Realizations

A few days ago, as I was walking to class, I realized something.

As expected, we have fallen into a routine during our time here. Since we finished class today these routines will change, but for the first month mine was pretty stable. I typically woke up at 7am, headed to campus, did homework, class, and miscellaneous activities in the afternoon. When I told my friends back home I have become quite the morning person they laughed pretty hard. I’m the kind of person who schedules their earliest class at 11am at UT. But there is something quaint and sacred about an early morning in Sydney. I enjoy my alone time with cool morning walks and iced coffee for a few hours before the day really begins. It was on one of these walks, iced coffee in hand, that I came to my realization that I am completely in love with Australia.

I grew up in the country always wary of city life. All the noise and traffic and crowds bothered me. Here, I like the city. It has the qualities of a city with its skyscrapers and honking horns, but the people are of a southern nature; warm and inviting. I love that it is clean, that there are still trees and parks and the ocean is nearby. I love the uniqueness of the Opera House and rotating restaurant and that I can take a bus to the beach and tan on the cliffs all day. I love the modern yet historical aspects of The University of Sydney with the Quadrangle and the newer buildings. I love how quickly I have become a regular at the coffee shops and how they always know my order. I have found myself becoming quite at home.

When I realized that it had already been a month I was pretty sad. I didn’t fully understand why until it hit me how much I love being here. It has not been an easy trip. Big things are happening in my personal life back home, both good and bad, and sometimes I feel like I am missing out on it all. But the longer I stay in Sydney the more and more I thank God I came. The more and more I realize that the world is both huge and tiny and no matter when or where you travel, life happens and it happens quickly. Coming to Sydney and seizing every moment is the best decision I could have made for myself.