One more week

As my time in Australia is slowly coming to an end, I've done a lot of reflection on these past three months. For one, the time absolutely flew by. Of course, I missed my family and friends - but the new people I've met will forever share the bond of Australia with me. There's a group of about 10 of us who've bonded and clicked from the start. We're basically a family! After spring break, we became a lot closer and went on adventures every weekend together. This past weekend, 7 of us went to this giant waterfall called Kelly-Falls. The website said an "easy hike", we ended up scaling rocks and coming out with a few cuts, bruises, and leeches. It was all worth it to spend the day with some of my best friends and see an incredible waterfall. The water was absolutely freezing, but obviously, we still jumped in. I'm pretty sure my body went into shock when I first jumped in, worth it for the Go Pro video.

Okay - now for the serious reflections. What surprised me most about studying abroad is a common question people ask. I'd say I was most surprised about the different culture. Australia is very Americanized, with American brands, speaking English - I didn't expect to come here and have a completely different culture of people. Everyone here is so laid back and very outdoorsy. I love it! They're all about "good vibes" here and love to live life. Australians value personal relationships and being able to joke with their mates. Also, everyone calls you mate here and I've picked up the habit. I'm trying to bring it back to the States. But, when I first arrived I was so thrown off about the personal attention and interest in my personal life from everyone in school, work, the CAPA staff, and even Australians I'd meet. It's very different from what it's like at home with everyone minding their own business.

One thing I wish I knew before I came to Australia was how fast time actually flies by. We've been here for around 14 weeks, coming here you'd think that's heaps of time! In reality, those weeks went by like days. Some advice I have for people studying abroad or traveling for an extended period of time: know what you want to do, and do it. Making plans for weekend trips and actually following through with plans is what made my trip so fun. I've seen so many people want to do things, yet they never made the plans to actually do them. You're only here for a short period of time - you can sleep when you're home!

This week's finals week and my last week of work - I'll keep you updated on how I finish off the semester! I'm sure I'll be posting more sappy stuff, but until then, talk to you soon, mates!