Voices from Abroad: Andrea Passamonti

Brisbane, QLD (Australia), Double Degree Program, The University of Queensland

"In my childhood I never heard the word 'Australia' without calling to mind the fumes of the eucalyptus inhaler and an incessant red country populated by sheep." - Bruce Chatwin

Blue Mountains, New South Wales

If you say the word 'Australia' now, you would probably think more about wealthy country with a mine-focused economy, than the red desert one imagined by the young Chatwin in The Songlines. However, when I decided to apply for a Double Degree in Australia at The University of Queensland, I was looking neither for GDP metrics nor for platypuses or wallabies. Of course they might be considered a plus, but the main purpose was to have a complete experience in a country far away from mine, with its similarities and its differences. In this sense, the Double Degree is a great opportunity, because it's not limited to the four months of lectures, but allows you to spend your holidays here and meet locals who are not necessarily linked to the university life. Since I had been so lucky to find an internship here, I also had the opportunity to meet local students and workers and look at people at the country from different perspectives.

Brisbane from the ferry

Brisbane is the third Australian city in terms of population, but the perception you get when you start understanding the city is to live in a huge town. Huge, of course, but mainly a town. Being the least multicultural amongst the major urban centers, the experience is a great opportunity to live in an Australian environment, with the international environment still preserved by the university campus, where – especially in postgraduate courses – students come from all over the world. Student and sports clubs, together with the colleges of the campus, contribute to making the experience unique by organizing cultural, sports and social events.

As I wrote before, a Double Degree in Australia or in continents far away from your own is not really about teaching – which is comparable to other universities around the world – but what is really important are the experience and the learning you can get from it. That's why a final word is due to Australia itself and not the program or the work experience.

There's something familiar about this country. However, I still haven't figured out what it is. I would like to imagine that it can be related to nature, so distant with its strange animals and infinite forests and deserts and at the same time so close, with the eucalypti of which this country is rich and of which my hometown, Latina, is one of the few hosts in Europe.

But I also hope there's something more: that with friendly people and wonderful weather – I should add good food, but it's really not the case – there are really few places on earth where you can't really feel at home.