Abigail Greklek '24 assimilated to Australian life pretty quickly, though it hasn't always been easy living in the future.
Earlier this spring, just before going to bed, Abigail's mom would often send her daughter a quick text. She typically asked, "How was your day?" Abigail would have to remind her, "My day hasn't happened yet."
Abigail is living and studying 10,000 miles and 14 time zones away in Melbourne, Australia. When it's evening here, it's already the next morning in Australia. For Abigail, it feels like living in the future.
"It's definitely weird, and it took me about two weeks to get used to the time change. I was waking up around 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 a.m., and I just couldn't get back to sleep. It's good now, but it did take a whole lot to get adjusted."
Now that she's beaten the jet lag, every day has been a new adventure. Abigail often takes day trips with her friends, sometimes up and down the Great Ocean Road – a 150-mile famous stretch of road along the south-eastern coast.
“We like to go on day trips to places like the Great Ocean Road, the beach, the zoo, and the Victoria Market. Between these and visiting all the shops it's a lot of fun. I’ll also be going to the Great Barrier Reef next week!”
For her next trip, she'll likely need a jacket. Now that Abigail's adjusted to the time difference, she's confronting seasons in reverse. Australia is heading into its winter, which means beach trips are no longer a comfortable option. But as odd as it sounds (living a day ahead and in a different hemisphere), it's really not that different.
"I would definitely recommend people to come here! There are a lot of things to do and a lot of things to see. Australia is different from back home obviously, but it is also similar to the U.S. in a lot of ways so you would definitely fit in well over here.”
In fact, Abigail's having so much fun, she's planning on extending her trip. After her semester, she'd like to spend time in New Zealand, before heading back home (and back in time) this summer.
