Adventure of a Lifetime

Waiting in the airport was a strange feeling for me. I had just said goodbye to my friends and family for five months, but I was overcome with excitement. I knew the coming months would be an incredible journey, but I couldn't even imagine just how great they would be. As I sat there, waiting to board the plane, it was the most anxious and nervous I have ever felt. But I would give anything to go back to that exact moment. I can't even describe what that feeling was like. I had spent so much time getting ready for that semester abroad that it didn't even feel real at that point. It was the most vivid and amazing dream I've ever had, and the rest is history, as they say.

I can still remember the exact moment I decided on this program. I had been meeting with my school's study abroad office and I was trying to decide where I wanted to study. There were so many options to choose from that it was a little overwhelming. I was scrolling through Instagram one day, and I saw a picture of a place in New Zealand called Cathedral Cove. I was mesmerized by the picture, and knew right then that New Zealand was where I wanted to go. A few weeks into my semester abroad, my friends and I all rented a car and took a road trip to Cathedral Cove on my birthday. As I stood there looking at the same view I saw in that picture, all I could do was smile. This is a pretty bold statement, but I think that was the happiest moment of my life. It was so simple but I've never felt pure joy like that. Being there on my birthday, with all these new friends, knowing that I was accomplishing my dreams was a feeling I'll never be able to accurately put in writing.