I'm coming home...
On an academic level, I had an incredible experience. I had the opportunity to study at a large university with a multitude of classes in subjects I never knew existed, and I got to experience what a foreign education system is like. However, on a social level, I wish I had known more about the university before I arrived. Perhaps then I wouldn't have been as shocked by the incredible amount of binge drinking that takes place every weekend, or the fact that there isn't much else to do in the area. Maybe I would have realized how much more expensive everything is in Australia, and I might have been able to raise enough money to leave Townsville more than once. I never appreciated Allegheny's Late Night program until I attended a school where the "late night" program was listening to drunk people fall down the stairs.
That said, I did enjoy the experience. I learned what sort of environment is not the best for me, and what it takes to overcome a situation in which I am not comfortable. The study abroad experience has definite non-academic benefits - people have the opportunity to learn who they are when they are away from those people who know them best.
My "stand-alone memory" is actually somewhat stereotypical of my study abroad environment - I will always remember walking across campus one sunny afternoon to see half a dozen wallabies enjoying the sunshine and gorgeous weather. They serve as a reminder that life is meant to be enjoyed, not stressed over and regretted.