While many of us returned to the Heights this year for our fall semester, one of my very best friends Gabriella LoMonaco did something a little bit different and headed to the University of Queensland in Australia. Check out what this past Campus Cutie has been up to in the land “down under”!
Name, Year, Major, Hometown: Gabriella LoMonaco, 2016, Psychology B.S., Saint James, NY
Abroad University: University of Queensland, Australia
What is the university you are studying at like?
It’s like BC in the aspect that it’s right outside a major city (Brisbane). So I get the college campus feel with still being to close to a wonderful city. On the other hand, it’s a lot bigger than BC, something like 40,000 students. It’s big, but it’s nice. The campus is huge with a bunch of beautiful places. It’s a refreshing change from the BC bubble.
What classes are you taking? Do you like them?
Australia’s Marine Environment, Developmental Psychology, Introduction to Linguistics, Introduction to Health Illness and Society. Yes, it’s nice to be able to take classes just because they’re interesting rather than what’s next on my degree audit. Plus, the Australian accent for all my teachers isn’t bad!
Are your classes different from classes at BC? How?
First, all of them are recorded and put online in case you can’t make it to class, which makes it really hard to go to class on a beautiful or really rainy day. And there’s no set schedule like BC (Meaning having a class every MWF at 10), they’re just random. I have one class Monday 4-6 pm then a class Wednesday 12-2 pm and 2-3 pm.
What other types of students study at your university? Are they friendly?
Australian, obviously. And in the dorm I’m staying there are a lot of international students, which is nice because we’re all in the same boat and help each other out a lot. We did especially in the first couple weeks.
Do they like meeting students studying abroad there? In my dorm yes, because it’s centered around International Students. Half of the students in my dorm are Australian, half are international students. So it’s a really opening and welcoming environment.
Where are you living? Do you like it? International House. They call dorms here colleges, and they’re all within the university. I love International House. Everyone lives in singles, which is pretty cool. My dorm is beautiful; it’s like a jungle. And when you walk through it, it’s all open.
What is a typical day like for you? During the week mainly we go to class, do a little work, and hang out with some friends here. This weekend we have an event called Soiree which showcases all the different cultures here at IH. So everyone is helping out a lot with that. I’m helping out with the cooking and I’m performing the Can-Can.
What do you do on the weekends? Going out here is different than in the US. The big nights to go out are on Thursday and Sunday, mainly because on Friday and Saturday, the bars are more expensive. On the weekend, we mainly travel or just explore Brisbane.
Where else have you traveled so far? Where are you planning on traveling to? I have been to Sydney, Byron Bay (a beach town up the coast of Australia), the Koala Sanctuary and Stradbroke Island for a field trip for one of my classes. I’m currently planning my trip to New Zealand. We have our flights booked to go to Melbourne in a few weeks. And I’ll also be traveling to Perth (on the west side of Australia) to see some family. I’m hoping, somehow, I’ll find some time to make it to Bali.
What has been your favorite experience so far? I think my favorite experience was meeting the people in my college (dorm). I’ve been really blessed with the wonderful people I’ve met. They’re from all around the world, such as Switzerland, Spain, South Africa, and Germany. I’ve also been lucky that some of my really good friends here are from BC, so that when I go home we can all enjoy culture shock and learning to love the winter again together.