Melbourne, Australia (first day)

Melbourne

Nothing as I expected. No kangaroos running around. No koalas in the trees. No beach nearby with cute tan surfers hanging around. The least expected of all is that I would be spending the next 4.5 months living in the busiest part of Melbourne, the Center Business District, in the heart of the city. 

In Melbourne, there are modern architectures mixed with cathedrals and old Victorians buildings that gives you a glimpse of the history of Australia. This was my first impression of Melbourne. The public transportation here makes it very easy for people to get around. The trams run through the main streets of the city and trains take you from one suburb to another. I have never used public transportation at home so this was going to be something I had to get used to. As long as I had my map in hand and chicken wrap from one of the many cafes in the other, I was ready to explore the city by tram to look for my new home. 

Why Australia?

People always ask me why I picked Australia to study abroad. To be honest, I was actually obsessed with going to Paris! I had my heart set on going to Paris since sophomore year in high school but when the time came to apply, I decided that the 4 years of high school French wasn't going to cut it in the real place. I decided to apply to Australia instead since I could always backpack Europe. Australia also had this image of wild kangaroos and koalas roaming everywhere and the weather being warm year round. I thought that I could be a beach bum and chill for the whole 5 months. To my surprise, and all the other American exchange student in Melbourne, there were no wild kangaroos in sight. Instead we found ourselves in the Center Business District surrounded by trams, trains, and men in suits! Studying in Australia wasn't what I expected it to be and coming from Orange County, I was more of a beach girl at home than I was in Melbourne, Australia.