AUSTRALIA - ADELAIDE

As my semester abroad comes to an end in a few days, I have to say that I have gained so many positive aspects from my time in Australia. Before I came here, it was so strange to be away from my home, my family and my safe place in Austria. I've never been on my own for a long time with no idea where I'd go next or what I'd do alone if things didn't work out. Although I have never been alone here because of Magdalena and Valeria, but the three of us have never had a time like this where we really had to do everything ourselves, so especially at the beginning of this trip it was really hard to manage everything.

I think the thing that has become most familiar to me in Australia is the way of just letting life go with the flow and trusting the process that everything will work out in the end and that there is always a plan B to go to. For example, when we first came here, we were really stressed about getting a flat in Adelaide. We went to a lot of open houses and nothing worked out. It was driving us crazy not having a place to go and having to move from one Airbnb to another. So, since it wasn't working out to get a flat, we decided to continue with our Airbnb hopping every two weeks and just plan our next stay a few days in advance. It was hard to get used to, but in the end it was the most relaxed and free solution we could have imagined. We often talked about how well it worked and how easy it was to decide where to go next and what to do in a month's time. We were able to move around Adelaide and get to know the city from all sides. Soon living on the beach became familiar and the Adelaide coastline felt like home. However, we wanted to live in the city at least once and it was a great experience as we all live in small places back home. And because of the flexibility of this type of living, we were able to explore Australia even more. So every time there was nothing to do for our studies, we would pack up our suites and go to places all over the country. And when we came back to Adelaide after our trips, it really felt like going home, even though we didn't have a home there. The feeling was the same every time, and the experience of living out of our suitcases for that time was so simple and minimalistic that I learned how little stuff you really need.

All in all, my personal favourite familiar-unfamiliar situation that happened to us was how strange people became such good friends in such a short time. We met so many great people on our travels and it was nice to notice when it just clicked with someone. Meeting our friend Charlotte was the best thing that happened in Australia. She was on the same courses at university and after a few chats it felt like we had known each other forever. The four of us had such a great time together in South Australia. She showed us her home town of Adelaide from a foreign perspective and took us to different places around the city. Between all the great trips, surf lessons and beers at the campsites, a great and loving friendship grew. She turned up at least once a week and even just going out for coffee was such a great time. I think Charlie and my girls helped me a lot to get to know myself better in Australia. They taught me to stop overthinking and start living for today.

Finally, I have to say that I deserve so much more than just a great trip from the exchange semester. I am much more relaxed and happy with everything the way it is. All the unknown situations were so much fun to see how they will turn out in the end, so I am so excited for all the unplanned things that will happen in the future. "No worries in down under”