Six months ago, freshman Jake Dunne

moved to Texas from Sydney, Australia,

along with a family full of high hopes.

Jake’s father wanted to expand his business,

Universal Rocks, which made garden features

for lawns.

“Things were getting a little boring over there

for my dad,” Jake said. “He wanted to change up

his surroundings and make a fresh start.”

Though his father found a new environment,

Jake was uncertain about his own transition.

“I wasn’t too sure how much I would like

living in a different country and leaving all

my friends, but everything seems to be going

smoothly,” Jake said. “Things here are different,

but not that different. I went to school and had

friends like any other kid in the U.S., I even ate

most of the same food.”

Though many things stayed the same, Jake

saw some differences in the size of school from

Australia to America.

“Schools aren’t nearly as big there as they are

here,” Jake said. “At my middle school we only had 400 kids.”

Jake also felt that school size wasn’t the only

difference.

“Football is for yankees,” Jake said. “Rugby

was the biggest sport over there if one is looking

to hit someone.”

Jake has appreciation for rugby because he

played at his former home in Sydney.

“I was on a rugby team for three years in

Australia,” Jake said. “I had to stop after I hurt

my back playing. It’s a real fun sport.”

Although Jake lives many miles away from

his friends and relatives, he still remains in

regular contact.

“My family and I keep in contact through

a computer program that lets us communicate

through webcams,” Dunne said. “It’s really cool

whenever I’m feeling home sick.”

Though Jake has only been here a few months,

he has enjoyed the experience of moving to a

different country.

“I love it here,” Dunne said. “America is a

real good place to make a new life. The people

are great, and I made loads of new friends. I

thought nothing would be as great as Australia,

but this comes pretty close.”