By Udara Cumaratunga
As a BA International Business Management student of the University of Sheffield, I had the opportunity to study abroad for a year at Griffith University, Queensland, Australia. Having the opportunity to live in one of the biggest tourist capitals in the country, I was excited for my next adventure, but little prepared me for the life changing experiences and the biggest roller coaster ride of my life!
On my first morning in Australia, I was awoken by the loud chirping of birds from the tree right outside my window – this was to become my natural alarm for the next 12 months. Despite being jet lagged, I dragged myself out of bed eager to explore my new home. After collecting a map from the reception I headed down a footpath with the warm sun beating down on my skin.
As I entered the University I felt a rush of excitement as smiles from other students were quick to greet me, and I was shown around the campus and directed towards the International Office.
Within a week of having arrived in Australia, I had settled in and my life changing journey had begun. Having attended many orientation and other events during the first week, I had made more friends than I ever imagined. Every day at Griffith I seemed to meet someone new and learn something exiting about the world, cultures, personalities and other fun facts.
At Griffith I was instructed to undertake 4 modules per semester, which included 1-2 hour lectures and tutorials. Lecture groups were most often smaller than those in Sheffield, and demanded a lot of engagement from students. The lectures acknowledged our diverse academic backgrounds and embraced the different views we had to offer.
I studied module
s such as International Marketing, Public Relations, Inter-Cultural Management, Organisational Behaviour, Human Resource Management, Business Processes, International Accounting and Market Structure and Business Strategy that not only improved my knowledge of the business processes and working environment within Australia but also of other countries around the world. I was able to enhance my knowledge of the different accounting systems of countries such as China, Japan, Germany, USA and Australia, understand the different marketing strategies practiced in Australia and learn the importance of managing cultural diversities around the world. All these subjects were very important to me when understanding the contexts in which international businesses operate.
There was never a dull moment in the Gold Coast, the city is packed with amazing activities to suit every interest. Lying on soft sandy beach of Broadbeach every Sunday with my friends was probably my favourite activity whilst I was there. My friends and I were all adventurous and found ourselves most often venturing around the city. Whale watching, visiting Currumbin Wild Life Sanctuary, spending days at the many theme parks and exploring the waterfalls were just some of the activities we occupied ourselves with. As food lovers we were attracted to the different cuisines that Gold Coast had to offer. We dedicated one night every two weeks to try out a unique dish from the many restaurants and we were frequent customers at Pancake Parlour and Max Brenner.
My friends and I seized every opportunity to travel around the country and Sydney was one of our first spectacular adventures. Despite the close proximity to Gold Coast, Sydney was totally a different experience, groups of people rushing around to work and tourists trying to capture the perfect picture next to the historic monuments. Despite the hustle and bustle we sat on the grass besides the harbour bridge in perfect harmony with nature and watched the blue sky turn from orange to purple as the sun set into the ripples of the ocean.
Melbourne offered a truly culturally and artistically diverse experiences with the 
many museums and artistic monuments that were located around the city. As we stood on the deck of the highest residential building in the southern hemisphere, our gazes were mesmerised by the amusing architecture below us.
Just before the end of my year in Australia, my group of friends and I spontaneously piled up in a van and headed down the coast to Byron Bay. On our last night there we drove up to the light house and cuddled up next to each other, as we waited for the sun to rise. As I sat there in the shivering cold next to my friends, who giggled away, I realised the magnitude to which this opportunity had changed my life. I had not only made friends to last me a life time but also learnt new things about the world, cultures and business environments.