The summer before my junior year of high school, I had a clear vision of what I wanted to do, and that was to return to my sleep-away camp with all of my friends to work. To my dismay, my father had other plans for me. He made it clear he wanted me to apply to one of two of my high school’s summer study abroad programs, particularly one in Australia. So I applied, and even got into the program. But I was dreading my trip in the months leading to my departure.
I touched down in Australia after 24 hours of travel and I did not feel like being there. My host family saw me coming out of the arrival gate, exhausted but trying to smile, and they welcomed me with warm hugs. We drove up to the Central Coast, a collection of neighborhoods North of Sydney, and I arrived at my new home for two and a half months. The first thing we did was to go to the beach, which was just five minutes away. I went with my two vivacious host sisters and I saw what was the single most stunning beach I had ever seen. I zeroed into the moment, looking out over bright blue waters and thinking, “Wow, I’m looking back at the U.S. from half a world away.” Although I may have been looking at New Zealand.
Doing a homestay was a very nerve-wracking concept that continued to stun me during my first days. The family I was living with was so kind and polite and a great deal of fun. But I was always worried about having done something wrong and that, coupled with how shy I can be, made me shut myself out at times. It was much easier for me to be at school.
The school I attended felt so unlike my school from home from its campus to the uniforms and, to a degree, the student body. I found it so easy to make friends that could make me laugh and tell me interesting aspects about school life and life in Australia. It was exciting to attend school rugby games and wear my adopted school colors of green and yellow. I joined my host sisters in their “house;" it is like Harry Potter in that there are four houses that earn points to receive a prize at the end of the academic year.
Studying abroad was a way of starting fresh too. No one in Australia knew me before my arrival. I made some of my closest friends at my new school, including my host sister and quasi host sister across the street. Those friendships are so powerful because although tens of thousands of miles separate us, we manage to Skype, send letters, and even travel to see each other. We are all okay with each other’s Nutella addictions but all not okay with the different ways we all pronounce “Nutella.” To this day, we feel like a perfect trio.
I understand why I did not open up to the experience of studying abroad at first. But once I connected with my friends and host family more, I saw the value in studying abroad and making a foreign place into a second home. It allows one to grow further as it is a far stretch outside of one’s comfort zone. I camped under the stars and by the Darling River in the Outback with my host sisters and we joked about dingoes lurking near by. We all drove for the first time too on the red, dusty paths of the Australian Outback, meaning that I learned to drive on the wrong side of the road. Living outside of my comfort zone was the most fun I have ever had. I did not have to go to Australia to have that, but I am so lucky that it was my destination.
