Australia, thank you.
Leaving Australia was more of a bitter feeling than a sweet one. I have been back for about 3 days now and I miss it as if it was my own home. I still catch myself in those "wow" moments. I scroll through my pictures and I tell myself, "I actually witnessed this beauty." It's unbelievable to think that I spent a month or so in Australia, I mean how many can actually say that phrase out loud? What I experienced was life changing, I found myself and felt inspired. Before visiting Australia, I wasn't too aware how passionate I was about climate change and caring for our land. In a way, I relate more to aboriginal culture now. I believe that our land should be viewed as a god as well. I find myself wanting to inspire others and informing them what is actually going on within the land they walk, and I want to let them know how extraordinary Australia is and how we should seek influence from them. Having direct experiences in Australia such as hiking, snorkeling, and being completely disconnected from our life back home, made me form this bond with the land that was much more about having a good time and distracting yourself from reality - it was about nurture, education, freedom and enlightenment. I fell in love.
The challenges I faced on this trip taught me that I am stronger than I thought I was. I can handle a lot more and that I am truly independent. I was about 9000 miles away from home and I was truly enjoying myself. As I mentioned before in one of my previous blogs, I catch onto homesickness quickly but this time in Australia it was so different. I barely even got the chance to feel homesick. This showed me how independent I have become and how I can take on greater things in life without having this horrid feeling of missing someone. I even roamed the city streets by myself and didn’t feel scared, in fact I felt so competent.
This program was also very physically challenging and I took it like a pro. Starting college I was extremely fit and I just lost that as time went by, I mean didn’t we all? I became scared that I wasn’t going to be able to complete an all day hike and I almost felt embarrassed of myself because I wasn’t fit. Our itinerary contained hikes from 8:00am to 4:00pm, I was honestly questioning how I would do it. I pushed myself to my full effort and conquered all the hikes and it proved to me that I am more physically capable than what I think I was. I even did them with a really bad cold! I was so impressed and it showed me to not be scared of physical demand, to not be embarrassed of how physically fit I was, to take things at my own pace, to trust in myself that I can do anything I put my mind to even if my body is telling me no more. This, in a way, rejuvenated me and showed me how blessed I am to have a healthy body as well.
Out of all this mostly, it made me proud of whom I have become. Never in a million years would I have thought that I would be 9000 miles away from home, visiting different ecosystems and reporting on them. It’s crazy where life takes you and makes you experience things that open up not only your mind, but also opportunities. Australia, thank you for everything and thank you for making me fall in love with our sacred land. I will be back.
