Three weeks from now, I will be on a plane. That plane will take me to the other end of the world, 16.145 kilometers away from where I’m sitting now: Brisbane, Australia. There, I will attend The University of Queensland for one semester as a Study Abroad guest student. I have chosen this university because it’s one of the five best universities in Australia. Naturally, I have also chosen it because of its location: I wanted to go to Australia because a stay of several months is the best possible opportunity to get to know this country. Since it takes already two days just to get to Australia, anything less seems not so cost-efficient.

Though I initially would have preferred to go to Melbourne, I have chosen Brisbane for two reasons: it has the (hopefully) better climate, and it’s also slightly less expensive. This Study Abroad semester is an expensive adventure for me. Though I will be partially reimbursed for the tuition and I will hopefully get a monthly scholarship that covers some of my costs, I still have to use (probably even use up) my savings for this endeavor. I had to find a perfect balance between good education, affordable living costs and a pleasant environment, and I think The University of Queensland was the best choice for that.

Now that the date is getting closer, my nervousness increases exponentially. Though I still have to worry about two exams at my home university, my thoughts continue to drift to my arrival in Brisbane. Questions that nag at me include “How quickly will I find accommodation?”, “How high will my rent be?”, “Where will I get my student ID?”, “Where will I get a SIM card for my phone?”, “Do they have Nutella in Australia?”, “Will I be able to bike to uni?”, “Where will I buy a bicycle?”, “Will I, the socially awkward penguin and prime introvert, even find any friends?”, but most importantly “How can I ever handle being separated from my boyfriend for four months?”. That last question has been lingering over our heads for a while now, and I hate the thought of not being able to have the mutual comfort of a relationship as well as not being able to share my day-to-day experiences with my boyfriend, as I always do. We’ll have to try this with Skype, however, I hope that Australian internet and the time difference will not over-complicate this. We have never been separated for more than a few days, which will probably make things harder. I would have taken him with me, but his career would not profit from a six month break.

Living somewhere other than Germany has always been my goal in life, and Australia will provide me with a perfect trial run of such an experience. Despite the heartbreak of not being with my love, I expect that it will be a very exciting time, especially during the first few weeks. However, I also expect that once I have settled in and started my semester, daily routine will probably have me back and time will fly as it does during my semesters in Germany. And after four months, we’ll finally be reunited: my boyfriend will join me in Brisbane, and from there we will start an epic two month journey through Australia and New Zealand!