G'day Australia-Week 1 in Cairns, Australia wrap-up

Despite only being in Cairns for a handful of days, I’ve already made friends from all walks of life. It’s amazing how a shared sense of adventure can bring people together so quickly. In just a week, my social circle has expanded to include people from Sydney, American Samoa, Thailand, Japan, and beyond! Everyone here has been incredibly welcoming, and there has been absolutely no shortage of fun to be had.

We even got to sample the legendary local nightlife during the final Australia World Cup match. The energy in the pub was electric, packed wall-to-wall with passionate fans. The Aussies ultimately lost on penalties (cue the collective heartbreak and a loud "boo" from the crowd), but the loss didn't dampen our spirits for long. We still had an unforgettable night celebrating the incredible atmosphere of tournament football in a country that truly loves its sport.

Beyond the nightlife, our daytime excursions have been an absolute masterclass in biodiversity. We’ve had the chance to sample some fantastic local biomes, including the dense, labyrinthine mangrove forests along the coast. We also visited the stunning botanical gardens, where we walked among all kinds of alien-looking plants and learned about their fascinating medicinal properties—many of which have been used by Indigenous cultures for thousands of years.

After meeting those local mates I mentioned, a few of us piled into one of their cars for an authentic Aussie road trip to a nearby river. Now, if you know anything about Far North Queensland, you know you have to be incredibly careful about where you swim due to the deadly Estuarine Crocodiles. Luckily, this spot was one of the few bodies of water known to be completely croc-free. Because of that, we were able to float in the crystal-clear, scenic pools entirely carefree! I even got to cast a line and try my hand at fishing, ultimately catching my very first Jungle Perch, a beautiful local freshwater fish.

Our Global Seminar group is small but incredibly active. We’ve been using every second of our free time to organize group trips to various rainforests and beaches, which has really allowed us to understand the lay of the land. While Australia is a massive country with infinite terrain to cover, we’ve still been able to get a decent idea of what these diverse tropical biomes are like within our very first week.

I feel so incredibly happy and grateful to have experienced so much in such a short amount of time. If week one is any indication of what's to come, this trip is going to be unforgettable.