Studentexchangereport
FrédéricLatulippe
Australia is far, really far and getting there is long really long. The reality of this distance
was the first step of my trip. All the expectations that I have build in the previous six
monthsarejust24hoursahead.But,likeanythingthatisworthit,youneedtoworkforit.I
jumped into my compression socks on, my comfy pants, packed candies, granola bars,
headphonethenhopedontheplaneandflewoverhalftheearthtolandtwodaysafterin
thelandofOz.
LandinginSydneywithagoodfriendfromHEC,thesunwasshinningandtheairwaswarm
sowedecidednottodifferthestartofourtripanylongerandbyfeetmyjourneybegan.
Sydney is my favourite city in Australia and I would recommend anyone who is planning
andexchangeinAustraliatochooseahostinstitutioninthisamazingcity.It’sawonderful
metropolitan area with a city centre surrounded by hills and sandy bays. It also as a rich
anddiverseculturewithdistrictssuchasNewton,GlebeandRandwickwhereallstudents
liveandchillbutalsoDoubleBay,Edglecliff,Darlingtonandmanymore.Thecityassomuch
tooffer:attractions,food,nightlifeandthingstosee.Isawbusinessmangoingforandearly
surfsession,studentsstudyingwithsandbetweentheirtoes,thisiswhatIcallaqualityof
life.
AfterspendingthefirstfivedaysofmanymoretocomeinSydneyIdida10-dayssurfcamp
thatbroughtmeuptheeastcoastallthewaytoByronbay.Surfinghadalwaysamazedme
probablybecauseofmyfearandrespectforwaterandIwasthrilledaswellasscaredto
finally try it. I loved it, despite the fear that is still present to a lesser extent; I found a
therapeuticaspectinit.Fightingafearisgoodbecausefearstopsusfromdoingandgetting
whatwewant.Ineveryaspectofourlivesweexperiencefearandmakechoiceaccordingto
it.Dealingwithoneofmygreatestfear,fourhoursaday,fortendaysinarow,thoughtme
howtobepatient,strong,perseverantandcalm.Themostimportantthingwhensurfingis
to stay calm and take no more than you can chew every step of the way. If you want my
opinionitappliestoeverythinginlife.Ialsolovefitnessandbattlingthroughwavesallday
isareallygoodsport.
After a well-deserve vacation in the most beautiful land on earth I said goodbye to my
friend and flew to the city, which I would call home for the next five months, Adelaide.
AdelaideisalotsmallerthanSydneyorMelbournebutasalittlecharmduringthefestival
seasonwhenthestreetsareroaringwithbuskersandthesurroundingparksofferawhole
rangeofoutdoorperformance,whichIhadthechancetoenjoy.Sadlymyaccommodation,
UrbanestwasreallydisappointingforthepriceandIwasbasicallylivingwithkidsthathad
nevercookedorcleanintheirlife.Theservicewasalsoreallybadandthestaffwastreating
me like a child. I don’t recommend this to anyone; if I had to do it again I would find an
apartmentorasharedhouse.
Thehostinstitution,UniversityofSouthAustralia,wasalsodisappointing.Beingusedtoa
schoolsuchasJMSB,myexpectationofbusinessschoolsishighbutInowunderstandand
appreciatemorethaneverthecompetitivelevelofteachingthatJMSBoffers.AtUNISA,the
courseswerepoorlymanagedandorganised.Evaluationswerequasiinexistentaswellas
feedbackandmostteacherhadpoorteachingandorganisationskills,providingconfusing
course outline with poorly managed resources. For one of my classes I entered the final
examwithnofeedbackandnotevenonegradeonmyprevious12assessments.
Sadly,afterthefirstmonthinAdelaidethefestivalseasonwasoverandAdelaidediedwith
it.IdecidedthatIshouldtrytoseeasmuchasAustraliaasIcouldsoIwenttoMiddletonto
surf and do motorcycle with friends on a few weekends, than did the Great Ocean Road,
Flinders Range, Second Valley, the Red Centre, Cairns, the Daintree River, Airlie Beach,
Rainbow beach, the Whitsundays, Fraser Island, Yamba, Noosa, Kangoroo Island, Victor
Harbor,Hahndorf,Melbournethreetimes,SydneyfourtimesandalsoBaliwereImademy
way through the buzzing cities on my scooter and the Gili Islands towards the end of my
exchange and that is what I will remember the most out of my experience. I saw a lot of
whatAustraliaastoofferandeveryregionissodifferentyouoftenaskyourselfifyouare
stillinthesamecountry.Isawcrocodiles,enormousspiders,desertlands,Aboriginaltribes,
lizards, strange animals, infinite beaches, sand as white as clay and as dark as night, I ate
breakfast with a koala, jumped in a camper with strangers, made friends with a Wombat,
almostgotattackbydingos,sleptwithaRedbackspider,sawthesungodownonthemost
beautiful landscapes, played with the fourth most dangerous snakes on earth, did sand
surfing,scubadiving,learnedtheukulele,swamafewmetersfromsharks,sawafloodin
the desert, but most importantly made memories and friends that will last me a lifetime.
Basically,Ifellinlove,andmorethanonce.Ifellinlovewiththecountryandthewayoflife
butalsowithaveryspecialsomeoneandIamsogratefulforthis.Australiamademefeel
morealiveandmorerelaxthanever.
Ididn’tmakealotofrealgoodfriendinAdelaidebecauseexchangestudentsdidnotreally
share the same interest as me. They were basically drunk every night and trying to sleep
withanythingthatmoves,ofcoursethisisageneralisationandIamsuremynewgirlfriend
andmewerenottheonlyexceptions.LuckilyenoughImettwolocalswithwhomIhadan
amazingtimedrivingaroundsouthAustralia,hikingandsurfing.Iamprettysurethat,from
theentireexchangestudents,IamtheonewhoexperiencedthemostoutofAustralia.You
cangetlaidanddrunkprettymucheverywhereintheworldbutIsawandfeltthingsthat
fewwilleverexperienceandIamohsogratefulforthat.
Sincepictureisworthathousandwords,andthisappliesmorethaneverinthiscontext,I
willletthemtothetalkingfromhere: