Caroline Cannon is a student at the University at Alabama. She is an ISA Featured Blogger and is studying abroad with ISA in Sydney, Australia.
My time abroad has taught me many valuable life skills. I have learned how to budget my money, use public transportation as my main way to get around, and how to cook my own meals. Before coming abroad, I saved up as much money as I could, but I was still limited. I had to learn how to balance my spending so I could make the most out of my experience. To save money, I ate at home instead of going out to eat, or I would walk to places instead of taking the bus. I also searched for Groupon deals that would allow me to do fun stuff with my friends and save money at the same time. A big money saver is that on Sundays, you can travel anywhere in the city for the entire day for a total of $2.70 AUD. I always try to take advantage of this by either grocery shopping or exploring on those days.
Taking advantage of the Sunday traveling discount in Sydney Harbor
Living without access to a car was a first for me. My only option was to learn the public transportation system in Sydney. Luckily, public transportation seems to be a little easier to handle than in the United States. Not too long after arriving, I was able to learn the routes of the buses, trains, and ferries. Even if I didn’t know where I was going, I was still able to figure out the fastest and cheapest way to get there. I will say that grocery shopping without a car took some getting used to. I eventually learned which supermarkets were the cheapest and which had a direct bus route to and from my apartment. However, carrying my bags on the bus was an experience all on its own!
Back in the United States, I had access to a meal plan at school so I never had to really cook before. I knew before arriving in Australia that learning how to cook would be quite an adventure but thankfully, it turned out not to be as difficult as I originally thought. I found some easy to make recipes and slowly started learning how to cook for myself. I can now make dishes that I would have not even tried to make before. When I go back home I can avoid those frozen meals! Overall, studying abroad has really taught me how to become more self reliant and survive a little easier out in the real world.
Your Discovery. Our People… The World Awaits.
Yes, that is true, Studying abroad makes us more dependable and good at decision making. We learn many traits that make us a good person. Any student wants to study abroad I believe Australia is the best destination for him/her.