Study Abroad in Sydney, Australia - UNSW

Studying abroad in Sydney, Australia was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. From the moment I arrived, Sydney lived up to every expectation and dream I had for my abroad experience. Waking up just minutes from the beach, exploring the iconic Opera House, and taking weekend trips to some of the most breathtaking places in the world made every day feel surreal. Studying at UNSW challenged me academically while also allowing me the flexibility to travel weekly and enjoy everything my host city had to offer. While many people don't expect it, there was a bit of a culture shock with the Aussie slang and slower pace of life. Engaging with locals and other international students made the experience so meaningful and transformational. I will never forget the amazing Australians who welcomed me with open arms and showed me what Australia was all about. Looking back at my four months in Australia, this experience shaped me into a more confident, independent, and open-minded person. Studying abroad pushed me beyond my comfort zone and gave me a new perspective of the world. I will always be grateful for this experience.

I studied at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia under the TEAN program. Academics were rigorous and stimulating at UNSW, but I appreciated taking only 3 classes per term since it allowed me more time to explore Sydney and Australia as a whole. Lab and seminar/discussion-based classes were the best way to make local friends! TEAN staff were amazing! They were extremely helpful and so sweet. I hung out with and really got to know my TEAN RD on a personal level while also knowing that they could also help me with any questions or issues I had. Housing was a mixed bag. I lived on UNSW campus and it was mostly fine. I started out living in a unit that had cockroaches. However, my RD advocated for me and the other students and we were moved into other housing quickly. I had friends living in the other accommodations option, living off campus about 15 minutes from UNSW, which was obviously superior to the on campus option. The only real benefit to living on campus was reducing commute time by a couple of minutes. I rarely ever felt unsafe in Sydney, even as a woman. Public transport and walking around at night in well lit areas was also very safe. Obviously, it is still important to apply common sense and avoid danger as much as possible, but otherwise, there was very little risk. Overall, I had an amazing experience and I would totally recommend studying abroad with TEAN in Sydney! I would recommend participating in all of the excursions, especially the surfing lesson!

While spending over five months living abroad as a student, I observed various cultural aspects within Australia that emphasized the nation's unique identity. The biggest cultural shifts and adaptations I saw while living in Australia were between the significance of sports within their society and the influences that the environment took within daily lives. In Australia, the significance of sports and the environment is an integral part of life, shaping their culture as a whole. One of the classes I took whilst participating in my study abroad was Sport and Learning in Australian Culture (EDUH), which a lot of the other study abroad students were taking also. This class allowed students the opportunity to participate in attending sporting events such as, The Australian Football League, Rugby, Cricket, Soccer, Horse Racing, Greyhound Racing, Surfing, Lifeguard training, and much more. This was my favorite class while studying abroad because it showed me and other students what Australian sports culture is all about. Furthermore, with my program manager TEAN, our group was able to attend numerous field trips including tours of the Blue Mountain National Park, Sydney Opera House, Taronga Zoo, Sydney’s Botanical Gardens, and much more. This allowed the group to immerse themselves within the environment that so many Australians are used to daily. Within the EDUH class and the TEAN field trips, I observed Australian culture through the lens of a local. While attending events from events within my EDUH class and field trips from my TEAN program I found that Australians rely on their sporting culture and environment to boost their significance within the world. I think that because Australia is so big of a country, yet has a little population, it makes it seem like the world is small while being there, yet so big at the same time. While being there I would often see the same faces, meet with friends at the same cafes or restaurants, go to the same beaches, the same parks, and much more. This has a huge roll of the environment within Australia. I was lucky enough to stay at a famous beach called Bondi Beach for a couple of weeks, and while being there I found that the environment of being there changed my mindset greatly. My friends and I were talking about how there are so many Australians surfing on a random Tuesday at 11:00 a.m., wondering if they even work or not. We later asked a local this exact question and their answer was solely related to their environment stating “I would rather live a happy lifestyle surfing and doing the things I want and working 2 days a week, rather than working 80-hour weeks like you Americans do.” This changed my perspective on how an environment can change everything about your life entirely. I really enjoyed this type of lifestyle/perspective for a while, however, after a while I learned that it is not for me. A lot of Australians seemed comfortable with where they are and not wanting any more out of life, while it seems like the complete opposite in the U.S.A. This could be because I am used to the lifestyle of always working and trying to get more money to enjoy life with traveling, I found that most Australians don’t think that way, most Australians I’ve had conversations with haven’t left their country at all. I think that this lifestyle is solely based on what you want from life and it’s okay to think either way. Furthermore, one of my favorite sporting events in Australia was the Australian Football League. This is quite similar to American Football yet with their Australian twist. From my own perspective, I found that Australians love their sports and use them as a way to go beyond fun, however, they use them for community and identities. This goes the same for how my host country acts with the sport of American Football. I am from a city called Buffalo in New York, and by far our biggest identity is our Football team. Whether it’s at home with family watching the game or attending the game in person the Buffalo Bills football team is without a doubt talked about in every household in this city. Much like Australians we use sports as a way to shape our culture and to shape our identity throughout the world, creating a positive image for the rest of the world to see us in. However, the environment doesn’t play nearly as much of a role as the Australian environment plays. The environment within Buffalo consists of some restaurants and Niagara Falls, while the environment in Australia consists of numerous parks, the Sydney Opera House, gardens, monuments, cafes, restaurants, and much more. My host country and Australia, have a huge cultural dependence on sporting events, however, my host country is less dependent on the environment while Australia is huge on the environment. This changed my perspective less on the sporting events, but mostly on the environment. Reflecting on my time abroad, I’ve gained an understanding of the cultural prominence of environment and sports within Australia especially how they’ve shaped societal values and national identity. I was surprised by how different and prominent Australian sports are within their culture, not just as an entertainment source, but as a social influence that connects people of all ages, backgrounds, regions, and much more. The environment for me was even more important seeing as how it played such a huge role in the culture. Looking forward, these experiences will shape my influence on community building, friendships, professional life, and much more, especially when considering the value of responsibility while engaging in diverse environments and other cultures.