In 15 days, what I expect to be an adventure of a lifetime is going to begin! And considering how long I’ve been waiting for this experience, it couldn’t feel more surreal.

First up, a friend (who will be spending the semester at NAU) and I are spending 5 days exploring Los Angeles, but after that, I’ll be making my way to Bozeman, Montana! Montana State University wasn’t originally my first choice, but because the positions at the one I applied for filled pretty quickly, the Learning Without Borders office suggested MSU. After doing a little research, I quickly fell in love with the little town amongst the mountains!

I’ve found that the process to get to this point [the waiting point] wasn’t all that hard, just a matter of patience… In saying that, I was lucky enough to be able to pick only elective classes while on exchange, so I didn’t need to struggle to match up core subjects. The application processes for both Flinders and MSU were pretty straight forward, although I’d say registering in classes at MSU was quite tedious! However now that that’s all sorted, I can excitedly say that I’m taking classes on Drugs and Behaviour, Consciousness, Contemporary Issues in Human Sexuality, and Sociology of Law Enforcement! I’m especially curious to see if and how the American’s perspective on law enforcement differs from ours.

In terms of expectations for the trip, I’m trying not to have any! I typically have a tendency to plan things to a T, and get disappointed when things don’t go as expected. So my plan for this trip is not to have any! The main goal of mine is to be open minded and say yes to any new experiences that come my way!

One other major aim for my trip is to travel as much as possible! I have managed to save a bit of money through working part time, whilst also borrowing money from my parents, receiving the OS-HELP Loan, and being granted the RA Simpson scholarship. So far, other than the previously mentioned trip to LA, I’ve planned a trip to Cancun, Mexico, as well locking in Christmas in Quebec City with my brother. Bozeman is relatively far away from other major cities in the US so I am slightly concerned about costs to get to see other places, but I will keep everyone updated if I can find inexpensive ways to get past that! 🙂

I cannot wait for this adventure to begin, and to keep you all updated on my experiences!!!

Rahnee Coombs, Bachelor of Behavioural Science (Psychology) student, Semester 2 2017 exchange at Montana State University, USA