Hello from Jill and Abby!
Those of us placed in Australia needed to apply for our Blue Cards upon arrival here in Brisbane, therefore we haven’t started our placements just yet. Instead, we have sat in on a few education classes at our partner university, QUT. We also got to tour the campus where we will be volunteering once our Blue Cards get approved. It is a huge facility, with campuses for both primary and secondary levels. The staff was so welcoming, and we are looking forward to getting started.
In the meantime, we have had an amazing few weeks getting to know the city of Brisbane. It is really starting to feel like home. We are quite proud of our ability to navigate the public transit here, but are still adjusting to the fact that they drive on the other side of the road. We need to be extra careful when crossing the street! Some highlights have included attending the Riverfire festival, watching a NRL game, exploring the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, and visiting nearby beaches on both the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast. The biggest culture shock has been seeing various Aussie animals around the city. We nearly hit a wallaby while driving the other day! It was like the equivalent of seeing a deer on the side of the road in Canada. There was also a possum outside our apartment last week, which gave us quite the scare.
Hope you’re all enjoying your time abroad!
