Princeton University Athletics
My View
February 10, 2000 | General
Spending a semester in Melbourne is a wonderful mix of opportunities and challenges. I feel like I've been given this amazing present to see a new part of the world, but it comes with a limited time warranty so I have to squeeze in as many things as I can. "I'm in Australia" seems to be justification for just about anything. I've visited Sydney, Canberra, Tassie, the Whitsunday Islands, the Great Ocean Road and the Gold Coast, gone surfing, sailing and scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef, and explored the downtown and suburbs of Melbourne.
I've read Fatal Shores, gone to footy games, to the Moomba Festival and to the Anzac Day dawn service. My workload is less constantly demanding than what I usually have, and I'm spending more time and money on just having fun than I would normally feel entitled to do. I still work for a web-programming job over telnet but for only a few hours a week instead of a few every day, and I'm thousands of miles and many time zones away from any place I've ever been before. It's weird to think of life going on for my family and friends back in the U.S. and weird to get news of increasingly removed events over e-mail.
Trinity has particularly added to my experiences. The college can be a bit of a privileged bubble and can feel limited with the general lack of privacy, but overall has provided wonderful ways to meet people and try different things. I am continually impressed by the variety of talents that the students here have, juggling diverse arrays of activities. I have enjoyed being able to get involved too, and through sports teams, shared classes, assorted conversations and adventures, this has become much more than just a place to stay.
Being a study-abroad student does however offer a unique perspective. I am more than a tourist, but not quite a full resident. It's not realistic to expect to be viewed exactly the same or fair to pretend that I approach life here just as I would in the U.S. It can be hard to fully fit in and become attached to a place when you and everyone else know that you'll only be here for a few months. You aren't sure who to associate with in Orientation Week, having already gone through the joys and stresses of leaving your family for school years ago and so not feeling quite like a fresher, yet not wanting to overstep your bounds or intrude on the existing groups among the seniors. You want to pick up new slang, but feel a bit awkward when you do, not sure whether you'll sound ridiculous like you're trying to be something you're not. Even after having been here for some time and having gotten to know people well, it can seem like you're operating in a sphere apart from the full-time students. You go off to travel on weekends and are excited about getting to see different places, but in doing so miss out on being here and wish that you could somehow have both. It is often a position of ambiguity, hard to express properly in words.
I haven't felt intentionally shunned or excluded, in fact it's been quite the opposite and a smile and friendly "Hello" is all that it takes to get an open response in return. But there are subtle differences and for a variety of reasons study abroad students are often found together. This segregation doesn't occur because people don't want to mix, but more because they're unsure at first of what is appropriate and so a pattern begins to develop and perpetuate. It's easy to get to know other people who are in the same situation as you, and a bit intimidating to break into groups that have already formed. I find that it is a conscious decision everyday who to sit with at meals. I want to spend time with my Australian friends, but can feel like more of an observer than a participant in conversations. I want to spend time with my American friends, but don't want to be seen as exclusive or categorically stereotyped. Finding the right balance can be a trick.
Things can become complicated, but as a whole being here has been one of the best times of my life, with lots of personal learning and a bit of work on the side. I am not Australian, but Australia is now a part of me. I will leave with new memories, pictures, phrases and friends. It will be impossible to adequately summarize all that has and will go on, but I will be able to honestly answer the inevitable question, "How was Australia?" with the simple response, "Great!"