Being back – Study abroad in Australia

Report by Romana S.

I hated it just as much as I loved it.
You know how they say “home is where the heart is”? Well, as far as I´m concerned a piece of my heart was left in Australia. I mean, I think you’ve got the point from my previous posts where I´ve explained how and why I fell in love with this breathtakingly gorgeous island. Once you come back home you realize that this is not your only home anymore.
I’m sure most of you will get homesick every now and then. (I know I did. Even though I am used to being away.) But, let me tell you this: while you’ll think that being away from your loved ones and your usual surroundings is the worst part, you’ll learn the hard way that having to leave Australia is even worse. You know why? When you leave your home you know exactly that you’ll come back sooner or later. When the end of your time abroad has come though, you realize that you don’t know if and when you will be able to go back. And even if you do so, it won’t be the same.

“Nothing will ever be the same again.”

You go away, you come back. It seems so simple. In fact though, there is a whole lot more to it. Nothing will ever be the same again. (No matter if your experience was a good or a bad one.)
You have a completely different view on everything and everyone you used to know. It seems like nothing has changed yet everything is somehow different. It is hard to put into words and in a way only you can understand what is going on inside you. Trying to explain it – especially to people who have not experienced the same thing – is basically pointless.
At times you might feel guilty. Shouldn’t you be happy to have returned home? After all, your friends and your family have missed you. You missed them too, right? However, there is nothing wrong in missing another place. It doesn’t mean that you don’t appreciate being or don’t want to be back. It only shows that you were able to adapt to a new way of living and created yourself a special experience.

Keep travelling

You have grown, you have learned to look at certain things from a new point of view. Whereas the people from your “old” life still think and behave like they did before. You might even find yourself deciding that there are some people you don’t want or you don’t need as part of your life anymore. You have chosen different paths, and that’s ok. It happens. Therefore you got to know other people. People who might have influenced you and your way of thinking but definitely have helped you to enjoy this unique opportunity.
New surroundings, a new culture, new people and you all by yourself – it changes you, in one way or another. Embrace the change and stay open-minded. Also, once the travelbug has bitten you there is no going back. You are now infected and there is no other cure than to keep travelling.

Enjoy your stay and make it the time of your life!