I thought about writing about things ending for this week’s blog, but I’ve decided that’s silly. Classes and a couple activities have ended, but with 4 weeks still to go, my time in Australia is far from over. If anything, the past couple weeks of proved that some things ending does’t mean that everything is.

Zip-lining!

I mentioned in my last blog post that I was off on another trip to Warnambool. Though I’ve already been to this place with these people, it was wonderful. We did the western half of the Great Ocean Road — though I still maintain that a more accurate name for much of it would be the Great Cow Road. We zip-lined, did a canopy tour and I saw glow worms for the first time!

While the trip didn’t necessary seem different from anything else I’ve done in Australia on the surface, it really changed my perspective. It feels a bit silly, but that trip made me feel young. I realized that I’ve spent so much time wanted to grow up that I’ve lost sight of the present. I’ve always focused on what’s next: studying hard in high school to get to college, working hard in college to get to graduate school or help the job search. My life has been all about the future and not just in regards to academics. I don’t know if I attribute it to the age of the friends I was traveling with (17 and 19) or it was just something about the trip, but it felt different. We raced through the forest on our way to see waterfalls, played silly video games, drove without a destination, tried new flavors of ginger beer and just generally had an amazing time letting loose.

The canopy tour platform from the highest tower

I don’t know if that’s something I could have done if I didn’t go abroad. I think it was a combination of many factors like being surrounded almost exclusively by first years and graduate students, having barely any responsibilities and pushing myself to try new things. This is definitely the attitude I want to take into senior year. It will be important to have a strong finish to college courses, work hard on senior exams and figure out what I’m doing next year. This experience has reminded me though that it’s also important to enjoy my last year of college and my last year living in the same place as many of my friends.

London Bridge on the Great Ocean Road

It’s been truly amazing to see myself change and learn more about who I’ve always been. It’s such a blessing to have this opportunity and I hope that I’ll be able to continue making the most of it even as exams begin infringing on everyone’s lives. I had an amazing weekend celebrating a friend’s birthday last weekend and coming up is a visit to an escape room, road trips and hopefully much more. This is the life.

Over and Out,

Miranda