Student Bloggers
Get Lost, Make Mistakes
Date
July 26, 2016
Going to a new city, in a new state, in a new country can be very intimidating. Questions will pop up in your head like, “What if I get lost?” “Is it this bus, or that one?” “What street am I on?” But being somewhere you’ve never been can be the best feeling in the world. You might think I’m crazy for saying that, though let me explain...
During Arcadia’s orientation, 40 students and myself where driven to the small, quiet town of Queenscliff. I have never heard of Queenscliff, and I never thought I would go there (but I did, and I loved it). One the second day of orientation we were split up into small groups and given a scavenger hunt to go out and find Australian things, and ask local Aussies some questions about the culture.
As my group started to walk out into the town to ask questions like “what’s a magpie, and why is it dangerous?” and “what is a “cheeky nandos?” After a short time we quickly realized that we didn’t know exactly where we were or how to get back to the hotel we were staying at (you could say we were really into this scavenger hunt). After a short time of panic I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and began to take in my surroundings. By doing this I saw some very beautiful things and started to appreciate the town we were in. While wandering around aimlessly, my group stumbled upon a beach.
This was actually the first beach we encountered since landing in Australia the day before. It was beautiful! The sky was so blue, the sand looked smooth as sand could possibly be, and the ocean had such a calming sound. I felt like I was listening to one of those “sleepy time” noisemakers people use before going to bed. I knew at this point that while I am here in Australia, I don’t need to freak out and panic when I don’t really know where I am. All I need to do is take in what is around me and eventually I’ll find where I need to be. Like I learned during orientation about ocean safety if you get caught in a rip or like the wonderful Bobby McFerrin sings, ‘don’t worry, be happy.’