Last spring, I completed my first study abroad experience in Barcelona, Spain. My time in Spain was wonderful. I fully immersed myself in Spanish culture, practiced Spanish daily and took the opportunity to tour the rest of Spain and some other cities in Europe on the weekends. In fact, I had such a great time that when I arrived back at my home institution next fall, I decided to study abroad again.  

While browsing my options of locations to study abroad and talking to my friends and classmates about their time abroad, one thing was clear: European study abroad locations dominate the conversation. It was difficult to find someone to talk to about studying outside of Europe and even more difficult to find someone who studied abroad in multiple places that could give me a comparison of what it was like to study abroad in Europe versus elsewhere. 

Roy’s Peak in New Zealand

Browsing the CEA CAPA website and scrolling through their options, it was difficult to imagine myself in a non-European city. I loved my experience in Barcelona but knew that I would be missing out on exploring the world if I return to Spain. That’s when Sydney caught my eye. The Opera House, the Harbor Bridge, the Beach, it intrigued me.  

Aoraki / Mt. Cook in New Zealand 

I scrolled through social media, YouTube, and other study abroad forums looking for a comparison between what my experience could be in Sydney and what it was in Barcelona, but I didn’t find much. As someone who loves to explore foreign and unique cultures, I was worried that Australia would be too similar to the United States or England. I wondered how I could take weekend trips around Australia and the South Pacific, like many do around Europe. 

Meeting an elephant in Chiang Mai, Thailand 

As I write this from my desk at home, having just returned from my three months in Sydney, I am full of gratitude and joy for my experience. I can confidently say that my time in Sydney matched and even exceeded my experience in Barcelona. Because of this, I wanted to share a small recap of my experience to help those struggling to find a study abroad location and urge those dead set on studying in Europe to expand their search. 

Mt. Wellington, Tasmania

Sydney, Australia 

What a wonderful place! Because the seasons are opposite in the Southern Hemisphere, during the long winter months in the north, you could relax on a warm, sunny summer beach in Sydney. The beaches are beautiful, the water is clear, and they're easily accessible by bus. Much better than freezing in the Northern hemisphere (if you ask me). 

A cooking class we took in Thailand  

The Blue Mountains 

On any given morning, you will see droves of surfers riding waves, run clubs cheering each other along, and yoga groups practicing meditation. Australian culture is very active and collaborative. You feel encouraged to eat healthily and exercise outdoors. The culture is influenced by many other Pacific cultures and Sydney is extremely multicultural. Wandering the streets of Sydney, you will find wonderful Thai, Vietnamese, Indian, and Chinese restaurants, and the supermarkets contain different international ingredients that you cannot find in the West. 

Hà Giang, Vietnam 

As for weekend trips and spring break, Australia is not as accessible as Europe. It is much more expensive to traverse and takes more time to get around. You really don’t understand how far Australia is from everywhere else until you are ten hours into your fifteen-hour plane ride. Still, that didn’t stop my friends and I from visiting other parts of the country and its surrounding neighbors. Melbourne and other large Australian cities are serviceable by train, bus or Sydney’s large international airport—I recommend going to Melbourne, Tasmania, and Byron Bay. New Zealand, one of the most beautiful places on the planet, is also a “short” flight away. For our mid-semester break, a lot of people from our program found cheap flights to Bali, however, we decided to visit Thailand and Vietnam to explore Southeast Asia for the week. 

What Australia lacks in the history department, it makes up through nature. Because Australia is such a young country—it wasn’t established until 1901—it doesn’t have the history or old, Gothic architecture that Europe has. Still, the Australian continent is ginormous and full of unique flora and fauna. Though you won’t see as much Renaissance art or prehistoric buildings, you will see wild wallabies and birds with colors you wouldn’t believe existed in nature. Sydney is surrounded by national parks. Most notably and accessible by public transit, the Blue Mountains are full of hiking trails and camping spots, making it a perfect day trip getaway. In combination with miles of coastline, Sydney is the perfect place for a relaxing beach weekend, or an adventurous camping trip.