Solana Morningstar

Melbourne, Aus

What made you decide to study abroad during your time at CMU?

I have spent the majority of my life living in Pittsburgh, and while I love it here, I love to travel and was really excited about the idea of getting to live abroad. When I decided to stay in Pittsburgh to go to university, I was intent that I was going to study abroad at some point.

How did you choose Melbourne as your study abroad location?

I needed to find a university that taught some of the courses I needed for my major and minors, so that narrowed my options down a bit. I have always wanted to go to Australia, and I figured if I was going to go all that way I might as well go for six months. While Sydney seems to be a more popular tourist destination, I had heard a lot about how beautiful Melbourne was and how much culture it had. CMU has a great exchange program with UniMelb, so my decision to go there was pretty easy.

St. Kilda beach

You were in Melbourne when the COVID-19 lockdown began—can you talk a little bit about that experience and what it was like for you?

I felt really lucky to be in Australia during the beginning part of the pandemic, as they dealt with it really well. I know it was scary for my friends and family to have me on the other side of the world with so much going on, but I felt comfortable with my choice to remain in Melbourne. At no point did I consider coming home early. I was really disappointed not to be able to go to in-person classes or travel around the country after the first few weeks, but luckily, I made some great friends, and we were able to make the best of the situation. It was hard to watch so many of my friends who were also from abroad have to go home so suddenly though. It was also difficult because for the first few months I wasn’t sure if CMU would ask me to come home. I kept my bags partly packed in case I had to leave suddenly like most other international students had. Like most places, Melbourne instated a lot of safety restrictions; however, unlike most places, during the latter part of my stay we went into an intense weeks long city-wide lockdown. This resulted in me staying in the country longer than I had originally planned, but honestly, I did not mind, as I was concerned about the situation in the States more than anything.

The Victorian mansion where Solana lived during her time in Melbourne.

Entrance to Luna Park, closed due to lockdown; the original Luna Park was located in North Oakland, a few blocks from Carnegie Mellon.

What were some of your favorite things to do in Melbourne, both before and after lockdown?

Before lockdown, some of my favourite things to do were going out to restaurants with my friends (Melbourne has a lot of amazing food), going sightseeing, and going to some of the University’s really cool events. During lockdown, I really enjoyed walking around the city, especially down along the Yarra River. I would go on really long walks and take tons of pictures. My friends and I also did a lot of puzzles, had a lot of movies nights, and ordered a lot of UberEats. We also started giving each other haircuts and decorating the walls in our building.

Yarra River

What surprised or excited you the most about your study abroad experience?

I was probably most excited by all the Australian wildlife. I mean who doesn’t love koalas and kangaroos? But there are so many more amazing animals than just those. I never knew how cute the possums are there!

If you could study abroad again, where would you go?

There are so many places I would love to go, but I think I’d have to say I would go back to Melbourne. I wish I had had more time to do things there before COVID-19 hit. There are definitely a lot of things there I didn’t get the chance to cross off my bucket list yet. Plus, I want to visit some friends and finally get to travel around the country.

Hosier Lane

What are three pieces of advice you would give to another student who is planning to study abroad for the first time?

1. Talk to people before you go (and once you’re there) – Talk to other students who have studied abroad there (or anywhere), people who have visited there, the resources at the school you are going to – basically anyone who has advice to offer. I found it really helpful to know what to bring, how to go about getting a visa, and recommendations for things like the best cell phone plans and where to shop.
2. Don’t wait to do things – If there is something you want to do – go for it! You never know when there is going to be global pandemic (or some smaller less dramatic event) that gets in the way of your plans. Don’t overwhelm yourself with a busy itinerary, but if there is something you really want to do, don’t wait around.
3. Be flexible – No trip is going to go exactly to plan, so don’t worry if things go wrong or something isn’t how you expected. Things like cultural shock can take you by surprise, so try to stay calm and be open to new things. Even if you are in lockdown for a few months, you can still have fun – which means you can have fun in just about any situation.