The Final Post

And so this is the final post for my Study Abroad trip to Australia in the spring of 2008.

I was independent. It is a challenge to everyone, some more than others, to pick up life in one country and drop it in another country. For me it was an easy transition; that's certainly not to say that I didn't miss loved ones back home, but that I do welcome and embrace change. There was virtually no culture shock on the departure. The return, however, was an entirely different story: I felt like I could share my adventure with someone but that they wouldn't fully grasp what I was telling them (unless, of course, they, too, had been abroad for 6 months or longer). It was odd to experience culture shock more on my arrival back to the US, but in retrospect it makes sense: I made sure I had a completely open mind when I left for Australia, this disabled any culture shock from occurring, in a way, whereas when I came back home I did hold expectations. When reality wasn't exactly what I'd expected, culture shock came into the picture. Not that experiencing culture shock was a bad thing - it's healthy - but it wasn't what I'd had in mind.

I learned so much about myself, the world, and life. I gained perspective on myself, the world, and, most dominantly, my home country, especially during the presidential campaigning. I made numerous life-long, world-wide friends; Ingeborg and Tamara being outstanding. In case you're wondering, we all keep in touch on a regular basis, and just this week I received an endearing phone call all the way from Inga in Norway.

I experienced my first long-distance relationship with Adam. His visit to Australia (and Fiji) will always be special to me. Those three weeks were three of the best we had and of my life. To share such an adventure with such a person is such a blessing. May 2008 was an amazing month for the two of us.

In closing, I am so thankful that I was able to visit Australia for a semester of Study Abroad. Thank you to my family for all of your support, Mom and Dad especially. Thank you to Adam, for all of your love and devotion while I was gone. Thank you to the friends I made - all of you! And lastly, if you ever have the chance to take a journey like this, take it! You won't regret it. I promise.

-Amanda

The Last Night

The last night I was in Australia was interesting, to say the least.

Tamara had visited and stayed the previous night, and we said goodbye on the day before I left. After she headed back to Surfer's Paradise I began to finalize my packing. I remember having to repack strategically, haha. That evening Sam asked me if I wanted to watch a movie with him, and so we watched Memoirs of a Geisha. It was a really good movie, and I'm kind of glad I didn't read the book because it was a really long movie and may not have been my type of read. I definitely recommend the movie for those who've not yet seen it.

After the movie I felt utterly bored and kind of lost. I was really excited to head home the next morning (not so excited about the getting up to head to the airport at 4:30 in the morning), even though it would surely be a long two days of travel (which it was, and uncomfortable). I learned that I am able to travel west very well; not so much going east. -Any way- the night before I left I'd been unable to reach Laura, the person who so kindly took me to the airport at such an ungodly hour.

The flight home was miserable and seemed much longer than it was, but I made it home safely. The worst thing that happened (and it brought tears to my eyes) was when I was shuffling some bags in my hands and accidently dropped my glass Australian Christmas bauble ornament which shattered into heaps of pieces. But my parents and Adam were there to greet me, and we promptly went to the place that could satisfy my American hunger: Steak 'N Shake. It was so deliciously American!

I apologize for waiting half a year to post this. It was actually hard for me to bring myself to do since it is a closing to my trip abroad. And what a wonderful trip it was.