Reflecting back on my experience arriving in Australia, I feel as though I was too calm. Not at all in a bad way, but I feel as though there were probably so many things that could have been racing through my brain, but in reality, my mind was blank. This may have been from sleep deprivation and fatigue after the twenty-two hours spent traveling, but in all honesty I remember being at peace taking in everything around me on my bus ride from the airport to my housing accommodation. My flight was also delayed an entire day, a solid first curve ball, but I had a peace of mind knowing that the kids from my school had arrived already and seemed to have settled in just fine.
As for my departure, I was not nearly as calm. I think all of my nerves were unloaded in the airport saying goodbye to my parents (both times). I was a ball of nerves the few days leading up to my original departure. When we finally arrived at the airport, I found out my first flight to LA was delayed, making it impossible to make my connection. After trying to find another solution, we ended up driving right back to my house just to come back and do all of this again the next day. My nerves were put on hold for the time being, and an unsettling feeling came over me, feeling as though my trip was cancelled in a way. But boy, it was not.
The next day my parents and I hauled our asses right back to the airport to start the goodbye process all over again. I was a mess…and so were my parents. I tried to keep a positive attitude, but after living with my parents for my winter break lasting from early December all the way through the end of February, I couldn’t imagine life without my dad’s home cooked meals and my mom’s…well, just my mom. I have never traveled alone before so flying across the country didn’t come naturally at all. I literally had to copy the motions of the person in front of me going through security just because I didn’t think I knew how to put all of my shit in buckets on my own. After I found my gate and realized that I was capable of the whole airport thing, my nerves started to fade. Looking back, I think just flying here helped me realize that I am capable of much more than I think. I’ve always underestimated myself in everything that I do, and a goal of mine since being here has been to keep proving myself wrong when it comes to my abilities.
Em n Jules in OZ 