As my second month in Adelaide quickly approaches, I look back on my time and realise that my feet have not touched the ground. After landing- and one whole day of jetlag- I was keen to explore the campus and the city. The campus is vastly different to my home university at Manchester; the gorgeous green surroundings are a refreshing change, but the large tropical alarm clocks known as cockatoos, less so.

I have loved exploring the hills and the nearby beaches, especially as the sun is beginning to edge out. Most recently, I went to Hallett Cove beach, south of Adelaide, which was beautifully nestled under the clifftop boardwalk.

The hills are also a fun drive away, spotting wild kangaroos and alpacas along the journey. Up in Hahndorf at the ‘Aboriginal Art House’, I was able to experience a man from Tenant Creek, NT, play the didgeridoo for me; which was amazing to hear first-hand. I will look forward to going back during Octoberfest.

So much is happening in and out of uni, but my most memorable moments so far have been: hugging a koala bear at the Cleland Wildlife Park, cheering on Port Adelaide at an AFL game, watching the sunset at Mount Lofty, and… having a crazy man hand me a brown leaf as a ‘flower’… Yes, Adelaide is certainly full of surprises, and I look forward to discovering more of them… leaves and all.

Yasmin Ballingall on semester exchange at Flinders University from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK during Semester 2, 2018