“I’m uneasy because I know this is not just going to be an adventure, it’s going to be a journey.”
Those were the words I told my mom five months ago before I embarked on my Australia study abroad semester in July. It’s only after finally returning home on November 30th that I have realized how true my gut’s intuition was.
Granted five months isn’t an eternity, but when anyone is away from home for that long, especially in an entirely foreign locale, life lessons will be mercilessly thrown upon that person’s mind.
Those teachings really set in the last couple of months, and man, have those weeks flown by. It feels like just last week when I arrived at James Cook University for the first time.
Australia is an inspiring country that holds some of the most refreshing and down-to-earth morals. I am beyond lucky to have lived in such a far-removed continent- literally and figuratively. Despite it being a place where it seems like everything is trying to kill you (i.e., feral snakes, box jellyfish, the scorching sun, etc) Australia is a laid-back land of sunshine, sea, and absolutely “no worries.”
As I settle back into the swing of the American lifestyle, I will always try to channel sunny, stress-free, Australian vibes. After being away from my motherland for those months, I have come to appreciate the U.S. more than ever, but I have also come to criticize it in ways I never thought possible. (Warning to those going abroad: reverse culture shock is real!) Australia was a long, calm inhale of fresh, slow-paced air, and I will aim to exhale that influence as I readjust to my life in Southern California and my university life in Washington, D.C.
All in all, I could not be more grateful for the Fall 2013 semester. I will never listen to Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” without conjuring memories of Townsville, I will never swim in the Pacific Ocean without thinking it’s the same body of water my Aussie friends could be swimming in at that same moment, and I will always cherish the ten most remarkable, exceptional people who became family on this journey.