Hi! My name is Mara Azar and I am an Environmental Engineering student at the University of Pittsburgh. A few months ago, I decided I would follow my dream to spend a semester abroad in Australia.
When researching program options, I contemplated doing a program with other fellow Pitt students, so I would not be moving to Australia alone. However, a part of me wondered what I could accomplish by myself. I figured being uncomfortable and scared would allow for character development. I accepted my offer to study at the University of Melbourne and stepped on my flight without knowing anybody or having any plans.
After the longest flight of my life, I arrived in Melbourne on February 16. I received a warm welcome from my roommate Emma, a student from Vancouver. We clicked instantly and spent a few days visiting St. Kilda beach, the city of Melbourne, and local thrift shops. A few days later, we went to an international student picnic together. There, I met four students who I haven’t spent a day apart from since. Our little friend group represents five countries: the US, Morocco, Columbia, Italy, and Canada. Being able to hear about my friends cultures has been so amazing. My spotify playlist has evolved from American music to music in different languages.
After a successful mini trip to Sydney, we decided to plan for a 4 day camping trip in Tasmania. We left Thursday night and came back Monday morning. On Friday, we camped at Cradle Mountain and saw wombats, echidnas, and many exotic looking birds! We spent the night roasting marshmallows over a campfire for dinner. I learned not to leave deodorant in my tent the hard way… a possum broke into our tent at night.
The next day we proceeded on a 3 hour drive to Wineglass bay. The hike and view was amazing, and a wallaby greeted us on the way back to the car. We didn’t have good cell service during our trip, which was a blessing in disguise. We spent hours upon hours talking and laughing and purely enjoying the nature. The last day of our trip in Tasmania was spent at the Bay of Fires. Due to the lack of sun, we weren’t able to swim so we decided to spend four hours doing group yoga poses on the beach. We decided to treat ourselves at night to a nice pizza dinner and ice cream before waking up at 3:30 AM to drive back to the airport.
Overall, I am still in shock by the amount of people and places I’ve been to in only three weeks. I was so worried about being homesick but I am more scared about the day I have to leave Australia. Everyone I’ve met is so kind and my friends are so special and fun to be around. I am excited for more adventures and for my classes to begin!
