The End

Sunday, November 23rd, who knows what time zone I'm even in. On the plane.

Wow.

So like...I studied abroad.

I moved to another country for 5 months and went to school there and traveled there and made friends there and well, lived.

And now that I'm on my way back none of it feels real. I'm so confused slash am in this weird air limbo so I legitimately have no idea what reality is. Thank goodness I got lucky enough to be sitting next to my amazing friend and housemate all the way to LA so some of this past semester feels like it actually happened.

If you knew me 2 years ago, you know that I was generally shy and dorky and afraid of putting myself out of my comfort zone. And if you know me now, you know I am certainly not shy or afraid but I am still pretty damn dorky. I don't really know when I gained some freaking self confidence, but I know going to Berkeley freshman fall kind of forced me to do that for myself. And it's really weird-this past semester is so similar to freshman fall. Study abroad throws you into this situation where you (most likely cough cough Dickinson kids) don't know anyone, don't know your way around, and you don't have any semblance of what your life is going to be like while you're there. I felt similar anxieties in moving to Australia that I did moving to Berkeley-who would I be living with, how would my classes be, would I be able to make friends and find my own little niche. Except this time, since I had already been through the HORRORS of being a freshman in a place like Berkeley, I knew I'd be able to make the best of it.

So I did.

At the beginning of the semester I thought my new housemates were insane. They went out more often than anybody I've ever known ever and ate whatever they felt like at whatever hour and were loud and hilarious, and I decided to embrace it rather than shy away from it like I might have a few years ago. Now I have 5 new, amazing, legitimately close friends who I would have been sorry to have never met. Carol, Syd, Court, Marth, Bridge, I love you guys and already miss you  even though I'm actually sitting next to Carol right now (she had a glass of wine and is now passed out, jsyk). The Pink Palace was both the most insane and the HOTTEST place I've ever lived (because no AC/Y'ALL  SO FINE MMHMMMMMM). 

I threw myself into frisbee, pestering the people in charge of the team way back in May long before I moved, knowing that I would find a community with ultimate people and I made SO many amazing friends. I met people who legitimately changed the way I think about things and treat others because they were just so darn nice. I have never met a just genuinely nicer group of people. I would name you all but I think it would take up too much space, but you know who you are. BUML games were the highlight of my week, with halftime handstands and lollies and the girls always in the fence and Beev's INSANE hammer fake like I was tricked every time and I was the one supposed to be looking for the disc in the air. And my Wednesday night team always made me laugh, and I think it was one of the only times I've ever been seen as an asset to go deep and catch the long throws...because, as Robdog 2 knows, I'M REALLY REALLY SHORT.

Reina, I was gonna write you your own paragraph, but I think the fact that we messaged each other every little detail of our days as it was happening and will probably continue to do so says it all. Slash I'll start crying again and the woman next to me will look at me like I'm insane...again...

I met so many amazing Australian kids and American kids and it freaks me out that none of you guys will be just around the corner anymore. Most of you are across the country, if not on the other side of the world. I'm calling for a reunion in California in like 5 years, okay? Message me for details.

So yeah, I dunno, it's all over. I cried as we were leaving the Pink Palace, in the airport twice, when we were flying over Brisbane, and just now as I was writing all that. Australia was not at all what I was expecting yet it exceeded my expectations in so many ways. And now I have a few really good excuses to come visit the east coast and Australia again.

I WANNA KEEP WRITING about how amazing my abroad experience was but I can feel it getting iterative so I'll just post some of my favorite pictures and we'll see what happens.

The first picture I have of the three of us...when we finally bought bedding after that first FREEZING night. Hard to imagine being freezing in Brisbane now, eh?

The only boy I kissed while in Australia

BAI BRISBANE

Wow yeah soooo….that sums up my semester.

A blog post is not sufficient but it'll have to do.

I've enjoyed writing this blog so much throughout the past four months. It was a fantastic way to keep track of all of the important things that I experienced. Thanks for reading (Mom, Grandma, various aunts, uncles, cousins, maybe a few of my friends, Max…) and I'm beyond thankful for this whole experience.

So now we go from #valgoestoaustralia to #valwenttoaustralia.

Time for some much needed "cool" weather and a decent burrito.

Love,

Val