I have been putting off this blog post for two main reasons. First, this is my last blog post, which also means that my study abroad program has officially come to an end. Second, because I don’t know how to put everything I want to say into one final post. So, I decided to include a section on how I have been spending my last bit of time here and include another part about why I think everyone should study abroad at some point in their life. June has been a month of hard goodbyes, final coffee shop runs, last-minute exploration, final papers and coral work.

To finish off May and into June, I booked a trip with one of my roommates to stay on a liveaboard in Cairns and dive for three days. I actually got my open water dive certification through the program at Mizzou with Diventures, so that when I got to Australia, I would be able to do this exact trip. It was the best decision because seriously, if I could stay on the Great Barrier Reef forever, I would. Diving the reef was insane, but what made it even better was that I was approached by a dive master about getting my advanced dive certification. Of course, I said yes, so I did four dives each day, including a “sharks in the dark” night dive, a 30 meter deep dive, a navigation dive and a buoyancy skill dive. Everything about this trip was perfect, and it sparked my interest in earning my dive master cert. I talked to some of the staff on the boat about potentially returning for an internship at some point in the future as well.

This month, I also wrapped up my semester at UTS. I took my last exam for my undergraduate degree, which was kind of crazy because I feel like I just started college, so how am I about to graduate? I also had to write a couple of final papers, most importantly was my coral report. This paper was a majority of our grade, and Australia is no joke in terms of scientific papers. I had to learn how to use R for all my statistical analysis, which was a challenge, but I feel good about how everything turned out. I spent about a week straight working on this paper, creating diagrams, maps and graphs, and researching relevant papers to construct my last college report. I am pretty proud of my final draft because I put everything I had into it.

At the end of May, I also started working in the coral lab with Wyatt, and now with Dan. I love it! They have been great in allowing me to ask all kinds of questions and make inquiries about their projects. Recently, I have been doing a lot of work on Dan’s project. He is focusing on how manganese moves through the food web to coral and then how manganese affects a coral’s thermal tolerance. This includes two types of algae (one with Mn and the other without), fed to brine shrimp and then fed to two species of corals, six genotypes each, in six tanks. I assisted in fragmenting all 180 corals and have been helping with shrimp spawning, setting up the feeding system for the shrimp, coral feeding, coral husbandry, sensor calibration, PAM probe, water changes, and saltwater testing. This has been the coolest internship and has given me the chance to work with a wide range of tools, develop new skills and allowed me to do hands-on work with coral.

June has also been full of lasts. Last time taking the ferry to Manly, last time hitting our regular cafes, last time running with Camilla and Bridget, last time visiting my favorite beaches, even my last time going to my local grocery store felt sad. My friends and roommates have started leaving, and it has been devastating. I built a life and home away from home here, so it is bittersweet knowing it has come to a close. I came to Sydney, all alone, to pursue my dream education, but instead I found myself. Australia has become my home on the other side of the world: I love my city, I know these streets, and I am part of this community now; it’s hard to let that go. I am grateful for all the people I have met, what I have learned, the experiences I have had and the new mindset I have adopted in these past five months.

Additionally, I have done a lot of reflection on what studying abroad really means in terms of education, specifically. Yes, I came here to study and I have learned a ton and had some amazing experiences, but studying abroad is more than education. You cannot get this immersive experience when you go on vacation to another country. Going abroad to learn is amazing because you get to spend time with the locals, experience a new school system and take new classes, but you also have the chance to study alongside a whole new community of people. I also learned how to surf, I made friends after spending only a couple of hours together, I networked with researchers and professors IN AUSTRALIA. I gained perspective and lived a new lifestyle, I said yes to experience, I had a diverse community of other international students around me, I realized my passion and was influenced by everyone I met.

I studied abroad in Australia, but in reality, I became a new person here. Whether it’s Australia or not, everyone should study abroad at some point in their life because, although it can be scary, it allows students to get outside of their bubble and learn about themselves and about what they want in life. If you’re lost or if you think you have it figured out, going abroad is the answer because you’ll either find what you’re looking for or realize your full potential. This has been the most incredible and defining experience, so much so that I will be back here next year…

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Learn more about this blogger’s study abroad program: University of Technology Sydney