There is always the idea that circles your mind before you head off on a journey, and that is the notion that you are forgetting something. Whether it is something as small and insignificant as a pair of sunglasses, or something much more important such as your visa (I really hope that you never forget something as important as this). Nevertheless, now that my countdown to Canada is beginning to shrink before my eyes, this feeling is starting to erupt in my mind. This will officially be the furthest from home that I have ever been without my family to accompany me and it is safe to say that it is definitely starting to make my mind race with both excitement and fear.
My name is Oliver and I am a Bachelor of Arts – Enhanced Program for High Achievers student, majoring in both Creative Writing and Screen & Media, who will be travelling to the University of Calgary.
As I think about what events lie ahead of me, I definitely have a variety of expectations to accompany my pre-existing thoughts on the distant land of Alberta. First off is the living conditions that I will face. Canada in its own right is a polar opposite to Australia in terms of weather. This will truly be a ‘White Christmas’ and that is definitely something to be excited about. It seems almost odd that I am truly ecstatic about seeing how snow will affect my lifestyle.
Of course there are plenty more things to be excited about, of which I will write the rest down in quick list format.
- Meet some fellow Creative Writers/Film enthusiasts to form relationships with
- Make use of the cold climate and snowboard as much as possible
- Explore the Alberta forests
- Develop my skills in writing through the university courses that are offered
- Document as much as possible through both writing, film and pictures
- And finally…try say yes to every experience offered (you never know what opportunities you might regret by saying NO)
In relation to my reasoning towards the decision to study overseas, I only have one response: Why Not? To live in a place such as Canada or America requires a significant amount of luck and so if you are offered to at least experience what it would be like, you would be a fool to pass it up.
Overall I still don’t think I will be honestly ready to head off until I am in the airport, walking along the tarmac into the plane. I do however have high hopes in believing that it will truly be a life altering experience.
P.S. I will try to post whatever I create through my own personal blog at https://okingin35mm.wordpress.com so look out for that in the upcoming months.
Thanks for reading!
Oliver Kingsley, a Bachelor of Arts- Enhanced Program for High Achievers student, Semester 2 2016 exchange at University of Calgary, Canada