An exchange is what people describe as the best way to broaden their horizons and learn more about themselves. I definitely agree with this sentiment. Melbourne is an incredible place with a very well developed city and transport infrastructure, artsy, cultural, and has a little bit of everything – really! But there was something that I found in Melbourne that couldn’t be found in one of their many beautiful alleyways, cafés, or beaches: a deeper appreciation of the country that I call home.

Yes, whilst Aotearoa may not be the most developed country infrastructure-wise, but it did have many things that I had taken for granted: A beautiful natural walk just a few minutes away, fish & chips (?? thought I could find these here), but most importantly, my family, friends, girlfriend, and my cat (of course, amongst many other things). I had even begun missing the bustling sounds and views of Queen Street, and the views from my bus ride into uni (even though it is nowhere near as fast or punctual as the trams and trains of Melbourne).

Due to the lockdown, I’ve found myself doing things a lot differently as before. Gone were my (relatively consistent) 12 O’clock bedtimes and 7am wake-ups, and my (relatively consistent) exercise routine. However, I did say hello to hours of YouTube and Netflix (I take that as a plus :P). I found myself exploring and learning more in areas that I had always wanted to learn about but didn’t have the time to, such as Machine Learning, Music, and YouTube content creation, and cooking!!

Of course, with the lockdown restrictions it’s been hard to explore all the places in our bubbles, but every weekend we do find time to explore a bit of the city of Melbourne, here are some of the places!

Although (imo) Auckland beats Melbourne in terms of natural parks and reserves, I must say the beaches in Melbourne are pretty incredible. The photos won’t do them justice 😉

Couldn’t manage to do as much as I had hoped this lockdown, but this experience has definitely proven that there are always possibilities to grow and explore things, even if they are only a 5km radius away from your home.

Until next time!
Jae Min 😉