As I write this I am a second year History student about to embark on a journey to the other side of the world, one of the furthest exchange hosts affiliated with Edinburgh. I have been offered a place at the University of New South Wales in Sydney and start in less than two months. As the 11th of July, my date of departure, draws closer, inevitably mixed feelings influence my anticipation of joining the Australian metropolis in all its glory. Questions of accommodation, courses and travelling arrangements remain unanswered, but these by no means inhibit my excitement. In the spirit of the stereotypical ‘Aussie’ I’m adopting a laid back attitude and have full confidence all will be resolved without drama or mishap.
My motivations for the exchange application are rooted in my gap year experience of living and working in Geelong, an hour south of Melbourne. I absolutely adored my time there and fell in love with the Australian way of life; I craved more and jumped at the chance of being able to once again immerse myself in something completely new and exciting; truly a once in a lifetime opportunity. Though I have spent time in Australia before, this by no means negates the significance of my year abroad, in fact I think it can work to my advantage. I know that with this exchange I will make the most of a unique chance to experience the unfamiliar challenging atmosphere of UNSW. I am yet to hear confirmation of my courses but I am really excited about some of the possibilities. Third year was always going to offer more scope, depth and variety, but with my year abroad I feel I have a great opportunity to study things not offered to History students at Edinburgh. I hope to study some Australian history and really get to the grips with the vast country’s heritage from their own perspective rather than with a Eurocentric approach. Asian history has captured my imagination this year at Edinburgh and courses such as ‘Pre-Modern Japan’ and ‘Women in South East Asia’ offer the chance for me to explore these areas in more detail.
Sport has always been integrated with my academic schedule from a very young age. It has been a feature of my university career so far and I hope it will continue in Australia with pursuits in either netball or soccer. Whilst I have found out as much as I can from the websites, ultimately my sporting endeavours will have to be decided when I get out there and see the competition!
There is no doubt in my mind that one year from now I will be dreading the return plane bound for Heathrow, making the most of my last few weeks in Australia and envying the new exchange applicants on the cusp of their own years abroad. But alas, I have 12 months ahead packed to capacity with parties, sun, beaches, bbq’s, surfing, kangaroos, studying, koalas, new friends and travels…so for now…that’s all I’m thinking about!
Polly Blenkin, History Student
