I’ve been sent to Ballina for 5 weeks. 400km from home.

For most university degrees, you have to complete some sort of placement or work experience. For physiotherapy, our main placement blocks are 4 x 5 week blocks in 3rd and 4th year. For this first placement block, I have been assigned to travel to Ballina. A small country town 400km from Sydney.

So here is an update of my first week.

The Good

The Beautiful Landscape

Ballina is the flattest place I have been to. No skyscrapers or tall apartments. No hills or slopes. Unexpectedly, this produces some of the most remarkable sunrises and sunsets I have ever seen. It is amazing that the sun hits all the clouds in the sky, even the clouds behind you.

 

The Accommodation

The place we live is very modern and nice. It is newly built accommodation for students. There are 4 units. In each unit, there are 5 rooms. Each room has its own double bed, ensuite, shower, and even temperature control! (I love the heat, so it feels like summer in my room!) There is also a shared washer, dryer, kitchen, appliances, and WiFi. What more else could you ask for?

The Free Time

Both placement sites are less than 3 minutes walk away. So we have an abundance of free time. Personally, I have brought some books and have been reading a lot. It’s been great to unwind and to focus on developing yourself – it’s feels almost like a retreat.

The Undecided

The Placement

We are splitting our time between an aged care facility, and a special needs school. They aren’t the traditional physiotherapy placement sites, like hospitals or clinics. We are part of a pilot program, as we are among the first groups of students on placement here. So everything is still in the trial-and-error phase. 

The Less Good

The Lack of Entertainment

Aside from a small shopping centre, some shops, a small cinema – there are not many options for outside activities. We are in walking distance of the coastline in two directions. We went searching for a basketball court yesterday, but the gates to the local high school were closed after hours. Edit: We found a basketball court! It is in a very unusual location – surrounded by residential houses, just by itself in the middle of a tiny laneway.

The Slow Pace

Something that has stood out is the slow pace of this country town. Most people living here are elderly retirees. Coming from the city, everyone and everything here seems to move in slow motion. Of course this is only my initial impression, but it’s hard not to feel a subtle lack of energy around here. 

The Expenses

And if anyone is curious on the costs of going to rural placement. So far, I have spent:

$160 (return flight)
$250 (subsided accommodation for the 5 weeks)
$100~ (groceries/other miscellaneous stuff so far)

Onto Week 2!