When I started my college search process junior year of high school, I had no clue what type of school I wanted to go to; however, I knew I didn't want to be a small fish in a large pond. Fast forward an extensive search and many road trips later, and I ended up at Susquehanna University in the (very) small, rural town of Selinsgrove, PA, home to just under 2,200 undergrads. Fast forward a little more time to the present, and I am attending La Trobe University right outside the city of Melbourne, VIC, home to around 36,000 undergrads and grads. To be quite honest, I was always against going to a big school for the fear of dissipating into being just a number. And yes, my fears came true when I realized I really am just a number at this school (like literally, my email address is my student ID number, and my main identifier is my student number, rather than my actual name), but I'm also so much more. I could honestly go on and on about the differences between my two schools, but I won't bore you with the nitty gritty. However, there are some major changes I've undergone to adjust from going to a small, rural school in the US to a big, urban/suburban school in AUS. Whether these differences are dependent on the size of the school or the culture of the country is where the lines get blurry, but they are still worth noting nonetheless: 1) I am a number. My student ID number is everything to me. It's how I sign my name on attendance lists, fill out paperwork, and headline my papers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing though. Yes, going to a big school makes it a bit harder to have personal relationships with faculty, but it's not impossible. I feel as though the same amount of help is offered here as it is back home, it's just really up to you to seek it out. 2) Everyone commutes. I think this may just be an Australian thing, but only a very small portion of students actually live on campus at any university here. This makes meeting for group work an absolute nightmare. 3) Teach yourself or fail. Independent learning is a major component to education here. Most classes have one lecture and one tutorial per week, and neither class is mandatory. All lectures are recorded to watch online at any time, and tutorials just reiterate what was said in the lecture. Personally, I only have four physical classes to attend throughout Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Some of my classes are blended, meaning I teach myself the course material online and only attend a tutorial to ask questions. I have absolutely no exams, rather, just a few online quizzes here and there. I have way too many research papers to write. This is the biggest change for me so far. At first I didn't know what I was going to do with my four day weekend, but recently those "free" days have been consumed by writing paper after paper. I've never been exposed to such independent learning practices before, so it has been a big wake up call for me to realize that I really need to get myself together and organized to do well this semester. 4) There's actually stuff to do off campus. Another big change for me. Don't get me wrong, I love the quaint town of Selinsgrove, but I can't help but get frustrated on certain days when I want to do something new and have exhausted all options because I have no car/everything is too far away. Here I can just hop on the tram or a bus and travel throughout the city/suburbs so easily. It's a blessing for those days when I can't look at another paper anymore and just need to get out to explore. However, definitely not a blessing for my wallet... 5) It takes more than 15 minutes to walk across campus. This didn't bode well for me when I almost missed my first class of the semester resulting from not leaving enough time to walk to class, while also not accounting for the fact that I could get lost. And I got very lost. La Trobe University's Bundoora campus, the one I'm on, is the largest campus in the Southern Hemisphere. Definitely not the quaint Susquehanna I'm used to. The size helps with getting a nice workout in walking to and from class everyday, but it sucks when the weather is rough (which has been happening almost every day so far, got to love Melbourne winters). I've been learning recently that different is not always a bad thing. This change of pace at La Trobe is quite refreshing in contrast to my Susquehanna experiences. Despite seeming like a number at times, I have embraced this change with open arms. Approaching new situations with an open mind is so important, and I'm glad that this mindset has made adapting to this new life all the more easy.
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I love coffee. Extreme emphasis on the love part. Seriously, I have a passion for the stuff. I find nothing better than starting off my day with a fresh, tasty cup of coffee for fuel. And I literally mean nothing is better, because unfortunately I have a caffeine addiction, and on those rare days when I do not get my daily cup of joe - well let's just say... things get ugly. Post-arrival, I had heard many great things about how seriously Australians take their coffee. Quite honestly, I was extremely excited and curious to experience it myself. In America, I usually keep things simple with my coffee order anywhere I go: either an iced or hot black coffee with almond milk. I absolutely love a good light/medium roast coffee paired with the nutty taste of almond milk. The thought alone makes me so happy. My first coffee ordering experience in Australia was... well... a tad awkward when I realized things were not as cut-and-dry as one would expect. Here's how things played out:
As I sipped my strong yet tasty cappuccino, I remained puzzled as ever, pondering why I could not just order plain coffee. Upon further extensive research, I began to realize just how seriously Australians take their coffee - or should I say, espresso. There are nine ways Australians make their coffee (or at least all that I have seen):
Basically, you can get any espresso variation your heart desires, but to my dismay, I can not get my regular coffee with almond milk at just any café here. To top off this shocking news, iced coffee is not a thing here either. Yes, you can order an iced coffee, but you are going to get espresso mixed with ice cream - which sounds really good, but unfortunately it is not the most ideal daily pick-me-up. Through all this confusion and research, the verdict is still out on which type of espresso I enjoy most. As of now, my go-to is a long black with almond milk or a cappuccino with almond milk, but I am always trying new types every once in a while. To sound super cheesy, this experience in Australia has only made me more of a coffee connoisseur than I was before. Every trip I take off campus, be it a 45 minute tram ride or a three hour plane ride, I look for a café that seems promising. Every so often I strike gold and find a café with cold drip or filter coffee - which seem to be the closest things I can find to my home order. Those days are absolute blessings. Slowly but surely, I am growing accustomed to the bitter and rich taste of espresso - it definitely does the job of a caffeine pick-me-up for sure. My only concern now is returning to America to find that my black coffee with almond milk isn't strong enough for me anymore... |
AuthorHi, I'm Sam. Welcome to my blog! Archives
September 2018
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