The University of Western Sydney

            In the words of the great LeBron James, “I’m taking my talents to the University of Western Sydney.”  People continue to ask me the question, “why are you choosing Australia or the University of Western Sydney,” so I hope this document will provide some answers even though I still have no definitive, perfect reason for it.

First of all, I’ve been blessed to live in the same neighborhood with the same friends my entire life. Some people see that as a bore but it is a part of me that I highly value. I’ve met friends in college who have told me that they don’t have a place to call home because their family moved around when they were young. Despite not knowing what this feels like, I still see it with empathy. I have a home, and I’m lucky I do. In fact, I have two homes, Phoenix and Flagstaff, Arizona. It will not be easy to leave my home, but I’m ready for a new adventure. That’s my first reason for studying abroad because “life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”

Next, I choose an exchange program with a company called ISEP that fit well with the scholarship I have at Northern Arizona University. Along with this, I can take classes at the UWS that will transfer at NAU and still keep me on course to graduate. It all just worked well with my chemistry major and the checkbook.

Now, why Australia? To be honest, I still can’t answer that question without hesitation because I’ve never been out of the country. But I can partially answer it. They do speak English there, so that’s convenient.  It’s a nation that is just as fanatic about their sports as we are in the States, if not more. We have football, basketball, baseball, hockey and other minor sports and they have rugby, cricket, swimming, surfing and other minor sports. Don’t forget about the American Football League, which is neither football, soccer nor rugby, but just as popular as the NFL. Plus, I’ve always wanted to live in a coastal city because I’ve either lived in the desert or the mountains. Australia is a coastland of adventurous opportunity. I can cross things of my bucketlist there like, learn how to surf, bungee jump and snorkel the Great Barrier Reef. Lastly, Australians have the sexiest accents ever, and I heard the ladies like American accents so that’s convenient. All in all, I can picture myself being most comfortable with the culture, food, sports and people in Australia; I think I’ll fit in.

            As for the details, I leave in late June 2014. I am headed to the University of Western Sydney and I will be living at the Parramatta campus. This is about twenty to thirty minutes from downtown Sydney by tram. As of right now, I’ll be living on campus in an international housing facility with different people from all over the world. I get back sometime in early December which will give me plenty of time to recuperate from one crazy country, to the next. 

            One of my goals in 2014 was to make Flagstaff my home. Now, I look to make another home all the way across the globe. I know nothing will be perfect about Australia, but I get by with a little help from my friends. I picked a Univerisity and a country based on its beauty, but at the end of the day it is up to me to make the most of it.