My name is Calvin, and I have now been in Melbourne, Australia, for almost two months! It has flown by, packed with adventures, new faces, and more self-reflection than I expected. Last weekend I spent time on the Gold Coast surfing and hiking with friends I've made here.
Image
The landscape is almost disorienting in its beauty: misty mountains that look like they belong in Lord of the Rings, sitting right next to white-sand beaches with perfect left-hand breaks. We took a surf lesson and then ran into our instructors at the bar that night. That, I've come to realize, is very Melbourne or maybe very Australian. People here genuinely want to get to know you. There's a warmth and openness in the culture that I didn't fully anticipate, and it's made every weekend feel like an extension of the life I'm slowly building here.
When I left Portland, I thought I had a pretty clear sense of who I was: a CS major, a runner, someone who liked the outdoors. What I didn't expect was how much of my identity had been quietly shaped by the specific rhythms of home, routines, the familiar social codes, even the way people make small talk. Here, I'm Calvin-from-America, which is both simpler and stranger than just being Calvin. Australians tend to read me as confident and outgoing, probably because Americans have a reputation for being loud and friendly. Back home, I'm honestly pretty reserved. It's been interesting to inhabit a version of myself that others project onto me and then realize maybe some of it actually fits.
Image
Calvin Peck Dobson, Diverse Ducks Ambassador
GlobalWorks International Internship in Melbourne, Australia