Blog written by Nang Moe from Singapore, studying Bachelor of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management
It still feels surreal that for the past 2 months, I’ve been living and breathing this Brisbane air.
I remember being back in Singapore wondering, “Will I be able to make friends and explore Brisbane? Will I be too caught up in my studies?” The answer to the former is yes (thankfully) and as for the latter, we’ll talk about it soon.
Brisbane has been amazing and so happening. There are so many festivals and art exhibitions and activities to do as well as places to explore, it feels as though there is always something to do and/or explore. I have had the pleasure of exploring both the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast. Through car and train rides, I managed to gaze at the outskirts of the city and the beautiful nature landscapes. It was definitely an eye-opening experience. My friends and I even managed to take a trip to Dreamworld where we took all of the huge roller coasters and thrilling rides. It is my favourite theme park so far, we’ll see how Movie World compares to it soon.
Apart from road trips, I have also been to the weekend markets that Brisbane offers. I especially enjoy my morning bagel and coffee and love the spread that the shops offer, ranging from fresh produce and handmade jewelry to crystals and clothes. The spread of food at Eat Street really blew my mind, as I have only seen such food online on my social media. My friends and I even decided to get temporary jagua tattoos.
With the abundance of festivals in Brisbane, I tried to make time to visit them. The animals at EKKA were definitely the highlight. There were ducks, chickens, and sheep just walking around in the animal enclosure, munching on the food that the visitors offered them. With the Brisbane Festival happening throughout the month of September, my friends and I headed down to explore the various installations. My favourite had to be the Moon installation, which I saw frequently on my friend’s social media. However, when I arrived at West End, the installation was an Earth. It was still really beautiful and my group picture turned out really good.
As for UQ, I have been so blessed to meet amazing classmates who I have grown closer to in the past few weeks. From tackling group presentations together to attending society events, I have had so many fun and exciting memories at UQ, I attended the UQ Singapore Student Society’s (UQSSS) gathering, where we had food and drinks as we played games and made new friends. It was definitely a fun night.
