Finding A Home Away From Home

I am so elated in this moment…despite recovering from a bad cold and blocked ears (almost burst an eardrum on descent to Hong Kong!!).

Europe has been the experience of a lifetime for me. I cannot even begin to analyse or comprehend the effect this trip has had on me as a person. “Wow” is almost all I can say….you really realise how big the world is and how miniscule your own life is in terms of the bigger picture….it’s easy to say “oh that is to be expected” but it’s a whole different ball game when you’re actually experiencing it. I have learned so much about different cultures, different people, different religions, different languages, architecture, art, history; the effects of war and communism, the ‘clash of civilisations’ between Islam and The West….I have strengthened certain values and views that I hold about life, found a home away from home (Firenze), made friends for life and….met someone…someone who loves old buildings as much as I do (with a PhD in architecture to prove it), adores philosophy, exploring book stores, expensive cars, reading poetry, being a night owl, making money, jazz, talking politics, red wine, singing Frank Sinatra, dancing on the Champs Élysées and chasing random Australian girls across countries and continents….

So because of that it looks like I may be back in Europe sooner than expected!….but it is good to be home for now – Australia is an amazing country, I have my family here, my friends here, my career AND the best food & wine in the world!…but I’ve realised how important travel is to the mind and the soul; it has had a profound effect on my perspective on life and totally reinvigorated me (I hadn’t been on a holiday since I spent 5 days in Sydney at the end of year 12)….and everyone needs a break now and again.

It is difficult to put into words exactly what I have gained when I have learned so much from this experience, but I think most importantly I am much more confident in myself and my ability to deal with a variety of complex situations and make good decisions under pressure. This makes me feel so much more prepared for the start of full-time work next year and I am even more excited about my future after seeing the wealth of opportunity that exists outside of Australia….I think it is inevitable that I will end up working overseas at some point – and now I can genuinely say I’m excited about that; the big metropolises of the world no longer intimidate me. I feel I could quite easily spent 12 months overseas alone, backpacking on a budget…and be totally fine!

So I could delve deeper, but the intricacies of my experiences are too much to put to paper (or a computer screen!) at this time. Instead I would hope that some of you reading this may be further inspired to get out there and travel; to find your own stories and life-changing experiences, for it is only those times where we are challenged and out of our comfort zones that our mind has the opportunity to expand the most.

Cheers,
Sophie