On February 11, 2003 I boarded an airplane for the first time and began my 24 hour flight to Melbourne, Australia. I was a senior with one semester left before graduation and that semester was going to be in Australia. It was a chance to try out something different and immerse myself completely in another culture and it was a choice I did not regret.

When I arrived in Melbourne on the 13th of February, I had a day to settle in before I took part in the Melbourne Welcome program. The program was very well organized and the friends I made through that program were some of the best friends I made for my entire trip. The program was packed with things to do and provided food and lodging for 5 nights. We were shown around the city by Aussie guides, sampled Australian wines, shown the famous Australian wildlife, and taken to various restaurants, clubs and museums. The program gave me a chance to familiarize myself with the layout of the city, university and its public transport system. The program was a great introduction to Australian life and culture and aided in a smooth transition into the city.

Classes did not start until early March, so I had the chance to settle in before they started. I was enrolled in four originally, but only ended up taking three courses because that was all I needed. I was enrolled in a World History course, a Critical Thinking course and an Education in Natural Landscapes course. The World History course was interesting and insightful, it definitely focused quite a bit on the United States, but at the same time it was skewed to Australia and Southeast Asian events. The Education in Natural Landscapes course is a class I would recommend to anyone who likes the outdoors. In the course you were guided on two 3-day trips through different parts of the State of Victoria. Those trips were definitely some of the best times I had in Australia. The scenery was amazing, the hiking and backpacking were quite an adventure.  

Outside of classes I tried to travel as much as I could. I spent a weekend in Sydney seeing as much of the city as I could. I went on a Central Australia trip through the school during Easter break. The trip was really well run and I got a chance to visit Alice Springs, Ayers Rock (big red rock, one of the natural wonders of the world), Ormiston Gorge (beautiful scenery), Coober Pedy (opal mining town) and Adelaide (capital of South Australia). I also went out to Western Australia staying in Perth and visiting some of the surroundings for a little over a week during exam time. These trips gave me a chance to see quite a bit of Australia though I would have loved to see more. Tasmania and Queensland were places I really wanted to visit and, if I had more time and money, I definitely would have.

On the flight home I cracked open my journal that I started especially for the trip and reminisced about my travels. I headed home for Michigan on July 4th 2003, with five months of great experiences to show for it.