Blog Post 5: Post Trip
I have officially been home from Australia for two weeks. The jet lag has sufficiently worn off, as has the tan, but I can’t stop thinking about how much I miss the land down unda and all of the people I met there. Throughout the semester I used disposable cameras to capture the adventures we went on, and looking through the 300+ pictures now (happy I thought to capture our adventures while traveling) I’m feeling the most satisfied nostalgia. I am looking through the pics of our two week mid-semester break, where I traveled to Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania, and even got the chance to do a twelve hour road trip across the Great Ocean Road in South Australia. My pics are a conglomeration of kangaroos, waterfalls, tasmanian devils, and even the 12 Apostles (the most beautiful cliffs and natural land I have ever seen at the end of the Great Ocean Road). I also have so many pictures of Newcastle, our beautiful beach town that we were lucky enough to call home and study in for five months. Pics of Newcastle’s cliffs, the beaches, the baths (man made pools) that go into the ocean, and most importantly of all- the wonderful people we got to meet at our new school- people’s whose friendships I am certain I will have for life. I am so happy I picked the University of Newcastle to study at. The people, classes, and campus made it so easy to immediately settle in, and even harder to say goodbye to.
My last camera roll developed was from our week where we ventured to Indonesia, shortly before flying back to The States. Being closer to Asia than ever gave us the opportunity to have the most phenomenal adventure to Bali where we got to explore rice fields, surf towns, and get to witness such a fascinating and beautiful culture. Wild puppies strutted across the beaches and families of four flew by us on single scooters- and we loved every second of it. Like Australia, I fell in love with Indonesia as well, and can’t wait to go back and see even more one day.
Going abroad for a semester taught me a sense of independence that I had never imagined leaving with. I had adored my first three semesters at Rollins, but was always terrified for what was to follow. Australia has changed that perspective for me entirely ,as putting myself into a completely different environment reminded me that change can be wonderful. I am now planning on moving to Australia after college and working there. I fell in love with the culture and mentality the Australian people had. The Australian people value each day, embrace the beauty of their country and constantly are adventuring around to see more of it themselves. They are the most environmentally conscious culture I have ever been immersed in, healthy, and over all very stress free. I learned so much from their commonly shared outlooks on life, something I am so thankful to be able to have have taken back with me. While it is good to be home and to be getting back to Rollins, I am already saving up for my hopeful one-way ticket back to Australia one day in the future. Thank you Australia, for the most incredible five months of my life. And to Rollins, thank you for giving me the opportunity to embark on the adventure of a lifetime
