As I think about the next 5 months ahead, in an unfamiliar country, with people I have not met yet, I became both excited and anxious. I have been waiting almost a year to take this journey to Melbourne, Australia to study at Victoria University. The endless paperwork and packing were finally all about to line up for the real thing, my great adventure in Aussie.

The moments leading up to that 25-hour trip across the world were exciting; ensuring all the paperwork was filled out, my bags were packed with just enough to comfort my homesickness but also room for all the new clothes and keepsakes I’d be collecting along the way. I began slowly saying goodbye to friends and family in my final week at home and taking off work to make sure everything was complete before stepping onto that plane.

I was a resident at New Paltz for my first year and a half, so saying goodbye (or see you soon rather) was not an unfamiliar concept for me. My hometown was four hours from the New Paltz campus, so I was a little more prepared than most to travel such a far distance for school. One thing that helped settle me was knowing I could video chat and text/call my friends and family whenever I was feeling low. Or just wanted to see a familiar face.

Taking this next step and finally traveling to Melbourne after I had dreamed of it for so long was so liberating. I was ready to leave the cold, snowy winters of New York and enter the sunny, warm summers of Australia.