December 15, 2011, by Gael

A 21st Birthday in Brisbane

Today I’m celebrating my twenty-first birthday in Sunny Brisbane. It’s great to be celebrating a December birthday in sunshine and with plans to head to the beach over the weekend; I’ll be ending my time in Aussie in style! I begin my long journey home on Monday morning, and will arrive at Heathrow on Wednesday afternoon, that’s a lot of time zones, uncomfortable seats, sleepless hours, films, and lack of space I’ll be experiencing, only to be greeted with cold, dark and windy England so I fully intend to make the most of the next few days. Looking back over my time in Australia, I can’t quite believe everything I’ve managed to squeeze in; from snorkelling on the great barrier reef to seeing a shooting star over Brisbane city, and from playing hockey for the college I stayed at to sleeping in the rainforest, every day has been an adventure and a learning experience and I’ve loved every second of it. I’ve enjoyed Asian festivals, taken part in Australian tradition and immersed myself in American celebrations, fully opening my eyes to different cultures, societies and ways of life which not only enhance my understanding of the world, but will also positively contribute to my sociology degree.

 

 

To celebrate my birthday my Australian friends and I went for a night out at my favourite club – Embassy. Clubbing in Australia is an entirely different experience to Nottingham clubs are smaller, more expensive and a lot cleaner, but in all honesty part of me is craving for the endless options of nightlife that Nottingham provides. My next blog will be after a family reunion, Christmas in Cambridge and New Year in Bristol. I’m excited to be reunited with loved ones, but incredibly sad to be saying goodbye to this country, these friends and this experience. Nottingham leads the field in the international opportunities it provides and I want to get more heavily involved in this on my return. My advice is if you ever get an opportunity to study abroad – take it, allow it to shape you and your knowledge, and be prepared for it to change you and be the best experience of your life to date. See you in 2012!

 

 

 

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