As you might be able to tell from the picture, I traveled to the Great Barrier Reef this weekend in Cairns! It is definitely not what I expected. I always pictured the reef with amazing, vibrant colors and different animals swimming around but that is not exactly what I got to see. Instead, I saw a lot of dead coral reefs and coral bleaching from human impact. I really came to terms with the impact humans have on the environment from my day exploring here. Although it was quite sad to see this, it really pushed mine and my friends boundaries. I have been snorkeling before but I have never been scuba diving. After learning all the techniques, we got into the ocean with our scuba equipment and began to descend. It was a little scary at first but we all got the hang of it after a while. I think the most important thing to do while studying abroad is to push your comfort limits. If I didn’t constantly push my limits, I would have never been able to experience half of the things I have on this trip.

On another sad point, I have less than two weeks left in this amazing country. If it was up to me, I could probably stay a whole year here and still want to keep exploring and seeing more. I’ll be pretty upset to go home to a strict work environment when at my internship in Australia, everything is so relaxed and I have become so close to my coworkers. I have really loved the work I do for Disrupt Sports and I’m sad I am going to have to leave this amazing company.

As for my last full weekend coming up, I think my friends and I are going to try to see everything we have wanted to see in Sydney and neighboring areas.