Great Expectations
Before arriving in Australia, it was difficult for me to come up with specific expectations for this semester; the culture is English speaking, very modern and the land and living conditions are exceptional. My biggest pre-departure goal was that I wanted to arrive here in the mentality of being up for anything, flexible, adventurous and willing to step beyond my comfort zone enough that I could embrace whatever came my way and make the most out of it. In a way, what I wanted to get out of this experience was the ability to really give myself a challenge. I left everything and everyone I knew 10,000 miles behind to test myself. I wanted to see how independent and strong I could be in a brand new college and country - basically, a brand new life. This is a way to enable personal growth and strength in the face of a huge adversary - the unknown. By isolating myself from what I know, I can really pinpoint who I am; my strengths, weaknesses, needs and desires. Academically, I really wanted to learn about another culture as well as another perspective on psychology as a whole. I'm enrolled in an Aboriginal Australia class, as well as various psychology classes so i can meet these goals.
After two months, I can definitely say that I've already grown a lot and become mentally and emotionally stronger. As for the rest of the semester, I can only say that I hope my life continues to change for the better, under this burning hot Queensland sun.
