Comparing Country Or City Homestays In Queensland, Australia

Queensland is one of the most popular destinations for international students wanting to study and homestay in Australia. Everyone knows Brisbane, the Gold Coast, and Cairns. But there are also many other lesser-known areas international students can come to learn English. So which is better - city, or country??

Studying in the cities definitely has its benefits. Convenience - you can easily access shopping centers, malls, entertainment areas, tourist attractions etc. via public transport. There are lots of things to do, so you'll never be bored. The cities are also very multicultural, so you'll find a lot more people from your own country, who will be able to help you get settled in / give you support when you need it.

The downside to the big cities is there are so many other students who are the same nationality as you, you'll make friends with them, and start speaking together in your native language, because it's easy. This way, you won't speak or learn much English, and you won't make Australian friends as easily. Living in Brisbane or the Gold Coast may be comfortable and fun, but it doesn't motivate you to challenge yourself and adapt to Queensland culture and life.

If you decide to stay in rural Queensland, you'll have a totally new experience. The typical country Queenslander is relaxed, friendly, and talkative. While city people are often busy and not very talkative, country Queenslanders often spend more of their day chatting than working. Maybe because there's so much sun and great weather there, the people are always cheerful. The nature is also incredibly beautiful - national parks, wildlife, rainforests, coral reefs... most of the world-famous natural attractions are in Queensland!

The hard part about staying in rural Queensland is there aren't many foreigners there. So the locals don't know much about foreign culture, and aren't used to speaking to people whose first language isn't English. For this reason, international students have trouble understanding local people - at first, everyone will seem to be talking too quickly, and there won't be many other international students like yourself, so you'll have to deal with issues like culture shock on your own.

Coming to rural Queensland will be a bigger challenge than studying in the cities. But if you make effort, and challenge yourself to study English hard and make local friends, you'll find the benefits after a few months will be much greater. Your English will improve very quickly (because there's no-one to speak your native language with), you'll experience "true" Aussie country life and culture, and you'll meet some of the friendliest people in Australia!