was probably the adrenaline and excitement of stepping foot onto international soil. Even though I have never been out of the country, Australia seemed to be very similar to the United States so that was comforting. I was able to use my city girl sense and maneuver my way smoothly into the city. I caught the train to Central and met other students from the program at the Adina Hotel which would be my new home for the next 2 months.
Staff from Arcadia University started our 3-day orientation welcoming us to Sydney. We roamed the city for what seemed to be hours and from there I knew that I couldn't have made a better decision than to be here in Australia. I immediately became comfortable with being uncomfortable. Later on when we were given free time I visited local coffee shops, cafe's and malls by myself to really get the feel of walking the streets as a temporary Australian. To be honest, I wasn't keen on doing activities alone, especially while in a foreign country however I was going to be living in Australia for 2 entire months. Why not get accustomed to local and city life? I am so excited to see what the next couple of weeks will have in store for me here in Australia!
Chamira is a student at the University of Illinois, Urbana and is blogging from her summer abroad with the Sydney Internship Program Summer, in Sydney, Australia.
These pieces were created by student contributors. The views and opinions expressed are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Arcadia Abroad.