My Last Week
Right now I feel like I am in limbo, the times here in Australia are on their final stretch. This is the last week of hanging out with friends I’ve made here, along the way. The final times I take the bus, or the train, or sit on my favorite beach. As the week goes along, and then when I finally step foot on that plane so will mark the end of another era. The lasts are here, the silent goodbyes, the snapshots that I am trying to take not only with my iphone but also with my quiet memory, where nostalgia will revisit in the months and even years ahead.
It’s always sad when a door closes. Shaking hands and a hug goodbye to my professors brought on a lone tear of appreciation. For a short time this was my campus, my territory, but because it was so far from the place that I call my real home, it allowed for a different kind of growth and learning.
I came to Australia with the naive perspective that every experience I had was going to be amazing, and unique. That because I was halfway around the world every person I met was going to be interesting, and life altering. I did meet some interesting people, and a lot of interesting and unique things happened to me – but for the most part life here was not all that different than life over there. A good friend of mine’s mother said to her before she left that, “people are people – no matter where you are.” If there is one thing that I have learned abroad and in college, is that this is true. People are people and that life is life – no matter where you are and what you are doing. There are always going to be the few that you get close to and the few that you could have done without, and there are always going to be the times that leave you reeling years down the line and the times that you won’t remember a week from when it happened (because something’s are worth forgetting about).
Before I left, I told one of my best friends that I didn’t think too much would change at home while I was gone, and now I am getting ready to return to a place where my whole world is different. I’m returning to a place where I didn’t get to say those permanent goodbyes for I thought I’d have the chance to say them later… I guess you can say that I’ve really learned the meaning behind the quote: “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” While I was making other plans, living here in Australia, my life at home altered and changed – people I thought that would always be there – left. No romantic goodbyes, just a couple of e-mails.
It’s weird to think how life can be going on with you where life is happening in front of you and then your other life, where you are not present, is also changing.
I too have changed; my expectations for my travels have lowered, which I guess is good. For maybe the places I see next will take me by pleasant surprises. I also have learned about what people think about Americans, and have seen the American stereotype come to life. I’ve also learned how to make yourself feel less lonely when the only friends and family you have are hours and miles away. Being abroad overall was a beautiful experience, rich in sights sought, friendships built and memories made. I am still learning how to accept the things that are beyond my control, but that’s a lifelong battle.
For now, all I have is this week. Nothing monumental is going to happen, I am not going to spend too much time partying or going out of my way to revisit favorite places. But, it is a time of reflection – a turning point. This week I will make peace with what I have had and try to write down my memories before they fade to black.
