ANY helpful advice for a Study Abroad student!?
 

Hello all,

I just received note that I will be studying abroad for a semester in Canberra, Australia! I am super excited and I was wondering if anyone has any tips, hints, places to go, etc. while I am over there for 6 months?

Anything would be very helpful!!!

Thanks!

Congratulations on being accepted to study abroad in Canberra (ANU?) We lived there for several years and fell in love with the city.

There's lots to see and do in Canberra (great museums!) and most of it is free, which is helpful for a college student. There are some places which are difficult to reach without a car, but I'm sure you'll manage some transportation.

We especially enjoyed the bush land which surrounds the city. If you want to see some wildlife, visit Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve and Namadgi National Park. Our favorite hike in Namadgi is the Yankee Hat Hike because you be assured of seeing hundreds of kangaroos on the trail and Aboriginal drawings on the rock at the turnaround point.

If you want to see some kangaroos in town, you could walk up Red Hill. My husband used to do this for exercise and almost always came across some kangaroos in the bush. There's also great views of the city from the top.

If you are there during rugby season, be sure to catch a game with the Brumbies or the Raiders. We found rugby to be a fast-moving game and lots of fun to watch, even though we didn't completely understand the rules!

Go everywhere you can. Check out Contiki.com for trip ideas at minimum for where you may want to go throughout the country -- I'm thinking you want to go somewhere other than the capital.

And yes, the native sons and daughters really are speaking English . . . of a sort.

Congrats!

Tell us a little more about yourself and what you like to see and do. Then we can make some more informed suggestions to bolster your time there.

do not try to plan it all out beforehand as you'll make contacts and friends when here.

Do not expect things to be the same as home.

Expect that you'll get home sick, pissed off by little things that would not normally bother you, miss trivial familiarities and hence wonder about your sanity. It is all normal. It even has a name, culture shock. People do not expect such a thing when moving to another country which has so much in common with home but it is real. So far I have heard of no fatalities, though it has led people to do crazy things.

Ok so a little about myself: I really enjoy doing spontaneous adventurous things. I have been skydiving and scuba diving so not too much frightens me. I enjoy the thrill of spontaneity. haha! Also, I am interested in scenic locations. I don't mind going to various museums and stuff like that, but anything really special about the Canberra area would is totally interest me. I also enjoy traveling a lot, so I am open to venturing out beyond Canberra (as I know Sydney is a couple hours away). I love meeting new people. And I know this may be far-fetched and specific at this time, but I'll throw it out there. I would love to find a church I could attend while there. Preferably something non-denominational. I have always been interested in visiting Hillsong Church, but I know that is kind of far away from Canberra to be going on a regular basis. Just throwing it out there!