My name is Fiona Doiron, I am a junior business and psychology double major with an economics minor. I am from Charlton, Massachusetts, and I am a utility player on the softball team here at Brandeis. This semester I have been studying at Bond University, in Gold Coast Australia, through the Arcadia Abroad program.
 
Ever since I can remember I have always wanted to go to Australia. My dad studied in Melbourne and his Australian friends would always come to visit us ever since I was young. Hearing about their experiences made me want to experience it for myself. Since I knew I was going to study abroad in Australia, during my recruiting process, studying abroad was the first question I asked coaches about. Studying abroad is an experience that is hard to recreate outside of college. Although I knew I would miss my teammates and family, I haven't felt like I have missed out since I have gotten to experience so much.
 
When researching Australia, I decided I wanted to study in Gold Coast because although it is known for its sunny beaches, there is easy access to beautiful hikes inland, and major cities like Brisbane. As a surf instructor on Cape Cod, I knew I wanted to be able to surf while I was abroad, so Gold Coast's reputation for its amazing waves was also a deciding factor.
 
The Bond University campus is about a 10-minute bike ride to the beach, but the university is surrounded by canals. During orientation we were repeatedly told never to swim in the canals as there are bull sharks – ironically, that is the university's mascot! I live on campus with a roommate from Furman University in South Carolina, who also came through Arcadia. We became quick friends and have travelled across Australia together.
 
Along with the students on my program, I have met people from all over the world, and even from Waltham, as it took me coming to Australia to become close with two members of the Bentley women's lacrosse team, which is just a mile down the road from Brandeis.
 
At Bond I am taking a range of classes, including a strategic management class which counts towards my business major. I am also taking two tourism classes. One is about the development of Gold Coast as a tourist destination, and the other is an adventure tourism class. In adventure tourism, I have gotten to go on field trips, including rock climbing, a ropes course, and surfing. I then had to write a paper about my experiences and apply the theories learned in class about adventure tourism to the trips.
 
Since being here I have travelled up and down the east coast of Australia. My program started off south of Sydney in Wollongong, and, right when we got off the plane, we went swimming in the Royal National Park. We got to go to a wildlife sanctuary and feed kangaroos and see the world's deadliest snake. The program took us back up to Sydney where we explored Bondi Beach. My friends and I even got to meet two of the lifeguards on the TV show Bondi Rescue.
 
In Sydney we toured the Opera house and went on a cruise around the harbor. We then flew up to Gold Coast and moved into Bond. At Bond the friends I met through my program became close with other study abroad students, and a group of nine of us started traveling. We started locally, spending weekends in both Byron Bay and Noosa Heads, which is only a short drive to each. I then went to North Stradbroke Island, which is the second largest sand island in Australia. While there, I got to meet with the local Aboriginal elder and learn about the Quandamooka people, their history, and even participate in the traditional dances and face paint.
 
The next weekend I went up to Cairns and got to go sky diving and snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef, which has always been a dream of mine. The next weekend I went to Melbourne and explored the city and Yarra Valley on a wine tasting tour. I took a trip to Brisbane for a night, and explore the city, even going to a restaurant that Margot Robbie was at nights before!
 
Recently I went back to Melbourne to spend five days with my families friends who live on the Melbourne peninsula. Soon I will be traveling to Bali, Indonesia at the end of November. In early December my parents are coming to visit, and our family friends from Melbourne will be coming up to visit with them as well! On the way back to Boston I will be spending five days in Honolulu with my roommate from Brandeis, Sabrina Loui, who is a junior on the women's tennis team. I am super excited to see her and get to visit her home of Oahu!
 
Since being in Australia I haven't seen one softball field, as it's not a popular sport. Instead, I have focused on strength and conditioning, and I have been keeping up with the team lifting schedule thanks to Coach Kait sending me the programs! Bond has 2 outdoor swimming pools, and I have gotten back into swimming which has been really good for my conditioning and recovery. The warm weather has encouraged me to run more, and I have enjoyed running alongside the canals after classes.
 
Australia is an extremely fit country, and there is a heavy emphasis on sport. My friends and I have I been going to social tennis twice a week since being here, and we have met other students from all over the world. The tennis coach comes each time and has coached us up, and now we have gotten pretty good. It has been super rewarding to learn a new sport and has been a good outlet for my competitive nature.
 
I am going into the last couple of weeks here in Gold Coast, and I miss my team so much. I have fallen in love with Australia - the only reason it isn't perfect is because my teammates aren't here! It has made me appreciate the bond that the team has, and I cannot wait to see them in January!