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