Experiencing new things
From surfing to eating blue cheese, there's nothing more fun than trying new things!
With AUU’s Experience New Things campaign happening this week (Tuesday, 5th – Friday, 8th), I thought I would share with you all the exhilarating and not-so-exhilarating experiences that I’ve had the pleasure of dipping my toes into since living in Adelaide. As an international student, travelling and studying abroad is already a major new experience. I could go on and on about my adventure, but I’ve already written a handful of blogs about it so let’s talk about the smaller ‘firsts’ that are equally as exciting instead.
One of my favourite experiences was learning French in my first year of uni. I’ve always loved learning new languages, so I chose to do French because, well, I was also obsessed with Timothée Chalamet at the time. It was very nerve-wrecking walking into that Napier classroom for the first time. Mind you, the closest thing to French I could say was “bonjour” and “croissant”. But I ended up enjoying it so much that I might’ve put too much focus on it and neglected my law subjects for a bit… oops. Now I can proudly say that I can read a piece of French literature and string one or two sentences en francais.
The next greatest experience was when my friend and I learnt how to surf for the first time! My friend’s car couldn’t contain the burst of excitement we had as we made our way to Middleton Beach that morning. I will never forget the euphoric feeling I felt slipping into those uncomfortably tight wetsuits and successfully riding the waves (albeit a small one) for the first time. Our dingy Victor Harbour hotel room heard us talk about the falls, the stands, and the muscle aches we got from our lesson all night that night.
Speaking of surfing and the importance of balance, I’m reminded of the first time I roller-skated. It was at a free event held by the university called Roller-Palooza. I was feeling confident as I laced up my skates but that confidence quickly evaporated as I struggled to walk from the seats to the rink. Thank God I had my friend to cling on to! Making laps around the rink was definitely not going to be any easier. I held onto the fences barricading the rink for dear life as I slowly made my way around the smooth, white surface. We tripped and slipped and laughed but by the end of the night, we finally got the hang of it and freed our hands from the fences!
Finally, I couldn’t forget all the food I’ve had the chance of tasting from the famous Fringe profitjes to Fruchocs to Quandong ice creams. Little old picky eater me would’ve been surprised at how adventurous I’ve been with my food since I got here. My most daring gastronomical experience to date has been blue cheese and kangaroo meat. The smell oozing from that piece of cheese should’ve been enough to repel me from it but I took a bite anyway… and immediately spat it out onto the serviette. Hats off to all the blue cheese lovers out there. I truly don’t know how you get past the pungent smell and salty taste.
The kangaroo sausages were a lot better! I tried them last year at uni’s Native Food Market and was delighted and surprised by how good it tasted. I was just not a huge fan of how chewy it was, though.
While the thought of jumping into new things can be a bit daunting at first, you’d be surprised by how fun it could actually be once you’ve done it. You might hate, you might love it but I like to think that either way, it’ll be a good story to tell in the years to come. So step out of your comfort zone this week and make your way to the Barr Smith Lawns to challenge yourself to something new!