Life is what happens...
In 13 days I will be boarding a plane and traveling a total of over 9000 miles to eventually arrive home to good ol' DeWitt, Iowa. This trip has turned out to be quite different than originally planned though, because only 21 days after that I will be boarding another plane and making the same trip backwards. In the blink of an eye my entire life changed, and I could not be more excited about what the next few years have in store for me.
From the very first day I arrived in Sydney I knew I wanted to stay. About two months ago my parents and I started seriously discussing the idea. A possibility. The amount of happiness this gave me is indescribable. Even if I ended up going home, I knew I had at least tried and therefore if it didn't workout I knew home is where I'm meant to be. It still would have been very hard to leave. About a week before I announced I was staying at UNSW I was almost 100% convinced I was going home. I was waiting to hear from admissions if enough credits from Iowa State were going to transfer to allow me to afford going to uni here, and the process was taking forever. Just when I was about ready to call it quits and get a plane ticket home I got the news I had been waiting for. After working a few things out with my parents it became official. I am an international student at UNSW.
There's a lot of things I'm going to miss about Iowa and ISU. Obviously my friends and family. Especially my family. If it weren't for them this would have been the easiest decision I ever made. Butunfortunately my family does exist, and they are wonderful and I am going to miss them more than words can describe. I'm really going to miss football seasons at ISU. I loved going to games and standing in the student section, cheering the Cyclones on to victory. I'm especially sad since the Iowa vs. State game was home this year. I'm sad I won't get to see State kick some Hawkeye ass again this year :) I'm going to miss VEISHEA and all the other fun festivities put on by ISU every year. I'm also going to miss my bike and the motorcycle club at ISU. I patiently await the day I have enough money to purchase myself a bike so I can again feel the joy that is riding a motorcycle.
There's some things I won't miss as well. Mainly snow and ice. It's basically winter here now. And the other day I was walking around in jeans and a t-shirt. It's not warm, but it's not cold and I like it. Living in a small town is another one. I loved growing up in a small town, being able to ride my bike anywhere when I was a child and having all of your friends so close was pretty awesome. Right now however, I belong in a big city, where things are happening and there's always something new to do or someone new to meet. Also, here I live by a beach. You can't get any closer to paradise. Those aren't the only reasons I wanted to stay though.
So, why did I want to stay? I can't completely explain it all. Many of my reasons are quite personal, and I can't quite explain it, but I know this is where I'm meant to be right now. Many of you know I've always had a dream of moving to Australia. Why Australia? I have no better answer than 'because it sounds cool'. And it really is everything I hoped for and so much more. It's exciting I get to be here a few years earlier than originally planned. Will I stay here after graduation? I can honestly say I do not know. If there's anything I've learned it's that no matter how much you plan, life is probably going to end up working out some other way. I planned on graduating from ISU, which is definitely the less risky option for me at this point, but to refer back to the quote I reference in my title, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." I'm taking this opportunity because I don't want to miss it. I want to grab life by the horns and make sure to have as many amazing experiences as I possibly can. Whatever happens, I know it'll be good as long as I'm happy with where I am and what I'm doing.
That is all for now. Thanks to everyone for their support!!!
From the very first day I arrived in Sydney I knew I wanted to stay. About two months ago my parents and I started seriously discussing the idea. A possibility. The amount of happiness this gave me is indescribable. Even if I ended up going home, I knew I had at least tried and therefore if it didn't workout I knew home is where I'm meant to be. It still would have been very hard to leave. About a week before I announced I was staying at UNSW I was almost 100% convinced I was going home. I was waiting to hear from admissions if enough credits from Iowa State were going to transfer to allow me to afford going to uni here, and the process was taking forever. Just when I was about ready to call it quits and get a plane ticket home I got the news I had been waiting for. After working a few things out with my parents it became official. I am an international student at UNSW.
There's a lot of things I'm going to miss about Iowa and ISU. Obviously my friends and family. Especially my family. If it weren't for them this would have been the easiest decision I ever made. But
There's some things I won't miss as well. Mainly snow and ice. It's basically winter here now. And the other day I was walking around in jeans and a t-shirt. It's not warm, but it's not cold and I like it. Living in a small town is another one. I loved growing up in a small town, being able to ride my bike anywhere when I was a child and having all of your friends so close was pretty awesome. Right now however, I belong in a big city, where things are happening and there's always something new to do or someone new to meet. Also, here I live by a beach. You can't get any closer to paradise. Those aren't the only reasons I wanted to stay though.
So, why did I want to stay? I can't completely explain it all. Many of my reasons are quite personal, and I can't quite explain it, but I know this is where I'm meant to be right now. Many of you know I've always had a dream of moving to Australia. Why Australia? I have no better answer than 'because it sounds cool'. And it really is everything I hoped for and so much more. It's exciting I get to be here a few years earlier than originally planned. Will I stay here after graduation? I can honestly say I do not know. If there's anything I've learned it's that no matter how much you plan, life is probably going to end up working out some other way. I planned on graduating from ISU, which is definitely the less risky option for me at this point, but to refer back to the quote I reference in my title, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." I'm taking this opportunity because I don't want to miss it. I want to grab life by the horns and make sure to have as many amazing experiences as I possibly can. Whatever happens, I know it'll be good as long as I'm happy with where I am and what I'm doing.
That is all for now. Thanks to everyone for their support!!!
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