I’ve spent the past four hours researching UofN while watching Border Patrol: Australia on Netflix. Its freezing outside and my body is working to fight off some undetermined illness. Despite my bodily conditions, my day has been incredibly productive and has sparked all sorts of Ausome excitement.
ILead : After searching for a while for various activities to engage in while I am abroad I landed on the page for University of Newcastle’s community engagement page. One of the results showed the ILead student Leader development program for Study Abroad students. (That’s me!) This program allows me to volunteer, attend leadership workshops, and attend exclusive speaker events and then receive a certificate of completion at the end of my program. Its essentially a less intense Bonner Program with all the fun but none of the financial benefit. I am so excited to become part of this program and cannot wait to immerse myself in a group of peers who have a passion or service!
Running: You win some, and you lose some. Although I found a great extra activity with the ILead program, the search for low cost gym memberships and running clubs was less fruitful. Yes, the gym membership for UoN is significantly cheaper than most places, it is still money that is being spent when it could be used for other adventures and food. There was also no running club that I could find which is a bit disappointing, but there are some great places that I could go running if I find a buddy. The Blackbutt Reserve allows its visitors to run about and who doesn’t want to run while getting to see various koalas and wombats?
Courses: So, signing up for my courses has gone smoothly for the most part. However, one of my Contemporary Art courses wont approve which is troublesome. It’s a course that I find to be very interesting and which will count towards my art major when I arrive back home. Although I will be mildly disappointed if this course doesn’t get approved, I have found another one of my approved courses that will fit into my times table that is on the subject of Philosophy and Theory. I know that this course may not transfer back to count towards any majors or minors, but its a topic that I am thoroughly interested in learning more about. When in Rome, right?
Despite illness, I am starting to feel incredibly excited for my time abroad. Hopefully I can figure out my course situation soon and that my roommate abroad enjoys running as well. If not then I’m sure that everything will work out exactly as its supposed to.
Que Serra Serra
Until Next Time…