To begin with, yes these are difficult times and we all are uncertain about the future, I just want to say “This too shall pass”. The UQIDAR team asked me to share my experience in Australia, I was a bit confused because there were so many happy memories it’s hard to choose a few. This essay will mainly concentrate on the beginning, the end and a little bit of everything in-between.
The beginning
Alok, Vallari and I were the only three students who were finalized to leave in Jan 2020, and for all three of us, this would be our first visit abroad. Yes, we were nervous and yes, we had stupid doubts and yes, we contacted the UQIDAR team for the most mundane doubts, and every time they helped us. From helping us get our VISA to ensuring we reach there safely, they supported us throughout this journey. Finally, we landed in Brisbane on 13th Jan 2020 and the moment we landed UQ team had arranged the cab for us. We had already contacted few Indian friends (thanks to our friend Siddhanth) in Brisbane who readily offered us a place to stay till we found a new place.
First day
Well, ‘University’ is just a place where students go, study, research and get an academic degree, so why is this special? Well, just google ‘University of Queensland, St Lucia’, you will get the answer. Because I did, Nah I overdid it, from the moment I started applying for this PhD I was just googling the UQ campus (might have even stalked on Google Earth :P) and always felt it can’t be this beautiful (I had convinced myself it was photoshop or some filter), but in reality, I am happy to say that I was wrong and it is one of the best campuses in the world. The UQ, St Lucia campus is situated on the banks of the Brisbane River, has a mixture of heritage and modern architecture and lush green lawns, beautiful walking tracks along the river and the lake at the center. My advice to all the juniors and colleagues, forget research for a week and just enjoy the campus.
Before we got lost, we met Georgia (our lifeline at UQ), first thing, the UQ team helped us set up new bank accounts and received our cheque to settle down. They had arranged lunch for us and called our supervisors and the administrative team of UQ. The supervisor and the dept liaisons officer were also there and they helped us take care of all the essential things we had to do to start our work at UQ. This was followed by a guided tour of the beautiful campus.
My department: School of Earth and Environmental sciences.
As soon as I reached the department, they had set up everything, my desk and locker were already set up. I was given all the security clearance to enter my lab 24×7, access the kitchen (free coffee), and finally met my team. My supervisor Prof. Yongping Wei, always supportive and motivating. The regular inputs from her helped when I got stuck in my research. My lab members, Jinghan from China, Paulina from Chile, Rupesh from India and Fredrick from Australia (he was 60, but more energetic than all of us). They welcomed me and made me comfortable and gave me some tips about research and just life in general. I also want to thank Prof. Ron Johnstone for all the guidance he gave me during my stay at UQ.
And then, as usual, the work started and everyone got busy, but I, Alok and Vallari always met during lunch breaks and on weekends to enjoy the unofficial national food of India “Biryani”, yes, we do get good biryani in Brisbane.
In-between
And yes, Australia is known for its beaches and tourist spots, we enjoyed travelling to these beautiful locations, from kangaroo sanctuary to Stradbroke Island, Gold coast to Moreton Island. Yes, there were a few restrictions because of COVID, but we could travel anywhere in Queensland and has the most diverse tourist locations you could imagine. All the travel itself needs a separate essay.
The end
All good things come to an end, so did our stay in Brisbane. But the return journey had its drama, due to COVID most of the flight were cancelled or rescheduled last minute this led to a couple of really anxious days. The UQ team helped us during this time, they were regularly checking on us and made sure if our flights were rescheduled, we got the financial support.
To sum up, I had the best year of my life in Brisbane, professionally got to work on something new and challenging, learnt a lot from experienced faculty and colleagues met some lovely people and enjoyed the warmth of Aussie culture and would love to go back whenever I get the chance. Before I end, I want to thank Prof. Naveen, Ramya ma’am, Prof. Nidhi, my IIT Delhi supervisor Prof. Dhanya, Georgia, Dr Jessica, Dr Belinda and everyone who helped us have a great time in Brisbane.