First Time Abroad

Dynasty studied abroad in Sydney in the Spring Semester, 2020. She answers questions and reflects on her experience traveling abroad, outside of US, for the first time in her life.

What was it like to get your passport and leave the country for the first time?

After I applied for my passport it took a long time for it to arrive, but once it did I was able to apply for my visa. That process was easy because the visa was an electronic visa, so I received it a couple hours after I applied. It was scary and exciting to be leaving the country for the first time. I didn’t know what to expect and knew that I would be living in a place I had never been to before. Once we arrived, I was thrilled to actually be in Sydney, Australia and to finally begin my adventure.

What were your expectations about the program/experience going in? Were they met? Were they exceeded or did they fall short?

I didn’t really have many expectations about the program going in, since I have never been outside the US before. I didn’t make any expectations or preconceived notions about what my time in Australia would be like. I just set myself up to have an open worldview and to learn new things.

Was there anything you learned about yourself? 

I learned a lot about myself during my time in Australia. I learned that I’m capable of going to a new country I’ve never been to before, all on my own, and sightsee and explore without fear. I learned that I could live in a completely different place by myself, and visit different tourist sites, and meet new friends. I learned that I was able to come out of my comfort zone and try new things I’ve never done before. I learned that traveling to a different country is not as daunting as it had first seemed, and that I am so proud of myself and glad that I went.

The Beauty of Independence

            My name is Robby Aronson and I am a junior majoring in Journalism at the Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism at USC. This past spring, I decided to study abroad in Sydney, Australia at the University of New South Wales. Annenberg offers tons of great programs for students to study abroad, but I’ve always wanted to go to Australia to meet my family both in Sydney and in Melbourne that I have never met before. I thought this would be a great opportunity to experience living in a new culture across the world and meet some of my family members as well.

            The first morning I arrived in Australia I woke up at 4:00 am because of the jetlag. I tried to fall back asleep, but I was unable to do so for a few hours. Once the clock hit 7:00 am, I figured I should stop trying and that I could use this opportunity to explore the city by myself. Oftentimes, I tend to do things in groups and maybe I don’t get the exact experience that I want as a result of trying to figure out what’s best for everybody. This became a great opportunity for me to focus on myself and do whatever it was that I wanted to do. So I got out of bed, got dressed in athletic attire, and headed outside and for the beach.

            I lived on campus and the distance from my apartment in Randwick to Coogee beach was about a mile and a half. I’m not much of a runner, but I knew before I left for Australia that I wanted to do things I don’t normally do while I was in Sydney, and so I took off and started running to the beach. The weather that morning was perfect, not too hot and not too cold for a jog, and the city was pretty empty that early in the morning. I truly felt during that run that I got to explore part of the city by myself and I got a pretty good sense of my surroundings so early on. Once I reached the beach, the sun was really starting to rise, and it was beautiful. While being all the way across the world is a bit worrisome at the beginning, in that moment I felt so at peace with where I was, and I felt one with the city. It’s not every day that you can just run to the beach and back, and I knew I needed to take advantage of this opportunity while I was abroad.

            I think it’s incredibly important to make friends while studying abroad and to do things with others and to share experiences with other people. One of my favorite parts about being abroad was meeting so many new people with similar, but also different interests. However, I loved this morning run so much because for me, the best part about being abroad was to learn more about myself and become more independent as a result. I’m horrible with directions, but I was able to run a mile and a half and figure out where I wanted to go and back in a foreign city without getting lost. I got to see the city for the first time by myself and that allowed me to make decisions and goals about what I wanted to do while I was away.

            I think it’s incredibly important to try to be as independent as possible while studying abroad and to do things you wouldn’t normally have the time and opportunity to do so at any other point in life. Sometimes the friends you make will have classes at times that you don’t or won’t necessarily want to do the things you want to do while you are abroad and that is okay! Doing something by yourself shouldn’t prevent you from doing something at all, and it’s important to remember this. I was up at 4:00 am, I couldn’t call or text the new friends I had just met the day before to try to go to the beach so early in the morning, but I wanted to go to the beach and see the sunrise and the city. I didn’t want to be stuck in my room, so I took off and just did it. I didn’t have to think about it, I just did it and I think that was the coolest thing for me to experience so early on.

            Overall, my experience in Sydney was awesome! I wish I could have had more time in Australia and have explored and seen even more of the city and the country and that side of the world. I think it’s important to try to make the most out of every moment and every opportunity because before you know it, it will be time to go home. This is a time to get out of your own bubble and your own comfort zone, and it’s important that you do so. This experience will end in the blink of an eye, and it’s just important to have fun and enjoy the ride.

Sustainable Tourism in Australia

Hi! My name is Jillian Punwar, and I’m a rising senior at USC studying public relations. This past semester, I studied abroad in Sydney, Australia and had the most amazing experience I could have ever imagined. As an extremely indecisive person, the process of picking a place to study amongst the amazing options was daunting. I ended up choosing Sydney to experience a new culture and visit another side of the world I had never been to - and I could not have been happier with my choice.

Upon arriving in Sydney, my roommates and I decided to take a class together called “Sustainable Tourism in Australia.” The class entailed a two week online class along with a field trip to a eco-tourism resort surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef called Lady Elliot Island. After arriving on the island, we learned that the island was INSANELY small, and our class of about 50 people were the only people besides the staff who were living there for the weekend. We had class once a day, and learned about a range of subjects revolving around sustainable tourism, such as the effect the carbon footprint of aviation has on the environment and ways to possibly combat that. Besides the interesting topics that were presented to us, we had the best few days on the little island. There was no cell service on the island and our days were spent swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving and meeting new people. On one occasion, we got up at 4:30 A.M and headed over to the location on the island best known for the exotic marine life which inhibits it. We were able to snorkel as the sun was rising, and see animals such as sharks, sting rays and huge turtles. It was truly the most amazing experience. We became friends with people in our class who were from all over the world - some from schools in the U.S, others Australian students or foreign exchange students. We met and became close with people we would have never met otherwise. After our time on Lady Elliot Island ended, we kept in touch with our close knit group and saw them frequently throughout our 5 amazing months in Sydney.

Before coming abroad, I had no idea what this experience would be like and had no desire to go to a small island in the middle of the ocean with people I didn’t know. However, having this opportunity set the tone of my whole experience in Australia. This class opened me up to new people, and allowed us to make friends without technology and social media playing any part of it. I was able to try things I have never tried before and make lifelong friends, and this trip influenced me to be open to trying new things abroad.

If you are thinking of going to Sydney, I would definitely recommend getting out of your comfort zone and taking this class. Or if you don’t have the opportunity to take this class, take every opportunity possible to go out and meet new people in your classes, living in your community and any locals you meet. We met so many amazing people through experiencing this class and just going up to Australians and talking to them.

This “field trip” was a great kickoff to an amazing semester abroad. Shortly after returning from the island, my three roommates and I set off on a trip around Asia - traveling to Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore. Upon returning from that life-changing trip, we took advantage of every second we had in Australia. It soon became known to me that Sydney was one of my favorite places in the world. Every weekend we adventured around the city, tried amazing food, met new people and went to different beaches. Since we were not leaving every weekend, I truly felt like a local in Sydney which was amazing. I became friends with people from all over the world, and with those new friends we traveled to new places in Australia including the magical Byron Bay (you need to go here), and even took a weekend trip to New Zealand. If I were talking to a prospective abroad student, I would recommend Sydney, Australia with all my heart and soul. The ability to live in one place for months and get to know the amazing city of Sydney is an experience like no other and something so unique. I would not trade my abroad experience for the world, and I am so happy with my decision!

Jillian Punwar

is a senior at USC pursuing her degree in Public Relations. Jillian studied abroad in Sydney in the Spring semester of 2018. She posses a strong interest in snorkeling, experimenting with local cuisines and enjoys exploring new cultures. Hence, she fit right into the ‘Aussie lifestyle’.