Returning home was not easy for me. I had previously accepted an internship, and the latest date that they wanted me to start was May 20th. Unfortunately, that meant I would have to cut my trip short by two days. That didn’t sound like a lot to me at the time, but once I was in Australia, leaving the country and friends I made was very difficult to do, even though it was only two days. I had to miss out on some of the excursions that I was really looking forward to doing. Fortunately for me, I was able to make all my connections on time and make it home at a reasonable time. I was worried since I had so many problems arriving in Australia, and I had zero room for error because I needed all the time I could get to move and start my internship. The weekend I got home was a long one. I left Sydney at around 9:00 am on Saturday, and, after a 14-hour flight, I arrived in LA at 6:00 am Saturday. It took me several more hours and connections to get home, and I finally arrived around 5:00 pm. I immediately washed all my clothes, ate dinner, and went to bed. The next morning, after sleeping for 10.5 hours, I immediately packed up all my stuff and drove 8 hours to Greensboro, NC, where my internship was. I got settled in on Sunday evening and got ready for my first day of work the next day. I was fighting jet lag very hard my first week. I drank 5 cups of coffee on my first and second day, but I managed to get down to only a couple by the end of the week. Ever since graduation, things have been very non-stop for me. I still haven’t had time to process that I graduated, and I haven’t had time to even reflect on Australia yet. It’s been about a week or two since I’ve gotten back. There are certain things about Australia that I miss, but since I was only there for 10-12 days, there was no lasting culture shock. Looking back on my trip, I am very grateful to have the opportunity to do it. It was a fantastic experience for me, and I wish I could do it again next year.
