More than half a year ago, I was standing at the airport leaving for Australia and I remember exactly how I felt: excited, unable to deal with the situation and I was so sad. I’ve never been away from home for such a long time so far and saying goodbye wasn’t that easy for me. But somehow, I managed not to think about the situation, and with walking through the screening line, all the thoughts and plans became reality.
When I was on the beach for the first time, I was so enthusiastic about living here for half a year, but by and by and with some problems, I got homesick. I had no idea, how 24 weeks should pass and suddenly I realised, how long it actually is. I was sure, that it will be a good time, but I couldn’t imagine how so many people can say, that studying abroad was the best time of their lives. After some weeks, we moved into our apartment: it was big, beautiful and we had an ocean view. Day after day, I felt better and one day there was a point, when I felt so comfortable in Australia. Suddenly I was afraid that my time here will be over in some months and that I will have to leave soon. With every day I liked it more, with every day Australia felt more like “home”. Someday, it wasn’t a holiday anymore, but daily life – not boring and the same every day, but exciting. We did road trips and slept in a car, had breakfast on the beach and hiked up a mountain for three hours to watch the sunrise. But we also cooked together or watched TV for hours. Friends became a second family and any conversations or experiences became the best memories.
At the end of our semester, we had to say goodbye to a few people, which was difficult for everybody. Why do we have to leave, when everybody feels so comfortable? But the end of university was the beginning of our journey, which was the best conclusion of a semester abroad you can imagine. To be honest, I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so free. When you’re sleeping in a van and have the possibility to drive to a place wherever you want or if you laugh about every stupid thing, when you are sleeping around a bonfire under the stars or watching the sunrise on a sealing boat, then you can count yourself lucky – and so I did. And some day in my semester, although it was so different at the beginning, I understood why everyone says that studying abroad was the best time of their lives so far. And now I know: They are right.
-Silvana
