It’s been almost seven years since I moved back to the United States from Australia, and I still miss living there every day. As I grow older, I long for the day I can go back and visit new parts of the country. Even though I was completely rebellious at the time, I am more than grateful for the experience to live out of the country and go to school in a place I was not familiar with. After this period, I encourage anyone and everyone to get up and go explore the world because the chance doesn’t pop-up often. In my case, I had no idea when I would leave Australia and return to my original home in Tennessee.

Around this time seven years ago, my mom decided to have my brothers and me live with her in Australia. It was a small town named Coffs Harbour in New South Wales. I was twelve years old at the time, which is possibly the worst age for a kid to transition into a new lifestyle. I was filled with an incredible amount of emotion and rage because the last thing I wanted to do was leave my friends and family at home, but I missed my mom so much it hurt. With all of the new adjustments, it was exciting but overwhelming at the same time. Looking back, I was extremely naive and unaware of all the circumstances happening around me, which lead to an endless amount of mixed confusion.

Essentially, it was an emotional rollercoaster the entire time, with learning to live in a different country to leave. When you are growing up, you attach yourself to people and adapt to the area around you. I still think about the adventures at the mall eating chips after school with my closest friends and trying meat pies at the school's canteen.

As soon as I left Australia, I knew I would live there again one day.

I believe as we get older, it’s essential to go out of your comfort zone and push yourself to new limits because we change, for the good or better, from those experiences. Living in Australia made me stronger because I overcame every fear possible. I am no longer afraid of snakes or bugs. I grew to love camping and other outdoor activities. Living at home would not have given me those opportunities, which makes me more grateful. It’s hard leaving an area you were once familiar with because you never know if you will see it again.

Moving to a new country isn’t easy if you couldn’t already tell. It’s a major amount of stress and anxiety because you are moving somewhere that is completely foreign to you. Packing your entire life into a suitcase isn’t very easy either, but everyone has done that once in their life. It’s the action of leaving your house to find the unknown that makes it the most exciting part of the journey.