That old saying, “time flies when you’re having fun,” has never been truer than today. After 96 days, my time studying abroad in Sydney, Australia, has come to an end. I have seen new sights, made new friends, gained new experiences, and learned a lot about myself. I am going to use this final blog post as a Greatest Hits of sorts to reflect on all the fun moments we have all shared in Straya.

“You’ve hit the one month mark! So, what’s been your favorite part of Sydney so far?”

If I had a nickel for every time I’d been asked this in the past week, I’d have a handful of nickels.  But, if I had a nickel for every time I had a definitive answer, I’d probably have a paperclip, a dust bunny, and just maybe a half-stick of chewing gum, if I’m lucky.

This past weekend, I ventured outside of Sydney for the first time since arriving and went surfing camp in Bendalong Point. Originally, it was never on my agenda to learn how to surf, but a lot of others were going, and I knew I would regret it later on if I didn’t take the opportunity. Even though I have been immersed in a new culture for a few weeks now, but this entire weekend was the first time I had felt true “culture shock.”