Mya Antequera - Blog Abroad
Blog #1
Hello everyone! My name is Mya, and I am a third-year student at UNM. I am studying Political Science and International Studies with a minor in Criminology. I am also a first-generation college student. I did not think an experience like this was in the books for me, as I would be the first in my family to do something like this. I applied for UNM’s exchange program a little over a year ago and never imagined I would be here writing this blog in my apartment across the world for you all. These are a few photos from my first week here in Perth, Australia. Getting here was quite a journey. My family and I drove from Albuquerque to Los Angeles because of the price of the flight, but also because it meant less travel time for me overall. My flight to Sydney from LA was 15 hours. Before this, I could barely make it through a 5-hour flight. This one was triple that. I had a panic attack the day of the flight while going through security, and another about two hours later before boarding. I am not sharing this to scare you from traveling outside of your comfort zone, but to remind you that you should do the things that challenge you. I was sobbing all the way to the plane because I would be traveling across the world alone and leaving everything I was used to for completely different customs, culture, and ways of life. I was terrified, and honestly, even a few days in, I am still a little afraid. But guess what? The world did not end, and I am doing okay so far. Perth is even better than I imagined. It is peaceful, refreshing, and exciting. During my first week, I explored a lot on my own, including downtown Perth, Fremantle, different beaches, and local restaurants. The seafood here is delicious. I had ceviche by the beach and it was incredible. The water was clearer than anything I had ever seen. I saw so many fish while swimming, and being under the sun in February felt surreal. Sadly, a lot of the pictures and videos I took on my iPhone are gone because my phone exploded during my first week here. Thankfully, I still have some photos from my Polaroid. Even without a phone, I was able to get around to different cities. I would write down which bus to take and where to go. I also asked people where to catch certain buses or for the time. I do not recommend this. I am definitely experiencing culture shock. Two of the biggest differences are not tipping after meals and driving and walking on the opposite side of the road. I have made a few friends along the way, and they have helped make this place feel more like home. I cannot wait to continue sharing my journey with you all as I begin to build a life here for myself. See you later! (Oh, and I have a phone now) February 2026
My first week in Perth, Australia
Blog #2
Hello UNM, how are you going? It's been an official month since I've been living in Western Australia, and I am at a loss for words. In this moment, I feel gratitude and joy, and I am still in shock. In the last couple of weeks, I have been on the wildest roller coaster of my life. I was lucky enough to see Bad Bunny in Sydney, Australia, and it was truly one of the best moments of my life. Below, I include a picture of the fireworks that were on during the concert. In the state of the world that we are in right now, I feel extremely lucky to have the privilege to be where I am and be able to see someone who is such an inspiration to the Latino community. It was a special concert and space. Where I'm staying in Australia is a mix of city and rural area, which I am glad for because Sydney reminded me of a touristy area, and it didn't feel as local as Perth does. But Sydney was beautiful and made me miss being in a big city, since I'm originally from New York City anyway. I enjoyed my time in Sydney and am grateful for that experience. I've made a group of friends from the States here at uni, and I've been hanging out a lot with them as well as locals from Western Australia and Queensland. They have been showing me local spots in Western Australia, and we've been discussing our biggest culture shocks with each other. We also notice how differently we speak. Australians tend to shorten a lot of their words, and some speak faster than I can process. I started Uni two weeks ago and am finding out that the United States is the popular girl that everyone strives to follow. I am taking an Australian Politics course, which I am finding so intriguing because Australian politics is heavily intertwined with the politics in the United States. Murodch Uni has been a great experience so far, my professors are what I look for and are of diverse backgrounds. I fed a kangaroo! The study abroad students and I went to Cavershaw Wildlife Park and saw and fed some wildlife there. The nightlife in Perth is really fun as well. My friends and I go almost every weekend, and we've noticed that a lot of American music is played while dancing. We notice little things like that here and there. I think doing this exchange program at UNM was one of the decisions I could've made. I will continue to enjoy Australia and what it has to offer. See you all soon! (I am not able to upload all the photos I want to because I'm limited to five, but I will try my best to include the ones that stand out) March 2026
My first month in Australia
Blog #3
Wow! Hello UNM, how are we going? It has officially been 2 months since I've been abroad, and all I can say is no words can describe what life has been like. It has hit me with the highest highs and lowest lows, I will say. I have felt every emotion in the book, and it is starting to hit me that I am here. Adulting across the world whips you into shape, and I want to hold this blog and be transparent. My time abroad has been filled with such beautiful memories that I will hold dear always. But in recent events with the current political state of the world, I am angry. Angry, I can't protest at the No Kings protest, angry at the turn the United States is taking. Australia is a country that falls in line with the United States in terms of politics. Gas prices I have seen have gone up here as they've been going up in the states for the past year. The Australians I have had conversations with about the war have disagreed with Australia's involvement in the war. My Australian professors have been vocal about it as well. I have an Iranian roommate who hasn't been in contact with her family for over 10 days because the internet connection is spotty and not accessible. This has weighed heavily on my heart. In lighter news, my friends and I went to Bali 2 weeks ago. It is weird to be able to say that while the world is experiencing such a morbid time. I can acknowledge my privilege in being able to travel and experience different countries. But Bali was beautiful. About 15 of us went, and we got a villa and stayed for about 4 nights. I drank the water first day of being there because I thought it was filtered, and came to find out it was not. I did not get sick tho! Score! We did a lot of excursions, one being visiting the monkey forest and going on a coffee tour, where we saw coffee grounds being made. I bought some coffee and have been having two cups every day! (It is so yummy). We also ziplined, which was so fun. We did loads of hikes as well. I'm finding uni a bit stressful at the moment with assignments coming due and having to prioritize school above all else. However, I've been conducting extensive research on nuclear weapons, and my findings have been closely aligned with current international politics. I have an assignment on why states acquire nuclear weapons, and that is what my research has primarily focused on. I am also officially a swimmer! Murdoch offers a swimming program, and today was my final lesson. I am so incredibly proud of myself in that I can now swim. I have been having such a blast and am so happy to be studying what I am at Murdoch. I feel incredibly blessed and lucky. I will continue updating as time goes on. I can't believe how fast time has gone by. See you all soon! April 2026
Uh, so is the world ending? (No, I don't think)
Blog #4
Hello UNM! Wow, so it is already May, and I am in the process of finishing uni and taking my finals. I am feeling fairly confident in taking my exams. This semester flew by! I cannot believe I leave in two months and then back to reality. I can feel myself missing Australia already, but I know I'll be back. In this moment, all I want to do is give the semester a final push and finish strong. I do miss my family, friends, and my dog, so coming back won't feel fully sad, but it does feel bittersweet. Anywho, I went to an AFL game, which is the US equivalent of the NFL, but their footy games here are a combination of soccer, football, volleyball, and basketball rules. Watching it is so fun. My Aussie friends and I here watch AFL quite regularly since it is the season. But I include videos and photos from the footy game. I had a blast and was so happy to try to fit in with the culture here(even though the study abroad kids and I were the loudest in our section).May 2026
I also would like to add that I am not the biggest sports fan, so when I actually chose to go was a different experience for me! I also went to Kangaroo Island in Perth with a friend of mine who is from the Netherlands. Below, I include a photo of a kangaroo, and I (I was a little intimidated, even though he was chill). I look around at where I am, and I can't fathom it, and I think once I'm back in the States, I won't be able to grasp that I was on the other side of the world. Further into May, I also went on a Fremantle Prison Tour, which was super interesting considering I am minoring in Criminology! I think that it really helped me compare the prisons here in New Mexico and Australia. I have visited the Los Lunas Penitentiary. I am so happy with how May went! I will update you all on the remainder of my stay.
Blog #5
Woo hoo. Wow, it is June already. I have a month left, and then I head back to the United States. I think it's begun to hit me more because of uni being over, and the friends I made here have begun to slowly leave and head back home. I think coming abroad has been so reflective for me and my experience as an individual. This experience has helped me discover new pieces of me that I had no idea were in here. I fell in love abroad, which is crazy for me to even type because I didn't envision myself doing it just because it is so out of the realm of attention. I have goals I want to meet and push for, so I thought that falling in love would distract me and divert me from reaching those goals. But no, I fell in love, and it sucks because he lives across the world. I think one thing I can take out of this experience truly is to not be afraid. Do what scares you, even if you feel like you'll fall on your face, because you never know what you're made of until you test those limits. If I knew that the experience I had with falling in love abroad would end in heartbreak, I'd do it ten times over. ""Because the pain of experiencing loss is nothing to the pain of not experiencing love."" -Jaymen Chang June 2026
Aside from that, I did create and build a new friendship abroad with this lovely woman named Safi. She and her family have supported me in ways that I am forever grateful for. The truth about going abroad is that you will have many lonely days. Where you feel isolated and disconnected from your life because you are far from familiarity. But with Safi, she felt so familiar, and I am so glad I met her when I did because now I carry that friendship for life. She and I went to the Pinnacles, which are limestone rocks that emerge from the yellow sand in NamBurg National Park. We took a day trip down there and had an absolute blast. She and I have also gone on morning beach walks, and a starfish washed up to shore, which was so cute! She and I vowed to keep in contact as I plan to come back to Australia after graduation. AH I leave in a month and will continue to update. Cheers
Blog #6
Oh wow, now it's officially set in. I leave in a week. I am feeling so many emotions. I am happy, I'm sad, I'm scared, I'm ready, and I am certain. There was a period of time while being abroad that I contemplated staying here for another semester, meaning an additional six months. I interviewed for a job, and I got it. I had my friends here, my mode of transport, my partner. But I had contemplated it for two months and decided that coming back is what would fulfill me and my purpose. You truly don't appreciate the full extent of your life until it's taken away or you step away from it, and I think that being abroad did that. It made me value my life, my hobbies, my volunteer work, my family, my friends, my dog, and who I am here. I am also not from New Mexico; I am from Queens, New York. My heart has pieces of it scattered throughout the world, and for that, I am so grateful for that. This experience may be coming to an end, but I think it played out the way it had to. I found so much peace in being on my own somewhere else, where no one really knew me, yet I was also frightened by that. I've come to truly value my purpose and how lucky I am to be in the position where I got the chance to go abroad and to just live my day-to-day life surrounded by those who support me. July 2026
Enough of the life lessons, though, in July, I went on a little road trip with my partner. We went to Ambergate, which is a little outside of Perth, headed South. It was a beautiful weekend getaway. We saw many cows and horses. We stayed in a tent that was transformed into an Airbnb and made a charcuterie board. Being in Ambergate, we also went on a wine tour, and I don't recommend this if you're a lightweight because I was obliterated by noon. But it was a magical time, and I had so much fun and even met an older couple and got to chatting with them. I also got to celebrate Safi's 22nd birthday with her and her family, and had an absolute blast. I will miss them very much.
It was a perfect ending to my stay in Australia, and I am trying not to cry as I type this, but this is my last blog while abroad.
Australia, thank you and you'll see me soon!
Blog #7
Hello Blog, I am officially back in the States, and I feel so glad to be back, but I am also adjusting to the time change. I think coming back, I've learned to appreciate the little things I didn't before. Like, for example, my dog waking me up in the morning, my brother sneezing really loud, and most of all, driving. It has been a bittersweet return just because of the life I just lived. Coming back to normalcy feels relieving but also odd. Back to the States
It is my third week back in the States, but my first full week back in New Mexico. I went back to New York for a little while to see family, and went to the Dominican Republic with my best friend and her family! I had an absolute time. But reality has begun to sink in, I go back to work on Monday, and got a new car since I sold my old one to afford Australia. I'm feeling like myself again.
I do miss Safi and our drives together. I also miss the boy I fell in love with in Australia and the life that we shared, even if it was for only five months. It felt longer than that, but also shorter if that makes any sense. We do still have communication with each other, but it has obviously not been the same. He only lived about five minutes away from my apartment, so to go from that to where we are geographically now has been a major shift. But life happens, and it just is what it is.
On another note, I am extremely happy to be back with my dog and my family!
Nova (my dog) has been my best friend since I was 17. So to have her near me is calming, and being apart for so long felt awful. Uni starts in a month, and I plan to work the whole month before I am taken over by assignments.
I am so excited to share my experience abroad at the Study Abroad Orientation meeting because it really did change me in such an amazing way, and I hope it can be equally as life-changing for those who plan to do it in the future.
Every time I see an Australian flag, I think of my time there, and I am forever grateful for that.
