Looking back... it was incredible!

My last few days in Townsville were fairly relaxing and enjoyable. Between packing, I visited Reef HQ again, as well as the Museum of Tropical Queensland and the Sunday markets; I went out with friends on my last night and said my farewells. Tuesday, December 2nd I was on a 6am flight to Brisbane International Airport (after nearly oversleeping) and from there I departed for LAX.

Now I’ve had about two weeks to recover from the jetlag, get back into the routine of home, and reflect on the semester. It was truly amazing. So, I didn’t get to travel around as much as I would have liked and I didn't get to go skydiving – but seriously, I dove the Great Barrier Reef! I did about ten dives on the GBR and I saw pristine Papua New Guinea (photo courtesy of Rod).

I learned a lot about some of the academic fields that interest me most; I’m happy with my grades, and the credits will count towards my degree.

I adapted to the slightly different culture and lifestyle of Australia and specifically Townsville. Something that amuses me is that in Orange County a car like this one belongs almost exclusively to gardeners, but in Townsville its pretty common for the average person.

I grew familiar with the incredibly friendly and laid back attitude of the Australian people, and I love it. I adopted some new phrases ("heaps" has stuck). I even accepted Vegemite as edible.

I dealt with some wildlife: geckos lived all around our house, the calling of the curlews kept me up at night, and I got up close and personal with lots of other animals that I’ve posted about previously.

Furthermore: I got used to living on my own and cooking for myself. I learned an Australian drinking song. I camped in the rainforest. I took cold showers for a week because it hit 90 F everyday. I went to the most remote place I've ever been (Undara, the bush). I went out to clubs and bars for the first time. I saw a wild koala and sharks in their natural environment. I drank Goon and Bundy. I became certified as an Advanced Open Water Diver. I ate a kangaroo... and an emu... and a crocodile. Pretty successful, right?

Above all, I met many interesting acquaintances from all over the world and made several lasting friendships. I’ve already caught up with Marissa as she is conveniently from Irvine, and I’m even expecting to see some Aussie friends in the US during 2010.

It’s great to be home to rest up, celebrate the holidays with my family, and catch up with old friends. I’m looking forward to reuniting with my Swat friends and teammates, although I’m dreading the rigor of training trip and will have to get used to the idea of cold snowy weather again. My primary reason for going to Australia for a semester was academic – JCU is a great university offering marine-related classes that are completely unavailable at Swarthmore – and I certainly believe it paid off, but it also matters that I really had a lot of fun while I was there and I'm going to remember this semester fondly for the rest of my life.