Being from the northern hemisphere, arriving in Adelaide in the middle of February was quite the shocking experience. In less than 24 hours I went from 5° C to almost 40° C. This change quickly inspired my first adventure in Adelaide, finding SPF 50 sunscreen.

I have gotten the opportunity to live in Flinders’ university hall and as a result, I live on the outskirts of Adelaide. Luckily, the city is just a short train ride away and I soon found myself amongst the high-rise buildings and cool art installations that makeup downtown. Want to see balls stacked on top of each other? Maybe some metal pigs stealing trash? Then Adelaide is the place to be. It seems like whether you plan to or not, you’re sure to see an art installation of some sort.

If you feel like group activities, there seems to be no shortage of these either. One of my first proper excursions was a bus trip organised by one of the many international student support organisations. This one in particular gave me the opportunity to go to McLaren Vale, Victor Harbour/Granite island and Port Noarlunga. It was a fantastic experience and allowed me to see so much that I probably wouldn’t have had the opportunity to otherwise. On Granite island we were even able to whale splashing around further out in the ocean!

Of course there is still much to explore, especially downtown! I’ve heard the zoo is supposed to be fantastic, I have yet to visit the botanical gardens and there’s also the state library which looks beautiful. I’m also exited to see what Adelaide will be like in the fall and winter seasons. I can imagine it’s quite different from back home in Sweden.

This far it’s been a wild experience moving to the other side of the planet. But I’m excited to explore as much as I can before going back.

Ella Östrand from Stockholm University, Sweden is undertaking a semester exchange program at Flinders University during Semester 1 2023

Read Ella’s 2nd blog HERE