The Australian Experience

By Natasha Gros, Exchange student in Australia

After 22 hours of travel I finally found myself in Melbourne. I had arranged airport pickup before my departure so when I got off the plane there was someone waiting for me and they brought me and the other international students who had arrived that day to our accommodation. I decided to go with on-campus accommodation at Swinburne residences, although it is really expensive the location is definitely worth it, right on campus and close to grocery stores as well as a street with lots of shops, restaurants, and cafes, it’s also a 10-15 minute train ride to the city center. I got a three bedroom apartment so I am sharing with two other girls who are from Australia; We hit it off right away which has made living here enjoyable.

The weather here in August was rainy and cold, it was hard coming from Canada’s summer, especially since I only brought a limited amount of cold weather clothes. I was informed that it was one of Melbourne’s worst winters but now it is spring and the weather is wonderful, so all is well!

The first week was very busy; there was international student orientation as well as first year student orientation which I attended as well. At orientation they guided us through some things that we needed for our time here, what we should expect here in Australia, they told us about their culture and teaching styles, and informed us of all the services they provide for their students. In the first week I also set up a bank account with ANZ, a cellphone account with Optus (they have awesome month to month plans), and got a myki card which you can use for travel on all trams, trains, and busses. Swinburne international also organized a bunch of events during the first week so that you could meet up with all the other students as well as enjoy some free food. They also organized events that allowed us to explore the city and its attractions, such as the street art, laneways, Chinatown, museums and art galleries. Swinburne also does semester trips which go to the surrounding areas of Melbourne, I went on one to Phillip Island where I got to see the little penguins, go sand surfing, and see some beautiful beaches and cliff walks, they also do a trip to the Heallesville Sanctuary and a surfing trip.

The city of Melbourne is amazing, they have really awesome restaurants, shops, and cafes and although it’s a big city they still have a lot of parks and gardens scattered throughout which are nice to visit and get a break from city living. They have a big market in the city center and I recommend getting fruits and vegetables there as they are much cheaper than at the supermarket. Footy, AFL, or Australian League Football is a big sport here and I recommend going to a game, even if you have no idea what is going on it is still a lot of fun. Melbourne has a lot of teams so there are a lot of games going on around the city. Hawthorn is the big team here and that’s the team that most of Swinburne roots for. I also really enjoy Swinburne as a school, I have all my classes at the Hawthorn Campus so I don’t know what the other campuses are like, but Hawthorn is not too big (although it seemed huge and overwhelming at first) and the teachers are really nice. I have found the majority of people at school and around the city to be very approachable and friendly, there are always the few that are not but I would expect that anywhere!\

For mid-semester break I went to New Zealand’s north island with a few friends from school. We rented a campervan and spent the week partaking in various activities. We visited Hobbiton to see firsthand where part of Lord of the Rings was filmed, we went to a Maori cultural dinner and were immersed in their culture, we also went white-water rafting, caving, canyon swinging, and of course went on plenty of hikes and enjoyed New Zealand’s natural hot springs. New Zealand is a beautiful country and I would recommend travelling there, but the costs for activities can add up quickly so make sure it’s within your budget!

The weather during the spring here is very temperamental, one day it will be rainy and 15 degrees and the next day it will be 28, it gives you a nice break from the hot days but do not expect to go to the beach everyday as spring is considered their rainy season! However, if the forecast for the weekend is supposed to be nice then I would recommend doing the Great Ocean Road, which is a stretch of road that goes along the coast as well as into the green hinterland. A group of my friends and I rented a van from Melbourne and made a weekend trip out of it by renting a house at the midway point of the Great Ocean Road. We spent a day driving all the way to the end to see all the attractions like the Twelve Apostles, The Grotto, Gibsons Steps, and more! And then we spent another day at the beach in Lorne, the water was still a bit cold as it was the middle of October but when it’s hot out its perfect to cool down in. I know that there are options to do a guided tour of the Great Ocean Road but I would recommend getting a group together and doing it in your own time. Most car rental places will only rent to 21 year olds or older so that should be taken into account when planning your trip, and if you’re worrying about driving on the opposite side of the car, on the opposite side of the road, it’s weird at first but you get used to it!

At the beginning of November is the Spring Racing Carnival, which is a huge week-long lavish horse-racing event, with the main race being the Melbourne Cup Race. It is considered the “race that stops a nation” and although I have never watched horse racing in Canada, I certainly got into it here. You can get tickets to the Flemington Racecourse and watch the race in real-life, but all the bars and restaurants are going to be showing it as well. I opted for watching the race at Federation Square in the city center, but next time I would have probably bought a race-day package that includes food and drink, quite pricey, but worth the experience. If you plan to go to Flemington for the races make sure you dress up, because in addition to horse-racing the Spring Carnival is also big on fashion!

More updates from Wales!

By Louise Lauzon, Camosun exchange student in Wales

Louise

Scavenger Hunt

Obviously, a lot more has happened in just the last two weeks, so I'll update some more soon!

We've won a scavenger hunt, and won Hall Wars: which included riding a mechanical sheep! We visited Dylan Thomas' boat house, and the adorable Coastal Town known as Tenby, and fought in a zombie apocalypse!

In the meantime, here's some more pictures:

 

Zombie Fight!

 

Tenby

 

Flatmates :)

 

Dylan Thomas' house (and Morgain looking very happy in the back)

 

An eventful time in Wales!

By Louise Lauzon, Camosun Exchange Student in Wales

So, I have been blogging, and journal writing, but have yet to post much, so here's a backlog of the last month!

Also, before I start, I just found out that I'm receiving two awards from Camosun: thank you so much to the donors and I'm sorry I won't be able to attend the award ceremony and thank you in person! So thank-you for the following:  Vic & Pam Shemilt - Island Blue Print International English Scholarship and  Vic & Pam Shemilt/Island Blue Print Associate Degree in Creative Writing Scholarship ~ Year One

The hardest part about blogging is repeating yourself – over and over.

Personally, I've got a gorgeous purple leather bound journal that I'm writing most things down in. Then, there's Facebook. The status updates, the messages to friends and family, and then you have Skype; verbally telling everyone about everything that's been going on.

So now I have to repeat myself once more, but in blog form. So, I'm cheating a bit and copying from journal entries and Facebook messages. . .

(Then, of course, there's the huge distractions. A spider the size of my hand just wandered into my flat mates room. Surprisingly, there was very little screaming, just our lovely Italian friend saying that she would start charging by weight of the spider to kill it.)

Anyway, here's some of the things I've been up to:

 

 

So, it's Sept 24^th right now. We met up with the school on the 17^th, and today is probably the first day we've had time to just breathe. The 18^th and 19^th were long orientation days, and on the 20^th we were taken to this amazing castle, then headed to a superstore to do some shopping.

On the 21^st they dragged us to Whitesands Beach and St. Paul's Cathedral:

 Both of which were amazing. We wandered into a cave on the beach and found a seal – yeah, the animal – just hanging out in there. At St. Paul's we got kicked out early so they could hold a wedding. If you were looking at this cathedral right now, you'd have the same look of shock on your face as me. How many years would you have to book in advance to have a wedding there? Maybe I'll book now for ten years down the road and hope the timing works, ha ha.

On Sunday (the 22^nd) we finally had time to settle in and unpack, put up pictures, and do some laundry. People were finally starting to arrive, and we had the first of many parties – a cops and robbers theme at the school club.

Speaking of people, let me brag about the ones I get to spend time with!

There are 10 international students (actually, I believe more have arrived since we came along, but we're the core of it.) Of those ten, nine are female. Four are from BC – crazy, I know – one is from Italy, and the rest are from America. We all completely hit it off with each other right away, all sharing the same interests in, well, almost everything. I guess that's what happens when you get a bunch of people who are crazy enough to fly half way across the world to study Humanities. Anyway, three of the girls in my dorm are international, and the other two are from England. Surprisingly, I've only met two or three Welsh people! Most are from around the UK.

 

The dorm rooms are pretty cozy – if you ignore the REALLY loud pipes that are always running. (some nights they remind me of the ocean at home, but most nights I wind up throwing a pillow at them, which doesn't do much). Most of the time (like now for example) we all just have our doors open and we'll shout to each other to talk. Everyone here is incredibly friendly and welcoming.

Tonight we've got the International Potluck (Shintana and I are bringing Poutine, yum!). Tomorrow we get to do tasters of some of the activities they have. I've already met the head of the Quidditch team (yes, you read that right) and I'm really excited for that. Also planning on looking at archery and martial arts just for fun.

For now, I guess I better go start on the Poutine.

 

A bit on bikes in Japan

By Jessica Tamblyn, Camosun exchange student at Josai International University

So having a bike here is COMPLETELY different than in Canada. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Helmets are only required for students in elementary and middle school, nobody else ever wears them...which is awesome because I hate wearing them.
2. Bikes have the right of way pretty much always, and we ride on the sidewalk. (Sometimes people will ride on the side of the road, since the sidewalk is so busy)
3. 
   Driving and biking is on the left hand side of the road. (which is opposite from Canada and I still struggle with what side I need to be on from time to time.)
4. People on bikes are not legally allowed to use their cellphones while riding, but cars can.
5. You cannot drink (alcohol) and bike.
6. It is required to have a bike light at night (I guess that's the same)
7. When you purchase a bicycle in Japan, you must pay an extra 5 dollars for insurance. Doing this requires giving them all your information, so that if you get hit while on a bike, you would be insured. Or if your bike gets stolen, you could go to the police and they would report it. (So if a policeman were to pull you over, they check your bike licence number and your name, if it doesn’t match then you most likely stole the bike.)
8. It is illegal to have someone ride on the back “seat” of your bike, the bars at the back are meant for carrying boxes.
9. Bikes here have keys to lock he bike, rather than a bike lock. The lock tightens around the wheel. Maybe I’ll take a picture or video of it later. 

We went to Cainz and looked for the cheapest possible bike, which was ¥8,900 or about $90. This was the basic grey one with the black basket that every foreigner that we saw with a bike so far had. (Naturally, since its the cheapest option) We went to the shop worker and asked him for the cheap bike. He then said a bunch of words in Japanese and pointed at two different bikes. I was kind of confused and pointed to the cheap grey one outside, so we went out there and he proceeded to explain that the bike doesn’t have gears, the light did not have a motion/sunlight sensor, etc. He then took us inside and showed us the cream/white bikes. The original sign on it said ¥19,800 but he said it was only ¥9,800 (he said this by repeating the price and also covering up the 1 with his finger). Okay, so these bikes were much better, and looked awesome, for only about $10 more! Renato got the white one and I got the cream one, we filled out our paperwork and headed home.

The Ingredients for the Start of a Terrific Journey

    So, my first post on here will be undoubtedly boring compared to what there is to come, but I thought that the nit-picky little details may be helpful to someone out there, so here it goes.

    Back almost a year ago, late fall of 2012, I started thinking of how I want to branch out from just Victoria and Camosun. In high school I had never understood why people wanted to move away for school – you have everything you need here, and the beauty of Victoria is amazing! I loved Camosun, of course, from the teachers and the classes to the learning experiences (especially figuring out that I would never take philosophy again.) Still, I wanted the “Harry Potter experience” of living away from home, at the school, and forging new friendships, maybe joining some clubs or committees, and learn more about how to be on my own.

    This is where, in a moment of curiosity, an internet search led me to find the Study Abroad section on Camosun's website. I had a zillion fears about everything, mostly how I would afford it as I pay for school and room and board while living with family friends. I decided to just go for it though, and spent awhile refining my application and asking Julia, the amazing lady who works in the International offices, a million pointless (and maybe some important) questions. I even ended up emailing the girl, Caitlin, who was currently at the University in Wales (where I was planning the exchange for), and asked for her advice.

    Helpful Hint Numero Uno: Apply for the Scholarship! The application is very similar to the Study Abroad application, so you may as well do them both at once. Here's what the (almost?) final version of all the paperwork looked like. I added in passport pictures and changed some things last minute, but you can get the idea.

I handed in my application a couple days before the deadline (March 31^st) and spent a few weeks biting my nails waiting to hear back from Camosun.

    On April 26th, I got an email from Julia saying that I was accepted into Camosun's exchange program. I was excited and astonished, but said things like “I don't think it's hit me yet. Ask me again when Wales has officially accepted me.” With about five days to the end of May, I got an email from Julia asking if I had finished my application.

I panicked. No, I hadn't. What application? I couldn't find any in my inbox, and when I got the reply that I had to also apply to the Uni in Wales, I about fainted. Luckily the process was similar to the one I had already done twice over, but I spent a few hours trying to get the scanner to work for my passport, and may have had a mini meltdown thinking that this was the end for me and I wouldn't get to go.

Miraculously, I got everything in on time, and was stuck playing the waiting game again.

On June 18^th, I got an email with a copy of the letter from Wales (with the promise of a hard copy coming via post). Still, even with this confirmation, I wasn't quite sure it was real; a part of me at least began to at least believe it was.

    Of course, during this whole process I was obsessively emailing Julia while looking up a bunch of school stuff. The University, by the way, has an amazingly long name: The University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Lampeter Campus. Or, for short, known as TSD. While researching, I had seen somewhere at some point, the deadline for applying for dorms was mid to late June, and I took it upon myself to get in contact with people and apply for them. Of course, just a few days later Julia asked me to come into the office to sign the same forms so she could send them off, so I may have jumped the gun a bit on that one. Though, I do believe in better safe then sorry, despite being rather embarrassed that I had gone ahead on it.

    That almost brings us up to now! I booked my flight at the start of July, through my amazing travel agent of a sudo-Aunt. My flight leaves Victoria on September 12^th, and makes one four hour stop in Ottawa. My baggage won't be taken off the plane and I won't have to go through the US or anything, which is relieving as there is almost no chance of losing my baggage. With the time change and time of travel, I leave Ottawa at 9pm and get to London at 10am, Sept 13^th. International students don't have to be at the school until Sept 17^th, but I'll be spending a few nights in London with Shintana, the other girl that was accepted for TSD. Term ends Dec 13^th, but I'm flying back Christmas Eve, because it was cheaper, and it will give me a few days to travel, plus there's the dramatic touch of getting home the night before Christmas, and the day after my 21^st birthday.

    I just submitted my application for Student Loans, which was a little more difficult then normal given that I had to get course confirmation to Financial Aid so they could confirm I would be in full time studies. I'd already gotten a few courses transferred, so those were used while I wait for final confirmation on classes. In addition to the One World Scholarship, I received a second one from The Leonard Foundation. It won't be deposited to Camosun until mid October, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to use it. Luckily, after talking to a couple people and getting a couple signatures, it looks like it will be used towards my tuition. Hurray!

    The other week I attended the pre-departure meeting, and got a swag bag (see below) as well as some helpful advice on culture shock.

Are you still awake? Not falling asleep in the boring details, I hope.

    I think that's all for now. There, mysterious reader, you are completely caught up with more or less the process of the past few months. I'll be posting soon about the list that never ends of what has to be done in the next two months sometime this week. Any questions? Just ask! I always feel like I ask too many, so it will be nice to answer some for a change.

The Writer in Wales (well, still in Victoria for now),

 Louise