Going to Australia was a chance of a lifetime. I was there this past summer of 2009 for five weeks. I am really glad I took this opportunity, and received the support I needed from family, friends, from the program I traveled with- EIL which stands for Experimenting in International Living, and the donors of my scholarship who made it possible for me to go. The entire experiment impacted me overall. Whether it was making new friends, meeting my host family, or enjoying the scenery, I was really grateful for this trip and the people who made it possible.
During my excursion, I made a lot of friends- American and Australian. Having friends can make anything feel much more enjoying. I loved sharing and listening to the many stories we had to tell each other. We even made plans for after the Experiment. The friends I made in Australia, and I, agreed that we will go to Los Angeles to become actresses and famous. For the people in America, we plan to do a road trip up and down the east coast of the United States. We all exchanged contact information such as Facebook and Myspace. I am glad that I made new friends that I can talk and connect to just like I can with my other friends.
Meeting my host family in Australia showed me how similar and different Australians are from Americans. Everyday in Australia, my family and I ate dinner together at the dining table like my mother and I do at our home. My host family was so hospitable and welcomed me into their home as I was their own child. I got along with everyone, and it was pretty cool to say I had a younger sister. At home, I am an only child. The atmosphere felt so different to me than in America. Every Saturday in Australia, families spend the day or at least most of it participating in netball and footy which is a very popular sport. I got to experience this event which was all day. My host sister played netball, and her team won. We watched the footy games that were played until it was over. Some days we had relaxing days. I watched a cool Australian show series called “Blue Water High” with my host sister and her friend. We also watched American shows, which I haven’t seen before, and that I liked. At my stay, we took a few trips such as going to the mall in Adelaide to go to the mall, or Port Germein to walk the longest wooden jetty in the South Australia. Although we were from two different countries and continents, I had a good time with my family and found things that my sister and I had in common.
The land was absolutely beautiful. I especially loved the blue water at the beach. My favorite place was the rainforest. I loved the trees, the flowers, and the butterflies. It felt like that I was in a painted picture, and it was unbelievable. I liked Sydney because it reminded me of my hometown, D.C. except there was so much more to explore and do. It was cool how everything was close together such as our hotel, places to eat, museums, the Aquarium, and the malls. The Outback was cool even though its scenery wasn’t what I was used to. I liked seeing the kangaroos and dingoes. I also liked seeing the huge mountains. I think Cairns was my favorite place because it reminded me of California with how the lights light up at night, the liveliness of the city, and the palm trees. All of it was just so beautiful and wonderful.
I definitely loved visiting Australia. In the near future, I hope to visit Australia again. It was a wonderful experience, and it was a great opportunity to travel abroad.
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