REFLECTION

How far I've come and where I plan to go.

Traveling across the world alone. Apartment hunting. Living alone. Buying my own food and cooking every meal. Going on hikes or to the beach by myself. Figuring out public transportation. Getting lost without service on my phone.Taking the train. Budgeting my money. Walking 45 minutes to get to my internship. Arranging flights and shuttles. Not having anyone to rely on. Figuring out how to live by myself. Growing up.

During my time in Sydney, I experienced several situations that scared me or made me feel uncomfortable. I have never traveled by myself, let alone spent three months solo in a foreign country. Any time I faced adversity before, I had a support system to turn to or to get advice from. Even though I did not know anyone when I left for Washington & Jefferson, I was greeted by my soccer team who immediately accepted me and showed me how to make friends and survive college. Plus, my family was a phone call or hour car drive away if I needed them. Unfortunately, it was not that smooth of a transition in Sydney. My friends and family at home were asleep for most of the hours I was awake, so I was truly on my own.

I managed from Pittsburgh to Canada (where I had my layovers) and even to Sydney easily. I found a shuttle that took me directly to my hostel. After settling in, I looked around the area and chose a fast food restaurant to get lunch. In that moment, I realized that it was not going to be a cheap summer. The cheapest thing on the menu was $10 for a small burger—something that would have cost $4 at most in the United States. Even after considering the exchange rate, this was alarmingly expensive. I immediately looked for a grocery store nearby. The closest one was a twenty minute bus ride. I thought that was going to be an easy ride, but then I realized that I never had to use public transportation before and I had no clue how to get a bus pass. I had to ask people at the bus stop and they appointed me to a convenience store where I could get a public transportation card that I had to load with money.

Eventually, I made it to the grocery store and contemplated what items I needed to get. Having a wonderful mom who cooked for me my whole childhood and having the privilege of a meal plan at college, I only knew how to make the most minimal and bland meals. Because I was on such a budget, I couldn’t really eat out often either. So, peanut butter and jelly and instant noodles were as extensive as it got for the first month of my trip. Occasionally, I got fancy and spiced it up with spaghetti and canned sauce. Food was definitely a struggle.

Obviously, I did not have any friends when I arrived, so I didn’t have anyone to explore Sydney with. At home, I can text any of my friends and they will do something spontaneous with me at any time of the day. I chose to stay at a hostel my first two weeks in order to make friends and meet other travelers looking to sightsee and adventure. It worked out when a backpacker wanted to join me, but many times no one did. For the first time, I had to venture out by myself to hike or lay on the beach. It made me really uncomfortable at first considering I am an extreme extrovert and desire the company of others all the time. It certainly was a very different experience than going with a friend. I had to take the train for the first time in my life and, without any guidance, I got on one going the wrong way. Even though it put me an hour off track, I learned how to read the railway maps so I wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Another time, I got lost in a location where I had no service, so I had to ask locals and use signs to get back home. Again, even though it was scary in the moment, it taught me to independently navigate a foreign area.  

Travelling by myself felt odd at first, but I really grew to enjoy having alone time. Being in nature alone, I could fully take in my surroundings. I would sit and soak in the beauty for hours. This is something I had never done before, but I am glad I did. Independently travelling and making memories alone can be just as fulfilling as doing it with a friend.

I grew tired of the hostel quickly because I was unable to make true friends. My roommates were travelers who only stayed a day or two. This meant that it was time to go house hunting. This was far out of my comfort zone because I never needed to find a place to stay before. The concept also terrified me: showing up to random apartments in random towns in hopes of finding “home.” I reached out to many people and visited over 15 apartments. Most were too cramped, too expensive, or too far from my internship. Finally, I found the perfect one relatively close to my internship. The people already living in the house were extremely nice and welcomed me very generously. They were a little older than me and had been in the area for a while, so they were keen to share advice and life lessons. They gave me tips on how to save money and the best places to visit before I left. Most importantly, they taught me how to cook.

It was at my apartment that I met my best friend of my trip, my roommate. She was the same age as me and in Sydney for a limited time like me, so we had the exact same agenda. She became my travel buddy and we spent every weekend going to new places and trying new cafes and restaurants. We gave each other tips and grew very close. I definitely made a life long friend.

This friendship was not the only beautiful thing I gained from my trip. I learned what it was like to live as an adult, I adjusted to an extremely different lifestyle, and I gained so much wisdom from the mistakes I made. Of course, I learned a significant amount of information and details about neuroscience and lab techniques at my internship, but to be honest, I learned far more about myself this trip. Overall, I am able to do anything I put my mind to. I am able to live and travel alone. This world is so gorgeous and has so much beauty to offer. I am now more aware of how lucky and privileged I am to be on this earth. I will never take another experience for granted. Every day has a lesson in it, even the bad ones, so I plan to truly embrace what life has to offer and spread this positive mindset to everyone around me.