Ready and waiting...

As there's not a lot going on at the moment I don't really have an awful lot to post. However I can provide you with some information so you can get an idea of what I’ll be up to out there. This will mostly be the result of me aimlessly surfing the web out of pure boredom, but hopefully it'll provide a little entertainment- at least for me. Expect continuous updates on this post.

My Courses:

My Timetable:

Link to Griffith University:

Click Here (opens in a new window)

My Campus, Nathan:

Events:

Click Here (opens in a new window) 

This site offers information on events throughout the year. From camel and sheep races to river cruises and crystal festivals- i'll surely be checking this for interesting stuff to do.

Willing to sacrifice?

 I know it seems like I’m only looking at the negatives, but don't worry, i do know that in a month's time all this will be forgotten and taken over by the excitement of standing in the light at the end of the tunnel (metaphorically speaking).

Nobody told me about the sacrifices I’d have to make. So instead of blagging on like I did in the last post I’ll simply list them- with brief comments.

·        Jobs- I wanted to be a Student Ambassador for Brookes and the Teaching Officer for Jacari (student-run charity) but would miss training days and obviously only be there half the year. Also at home I can’t get a job because I’m not here long enough over the summer.

·        Societies- I wanted to be a dance teacher in the Dance Society, but again they wanted someone for the whole year.

·        Social- When friends were off out to the cinema and chatting in each other’s rooms I was huddled away over piles and piles of study abroad documents.

·        Accommodation- As I’ll only be in Oxford half the year I’ve ended up not living with my fresher flatmates as it’s easier for them. Luckily I’ve found a flat where I’m swapping with another study abroad student who’s going in the opposite semester to me and I’m looking forward to making new friends in Oxford.

·        Events- I’ll be missing things going on at home with friends and family, and in Oxford too. I’ll also only see my friends briefly over the summer once they get back from their universities.

·        Money- Obviously it costs money to do this sort of thing. I’m lucky that my family and I can support my way through this, but I have also applied for a Butex scholarship.

Despite these, I can think of many more things I’ll gain out of this experience, just wait and see.

You think you can handle it?

That’s referring to you reading my whinging, not study abroad. Ok so I said I won't moan too much but some people will want to know about the application process. I'll admit I can get myself stressed very easily, but I don't think my sensitive and emotional nature are to blame for the sleepless and tearful nights I spent up in my flatmates room (hail Tara). I’d been warned it would be stressful, but nothing could prepare me for this. Every single hurdle was exactly that- another great big task I had to throw myself at and cross my fingers I hadn’t effed up before I’d even left the country.
At every stage something went wrong. At first I was almost late for submission. I think it’s because I’m a bit of a perfectionist and had been anticipating study abroad for so long that when it actually came to stepping up and putting myself forward I left it all to the last minute as I’d viewed it as such a big task I had to wade through to produce perfect results. I ended up having a last minute meeting with my English lecturer (hail Paul) and he advised 3 universities. Only problem? It is just my luck that the year I apply is the busiest year for study abroad known to man, apparently. My top 3 choices got rejected and I was asked if I wanted to back out. I panicked big time, but with reassurance and help from friends and family I quickly gathered a new fabulous 3 and landed myself a nomination for Griffith University.
At this point I had to put together a big portfolio of documents, all very formal and therefore confusing. Each form was a big stress, requiring umpteen different signatures from Brookes staff across Oxford. Deadlines had to be met, not forgetting my actual coursework too. Luckily this is all now one big stressful blur, so I won’t and can’t go into too much elaborate detail, but I’m guessing it’s like after women go through labour there’s a hormone that supposedly makes them forget it all and they end up doing it all over again a few years on? I think it’s like that, by the time I’m in Oz it’ll all be worth it.
 I do remember one ordeal however, which affected flatmate Tara more so than me. A form had to be filled in and signed by various people, but I was told about this two days before I was due to go back home to Teesside. Of course I couldn't catch the required people in time and had to leave it all up to Tara. One subject coordinator missed the meeting and the other refused to sign until he’d seen me. Feeling guilty for sending Tara round in circles I rearranged and made phone calls, subsequently solving the situation, but it wasn’t without its strains. Most recently I've had to sort out my travel insurance. Brookes helpfully gave me the wrong email address to contact. Luckily the right person managed to find me and all is now well.

Griffith haven’t made it easy for me either. My latest trouble was with enrolment. Brisbane is 9 hours ahead, so when enrolment opened at 10am for them I’d waited up patiently till 1am, counting down the minutes, seconds until I could finall- no. One of my courses was full, despite my immediate and hasty mouse clicking. After 2 hours of crying to my dad and emailing and calling chirpy Australians, I finally enrolled in my 4^th class (they’d had to add an extra run of the tutorial), by 3am I went to bed emotionally drained.
These are a few brief troubles I've had along the way. I’m sure if you’d have spoken to me a few months ago I’d have been more than happy to cry on your shoulder and give you full and repetitive detail about every aspect of the application process, but for now, if anyone’s interested, comment below and I’d be happy to chat about it all. 

I think i'm ready now...

After a long and stressful progression I’m finally not too far away from my amazing adventure. I was going to start this blog a lot earlier, at the beginning of the whole application process, but I’d have bored you with whinging and moaning and would have probably managed to put anyone off ever considering to apply for study abroad. However I chose to start from here, the 18th of June, exactly a month before I fly (all on my own, for the very first time, to the other side of the world- eek).

So, I’m 19, studying English Language and Media at Oxford Brookes, and am originally from Teesside in the North East of England. I had my heart set on doing study abroad as soon as I knew it was an option- I even chose my uni based on the fact they offered it. I knew I wanted to go somewhere where English is the native language- so assumed America was my best option; but once my parents had visited Australia they swayed me to try it for myself. And so I find myself looking forward to a lovely warm semester in Brisbane.

This blog is for friends and family: to keep up to date, comment and chat, (and so my mum can see what I’m doing so she won’t worry- as much); for strangers: to explore Australia through my eyes, reminisce of their visits/ study abroad experiences, or help make an informed decision about study abroad in the future; and for me: as a souvenir, a project, and a way of expressing my thoughts. I hope you all enjoy my frequent updates as much as (I hope) I’ll enjoy experiencing it all for myself.