Studying abroad is no doubt a life-changing and eye-opening experience. It shifts your perspective and helps to develop a new lens through which you view the world. As a collegiate athlete, studying abroad was an entirely unexpected experience that revived my love for rowing and helped me to heal from emotional numbness.

The Thaw

Mist rises

from the still surface

of the Yarra

and rests

upon the glassy water.

A light, morning breeze

exhales

creating tiny ripples.

The reflection of the

Melbourne skyline begins to dance.

Barefoot on the bank

I wade into the river.

The icy water bites

at my ankles.

I lose my sense

of time

as I fix my gaze

on a statue

on the opposite shore.

I can’t quite tell

If it’s meant to be

a human or an animal.

The silence

of the morning

is broken

by the squawking and bickering

of rainbow lorikeets

perched in the bare, budding trees.

I sit down in my boat

and shove away

from the shore.

The water trickles

along the hull

as the boat glides forward

underneath me.

My body compresses

and releases

to the rhythm

of the clicking oarlocks

and the splash of the oars

entering the water.

This is what rowing is

supposed to feel like.

I let the boat glide

to a stop,

the oars skimming over

tiny ripples.

I blend into the stillness

until I am painted

into the morning landscape.

I can’t feel my toes,

but I can feel

warm tears running

down my cheeks.

My stone heart beats again

as black skies turn to red.