The raging bushfires in Australia have devastated both the environment and life across the country. According to the BBC, an estimated 15.6 million acres have burned and 28 people have been killed.
This disaster feels personal to two Asbury students who recently studied abroad: juniors Kendall Leander and Amanda Judy.
“It has been so heartbreaking to watch such a beautiful country go up in flames and hear my host parents worry about the unbreathable smoky air,” said Leander, who lived in Brisbane, Australia. “I left the country about two weeks before bushfires spread across Australia. I chose to donate to the Australian Red Cross, as I cannot imagine how scary it must be to rebuild after such massive destruction.”
Judy experienced the fires at the end of her stay in the country.
“When I was in Australia there were many bush fires starting in September,” said Judy. “I am very thankful none of them were where I was staying but they were as close as an hour away. I remember driving up to the beach one weekend and on the left side of the road it was all burned forest and on the right side of the road was all greenery and houses that had to be evacuated. It was so surreal to see the damage up close.”
Leander came to know Australia after spending four months there. A love of traveling was instilled in her by her parents, and going to Australia presented a great opportunity as it allowed her to continue her studies while doing something she loves.
“I know most students view the CCE requirement as a pain, but taking advantage of the opportunity to spend four months in Australia was truly the best experience,” said Leander.
Studying abroad is educational in more ways than one. Not only did Leander and Judy experience traditional learning in the classroom, she also learned about Australian culture during her daily life. When not in class, they did internships and spent their free time traveling, hiking, snorkeling, biking and beach camping, where she encountered both similarities and differences between Aussie and American culture.
“On the surface Australia resembles the United States in that both are established, thriving first world countries speaking English. Both are cultural melting pots and strongly value hard work,” said Leander. “However, by nature the Australian pace of life moves much slower and while Americans strive to stand out, Aussies shoot down attention-seeking behavior. I had to pick up new slang words and adjust to the extremely dry Australian humor. I greatly appreciated the positive Australian mindset of a ‘fair go’ understanding everything will resolve itself in the end.”
Like Leander, Judy also experienced cultural differences that she taught her new things.
“They have different slang words so it was very fun and interesting to learn those,” said Judy. “One thing that was difficult to get used to was the ways they showed respect to other people. For example, in class all the lecturers were called by their first name, which I had a difficult time transitioning over.”
Having learned so much about Australia and acclimated to the culture, the disaster hits closer to home for these students.
“Right now the country is being put on water restrictions, which include: watering their lawn less, shorter showers and not using as much water for unnecessary things,” said Judy. “These bush fires are very tragic and my host parents have never seen them this bad in their whole life.”
Although the country’s environment is currently facing destruction, Leander will always remember the beautiful sights she witnessed.
“The highlight of my semester was undoubtedly snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef,” she said. “I had the opportunity to take three different trips and explore different areas of the Reef, each more beautiful than the last. The vibrant colors of fish and coral and swimming with sea turtles was unbelievable.”
