Results of Studying Abroad

It’s over. My 5 month trip to Australia is finished. I’m back at home in Pennsylvania reflecting on all the good memories. It’s weird to think that I’ve been gone for so long. The first day back at home seemed foreign, but the next day, was like any other day in the states. I jumped back into my regular routine of going to work and hanging out with my friends, although the jet lag killed me. It took 5 days to get back on my normal sleeping and eating schedule.

My highlights of the trip consist of:

• Making new friends
• Swimming at The Great Barrier Reef
• Sailing the Whitsunday’s
• Backpacking in Sydney
• Partying in the Gold Coast
• Backpacking New Zealand.

I had the best 5 months I could’ve asked for. I experienced some culture shock, but quickly overcame that. AND, I was forced to learn how to cook! I’m walking away from this experience with so many new skills and life lessons.

What I’m going to miss most about studying abroad is not having a routine schedule. In Australia, every week was different compared to my life at home. All it took was an invite, and I was out the door and doing something different, whether it was traveling, hiking, boating, playing rugby or going out to dinner. I sure will miss the Aussie life.

If you ever have a chance to study abroad, do it!

If I had to give advice to anyone studying abroad, I would have to say make sure you have skype and stay in contact with friends and family back at home. They are your support team, and without them, you’ll miss home even more. They’ll encourage you to live it up and help you succeed.

I believe this will be my last post for The Australian in ME. If you have any questions, please ask away and I’ll get back to you. If you’ve enjoyed reading about my adventures, please let me know. I’m looking forward to doing this all over again in a different country. Fingers crossed, I think I’m going to Europe next!

Coming to an END

I can’t believe this amazing trip is almost over. It’s been almost 5 months since I’ve been in Australia and I’ve had a blast. I just finished exams this week and now I had to just say goodbye to my best friends for the semester. We all woke up around 6am to say one last goodbye. We walked them to the shuttle bus in the cold and gave everyone hugs and watched them drive off.  They’re flying out of Brisbane today, leaving me behind to enjoy 3 more weeks down under! It’s a mix of emotions because I grew so close to my friends, but I’m also excited to still be here.

Yesterday, my friend Joe and I finished our exam and spent the day organizing and getting ready for his departure. It’s crazy to thing they’re gone. He spent the last 2 days counting down their departure and it kept getting more and more depressing. Today is even worse.. It’s cold, cloudy and rainy. I’m not sure what I’m going to do for the next few days…

Last night we held a huge dinner party for about 12 people. It was EPIC. Everyone brought a main dish and dessert! We served chicken, shrimp, pasta, lasagna, potato bake, quesadillas, all sorts of dip, and breads with sauce. As we were passing the food around, we were all wondering why we never had group dinners like this one. The room was full of talking and laughing as everyone reminisced on our last 5 months. It sure was a great way to end our semester. Afterwards, we went out for a little and enjoyed the last night together.

Now I’m just looking forward to my next BIG adventure… NEW ZEALAND! I leave on Tuesday for 9 days of pure adventure. The basic highlights of this trip consist of a train through the mountains, skydiving, glacier hike, Milford Sound, jet boating and snowboarding! I had the opportunity to go on this trip a few weeks ago, but felt it would be better to wait for after my exams and to celebrate a great semester.

Stay tuned for the New Zealand update!

Rain, GO AWAY!

It’s been raining here for days.  I’m not talking about a little here and there. I mean straight downpour! The thunderstorms have been pretty cool to watch and I feel like I’m in a tropical storm with all this wind. I’ve basically been stuck in my room watching Alcatraz and reading Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie (owner of TOMS shoes). I rented Alcatraz on my plane ride from Charlotte to LAX and instantly fell in love with it.  It’s entertaining and only $1.99/ episode on iTunes. I have been reading a lot too.  Since December, I’ve picked up 3 books (that’s a lot for me lol) and have been reading about entrepreneurship. As I’m double majoring, my degree in business is only for general business administration so I’m trying to teach myself about entrepreneurship. I’m reading about success stories and starting to gather my thoughts about creating my own business.

I’ve been recognizing lately that I really do like my alone time, but I get a little depressed.  I know I do it to myself, but I find it relaxing to be alone. Of course I’m first in line to do anything with friends, but I’m not really going out to find people.  I think all this rain has just done this to me for the last week, but I need the rain to stop. All of my shoes are wet, I don’t have an umbrella, and to top things off, I’m drenched when I go to class. <— Annoying!

The positives:

1. I booked my flights & accommodations to the Whitsunday Islands & Sydney
2. I’m currently planning a 1 week trip to New Zealand with friends
3. Classes are pretty fun so far
4. I’m stocked up on food!