Since the rugby, English people will now only go to Australia to gloat. However, there was apparently a time when there were other reasons to go.

Not sure that such an era could ever have existed, Loay El Hady caught up with one exchange student to find out what was up down under.

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Rachael Clark is a 21 year old Nottingham Trent University media student who went on a six month college placement in her second year to Murdoch University in Perth.

Rachael Clark

Six months on the other side of the world doesn’t sound like a drunken spur of the moment decision. Was it always in your plans?
Yeah, it's one of the main reasons I came to Nottingham Trent. It's one of the few places that caters for exchange programmes.

Was it always Oz that you wanted to go to?
No, I just wanted the chance to get away; anywhere that spoke English would have been an option. New Zealand, America, ummm…

Go on…
…South Africa… and… (she ran out of countries)… the list isn’t endless but there were plenty of options and I fancied Australia most.

Were you nervous?
A week before I left I was terrified, but as soon as I got on the plane I was just dead excited the whole journey and couldn’t wait to get there!

You had three stop over’s resulting in a 30 odd hour journey… that’s a whole lot of excited. How did it differ from here, apart from the backwards toilets?
The first thing that hit me was the weather, I came out of the plane into the airport and thought it wasn’t too bad but then when the doors to the outside of the airport opened I nearly collapsed, the heat was unbearable, 45 degrees! I got used to it after a couple of days though.

How?
By wearing less clothes.

Cool, were you well looked after by the people there?
Yeah, a uni rep came and met us and took us to our flats and we had a get to know you session. I was with two girls I’d met on the plane who were doing the same placement I was. They lived in the same residences I did, so it was good knowing I had friendly faces just around the corner, all my flat mates turned out to be 24-25 year old students cos over there you’re in halls for the whole time at uni. So it wasn’t just a load of piss-head first years.

Was it more expensive than studying here?
No, food and accommodation were the same, and the only extra really was the flight.

What about the actual teaching, better or worse?
I’m not going to say too much cos I’m still fishing for some good grades here, but I will say I found the teachers really approachable.

You chatted up the teachers?
No, I mean you don’t have to book a time to see them, if they see you in the hall they just stop and talk to you.

Oh, so the teachers chat up the students?
No, you won’t understand unless you’re out there, everything is just a lot more informal.

What else was different?
Well, they have a week off every four weeks, so you can unwind or catch up with your work.

Kangaroo

A week off every four? You must have lived the dream… what else did you get up to?
There were loads of things organised for the foreign students to do which was great. But the best thing by far was a ten day trip round the outback, it was spectacular, that was the very point I fell in love with Australia. I also went diving in the Great Barrier Reef, snorkelling; swimming with turtles.

Okay, okay, now you’re just bragging…
You asked! Anyway, it deserves a mention; all the wildlife was just so amazing…

But a lot of the animals out there are pretty dangerous too…
Too right, info about poisonous animals is like folk lore over there - your always hearing about different things, like say… tiger snakes, they were in the ponds and lakes on campus - if they are startled they’ll try and attack you, and the only way to escape them is by running up a tree cos they can't climb!

And you had these things around your campus?
Yeah, but I never had a run in with one. The worst animal time for me personally was when I was walking under a tree and felt something on my shoulder, I looked over and it was a massive red back spider, I freaked out like you wouldn’t believe I ripped my clothes off and ran around screaming my head off.

That scared of a little spider?
That spider was large, so it was probably a female which could actually kill you if it bit you.

Oh, I’ll take the scared bit back then. How did you know it was a red back…
(Interrupting) Because it had a red back! DUH!

Let me finish… and that it was probably female and that it can kill?
You get loads of warnings about it from people and the authorities so you know what to do if you do get bitten.

What about kangaroos? See any?
All the time, they’re like hedgehogs over there…

You mean they’re road kill?
I meant they’re that common, but since you mention it, yeah there a lot killed in road accidents, then they get used for dog food.

Ughh…
Why does that bother you, do you eat dog food?

No… (I couldn’t think of anything smart to say)… do you?
No, but I did try some kangaroo it tasted like cheap steak.

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While I went off to ponder about how Rachael could eat something she knew was an ingredient in dog food, I quickly hatched plans to go on travels of my own, but unfortunately my funding will only get me as far as the Costa del Coventry.

But for all of you still at uni looking for adventure, a chance to widen your horizons, and sample some dodgy food; take a look into doing an exchange placement abroad, and if it is Australia that takes your fancy, make sure you pack sun screen, venom antidote and the Rugby world cup final DVD.

Altogether now… ‘Swing low…Sweet Chariot…’