The Beginning
Well, I'm back in Tennessee. Actually, I've been back for almost a month now. I've waited a long time to write this last post, so it's going to be a little difficult. Partly because it will be hard to recount all of my last days since they were so incredibly busy, and also because it's almost painful to think about my leaving process, and coming back to the states. Not that I'm not happy to be here, but I'll get to that bit later.
My last few weeks in Australia were probably my best ones. The activities? Beach, beach, beach, bbq, bbq, bbq, parties, karaoke, Pancakes on the Rocks, Darling Harbour, Italian in Parramatta (the city halfway between Penrith and the CBD), swimming, and spending time with the people I'd come to cherish the most during my semester.
One of the hardest parts of my last month in Penrith was saying goodbye to my American/Canadian/Argentinian/German/etc friends who were also on exchange and leaving for home. Thankfully, I had some pretty fantastic Australian (and internationals who stayed on!) friends to keep me company and make my last days memorable.
It's hard to describe when people ask how my "trip" to Australia was. Usually I respond with, "It was great!" or "Loved it!" There aren't really any appropriate sets of words I could use to tell someone what my semester abroad was like, and I'm sure others who have been abroad for several months at a time will understand what I mean.
Even though this is my last post about my exchange for the semester, I have decided to go back to the University of Western Sydney for a second semester, so I'm sure you all will be hearing from me again within the next few months. Deciding to attempt the process to go back to finish off my junior year was a big choice to make, and it definitely wasn't easy. Especially now that I am back at MC for J term and have seen family and old friends, and made new ones too. But opportunities like this don't come around every day, and for some reason I really like to shake up my life whenever it starts feeling a bit too normal. Being abroad has somehow sparked this new interest of mine to embrace change and discover as many new experiences as I can.
As much as I love Maryville College, while at UWS I could not think of many things that were pulling me back there immediately. I definitely want to finish my degree and complete my senior year at MC, but right before I left the car to go into the airport in Sydney I'm pretty sure I experienced some sort of panic attack. I had two really great people with me to see me off, and I'm pretty sure my panics would have started on the train if I had been travelling alone to the airport without them. The thought of never again seeing some of the people I came to befriend and really care about gave me a really terrible sinking feeling, and my whole being was telling me "Not yet." I don't doubt that Australia isn't done with me yet, and I'm looking forward to starting a new semester at UWS, finding and keeping a job in a different country, reconnecting with the ones I miss so much it hurts, and meeting new people who will no doubt be equally as important by the time I write the "Wrapping Up" post for the next semester.
So, to those considering studying abroad in the future, I really want to encourage you to do so! Whether a J term, Summer, Semester, or Academic Year, it is a unique and thrilling experience that will change your life. If you want to become a more open-minded, flexible, well-rounded person, living and studying in another country is the way to do it. If anyone is ever considering applying to the University of Western Sydney and wants some insider information or opinion, I'm glad to share what I know with you!
Enjoy your J-Terms, I know I am! It's great to be among everyone at Maryville College again, and the snow (and snow days....) have been a wonderful addition to my return. Leaving the country again on February 14th......hope to reconnect everyone before I take off!
The End......For Now!