Moving to Australia

My move to Bond University has been very fun! At first, it was a bit daunting, moving to a whole new country because I had never left the United States. Probably the hardest part was getting on the plane and staying in my seat. I was so anxious and thought to myself, “Jacob, What are you doing? Are you sure you want to do this?” I just had to reassure myself it would be a good experience even though I was going to a new country with only my knowledge of the stereotypes of Australia. Was feeling anxious of the unknown, excited for a new adventure, and all kinds of other emotions.

The airplane ride was painfully long. I slept most of the trip, but if I wasn’t sleeping I was reading, which I never do. If I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about all the hypotheticals, all the adventures I’d have and the tragedies that could happen. Then, I realised that I was just overthinking everything and went back to sleep.

After the plane touched down and taxied up to the gate in Sydney, I followed the convenient signs to customs. The customs process was very streamlined; I only stood in a queue (line) for a couple of minutes before I had to figure out the hard part… getting to my hotel to rest before my next flight to the Gold Coast. Luckily the hotel was a 2-minute drive, so I took a cab, which was a hefty 20 dollars for such a short trip. When I arrived at my hotel for the night, I went up to the check-in counter to get my keys. When I got to my room, I was going to message my parents to let them know that I got to the hotel alright, but I had a devastating revelation. My heart sank as I realised that I left my phone in the cab. I raced to the counter to ask if I could call the taxi company to ask them to bring my phone back. I had to wait an anxious 45 minutes because the cabbie had another fare before I called. When he came back to return my phone, I was charged another 45 dollars and the cabbie said, “Rough night?”. I nodded with defeat and relief while receiving my phone. I always checked my taxi seats from then on. After that whole ordeal, I went straight to sleep.

    The next morning, I took the bus service provided by the hotel to the domestic flight terminal. This time, my airport experience was a lot more relaxed. The flight was a lot shorter than the first. When I arrived at the airport in the Gold Coast, I went straight to the taxis to drive straight to Bond. I then went to the campus map to find the housing office. Once I moved into my room I claimed my space since my roommate had not arrived yet. I walked around campus to relax and get myself acclimated to my environment. The Orientation week events were really fun and I made a lot of friends. One event was a dinner for the on-campus residents, where we had various competitions between the tables. I sat at a table with all first-year medicine students who are now really good friends of mine. That weekend, Bond provided students with a trip to Movie World, a Warner Bros. theme park in the Gold Coast. I met some more people there, and I had a blast there as well. Everyone here has been really kind and welcoming to me and I’m really grateful for that.

That’s how my move to Australia was. It started with some anxiety but ended up being so much fun. If I could I would experience it all over again.

- Jacob Prijoles