22 days until I embark on the adventure of a lifetime. 22 days until I hop on a plane to travel 8,578 miles from my home. 22 days until I land in Sunshine Coast, Australia.

From February 15^th through July 2^nd I will be studying abroad for a semester in the “land down under”. As I think of the adventure that lies ahead of me, I have mixed feelings of excitement and nervousness. I am most nervous about leaving my family, boyfriend, and friends for 4 ½  months. The fifteen-hour time change might prove to be difficult in communicating back home. Being a “home body” and not having the ability to come back to tater tot hot dish and the comfort of family is what I’m most apprehensive about.

That being said, there is so much to be excited about. The Glasshouse Mountains to my left and the Pacific Ocean to my right will be a combination of my two favorite things. Because my school schedule allows me to have 4-day weekends, there will be plenty of time to explore the area. I am excited for the kangaroos roaming on campus, new food, Australian Zoo, snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, visiting Sydney with a friend from the US, spending break exploring the East coast with my aunt, meeting new people, and much more. Oh, and the 100-degree temperature change from Minnesota to Australia won’t be bad either!

Although studying abroad involves a lot of exploring a new country, it also involves school. I will be taking 4 classes at University of the Sunshine Coast which is just a short, 3-minute walk from my apartment. I am most excited for a Marine and Coastal Ecology class, something that I wouldn’t have previously experienced in land-locked Minnesota. As a Communication Studies major, I have always been interested in learning how people communicate and I look forward to studying communication cross-culturally. Visual Storytelling, The Language of Design, and Creativity & Communication are the other three classes that will complete my schedule.

The time spent preparing for this semester abroad has finally paid off, and in just a few short weeks, I’ll be boarding a plane to another country. I am incredibly grateful for the people who have encouraged me along the way. I want to keep up with all of you, but that will nearly impossible, hence, why I’ve created this blog. I want to share my experiences with you and be able to look back and remember this adventure. And I promise that you’ll see some amazing photography and sweet videos as I’ll have my camera and GoPro along for the ride. An easy way to be notified of my newest blog posts is entering your email on this screen and follow Another Point of View. My Instagram page, with a focus on sharing more of my photography, is the other way that you can keep up with me @anotherpointofviewblog.

 “If it excites you and scares you at the same time, it probably means you should do it”.