Sunday, January 10, 2010

The End.

That's a really sad title, yet there is really no other way to put it. I feel like I should do some sort of wrap up to this blog, so this is my attempt, though I don't know exactly what to say. It's the same type of speechlessness that I get when people ask me "how was Australia?" Ummm... good? Do you really want to sit down with me for 5 billion hours and have me explain every detail? Or do you just want the surface level answer?

I suppose the problem is, there really is no way for me to fully summarise my time abroad and put complete closure on it. Like any other experience in life, studying abroad was a rollercoaster. It had it's ups and downs, thrills, and bumpy parts. But overall it was an AMAZING experience. One that I wouldn't give up for anything.


I had never considered studying abroad until the majority of my friends were beginning their plans to tour the world. I am more than happy at Hope College, and why would I want to give up a semester away from my favorite place in the world and my amazing friends? You aren't growing, though, unless you are uncomfortable...out of your comfort zone. Next thing I knew, I was recieving my acceptance letter from AustraLearn.


It wasn't until my parents dropped me off at the airport the first of September did I finally realise that I would be out of the country for four months without initially knowing anyone. I had no expectations going into this because.. well... I had no idea what to expect.



Either way, my semester abroad far succeeded anything that I had imagined. Australia is far more beautiful than what my pictures show, for one thing. Plus, I was able to live through 2 summers this year... and we all know my feelings about that. Thanks to a certain two people, I traveled a lot more than I thought I would. In terms of education, Bond Uni caters toward international students, which made life a lot easier. Would I go to Bond for my full degree? No, unless I was doing law. But it worked perfectly for one semester. What was the most important thing that I learned? I'm saying no to clinical psychology and yes to history.



However, like all things in life, the most important thing is not where you are or what you are doing. It's who you are with (yes, I know that is gramatically incorrect). Although I have learned through going to an out-of-state school and then working at a summer camp, both of which I initially knew nobody, that God will provide people to build relationships with, I still wasn't expecting much during my time abroad. I thought I would be surrounded by a trillion drunks who have the personality of a door knob. Yes, I did see my fair share of those, but I met great people who made my time in Australia more than fantastic. I could go through and individually list each person, but I'll spare you. They know who they are.


Was I sad to leave Australia? Of course I was. It was certainly hard to say goodbye to people that you may never see again in your life. But fortunately technology is out-of-control these days, and staying in contact with people on the other side of the world is easy. Was I excited to get back into the states? Oh yeah. I am more than blessed with family and friends who make life a lot better than it should be.


So once again I am going through yet another transition. Words cannot even express how excited I am to get back to Hope and finish my degree surrounded by beautiful friends and quirky professors, yet I know this semester will be an uphill battle. When is life not?

Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has kept me in their prayers, wrotes me notes, stayed in contact, and offered me support and encouragement while I was abroad. It was all greatly appreciated.

The End.
"If you put yourself in a position where you have to stretch outside your comfort zone, then you are forced to expand your consciousness." -Les Brown
Below are the links to all of my travel photo albums from Australia:
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1 comment:

  1. LauraMarch 10, 2010 at 9:27 AM

    ok, so i don't even know if you're still checking this thing. but that gave me like 8 million chills. i'm sorry i'm just getting around to reading it. but...beautiful :) can't wait to get back to hope with you! :)

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