My first week studying abroad

Survival Mode

The first week went by in a blur. Everyday was a different adventure, I felt like an explorer. I noticed myself doing random activities with random people from all over the world. I also remember thinking to myself I must have had a guardian angel by my side because I was lucky enough to book a bed in a hostel two blocks from the my new university. Since I had arrived in Australia mid-week before orientation I found myself in dire need to meet new people, find a permanent place to stay and get familiar with the area.

Everyday I would go down stairs to find a place to eat with a lot of people then build up the courage to join a conversation with a group of strangers. I would also run into people on the street and if they looked like they were students I would begin a conversation in hopes of making new friends. On many occasions this led to hanging out with them later or simply being able to say hello to someone in passing next time I saw them.

My first two days in Sydney Australia I ended up being so excited that I found myself doing activities such as going out to watch a movie, bar hopping, sightseeing and people watching (check out 6 things to do First week in Sydney). By The third day, I was so exhausted and jet lagged that I slept through much of the day.

I had already visited the study abroad and student housing office several times to plead my case for being able to move into student housing and plead my argument for enrollment into a class needed to meet a graduation requirement. After seeing my attempts were futile I began my search for an alternative course of action.

By day 4 my feet were on fire until the point I was limping in pain. I had walked miles in search of housing and sightseeing. This housing search went on for the next two weeks.

In the meantime orientation for international students had begun. The orientation was a great way to meet new people who I would possibly be in contact with for the rest of my study abroad experience. I remember the first person I met during orientation we were both so happy to meet each other that we hit off right away and became good friends. Many of the people who I met during the first few days of studying abroad orientation I remained good friends with during the experience.

I can’t give enough credit to orientation week. It really allowed me to break the ice and settle into my new home. There were tons of activities to do during this week, such as social gatherings events and informational sessions that allowed me to make a smooth transition into my new surroundings.

During the first week of studying abroad I had to quickly adapt to my surroundings and at times I felt overwhelmed with all the new information that I was getting but I knew the quicker I became acclimated the faster I could begin really learning about the culture and experiencing Australia.