Wrapping Up #HogsAbroad in Australia

Hey there blog,

I’m starting to wrap up the semester. I’d be lying to you if I didn’t say I was sad. We have finals coming up in a few weeks and then it’ll be time to go home.

Last week, Austin, Christy, and I went on a little girls trip to Singapore. It was unreal. It was about an 8 hour flight to Changai Airport. After the flight from Dallas to Sydney (about 17 hours), any flight seems short.

Singapore Airport

The Singapore airport was unreal. It’s been ranked as the world's nicest airport and after walking around, you can definitely tell why.

We walked around the city and did all the typical touristy things like going to the Gardens by the Bay and the museum.

Garden by the Bay

On Saturday night, we decided to do a once in a lifetime thing. We booked a room to stay in the famous Marina Bay Sands hotel. It’s ranked as one of the most iconic hotels in the world. I’m not sure how many times in this life I’ll get the opportunity to be in Singapore so we thought it would be such a fun memory to have.

Roof Top Pool at Marina Bay Sands

The hotel was lovely and the pool on top is absolutely unreal. It was such an amazing experience and trip. I’m so grateful for all the memories and opportunities I’ve had by studying abroad.

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Junior Donna Quedens is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Donna at https://lifedownunder.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

The Great Ocean Road #HogsAbroad in Australia

On the second half of mid-semester break, some friends and I traveled along The Great Ocean Road. To start off our journey, we walked around Melbourne. I got to see the tennis courts where The Australian Open is held. It was really cool to see the courts because I have seen them on T.V. so many times.

The Great Ocean Road is an Australian National Heritage listed 243-kilometre stretch of road along the south-eastern coast of Australia. We stopped along some beautiful places. Some of the best places were The 12 Apostles, London Bridge, The Tree Top Walkway, the Thunder Cave, and Umpherston Sinkhole. We just drove along the road, stopping wherever we pleased. It was not as structured as New Zealand like in my last post. All-in-all, such a fun way to spend my last week of vacation. Below are some pictures from the trip.

School has started back up, and now I'm off studying again.

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Junior Christine Rheinberger is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Christine at https://crheinberger16.wixsite.com/website/blog

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Christine? Contact Katie at ksabo@uark.edu.

Been a Minute #HogsAbroad in Australia

New Friend Down Under

Hello Blog.

It’s been a minute. These last couple of weeks have been absolutely crazy. We had our mid-semester break and I got to do some traveling and I can’t wait to share some of it with you all.

Camper Van in NZ

First week of break, a few friends and I went to New Zealand. We rented a camper van and traveled around the south island. New Zealand is beautiful. Words and pictures just don’t do it justice. It should be on everyone's travel bucket list.

Arthur's Pass

Heli-Hike on Fox Glacier

Fox Glacier

Fox Glacier

We flew into Christchurch and drove to Arthur’s Pass and hiked up to a waterfall. The next day we went on a helihike where a helicopter flew us out to a glacier and a tour guide walked around with us. I got to sit shotgun in the helicopter which was pretty cool.

Nevis Swing

The next day we drove to Queenstown where I swung on the Nevis Swing. The views were amazing. I've come to realize that I'm quite the adrenaline junkie so this was really fun.

Kayaking Milford Sound

The next day we went to Milford Sound. Milford Sound is the prettiest place I have ever laid eyes on. We kayaked across the sound and got to take in all the views from the water.

Week 2: Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road

We drove back to Christchurch and flew back to Sydney after a week in New Zealand. We then had about a two day turn around and we flew to Melbourne to drive the Great Ocean Road.Road Signs Down Under

Road signs Down Under

This was my first time driving on the left side of the road. It was quite stressful at first but I got the hang of it pretty quick.

Great Ocean Road

Great Ocean Road

New Friend Down Under

We drove from Melbourne to Adelaide and stopped to do a treetop walk and look at views such as the 12 Apostles along the way.

We got back to Newcastle late Monday night and it was back to school and real life Tuesday. I’ve had an amazing two weeks but it’s nice to not live out of a suitcase for a while.

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Junior Donna Quedens is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Donna at https://lifedownunder.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Sleep is for the weak #HogsAbroad in Australia

Wow! I did not realize I had not posted in a month! This past month has been hectic, and it does not appear to be slowing down anytime soon. I had a lot of homework, assessments, and quizzes to do at the beginning of April. School picked up heavy because mid-semester break was coming. 

The second week of April, I went on a weekend trip with Don and Ace.

The first day of the trip, we walked around Sydney. I got to see the Sydney Opera House, along with Chinatown and Bondi Beach. It was so fun to just walk around. We even took a ferry to go to different places in Sydney.

On Sunday, we took the train to hike Blue Mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. Before we hiked, we went to The 3 Sisters lookout. To start the hike off, we took the Giant Stairway, consisting of 998 steps. Even though we were going down the stairs, it was still exhausting. I can not even imagine what it was like to go up. After taking the journey down, we walked around to see waterfalls and great views. The hike back up was not as bad because there were little lookouts to stop at and walk around.

This past week, mid-semester break started. Me and some friends went to New Zealand for the week.

Our home and vehicle for the next 5 days, was this bright green camper van. There were 2 beds, so the 5 of us were nice and snug at night for sleeping. In the van, there was a stove top, sink, and kitchen supplies. Kevin and Ethan were the best drivers ever, driving us along the south part of New Zealand. Our flight landed in Christchurch. We stayed in a hostel that night, picking up the van in the morning. From Christchurch, we drove to Queenstown.

In Queenstown, some of us did the Nevis Swing (the biggest swing in the world). It is a 134 meter drop. It was only scary for the first 2 seconds because we were just free falling. After the free falling was over and all the screaming was done, Ethan and I just looked around at the pretty views as we swung back and forth. Once the swing slowed down, we got reeled back up. It was exciting having a little adrenaline running through our veins. I know I was a little scared, but I think my mom was way more scared just watching the video I sent her.

The final 2 days of the trip, we turned in our camper van for a smaller car. We stayed in hostels again. We were supposed to go to an observatory for stargazing, but it was cloudy. Instead of stargazing, we stayed in and played cards. It was kind of nice to stay in and relax. We had been driving around so much, constantly having something fun planned. We had an early flight of 6:30 am back to the Sydney airport. Since it was an international flight, we got to the airport 3 hours early just to be safe. I do not think anyone was feeling too great getting up at 3 am, but we all got to sleep on the plane. Once we landed in Sydney, we took the 2.5 hour train ride back to Newcastle.

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Junior Christine Rheinberger is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Christine at https://crheinberger16.wixsite.com/website/blog

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Christine? Contact Katie at ksabo@uark.edu.

Almost Halfway #HogsAbroad in Australia

Bondi Beach

Blue Mountains

Berry Bowls at Bondi

Hello Blog!

Life Down Under is a great as ever. I spent this past weekend in the city with a few of my girlfriends. We went up to the Blue Mountains on Sunday and did some hiking and I won’t lie, I’m pretty sore. The hike from the bottom to the top of Blue Mountains was pretty high, equivalent to about 100 floors.

My classes are interesting, my classmates love asking me questions about life in the states. Next week we have our mid-semester break. It’s two weeks long and I’m getting the opportunity to do some traveling. I’ll be heading to New Zealand on Monday. We’re renting a camper van and exploring the South Island. I can’t wait to share some pictures with everyone. The second week of break we’re hoping to go to Melbourne and drive the Great Ocean Road.

It’s Fall in Australia and the weather is finally cooling off a little bit (I write this as it’s 90 degrees outside and have both of my fans pointed at me ha ha)

I can’t believe the semester is already halfway over. I wish I could stay longer.

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Junior Donna Quedens is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Donna at https://lifedownunder.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

I Lost Count of What Week It Is #HogsAbroad in Australia

Blue Mountains

Sky Diving

Bogey Hole

Hey Everyone!

I guess I’ve been in Australia for over a month now. It’s crazy how fast time flies. I’m so used to my life here. I’m starting to feel like more and more of a local.

Classes are going well. Project Management has been extremely interesting for me. It reminds me of a class I took last semester called Systems Engineering and Management. It’s funny how I can be on the complete other side of the globe and find similarities in our curriculum and classes. I’m enjoying my business classes too. The workload is starting to pickup as the semester goes on. I have assignments and quizzes every week just like back home. The closer we get to mid-semester break the more tests and essays I have. In a few short weeks my friends and I are heading to New Zealand. We’ll rent a camper van and closest friends came to visit me for her spring break and I got to act as her tour guide.

Last Saturday I went on a Sydney harbor cruise along with about 100+ exchange students. We got to view the Harbor Bridge and Sydney Opera house as the sun set on the water. On Monday I went to Hunter Valley vineyards. While I was there I (finally) saw a wild Kangaroo. The vineyards were lovely and so was the wine. On Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday I went to my classes and got to show Michelle around my new city of Newcastle. On Thursday afternoon I did something I never thought I would do, I went skydiving. And holy cow it was insane… Freefalling through the sky is the most wild feeling. On Friday I went to Blue Mountains for the first time. It was absolutely beautiful and breathtaking at sunset. My friends and I are planning a trip to go back and I’ll be able to hike the waterfalls more. This week has been crazy busy between my classes, acting as both a tour guide and tourist in my new country. Learning the public transportation schedule can be a struggle some times. Some days it’s on your side and other days, well it’s not. After I dropped off Michelle at the airport the other day I decided to catch a the train back to Newcastle and not stay in Sydney for another day. I missed the first train by about 3 minutes so I waited for an hour for the next one. A storm rolled in which caused major delays on the trip and turned a 2 hour and 20 minute train ride into 3 and a half hours. The trains also couldn’t run all the way into Newcastle because of the weather so I was dropped off at a station a little farther from campus as normal. On a normal day this wouldn’t be so bad but because of the delays I ended up missing the last bus from Broadmeadow Station to campus. I ended up having to call an uber even though the prices spiked up to be way more expensive than what I wanted to pay. You win some, you lose some. I can’t complain too much because I’m still having so much fun living and learning in Australia.

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Junior Donna Quedens is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Donna at https://lifedownunder.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Busy last 2 weeks #HogsAbroad in Australia

I missed posting last week because I went on some fun adventures and had 2 tests to study for.

On Thursday of last week, I did surfing lessons at Nobby's Beach. I was terrible, but so was just about everybody else. I was able to ride the waves while laying down and on my knees, but I never could fully stand up. It was so much harder than I expected! I got bruised from other people's surf boards hitting me. It was a great experience and I am happy I did it. We got a lunch after the 2 hour surfing lesson and met some other very nice exchange students.

Every dorm building has an event at the start of each school year called Commencement. I am living in the South Residence on campus and our Commencement was on Friday of last week. For Commencement, we all got dressed up, took pictures, took a shuttle to Noah's Hotel on the beach, had dinner and dessert, and danced until the night was over. The above picture is of me and my AMAZING roommates (left to right: Troy, Ace, Isaac, me, Joe, Abbie). Maybe this is a biased opinion, but I think I have the best roomies in South. Commencement has been one of my favorite nights here so far!

On Saturday, I did a cruise in Sydney that took us around the harbor. Although the weather wasn't ideal (it rained off and on all night), it was still great to see the Sydney Opera House from the water. This cruise was mainly for exchange students, so I got to meet some fun people. I also hangout with some of my friends that I have made on other exchange trips like this one.

After a crazy busy weekend, I came home to study for my tests on Monday and Tuesday. Don't worry mom and dad, I got As on both of them! I still remember that this is STUDY abroad, not just a vacation abroad. :)

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Junior Christine Rheinberger is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Christine at https://crheinberger16.wixsite.com/website/blog

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Christine? Contact Katie at ksabo@uark.edu.

First Week of Class #HogsAbroad in Australia

Coast of Newcastle

So, I’m a little behind on my blog posts and I actually just completed my second week of classes. But, I figured 2nd week of classes wouldn’t make such a good title.

Classes have been going pretty well. I only have class three days a week which has never happened to me before. Lectures are two hours long which is so different from what I’m used to. It’s a lot of information given to you at once so, you have to spend a lot of time reviewing the information on your own. My Optimisation professor used to teach at the University of Arkansas for 10 years. Small world, huh?

Last week I went on a dolphin coast expedition. Dolphins swam up against the boat while we cruised down the coast of Newcastle. Which lead me to realize that I have a fear of open water. Not to say that I won’t ever get back on a boat but, I’m convinced if I fall in the water a shark or some type of sea animal is going to track me down.

I really want to join the Newcastle University Diving & Expedition Club. I need to get scuba certified before I can do on any of the diving expeditions. I know that's so contradictory to what I just said about my slight fear of the ocean. But it’s a once in a lifetime chance so I might as well face my fears.

I’m heading to Sydney this Friday. My friend Michelle (if you’re reading this, hey girl (: ) is flying in on Saturday to spend the week with me so I’m picking her up from the airport.

I’m starting to get a little sad about my time in Australia coming to an end. I know I just got here but, the idea of leaving makes me uneasy. There’s so much to do and see and 5 months is definitely not enough on this continent.

I’ll be better about posting I promise.

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Junior Donna Quedens is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Donna at https://lifedownunder.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

School Week 2 #HogsAbroad in Australia

With school starting to pick up, I have not had as much time to go explore, so this week was not as action packed like the other weeks.

On Sunday, some friends and I went on a boat ride to see the coast and dolphins. It was a smaller boat, so some of the other passengers started to feel sea sick. All of my friends and I made it the entire trip without too much trouble from the rocky waves. The dolphins were quick, so we did not get to see a lot of them. Just sailing along the coast was fun too. We got some cool history lessons on some of the beaches and sites we saw. After the boat trip, we went to a cute little brunch place near the beach.

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Junior Christine Rheinberger is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Christine at https://crheinberger16.wixsite.com/website/blog

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Christine? Contact Katie at ksabo@uark.edu.

First Week of School #HogsAbroad in Australia

Finally the "study" part of Study Abroad has begun.

On Sunday, some friends and I went on a beautiful walking trail. About halfway through the trail was a small little deck. This deck held a prime spot for overlooking the trees and river, with the ocean in the distance. It was a fun little adventure that ended with us walking along the beach at the end. The whole walking trail took about 45 minutes, but the walk on the beach was around an hour. After all of that walking, we wanted some burgers. We went to Newy Burger Co. and ate burgers with chips (they call French fries chips). It was a fun way to end our basically 3 month long winter break before school started.

I do not have class on Mondays, so technically I did not start until Tuesday morning. I am taking a couple of Industrial Engineering classes, along with a social science class, and a film class. The engineering classes will definitely be hard, but I am excited for the challenge. It is actually kind of fun having school work because it gives me something to do. My friend Donna and I found a study spot very different then what we are used to in Arkansas. There are a few bars on campus that have a fun environment with students studying and/or socializing. We have a full day of class on Wednesdays, starting at 9am and going until 4pm.

On my days off from class, I went to the beach. I don't think going to the beach will ever get old. The University of Newcastle has a free bus that will take students to NeW Space, their city campus. I take this bus in order to get downtown. The city of Newcastle just put in new light rails that travel along the street quickly for a few blocks. I'll take the light rail from NeW Space to the beach. It is fairly cheap and saves me about 20 minutes of walking. Because of cyclone Oma, the waves at the beach have been massive! I can barely go a couple meters into the water before I get knocked off my feet. I mainly just stay on my towel, drinking water, tanning, and listening to music.

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Junior Christine Rheinberger is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Christine at https://crheinberger16.wixsite.com/website/blog

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Christine? Contact Katie at ksabo@uark.edu.

One Week in Australia (+ a few days) #HogsAbroad in Australia

Hey Everyone!

So, I’ve been Down Under for about 10 days now. It’s crazy how in 10 days you can completely adapt to a new lifestyle. I’m still the same 21-year-old girl that I was a month ago. Yet, I’m living such a different life. It’s kind of like when you get used to being in college and then you go home for 3 months for summer break. You have to get used to being home, having a different schedule, not seeing your college friends, going to work instead of class, etc. Except in my case instead of going home, I’m on a different continent where everyone has an accent and drives on the wrong side of the street.

Using the public transportation here is surprisingly not as hard as you would think (Thank you, Google Maps). I’m still getting used to not having a car. I miss the convenience of going somewhere when I want instead of waiting for a bus to show up (If you know anything about Aussie Public Transportation, you know they are late the majority of the time). That being said, using the busses and trains actually isn’t too bad until you have to go to the grocery store. Aussies are very ecofriendly (Save the turtles!). You’re expected to bring your own grocery bags to cut down the use of plastic. If you’re me, you forget 9/10 times. If you’re also me, you think it’s a great idea to get a watermelon and case of water at the same time. Then, you somehow have to struggle to carry both back on the bus to campus. I’m really working my upper body strength with all this grocery shopping. The good news is that I have learned that the Uni has a free shuttle to the grocery store every couple of days which is convenient for people like me.

We had orientation this week. I met so many people from all over the world. I’ve met people from other states back home, China, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Canada, and probably more that I can’t think of off the top of my head. Classes finally start this coming up week. I feel like I’ve been on winter break for too long, everyone back home is already over a quarter of the way through the semester.

Unfortunately, the past few days have been pretty rainy and windy thanks to Cyclone Oma up in Queensland. I haven’t been able to go out and explore as much so sorry if this post is pretty uneventful. I was supposed to go on a boat tour to see dolphins today, but because of the weather it got postponed. The only picture worth sharing this week is of my engineering building (aka my new home) and my UoN student id card. Campus is pretty, it’s different from Arkansas I would say. It’s like I’m in the middle of the woods. I feel like the University of Arkansas cleared out a lot of trees to build the buildings around campus and planted new ones in place. Here, you walk around with trees so tall, they double the height of any building on campus. I’ll check in again next week once classes have begun. Hope everyone is doing well!

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Junior Donna Quedens is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Donna at https://lifedownunder.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Still Exploring #HogsAbroad in Australia

BlueDoor Cafe

School still has not started, so I have been trying to spend my days wandering around Newcastle! I have some friends from the University of Arkansas that have been with me as we find new places to see.

A really big thing in Newcastle is their love for cafes and healthy life style. This picture above is from an amazing place called BlueDoor. My friends and I had smoothies, juices, avo on toast with poached eggs, and a buddha bowl at the restaurant. To say it was amazing would be an understatement! We absolutely loved it here and will for sure be going back at some point. We have also tried poke bowls, Thai food, sushi, and, most importantly, we found a good Mexican food restaurant! After coming from the U.S. with Mexican restaurants everywhere, it has been quite the change having to hunt down good Mexican food. The Australian equivalent to Mexican food is Asian food. The sushi and Thai were amazing, so I am not complaining about the food in any way! It is an adjustment, but still just as delicious.

Bogie Hole

The beaches here are some of the best in the world! That is not just my opinion, a quick google search will prove that these beaches are of top quality. The beach is not just for tanning, as I once thought. There are always people playing football or soccer, hang gliding, and the most common pass time at the beach is surfing. I had the chance to be at the beach during a surfing competition. There were so many people there to watch and support the competitors! Although I know nothing about the sport of surfing, it was still really cool to watch the competition! One of my favorite places we have been is Bogie Hole! To the right is a glimpse of what Bogie Hole looks like. This is just along the ocean, filled with ocean water! It was fun to float around and watch the waves hit the rocks, without the worry of any sea animals coming near me! One of my U of A friends, AC, was not a fan of all the seaweed and it was funny to see her tread water most of the time instead of standing up! If sea animals, sand and seaweed are not your favorite things (like my friend AC), there are baths that are right on the beach as well. The baths are also filled with sea water, but made of cement! This means there are no animals or seaweed within the pool!

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Junior Christine Rheinberger is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Christine at https://crheinberger16.wixsite.com/website/blog

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Christine? Contact Katie at ksabo@uark.edu.

Big Adjustments #HogsAbroad in Australia #TravelTuesday

Making my way to Newcastle, Australia

It all started in the Kansas City International Airport. From KCI was a flight to Los Angeles, a flight to Sydney, a train to Newcastle, and finally an Uber to the University of Newcastle. In Dallas I met up with a friend of mine, Anna Claire, traveling the rest of the way with her! It was about a 30 hour journey start to finish. Although the traveling was long, just stepping outside of the airport was enough to show me that it was worth it! Australia has such beautiful waters and nature. I can not wait to explore this place with my friends before school starts on Feb. 25th. 

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Junior Christine Rheinberger is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Christine at https://crheinberger16.wixsite.com/website/blog

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/

Interested in becoming a HogsAbroad Social Media Ambassador like Christine? Contact Katie at ksabo@uark.edu.

First Impressions #HogsAbroad in Australia

Hey Everyone!

I’ve been in Australia for about 3 days now. Newcastle is absolutely breath taking.

Life in Australia is a bit different than in the States. For starters a lot of the student accommodation buildings on campus don’t have air conditioning and even the ones that do aren’t what this Texan is used to. My first order of business was to buy two fans for my room. Australia is still in summer so it can get pretty warm during the day.

Another thing that I’m getting used to is that they drive on the left side of the street. I’ve had to Uber a few times from the grocery store. Every single time I instinctively walk up to the right side of the car thinking it’s the passenger seat.

I’m also getting used to the fact that they abbreviate EVERYTHING. Brekky is breakfast, avo is avocado, “How yous?” is “How are you?” and etc. My building is called Edwards but they call it Teds. Not sure how they got Teds from that. If you ask me, they should have shortened it to Eds.

They jet lag hasn’t hit me so bad. I tried really hard to power through the first day so I wouldn’t be up all night. Newcastle is 17 hours ahead of Fayetteville. Which isn’t as bad as you may think. It’s like I’m 7 hours behind but in the next day. As I’m writing this it’s about 9 am on Saturday in Australia which is 4 pm on Friday back home.

The past few days I have been exploring Newcastle and getting settled. I went to the beach on Thursday (yes, I did get sunburned) and Blackbutt Wildlife Reserve on Friday. The Kangaroo exhibit was closed so I was pretty disappointed.

Today, I’m heading back to the beach and this time I will wear loads more of sunscreen. Monday is international student orientation and the beginning of O-week for all students. Classes don’t start until the 25th so I still have some time to explore and get settled.

I’m still getting used to the swing of things down here. It’s like everything is the same but a little different at the same time. (Also grieving the fact that I don’t have my Keurig here. I am caffeine deprived) I’m having fun. I’m excited to travel more and meet new people during O-week and classes. What an absolutely incredible opportunity I have been given. See you guys on the next one.

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Junior Donna Quedens is spending the spring 2019 term in Australia through our U of A Exchange program at the University of Newcastle.

Read more from Donna at https://lifedownunder.blog/

Don't miss your opportunity to study or intern abroad! Start your search at http://studyabroad.uark.edu/search/