When You Study Abroad Can You Keep a Journal, PLEASE ?!

I asked my daughter to write down her daily thoughts during her journey to Australia.  I wanted to buy her a nice journal to write in with a leather cover.  You know, something fancy.  But no, she had other ideas and said she would put it down in her Notes app on her iPhone.  That didn’t seem like that great of an idea to me, but you know, she’s a millennial and they do things different than we do.  Anyhow, this didn’t work out – she didn’t write a thing.  Nothing.  N O T H I N G.  Ugh.  But when I asked to see her photos, I saw she had some really amazing shots and she shared a few videos.   I joked around that she should make a PowerPoint presentation to show the family.  She smiled.  And we dropped the subject for a while.  And then a week later I received this wonderful gift – – She did way better than any journal or PowerPoint, she edited all the video she shot on her GoPro and put this awesome video together.  (Cue tears from Mom ; ))

You can watch it here:

 

An Awesome Opportunity to Study Abroad

Let’s go back to the beginning, before the video and see how we got to studying abroad.  I was originally surprised when my daughter first started talking about a study abroad program.  I always thought she would, it’s just that I didn’t think she would decide to go the summer following her freshman year at college.  She thought it was a great idea (of course) and wanted to jump on the opportunity.  She attended the Study Abroad Fair on campus, did all her research, confirmed Bright Futures (Florida’s scholarship program for high-performing students) was offering funding for Summer study abroad programs and presented her case to us to study in Australia and Fiji.

Florida Down Under

After addressing all of our hesitations — it was too soon, she was just a freshman, she would be traveling alone across the world, the cost of attending, and of course the fact that we would miss her – we were ultimately swayed.  The materials available through UF regarding the study abroad program were excellent.  Through “Florida Down Under Programs”, students can study in Australia, Fiji and New Zealand.  We were able to review a sample itinerary and there was an online brochure available with tons of photos from 2017.  It looks like you can find information for 2018-2019 at the UF Abroad website.  There were meetings of the students traveling abroad on campus and we were well informed with itineraries, costs, insurance and travel plans.  This study abroad program over the summer was not traditional as it was always on the move, exploring the wonders of Australia and Fiji.  There were 9 different accommodations in Australia and 4 in Fiji.  As a matter of fact, this program provided a daily itinerary with lessons, assignments and exams along with accommodations, addresses and websites plus where they would be dining as well as modes of transportation.  I felt great since I could follow their moves daily.

The Study Abroad Program

This information was taken directly from the Florida Down Under website:

“UF in North Queensland and Fiji – Sustaining Humans and their Environment”

“This program is a combination of both the North Queensland, Australia program and the Fiji program, which will see you travelling for 5 weeks. This faculty-led experiential program uses the theme of sustainable development to explore the relationship between people and the natural environment in both countries, examining the complex relationships between Australian and Fijian cultures, environmental conservation, and eco-tourism with a view on sustainable business. Fiji is a low-cost layover on the return flight to the U.S. and by combining Fiji with Australia, you earn 9 credits.”

Some highlights of the Study Abroad program in Australia & Fiji:

• Magnetic Island National Park, Australia
• beaches
• hiking
• snorkeling
• reef rehabilitation and research
• reef biology and ecology
• rainforests
• platypus spotting
• Aboriginal cultural experience
• kayaking
• cassowary conservation
• farm homestay
• Tyrconnell gold mine outback experience
• camping
• turtles, birds, kangaroos, koalas and wallabies
• Great Barrier Reef
• Sydney
• Fiji homestay
• traditional Fijian lovo dinner, kava ceremony and meke performance
• swimming with rays

Accommodations

I’ve listed most of the accommodations with their links below.  Most places were youth hostels, some were apartment style; almost always shared bunk rooms and shared baths (but only shared with other members of the program).  Not all had air conditioning.  My daughter has traveled under lots of different conditions from backcountry camping to beautiful hotels and she had no problems with any of the places they stayed while abroad.

• Bungalow Bay Koala Village
• Hidden Valley Cabins
• Mission Reef Resort
• Downunder Farmstays
• Tyrconnell Outback Experience
• Cape Tribulation Beach House
• Lychee Tree Holiday Apartments
• Cairns Queenslander Hotel and Apartments
• Sydney Harbor YHA
• Hotel Mercure Nadi
• Mango Bay Resort
• Barefoot Island Lodge

The Study Abroad Experience

In my daughter’s words – studying abroad in Australia and Fiji was awesome, amazing, exhausting, a lot of work, eye-opening, and absolutely unforgettable.  Plus she made some new and wonderful friends.  All in all, it was totally worth it!