Before coming to London, I mentally prepared myself to be okay with being alone. I didn’t know anybody before my trip, I just matched names to faces on Instagram, which does not really reveal much about a person. So, naturally, when I arrived at my housing, I panicked.
Before volunteering at the English Language Club, the only times I had ridden the M50 to Gein was to quickly get to Zuid to transfer to the M52 or to go to the soccer game at Bijlmer Arena. I was excited to unlock more of the Amsterdam map, to feel the train veer right instead of left, heading into unfamiliar parts of the city.
This study abroad experience felt like it lasted forever. Looking back to January feels like a lifetime ago, and the person I was then is ridiculously unaware of all the fun times she was about to have. When I first arrived, I had trouble meeting locals and mostly hung out with my roommates. They were great, but it felt like something was missing and I was bummed to not be doing more things outdoors with crazy Aussies like I thought I would. All of this changed in February, when I started hanging out with the Outdoors Club at UNSW.
My favorite place in Australia was Tasmania, which is the tiny island on the southeast end of the country. It was an incredible time and I couldn’t recommend it enough. Tasmania is one of the wildest places on Earth, and is certainly just as beautiful as it is wild. I was there with the intention of being outdoors, although it was quite cold by the time I made it over there (end of March/early April is about as late as I would recommend going). I went to Hobart solo with no plan except for a booked hostel.
Australians do not care about little things as much as Americans do. For example, Australians walk around barefoot everywhere (grocery stores, public transport, downtown, in class, you name it!) and the only people that judge them are foreigners. Aussies are much more laissez-faire and have a unique disposition that keeps them calm under varying situations. Even when they are stressed or angry, the intonation of their speech stays relatively the same, although they’re not usually angry. They also are very lazy!
A note: try and take advantage of weekly deals! Sydney is expensive so it will save you some money.
My last day as a DOA volunteer was on a cool, cloudy Thursday morning, a week and two days before I flew back to California. I biked my usual route through Sloterplas park and down Ookmeerweg, wondering what random series of events would happen on my last day. Would the hose nozzle break again so I would make the return bike soaked? Would one of the dogs in my assigned kennel have a particularly bad, dirty day? I couldn’t believe I had been with DOA since September. I was ready to give my last day my all as much as I was ready for it to be my last.