Japanese student's journey to campus
With our borders now open and students beginning to return, one recently arrived Japanese student has shared her entire travel experience through blogging and Instagram stories.
Yuka Maruyama, a Bachelor of Media with Bachelor of Computer Sciences student, was up until recently studying online and waiting for the day she could travel to Australia. We spoke to Yuka and asked her about the journey to Adelaide and what she is most looking forward to doing now that she is finally here.
Tell us about your journey to campus
I started my studies with a Foundation Course through Eynesbury College in October 2020 and after, enrolled in my University of Adelaide degree in July 2021. During this time, I was studying online so I decided to take advantage of the online flexibility by travelling. While studying online, I lived in Cambodia and Germany. I was able to balance my studies with an internship in Cambodia, and when I was in Germany, I took German language classes.
I waited almost 1.5 years for the Australian borders to open. When the announcement came through, I flew as below:
- Frankfurt, Germany > Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates > Melbourne, Australia > Adelaide, Australia
When I arrived in Adelaide, there was still a requirement to quarantine for 7 days (there isn't anymore) so I booked myself an apartment hotel. It's now been a few weeks since I came to Adelaide and I have moved into a share house with an Australian family who are very kind. I've now been here a few weeks and have kept quite busy with meeting friends (old and new), and I've even secured myself a part-time job!
I have visited about 8 countries so far, but Adelaide is by far the most friendly city.Yuka Maruyama
Why did you choose your degree?
My dream is to work as a UI/UX designer who has knowledge of programming and design as well. Another dream is to develop a voice recognition application for hearing-impaired people and foreigners.
Why did you choose the University of Adelaide?
The University of Adelaide is one of the Group of Eight and very few Japanese students study here. Plus, this university is known for its computer science course. I didn’t want to live in Melbourne or Sydney and chose Adelaide because of the beautiful sea and mountains nearby.
What are you enjoying most about your degree?
I love learning new programming languages, even if it is hard. I also enjoy working with my classmates on projects and it will be great to do that in person this year.
Why is it important for you to have an on-campus experience in Adelaide?
I didn’t choose to study online, my dream was to study abroad. Studying on campus and living in Adelaide is worth it. There are things you cannot experience online (good and bad) like hanging out with uni friends, bonding over study struggles and going through culture shock.
What are you most looking forward to doing now that you are in Adelaide?
I would love to join a range of clubs at the university and have already started reaching out to some of them. I am so excited to join!
Who are you most looking forward to catching up with and why?
My teachers and friends! I have known them for more than 1 year and am yet to meet them. We have worked on projects together and kept in touch outside of class. Many of them will be flying here in late Jan/Feb so I am very excited to hang out with them.
Yuka’s travel journey
Already an avid blogger, Yuka’s has posted about her entire journey to Australia with the hope to help other international students prepare for their own trip to Australia. Since arriving in Adelaide, Yuka has already organised her vaccination certificate, met up with her online friends in real life, started touring the many amazing beaches and even secured herself a part-time job.
If you would like to read Yuka’s full blog posts you can do so via the links below, however, please be advised that travel and entry requirements have since changed. For the most up to date travel information and more, please visit our Travelling to Australia website.
Yuka is just one of our vibrant international community members here at the University of Adelaide. If you’re looking to start your studies in Australia but don’t know where to start, visit our Travelling to Australia page or get in touch with our Future Student Team.