When dream comes true or my year in Australia
Updated: Apr 23, 2022
Australia has always been a dream country for me and when I had the opportunity to choose a country for a research stay anywhere in the world, I didn't hesitate. Thanks to the National Scholarship Programme of the Slovak Republic (NSP), I got the opportunity to spend 5 months in 2018 and another 5 months in 2020 thanks to the Grant programme “Students out into the world” (Tatra Bank Foundation) as a researcher at the Griffith University - Australian Rivers Institute in Brisbane. I did the research of length-weight relationships of aquatic insects in river ecosystems.
My first trip began in May 2018 with a twenty-hours flight to the other end of the world. At this time, Australian winter begins here, which means a pleasant sunny spring for Slovaks. However, you still cannot forget about sunscreen and the sunset after five in the afternoon. For the second time I arrived in Brisbane at the end the of January 2020 with the typical Australian summer weather, in other words, temperatures attacking 40°C.
The entire Griffith University campus is set in a forest environment, so I really didn´t have a feeling that I am part of the capital city of Queensland. In the mornings, I was awakened by the intense singing of birds and on the way to the laboratory I walked around gigantic ants, wild turkeys and trees that I have never seen before. But I learned from the locals that I really don't have to be afraid of most animals, only a few of them could kill me, at least in this area. The general rule is that the smaller animal, the more dangerous animal, and therefore I should always look into my shoes before put them on. The city itself is very large and built on the Brisbane river. The square with the Brisbane City Hall, the Queensland Parliament building, a number of parks where people meet for the famous "barbecue", and also a river cruise are definitely worth seeing. I managed to visit many places, but the greatest experience was definitely seeing koalas, kangaroos and emus at the sanctuary.
The left side is the answer to everything... driving cars on the road, walking on the sidewalk, standing on the escalator, or the door handle... and I have to admit that it took me a few weeks to get used to it. An interesting habit is a loud thanks to the bus driver when getting off, cashier asking me how I am, as well as meeting barefoot people almost everywhere. Also interesting experience is to trying to get a cold tap water during summer which will be actually always warm, or that the air condition in buildings and buses is always set at the same temperature, whether it is 20°C or 40°C outside.
I also had the opportunity to visit New Zealand, the very northern part of the North Island. During the four-hour hike, I walked through the grasslands, swamps, desert, coast and forest. New Zealand has a truly incredible nature that will remain in my memory for a long time. I also spent a few days in Sydney, saw the Sydney Harbour Bridge, as well as the famous Sydney Opera House and endless breath-taking beaches.
People in Australia are friendly and English language easy to understand (once when you get all the slang expressions). The cuisine is similar to the British one but the influence of others, especially Chinese, is noticeable. What surprised me the most was how weather resistant Australians really are. It is not a problem to meet a person in shorts and flip flops when I am shaking in a jacket. Australia exceeded all my expectations, I was fascinated by beautiful nature and the relaxed atmosphere in society.
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