When I was a freshman in high school, I had chance to embark on the adventure of a lifetime with my family; I got to study 11,000 miles away from home in Fremantle, Western Australia. To put it simply, it was awesome. Six years later, I can replay every second of five months that I spent on the other side of the land down under clearly in my mind, and my father still describes that semester as the golden era of our family.
What made the experience so exciting for me was a combination of factors, which came to strongly influence my decision to study abroad…
First, studying abroad is incredible. In that time, I connected with the place, the people, the culture, even the shops in a way that a short term visiting that never would be able to. It’s fun as a tourist for the first couple weeks or so, because everything is new and you get to learn about the place. I feel like the true value I got from studying abroad, though, is that I got to create a bond with Freo (the nickname for Fremantle). Unlike the very direct way I could see how exploring Australia was making me more informed, that bond transformed me invisibly. I felt like I could not just understand to features of my Aussie town, but I could sense the how’s and why’s of each nuance. The change doesn’t happen fast enough for you to notice it; and in some cases certain cultural traits (like using “Oi!!” to grab my mate’s attention) were subtle enough that I picked them up and didn’t even recognize them until I returned home and rediscovered my American norms.
This process inspired me to study abroad in Oviedo, Spain, later in high school on a summer language immersion program. I lived with a host family in Oviedo, and became very close with my host mother. It was one of the time of my life, but leaving her was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do, and I think part of my choice to live in a single apartment in Sydney has been influenced by that experience. I still would 10/10 recommend a host stay for someone who has never studied abroad before; but having experienced that already, and deeply missing my host fam, I think it will be easier for me to grow personally in Australia if I’m living on my own in a community of other college students.
I am pursuing a Spanish minor, and yet between Australia and Spain, I feel connected to both countries. So the question I’m sure you’re asking right now is:
Why Australia over Spain, or any Latin American nation?
The short answer is: I love it. For the past 6 years since my last trip to OZ, if you had asked where I’d go if I could be anywhere, my answer always would have been ‘Straya. Always. In many ways I describe Australia with the metaphor that it is what you would have if you broke California off and dropped it off in the middle of the pacific. In culture, climate, and even living costs, the kangaroo continent closely compares with Cali. It’s a country where I can realistically picture myself living happily for the rest of my life. I particularly love how outdoorsy and ocean-oriented most people are down there – characteristics that contrast Australia starkly with my suburban northern Indiana hometown.
My reason for studying abroad is, therefore, not to discover the land down under. The last time I was living there I did that just fine with my family. Rather, I want to live in OZ with a degree of independence which will let me figure out if living there really is a life goal I want to pursue. So while I’ve always been enthusiastic about trying new things, I am choosing a study abroad location that I’m familiar with because I look forward to experiencing the same events from a different perspective. I’m still super nervous about a lot of new things and just the thought of being so far from home for so long, but having studied abroad multiple times before I feel like I am prepared to meet any new challenges I may face with excitement!