I’ve been home for a few weeks since my incredible semester studying abroad in Australia, and I’ve had time to decompress and understand everything that happened as well as look back and see my highlights and lowlights. The one thing I have to say for certain is, if you have the chance, take it! Studying abroad, especially in Australian culture, I realized the importance of sometimes not having a plan and always being flexible. A majority of Australians are so well traveled, partially because of their location, but mostly because of their attitude. Some people I met in different hostels and adventures were far from wealthy, but they realized the importance of travel and experience. When they finish their studies, or in gaps, Australians tend to book a one-way ticket and travel until they are forced to come home. They experience multitudes of cultures and manage to see the world on small budgets. They bounce around working in service industry jobs for a month here and there to extend their travels and allow themselves to do more.

When I was tired and running out of steam, I remembered that my Australian peers wouldn’t accept that excuse, so I hopped on the midnight flight or train and never said “no” unless it was impossible. This was how I was able to see the most amazing things and experience some absolutely incredible days. I went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef because someone approached me. I woke up at 4am to go deep-sea mahi-mahi fishing off the coast of Sydney. I hopped on a four-hour bus ride to take me through vineyards and breweries in the Hunter Valley wine region. I commuted two hours each way to see the factory where Uggs were invented and get some high-quality shoes. Being in Australia taught me that if something is important enough, you can always make it work, and that maybe some things should be considered more important if it forces you to do them.

I like to live my life with no regrets, and my four months in Australia taught me the importance of this idea. And this is where I urge anyone to study abroad if they have the chance. My major is quite difficult, and to add to that, I have three minors as well as all of the pre-med prerequisites. My friends all asked how I managed to also include a semester abroad, because most of them couldn’t fit it, but I responded with “When there’s a will, there’s a way.” I managed to restructure my schedule, maybe work a bit harder during some semesters, and also knocked out my final gen-eds while I was in Australia. If you are debating studying abroad or weren’t considering it but have the opportunity to, I don’t even want you to deliberate, because living abroad is an experience rivaled by none and is perhaps the most learning you will ever do in your life. I have been fortunate to live abroad a few times, and those experiences just make me want to immerse myself in more and more culture, but most importantly, they change my outlook when I return home and make me a more unique citizen in my home society. It will impart you with incredible skills to cross-culturally communicate but also be able to compare and contrast and realize what we may take for granted or what you would like to institute. Travel, go find a cheap flight, and maybe try not to plan ahead and see where the wind takes you. I met some incredible people, saw some incredible sites, ate some incredible food, and learned some incredible life lessons, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.